MediWound Ltd. [MDWD] Filings

 

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MEDIWOUND LTD.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

 

In this annual report, the terms “MediWound,” “we,” “us,” “our” and “the company” refer to MediWound Ltd. and its subsidiaries.

 

This annual report includes other statistical, market and industry data and forecasts which we obtained from publicly available information and independent industry publications and reports that we believe to be reliable sources. These publicly available industry publications and reports generally state that they obtain their information from sources that they believe to be reliable, but they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information. Although we believe that these sources are reliable, we have not independently verified the information contained in such publications. Certain estimates and forecasts involve uncertainties and risks and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the headings “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “ITEM 3.D. Risk Factors” in this annual report.

 

 Throughout this annual report, we refer to various trademarks, service marks and tradenames that we use in our business. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks and trade names are referred to herein without the use of ® and ™ symbols. However, the omission of such symbols are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensors to these trademarks, service marks and trade names. The “MediWound” design logo, “MediWound,” “NexoBrid,” “EscharEx” and other trademarks or service marks of MediWound Ltd. appearing in this annual report are the property of MediWound Ltd. We have several other trademarks, service marks and pending applications relating to our solutions. Other trademarks and service marks appearing in this annual report are the property of their respective holders. Our use or display of other companies’ trademarks, service marks or trade names is not intended to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.

All historical share and per-share numbers appearing in this annual report reflect a retroactive adjustment for our 1-for-7 reverse share split effected on December 20, 2022. 

 

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

In addition to historical facts, this annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We make forward-looking statements in this annual report that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include information about possible or assumed future results of our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, plans and objectives. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict,” “potential,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The statements we make regarding the following matters are forward-looking by their nature:

 

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anticipated funding under our contracts with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority;

 

The preceding list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all of our forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of future performance, taking into account the information currently available to us. These statements are only predictions based upon our current expectations and projections about future events. These statements may be found in the sections of this annual report on Form 20-F entitled “ITEM 3.D. Risk Factors,” “ITEM 4. Information on the Company,” “ITEM 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects,” “ITEM 10.E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations” and elsewhere in this annual report, including the section entitled “ITEM 4.B. Business Overview” and “ITEM 4.B. Business Overview—Our Focus,” which contain information obtained from independent industry sources. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including all the risks discussed in “ITEM 3.D. Risk Factors” and information contained in other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

 

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this annual report to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations. 

PART I

 

 

Not applicable.

 

 

Not applicable. 

 

 

 

 

         Not applicable.

 

 

         Not applicable.

 

 

Our business faces significant risks. You should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this annual report and in our other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the following risk factors which we face and which are faced by our industry. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. In that event, the trading price of our ordinary shares would likely decline and you might lose all or part of your investment. This report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our results could materially differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, as a result of certain important factors including the risks described below and elsewhere in this report and our other SEC filings. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” on page i.

Risks Related to Development, Clinical Testing and Regulatory Approval

 

Product development is a lengthy and expensive process, with an uncertain outcome.

 

We intend to develop and commercialize pipeline product candidates based on our patented enzymatic technology platform for (i) marketing authorization of EscharEx in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, (ii) NexoBrid in the U.S. for children and in other jurisdictions and (iii) MW005 in variety of jurisdictions across the world. However, before obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of our pipeline product candidates in any jurisdiction, we must conduct, at our own expense, clinical studies to demonstrate that the products are safe and effective.

 

Preclinical and clinical testing is expensive, is difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and is uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more of our clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. We may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, preclinical testing and the clinical trial process. Even if preclinical or clinical trials are successful, we still may be unable to commercialize the product, as success in preclinical trials, clinical trials or previous clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful.

 

A number of events could delay or prevent our ability to complete necessary clinical trials for our pipeline product candidates, including:

 

Moreover, we do not know whether preclinical tests or clinical trials will begin or be completed as planned or will need to be restructured. Significant delays could also shorten the patent protection period during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our pipeline product candidates or could allow our competitors to bring products to the market before we do, impairing our ability to commercialize our pipeline product candidates.

  

Development and commercialization of EscharEx in the United States, NexoBrid in the United States and our pipeline product candidates worldwide requires successful completion of the regulatory approval process, and may suffer delays or fail.

 

In the United States, as well as other jurisdictions, we are required to apply for and receive marketing authorization before we can market our products, as we have already received for NexoBrid in the United States, the European Union and other international markets. This process can be time-consuming and complicated and may result in unanticipated delays. To secure marketing authorization, an applicant generally is required to submit an application that includes the data supporting preclinical and clinical safety and efficacy as well as detailed information on the manufacturing and control of the product, proposed labeling and other information. Before marketing authorization is granted, regulatory authorities generally require the inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities and quality systems (including those of third parties) at which the product candidate is manufactured and tested, to assess compliance with strictly enforced current good manufacturing practices (“cGMP”) and similar foreign requirements such as Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP”) in the European Union, as well as potential audits of the non-clinical and clinical trial sites that generated the data cited in the marketing authorization application to assess compliance with requisite good clinical practices (“GCP”).

 

We cannot predict how long the applicable regulatory authority or agency will take to grant marketing authorization or whether any such authorizations will ultimately be granted. Regulatory agencies, including the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (the “EMA”), have substantial discretion in the approval process, and the approval process and the requirements governing clinical trials vary from country to country. The policies of the FDA, the EMA or other regulatory authorities may change or may not be explicit, and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of EscharEx, NexoBrid or our pipeline product candidates. For instance, the regulatory landscape related to clinical trials in the European Union (“EU”) recently evolved. The EU Clinical Trials Regulation (“CTR”) which was adopted in April 2014 and repeals the EU Clinical Trials Directive, became applicable on January 31, 2022. While the Clinical Trials Directive required a separate clinical trial application (“CTA”) to be submitted in each member state, to both the competent national health authority and an independent ethics committee, the CTR introduces a centralized process and only requires the submission of a single application to all member states concerned. The CTR allows sponsors to make a single submission to both the competent authority and an ethics committee in each member state, leading to a single decision per member state. The assessment procedure of the CTA has been harmonized as well, including a joint assessment by all member states concerned, and a separate assessment by each member state with respect to specific requirements related to its own territory, including ethics rules. Each member state’s decision is communicated to the sponsor via the centralized EU portal. Once the CTA is approved, clinical study development may proceed. The CTR foresees a three-year transition period. The extent to which ongoing and new clinical trials will be governed by the CTR varies. Clinical trials for which an application was submitted (i) prior to January 31, 2022 under the Clinical Trials Directive, or (ii) between January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2023 and for which the sponsor has opted for the application of the Clinical Trials Directive remain governed by said Directive until January 31, 2025. After this date, all clinical trials (including those which are ongoing) will become subject to the provisions of the CTR. Compliance with the CTR requirements may impact our development plans. It is currently unclear to what extent the United Kingdom (“UK”) will seek to align its regulations with the EU. The UK regulatory framework in relation to clinical trials is derived from existing EU legislation (as implemented into UK law, through secondary legislation). On January 17, 2022, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) launched an eight-week consultation on reframing the UK legislation for clinical trials. The consultation closed on March 14, 2022 and aims to streamline clinical trials approvals, enable innovation, enhance clinical trials transparency, enable greater risk proportionality, and promote patient and public involvement in clinical trials. The outcome of the consultation is being closely watched and will determine whether the UK chooses to align with the CTR or diverge from it to maintain regulatory flexibility. A decision by the UK not to closely align its regulations with the new approach that has been adopted in the EU may have an effect on the cost of conducting clinical trials in the UK as opposed to other countries and/or make it harder to seek a marketing authorization in the EU for our product candidates on the basis of clinical trials conducted in the UK.

Additionally, the EU pharmaceutical legislation is currently undergoing a complete review process, in the context of the Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe initiative, launched by the European Commission in November 2020. The European Commission’s proposal for revision of several legislative instruments related to medicinal products (potentially revising the duration of regulatory exclusivity, eligibility for expedited pathways, etc.) is currently expected in the first quarter of 2023. The proposed revisions, once they are agreed and adopted by the European Parliament and European Council (not expected before the end of 2024) may have a significant impact on the biopharmaceutical industry in the long term. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing authorization that we may have obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability. We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad. If such actions impose constraints on the FDA’s ability to engage in oversight and implementation activities in the normal course, or if we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we are unable to maintain regulatory compliance, we may be subject to enforcement action and our business may be negatively impacted.

 

In addition, any regulatory approval that we will receive may also contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing testing, including Phase IV clinical trials, and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product candidate. For example, as part of the EMA regulatory approval process, we agreed to provide further data from a post-marketing U.S. Phase III clinical trial of NexoBrid, which serves to address this post-marketing commitment to EMA. Once a product is approved, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export and recordkeeping for the product will be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submission of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration and continued compliance with cGMP and similar foreign requirements and GCP for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Although our manufacturing facility is cGMP-certified, we may face difficulties in obtaining regulatory approval for the manufacturing and quality control process of our pipeline product candidates.

Any delays or failures in obtaining regulatory and marketing authorization for EscharEx in the United States, or for NexoBrid or our pipeline product candidates worldwide, would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Even though the FDA has approved NexoBrid for eschar removal in adults with deep partial thickness and/or full thickness thermal burns, we will still face extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements and obligations for EscharEx, NexoBrid, and for any product candidates for which we obtain approval.

 

Any regulatory approvals that we have received for NexoBrid and may receive for NexoBrid, EscharEx or any of our product candidates will require the submission of reports to regulatory authorities and surveillance to monitor the safety and efficacy of the product, may contain significant limitations related to use restrictions for specified age groups, warnings, precautions or contraindications, and may include burdensome post-approval study or risk management requirements. For example, the FDA-approved label for NexoBrid includes certain warnings and precautions regarding hypersensitivity reactions, pain management, proteolytic injury to non-target tissue and coagulopathy. The FDA may also require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) program in order to approve a product candidate, which could entail requirements for a medication guide, physician training and communication plans or additional elements to ensure safe use, such as restricted distribution methods, patient registries and other risk minimization tools.

In addition, the manufacturing processes, labeling, packaging, distribution, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, import, export and recordkeeping for NexoBrid are and will remain subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as on-going compliance with cGMPs, and GCPs for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. In addition, manufacturers of drug products and their facilities are subject to continual review and periodic, unannounced inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations and standards. If we or a regulatory authority discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facilities where the product is manufactured, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturing facility or us, including requiring recall or withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing.

In addition, later discovery of previously unknown adverse events or other problems with our products, manufacturers or manufacturing processes or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, may yield various results, including:

 

•  restrictions on manufacturing such products;

 

•  restrictions on the labeling or marketing of products;

 

•  restrictions on product manufacturing, distribution or use;

 

•  requirements to conduct post-marketing studies or clinical trials;

 

•  warning letters or untitled letters;

 

•  withdrawal of the products from the market;

 

•  refusal to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications that we submit;

 

•  recall of products;

 

•  fines, restitution or disgorgement of profits or revenues;

 

•  suspension or withdrawal of marketing authorizations;

 

•  refusal to permit the import or export of our products;

 

•  product seizure; or

 

•  injunctions or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties.

 

Further, the policies of the FDA and other regulatory authorities may change, and additional government regulations may be enacted that could impose extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements and obligations on any product candidate for which we obtain marketing authorization. We also cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative or executive action, either in the United States or abroad.

 

Changes in funding or disruptions at FDA and other government agencies caused by funding shortages or global health concerns could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business.

 

The ability of FDA and foreign regulatory authorities to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, FDA’s and foreign regulatory authorities’ ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect FDA’s and foreign regulatory authorities’ ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at FDA and other agencies such as the EMA, following its relocation to Amsterdam and resulting staff changes, may also slow the time necessary for new drugs and biologics to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary regulatory authorities, which would adversely affect our business.  For example, over the last several years, including for 35 days beginning on December 22, 2018, the U.S. government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as FDA, have had to furlough critical FDA employees and stop critical activities.

 

Separately, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA postponed most inspections of domestic and foreign manufacturing facilities at various points. Even though the FDA has since resumed standard inspection operations of domestic facilities where feasible, the FDA has continued to monitor and implement changes to its inspectional activities to ensure the safety of its employees and those of the firms it regulates as it adapts to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, and any resurgence of the virus or emergence of new variants may lead to further inspectional delays. Regulatory authorities outside the United States may adopt similar restrictions or other policy measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If a prolonged government shutdown occurs, or if global health concerns continue to prevent FDA, other regulatory authorities, or notified bodies from conducting their regular inspections, reviews, or other regulatory activities, it could significantly impact the ability of FDA, other regulatory authorities, or notified bodies to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates may cause unanticipated and undesirable side effects or have other properties, which are currently unknown to us.

 

NexoBrid, EscharEx and all of our current pipeline product candidates rely on our patented enzymatic platform technology, although their specific formulations or mode of applications may vary. Like most pharmaceutical products, our approval labels for NexoBrid in the United States, Europe and other international markets list certain side effects. If we or others identify previously unknown problems with NexoBrid, EscharEx or their underlying proteolytic enzymes, including adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, problems with our manufacturers or manufacturing processes, or failure to comply with regulatory requirements, the following consequences, among others, may result, including, without limitation:

 

 

 

 

 

Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of NexoBrid, and future market acceptance of EscharEx, our pipeline product candidates or future product candidates, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulatory approval for NexoBrid, EscharEx and other pipeline product candidates is and may be limited to specific indications and conditions for which clinical safety and efficacy have been demonstrated, and the prescription of off-label uses could adversely affect our business.

 

The marketing authorization for NexoBrid in the European Union and other international markets is limited to the treatment of deep partial- and full-thickness burns in adults. In the United States, the marketing authorization for NexoBrid is limited to eschar removal in adults with deep partial thickness and/or full thickness thermal burns. Any additional regulatory approval of NexoBrid for severe burns and any regulatory approval we may receive for any of our pipeline product candidates in the future, would be limited to those specific indications for which such pipeline product candidate had been deemed safe and effective by the FDA, EMA, or another regulatory authority Additionally, labeling restrictions in the U.S. and EU limit the manner in which a product may be used. For example, NexoBrid’s label in the U.S. and EU provides that it may only be used in specialized burns centers or by burn specialists and that it is not to be applied to more than 30% and 15% of the patient’s total body surface area, respectively. If physicians prescribe the medication for unapproved, or “off-label,” uses or in a manner that is inconsistent with the manufacturer’s labeling, it could produce results such as reduced efficacy or other adverse effects, and the reputation of our products in the marketplace may suffer. In addition, should any of our future products have a significant price difference and if they are used interchangeably, off-label uses may cause a decline in our revenues or potential revenues. Furthermore, while physicians may choose to prescribe treatments for uses that are not described in the product’s labeling and for uses that differ from those approved by regulatory authorities, we cannot promote the products for any indications other than those that are specifically approved by the European Commission, the FDA or other regulatory authorities. Regulatory authorities restrict communications by companies on the subject of off-label use. If our promotional activities fail to comply with these regulations or guidelines, we may be subject to enforcement actions by those authorities. In the United States, “off-label promotion” by pharmaceutical companies has resulted in significant litigation under the Federal False Claims Act, violations of which may result in substantial civil penalties and fines as well as exclusion from government health care programs. More generally, failure to follow the rules and guidelines of regulatory agencies relating to promotion and advertising, such as that promotional materials not be false or misleading, can result in refusal to approve a product, the suspension or withdrawal of an approved product from the market, product recalls, fines, disgorgement of money, operating restrictions, injunctions or criminal prosecution.

  

We may rely on the Animal Rule in conducting trials, which could be time consuming and expensive.

To obtain FDA approval for our product candidates, we may obtain clinical data from trials in healthy human subjects that demonstrate adequate safety, and efficacy data from adequate and well-controlled animal studies under regulations issued by the FDA in 2002, often referred to as the “Animal Rule.”  Among other requirements, the animal studies must establish that the drug or biological product is reasonably likely to produce clinical benefits in humans. If we use this approach we may not be able to sufficiently demonstrate this correlation to the satisfaction of the FDA, as these corollaries are difficult to establish and are often unclear.  Because the FDA must agree that data derived from animal studies may be extrapolated to establish safety and effectiveness in humans, seeking approval under the Animal Rule may add significant time, complexity and uncertainty to the testing and approval process. The FDA may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical or other studies, refuse to approve our product candidates, or place restrictions on our ability to commercialize the products.  In addition, products approved under the Animal Rule are subject to additional requirements, including post-marketing study requirements, restrictions imposed on marketing or distribution, or requirements to provide information to patients. Further, regulatory authorities in other countries may not have established an “Animal Rule” equivalent, and, consequently, there can be no assurance that we will be able to make a submission for marketing authorization in foreign countries based on such animal data.

Risks Related to Manufacturing

 

We may not be able to expand our production or processing capabilities or satisfy future demand.

 

We are currently seeking to expand our manufacturing capabilities in order to increase our capacity to manufacture NexoBrid and future product candidates and satisfy near term demand. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to obtain the requisite approvals, including meeting regulatory and quality requirements, or if we do, that the facility will satisfy additional growing demand. Conversely, there can be no assurance that even if we obtain a new facility, demand for our products will increase proportionately to the increased production capability. Furthermore, we cannot assure that this or similar projects will be implemented in a timely and cost-efficient manner, and that our current production will not be adversely affected by the operational challenges of implementing the expansion project.

If our manufacturing facility in Yavne, Israel was to suffer a serious accident, or if a force majeure event were to materially affect our ability to operate and produce NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates, all of our manufacturing capacity could be shut down for an extended period.

 

We currently rely on a single manufacturing facility in Yavne, Israel, and we expect that all of our revenues in the near future will be derived from products manufactured at this facility. If this facility were to suffer an accident or a force majeure event such as war, missile or terrorist attack, earthquake, major fire or explosion, major equipment failure or power failure lasting beyond the capabilities of our backup generators or similar event, our revenues would be materially adversely affected and any of our clinical trials could be materially delayed. In this situation, our manufacturing capacity could be shut down for an extended period, we could experience a loss of raw materials, work in process or finished goods inventory and our ability to operate our business would be harmed. In addition, in any such event, the reconstruction of our manufacturing facility and storage facilities, and obtaining regulatory approval for the new facilities could be time-consuming. During this period, we would be unable to manufacture NexoBrid or our pipeline product candidates. In addition, we currently have limited inventory of NexoBrid that we can supply to our customers if we are unable to further manufacture NexoBrid.

 

Moreover, our business insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of events associated with the security situation in the Middle East. Although the Israeli government currently covers the reinstatement value of direct damages that are caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war, we cannot assure you that this government coverage will be maintained, or if maintained, will be sufficient to compensate us fully for damages incurred. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are subject to a number of other manufacturing risks, any of which could substantially increase our costs and limit supply of NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates.

 

The process of manufacturing NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates is complex, highly regulated and subject to the risk of product loss due to contamination, equipment failure or improper installation or operation of equipment, or vendor or operator error. Even minor deviations from normal manufacturing processes or quality requirements for our products could result in reduced production yields, product defects and other supply disruptions. If microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities in which NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates are or will be made, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed to investigate and remedy the contamination.

 

Aside from the significant COVID-19 impact, we may experience any contaminations, major equipment failures, or other similar manufacturing problems of such magnitude, any adverse developments affecting manufacturing operations for NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates which may result in additional shipment delays, inventory shortages, lot failures, withdrawals or recalls, or other interruptions in the supply of NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates. We may also have to take inventory write-offs and incur other charges and expenses for our products that fail to meet specifications, undertake costly remediation efforts, or seek costlier manufacturing alternatives.

 

Our ability to continue manufacturing and distributing our products depends on our continued adherence to cGMP regulations.

 

The manufacturing processes for our products are governed by detailed cGMP and similar foreign regulations, both for our marketed products in the EU and the U.S. and product candidates in clinical testing in the U.S., EU and Israel. Failure by our manufacturing and quality operations unit to adhere to established regulations or to meet a specification or procedure set forth in cGMP and similar foreign requirements could require that a product or material be rejected and destroyed. Our adherence to cGMP and similar foreign regulations and the effectiveness of our quality control systems are periodically assessed through inspections of our manufacturing facility by regulatory authorities. Such inspections could result in deficiency citations, which would require us to take action to correct those deficiencies to the satisfaction of the applicable regulatory authorities. If critical deficiencies are noted or if we are unable to prevent recurrences, we may have to recall products or suspend operations until appropriate measures can be implemented. Since cGMP and similar foreign regulations reflect ever-evolving standards, we need to regularly update our manufacturing processes and procedures to comply with cGMP and similar foreign regulations. These changes may cause us to incur additional costs and may adversely impact our profitability. For example, more sensitive testing assays (if and when they become available, or due to the discontinuation of the availability of the disposables currently used in production) may be required, or existing procedures or processes may require revalidation, all of which may be costly and time-consuming and could delay or prevent the manufacturing of NexoBrid or launch of a new product.

 

We depend on a sole supplier to obtain our intermediate drug substance, bromelain SP, which is necessary for the production of our products.

We currently procure bromelain SP, a key substance starting material in the manufacturing of NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates, from a single supplier, Challenge Bioproducts Corporation Ltd. (“CBC”). CBC’s manufacturing facilities are located in the Republic of China and it uses proprietary methods to manufacture bromelain SP. Our supply agreement with CBC has no fixed expiration date and can be voluntarily terminated by us, with at least six months’ advance written notice, or by CBC, with at least 24 months’ advance written notice.

Although we have a contractual right to procure this material from other suppliers, subject to payment of a one-time, non-material licensing fee to CBC, procuring this material from any other source would require time and effort which may interrupt our supply of bromelain SP and may cause an interruption of the supply of NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates to the marketplace and for future clinical trials or other development purposes. Regulatory authorities could require that we conduct additional studies in support of a new supplier, which could result in significant additional costs or delays. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we would be able to procure alternative supplies of bromelain SP at all or at comparable quality or competitive prices or upon fair and reasonable contractual terms and conditions. Although we believe that we currently store sufficient inventory of bromelain SP in our warehouse and CBC warehouse to continue full capacity operations for approximately two years, this inventory may prove insufficient, and any interruption or failure to source additional bromelain SP from CBC or other third parties in a timely manner, or at all, would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, if CBC experiences any closures and labor shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of rising tensions between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan, we may face difficulty sourcing bromelain SP, which could negatively affect our revenues.

Our sole supplier of intermediate drug substance, bromelain SP, is located in Taiwan, which exposes us to risks that harm our ability to manufacture NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates and  substantially harm our business.

The manufacturing facilities of CBC, our sole supplier of bromelain SP, a key substance as starting material in the manufacturing of NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates, are located in Taiwan. We believe one of the most significant risks associated with these facilities being located in Taiwan is the risk that production may be interrupted or limited due to strains on the local infrastructure. In addition, facilities located in Taiwan may be adversely affected by tensions, hostilities or trade disputes involving China, the United States or other countries. There is considerable potential political instability in Taiwan related to its disputes with China. Although we do not do business in North Korea, any future increase in tensions between South Korea and North Korea, such as an outbreak or escalation of military hostilities, or between Taiwan and China could materially adversely affect our operations in Asia or the global economy, which in turn may seriously harm our business.

Risks Related to Commercialization

 

Our revenue growth depends initially on our ability to commercialize NexoBrid.

 

We currently have a marketing authorization in the United States, the European Economic Area (“EEA”) (which consists of the 27 EU member states plus Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Iceland), U.K., Israel, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Peru, Chile, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates Eurasian countries, Japan and India for a single product, NexoBrid for eschar removal in adults with deep partial thickness and/or full thickness thermal burns, which we refer to as severe burns. We are currently relying, for a significant portion of our revenues from sales of products, on sales of NexoBrid in Europe and in other international markets for the treatment of severe burns We anticipate that, for at least the next several years, our ability to generate revenues and become profitable will depend on the commercial success of NexoBrid in these markets, BARDA’s procurement as well as successful launches in new markets such as the U.S.

 

The commercialization success of NexoBrid in the U.S. is dependent on the actions of our partner Vericel.

On May 6, 2019, we entered into an exclusive license and supply agreements with Vericel Corporation (”Vericel”) to commercialize NexoBrid in all countries of North America (the “Vericel License Agreement”). In accordance with the Vericel License Agreement, Vericel paid us $17.5 million in cash as an upfront payment at the execution of the Vericel License Agreement and an additional milestone payment of $7.5 million upon the achievement of BLA approval for NexoBrid. Vericel is obligated to pay us up to $125 million, in the aggregate, upon attainment of certain sales milestones. Vericel is also obligated to pay us tiered royalties on net sales of NexoBrid ranging from mid-high single-digit to mid-teen percentages, subject to certain customary reductions, as well as a percentage of gross profits on committed purchases by BARDA and a royalty on additional sales to BARDA. The success of our business depends largely on Vericel's success in commercializing NexoBrid. If Vericel does not succeed in launching and commercializing NexoBrid in the U.S. or does not comply with the terms of our agreement, and as a result a dispute between us and Vericel arises, our ability to generate revenues from NexoBrid will be substantially harmed.

The commercial success of NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates will depend upon their degree of market acceptance.

 

NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates may not gain market acceptance by physicians and their teams, healthcare payors, patients and others in the medical community. Although many physicians in burn centers throughout Europe, the United States and other international markets have used NexoBrid for severe burns as part of our clinical trials or since NexoBrid’s commercial launch in Europe, and other international markets, we cannot guarantee that use of NexoBrid will be accepted in the market. We need to successfully integrate NexoBrid into the overall treatment of burns in burn centers. If NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate revenue and we may not achieve or sustain profitability. The degree of market acceptance of NexoBrid in U.S., Europe and in other international countries where we receive marketing authorization, and of EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates, will depend on a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:

 

 

 

 

 

Failure to achieve market acceptance for NexoBrid, EscharEx or any of our pipeline product candidates, if and when they are approved for commercial sale, will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

We may be unsuccessful in commercializing our products due to unfavorable pricing regulations or third-party coverage and reimbursement policies.

 

We cannot predict the pricing and reimbursement of NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates. The regulations that govern marketing authorizations, pricing and reimbursement for new products vary widely from country to country, among regions within some countries and among some hospitals. In some foreign jurisdictions, including the EU, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In other countries, coverage negotiations must occur at the regional or hospital level in order to be included in the hospital formulary. Pricing negotiations with governmental authorities at the regional or hospital level can take considerable time after the receipt of marketing authorization for a product candidate. Additionally, while we are executing a country-specific market access strategy, which includes pricing and/or reimbursement targets for NexoBrid in most of Europe, we cannot guarantee that we will receive favorable hospital, regional or national funding or pricing and reimbursement.

 

As a result, even after obtaining regulatory approval for a product in a particular country, we may be subject to price regulations or denied or limited by reimbursement or formulary inclusion, which may delay or limit our commercial launch of the product and negatively impact the revenue we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates, even after obtaining regulatory approval.

 

Additionally, we cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement will be available for NexoBrid, EscharEx or any pipeline product candidate that we commercialize in the future, and, if reimbursement is available, whether the level of reimbursement will be adequate. Coverage and reimbursement may affect the demand for, the price of, or the budget allocated for reimbursement for any product for which we obtain marketing authorization. Obtaining coverage and adequate reimbursement for our products may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with products administered under the supervision of a physician. If coverage and reimbursement are not available or are available only at limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize NexoBrid, EscharEx or any pipeline product candidate that we successfully develop. Eligibility for reimbursement does not guarantee that any product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs. Interim payments for new products, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Payment rates may vary according to the use of the product and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost products that are already reimbursed and may be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for products may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of products from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in certain other countries, such as the United States. In the United States, third-party payors often rely on the coverage policies and payment limitations imposed by Medicare and other government payors, in setting their own coverage policies and reimbursement rates. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable payment rates from hospital budget, government-funded and private payors for NexoBrid, EscharEx or any pipeline product candidate could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition.

 

Recently enacted and future legislation in the United States may increase the difficulty and cost for us to commercialize NexoBrid and seek marketing authorizations for and, if approved, commercialize EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions and affect the prices at which our products may be sold.

 

The United States and several other jurisdictions are considering, or have already enacted, a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that may affect the ability to sell NexoBrid, EscharEx or any of our pipeline product candidates profitably, if approved. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future. The continuing efforts of hospitals, governments, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of healthcare may adversely affect:

 

 

 

 

Among policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. In March 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, or collectively, the Affordable Care Act(the “ACA”) was signed into law and intended to broaden access to health insurance, reduce or constrain the growth of healthcare spending, enhance remedies against fraud and abuse, add new transparency requirements for the healthcare and health insurance industries, impose new taxes and fees on the health industry and impose additional health policy reforms.

 

Among the provisions of the ACA of importance to our potential product candidates are the following:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Since its enactment, there have been judicial, executive and congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the most recent judicial challenge to the ACA brought by several states without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA. Thus, the ACA will remain in effect in its current form. Further, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, President Biden issued an executive order that initiated a special enrollment period for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA marketplace from February 15, 2021 through August 15, 2021. The executive order instructed certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the ACA.

 

In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the Affordable Care Act was enacted. These changes included aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers, which went into effect in April 2013 and, due to subsequent legislative amendments, will stay in effect through 2031, with the exception of a temporary suspension from May 1, 2020 through March 31, 2022, unless additional Congressional action is taken. In January 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law, which, among other things, further reduced Medicare payments to several providers, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. These laws may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, which could negatively impact the market for NexoBrid, EscharEx and our other product candidates, if approved, and, accordingly, our financial operations.

 

There has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which have resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed bills designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law, which eliminates the statutory Medicaid drug rebate cap, currently set at 100% of a drug’s average manufacturer price, for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, beginning January 1, 2024. In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or IRA, was signed into law.  Among other things, the IRA requires manufacturers of certain drugs to engage in price negotiations with Medicare (beginning in 2026), with prices that can be negotiated subject to a cap; imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation (first due in 2023); and replaces the Part D coverage gap discount program with a new discounting program (beginning in 2025). The IRA permits the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years.  For that and other reasons, it is currently unclear how the IRA will be effectuated, or the impact of the IRA on our business. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

 

We expect that other possible healthcare reform measures may result in additional reductions in Medicare and other healthcare funding, more rigorous coverage criteria, new payment methodologies and additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for any approved product. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our drugs.

 

Legislative and regulatory proposals have been made to expand post-approval requirements and restrict sales and promotional activities for drugs. We cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether the FDA or comparable regulations, guidance or interpretations will be changed, or what the impact of such changes on the marketing authorizations of our product candidates, if any, may be. In addition, increased scrutiny by the U.S. Congress of the FDA’s approval process may significantly delay or prevent marketing authorization, as well as subject us to more stringent product labeling and post-marketing testing and other requirements.

In the EU, similar developments may affect our ability to profitably commercialize our product candidates, if approved. In addition to continuing pressure on prices and cost containment measures, legislative developments at the EU or member state level may result in significant additional requirements or obstacles that may increase our operating costs. The delivery of healthcare in the EU, including the establishment and operation of health services and the pricing and reimbursement of medicines, is almost exclusively a matter for national, rather than EU, law and policy. National governments and health service providers have different priorities and approaches to the delivery of health care and the pricing and reimbursement of products in that context. In general, however, the healthcare budgetary constraints in most EU member states have resulted in restrictions on the pricing and reimbursement of medicines by relevant health service providers. Coupled with ever-increasing EU and national regulatory burdens on those wishing to develop and market products, this could prevent or delay marketing authorization of our product candidates, restrict or regulate post-approval activities and affect our ability to commercialize our product candidates, if approved. In markets outside of the United States and EU, reimbursement and healthcare payment systems vary significantly by country, and many countries have instituted price ceilings on specific products and therapies.

In December 2021, Regulation No 2021/2282 on Health Technology Assessment (“HTA”) amending Directive 2011/24/EU, was adopted. This regulation which entered into force in January 2022 intends to boost cooperation among EU member states in assessing health technologies, including new medicinal products, and providing the basis for cooperation at the EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. The regulation foresees a three-year transitional period and will permit EU member states to use common HTA tools, methodologies, and procedures across the EU, working together in four main areas, including joint clinical assessment of the innovative health technologies with the most potential impact for patients, joint scientific consultations whereby developers can seek advice from HTA authorities, identification of emerging health technologies to identify promising technologies early, and continuing voluntary cooperation in other areas. Individual EU member states will continue to be responsible for assessing non-clinical (e.g., economic, social, ethical) aspects of health technology, and making decisions on pricing and reimbursement.

 

We face competition from the existing standard of care, and we are furthermore subject to the risk that potential changes in medical practice and technology, or the development by our competitors of products, treatments or procedures that are similar, more advanced, safer or more effective than ours, will render our product candidates obsolete.

 

The medical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are intensely competitive and subject to significant technological and practice changes. We may face competition from many different sources with respect to NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates or any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future. Possible competitors may be medical practitioners, pharmaceutical and wound care companies, academic and medical institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions, among others. Should any competitor’s product candidates receive regulatory or marketing authorization prior to ours, they may establish a strong market position and be difficult to displace, or may diminish the need for our products.

 

Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products, treatments or procedures that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any product that we may develop. In addition, we face competition from the current standard of care for eschar removal in severe burns, which includes surgery, where eschar removal can occur by tangential excision, dermabrasion or hydro jet, and non-surgical alternatives, such as topical medications applied to the eschar to facilitate the natural healing process. In chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds, we expect to face competition from current standard of care for debridement via sharp debridement or from the current non-surgical standard of care, either enzymatic debridement, primarily Smith & Nephew Plc’s Santyl, a collagenase-based product indicated for debriding chronic dermal ulcers and severely burned areas, or autolytic debridement.

 

Many of our current or future competitors may have significantly greater financial resources and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical testing, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and marketing approved products than we may have. Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries or wound care markets may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. For example, Healthpoint Biotherapeutics, which marketed Santyl, was acquired by Smith & Nephew Plc in 2012. Smaller and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These companies compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel, establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs

 

Risks Related to Our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

 

 If we fail to manage our growth effectively, our business could be disrupted.

 

Our future financial performance and ability to successfully commercialize our products and to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively. We have made and expect to continue to make significant investments to enable our future growth through, among other things, new product development, clinical trials for new indications, expansion of our marketing and sales infrastructure and continued exploring for potential business development opportunities. While we believe that our current manufacturing capacity is sufficient to meet the expected near-term commercial demand for NexoBrid, we initiated a facility scale-up in 2022 to meet the growing global demand for NexoBrid. We expect the cost will be approximately $10-12 million. We must also be prepared to expand our workforce and train, motivate and manage additional employees as the need for additional personnel arises. Even following expansion, our facilities, personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support our future operations, or we may expand, but then fail to grow our sales of NexoBrid or our pipeline product candidates sufficiently to support such operational growth. Any failure to manage future growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

We have a history of net losses. We expect to continue to incur substantial and increasing net losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability.

 

We expect to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future.

 

We anticipate that our expenses and future capital requirements may increase if and as we:

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We may need substantial additional capital in the future, which may cause dilution to our existing shareholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our pipeline product candidates or intellectual property. If additional capital is not available, we may have to delay, reduce or cease operations.

 

We may seek additional funding in the future, which may consist of equity offerings, collaborations, licensing arrangements or any other means to develop our pipeline product candidates, increase our commercial manufacturing capabilities, operate our sales and marketing capabilities or other general corporate purposes.

Our prior registered equity offerings diluted then-existing shareholders, and to the extent that we raise additional capital through, for example, the sale of equity or convertible debt securities under our shelf registration statement, our existing shareholders’ ownership interest will be further diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our shareholders’ rights. The incurrence of indebtedness or the issuance of certain equity securities could result in increased fixed payment obligations and could also result in certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt or to issue additional equity, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. In addition, the issuance of additional equity securities by us, or the possibility of such issuance, may cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline. Securing additional financing may also divert our management’s attention from our day-to-day activities, which may adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates.

 

Additional funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all. In the event that we enter into collaborations or licensing arrangements in order to raise capital, we may be required to accept unfavorable terms, including relinquishing or licensing to a third party on unfavorable terms our rights to product candidates or intellectual property that we otherwise would seek to develop or commercialize ourselves or reserve for future potential arrangements when we might be able to achieve more favorable terms.

 

If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we may be required to:

 

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2026. Our estimates may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Further, changing circumstances, some of which may be beyond our control, could cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned.

We are dependent on our contract with BARDA to fund our development activities for NexoBrid in the United States and to procure from us NexoBrid (and to thereby provide us with revenues). If we do not continue to receive funding under this contract, we may need to obtain alternative sources of funding. In addition, if BARDA will suspend or terminate its procurement obligation of NexoBrid it will adversely impact our future revenues.

 

We have a contract with BARDA, valued at up to $168 million, for the advancement of the development and manufacturing, as well as the procurement, of NexoBrid in the United States (the “First BARDA Contract”). Under the First BARDA Contract, BARDA has agreed to fund $91 million of the development costs of NexoBrid required to obtain marketing authorization in the United States and the emergency readiness for NexoBrid deployment.  Under the First BARDA Contract, BARDA is procuring from us emergency stockpile of NexoBrid valued at $16.5 million as part of the HHS mission to build national preparedness for public health medical emergencies. The First BARDA Contract also includes options for BARDA (i) to further fund $10 million in development activities for other potential NexoBrid indications, and (ii) to further fund $50 million for additional procurement of NexoBrid.  As of December 31, 2022, the Company has received from BARDA approximately $78 million in the aggregate pursuant to the First BARDA Contract, and an additional $16.5 million for procurement of NexoBrid for U.S. emergency preparedness.

 

However, BARDA may terminate the contract at any time, at its convenience, without any further funding obligations. There can be no assurances that BARDA will not terminate the contract. Changes in government budgets and agendas may result in a decreased and de-prioritized emphasis on supporting the development of products for the treatment of severe burns such as NexoBrid and the cessation of the procurement. Any reduction or delay in BARDA funding may force us to suspend the program or seek alternative funding, which may not be available on non-dilutive terms, terms favorable to us or at all. Further, we cannot provide any assurances as to when or whether BARDA’s commitment for procurement of NexoBrid will continue or whether BARDA's options to fund additional development activities for NexoBrid and further fund $50 million for additional procurement of NexoBrid will be exercised.

 

We make business decisions based on forecasts of future sales of our products and pipeline product candidates that may be inaccurate.

 

Our market estimates are based on many assumptions, including, but not limited to, reliance on external market research, our own internal research, population estimates, estimates of disease diagnostic rates, treatment trends, and market estimates by third parties. Any of these assumptions can materially impact our forecasts and we cannot be assured that the assumptions are accurate. If the market for any of our products or product candidates is less than this data would suggest, the potential sales for the product or pipeline product candidates in question could be adversely affected, and our inventories and net losses could increase.

 

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with biopharmaceutical product development and commercialization, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of future expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. We have financed our operations primarily through the sale of equity securities, licensing agreements and government grants. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of growth or contraction of our expenses and the level and rate of growth, if any, of our revenues. If we are unable to successfully commercialize NexoBrid, EscharEx or one or more of our pipeline product candidates or if revenue from NexoBrid, EscharEx or any pipeline product candidate that receives marketing authorization is insufficient, we will not achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability.

 

Exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Israeli shekel, the Euro and other non-U.S. currencies may negatively affect our earnings.

 

The dollar is our functional and reporting currency. However, a significant portion of our operating expenses are incurred in Israeli shekels and Euros. As a result, we are exposed to the risks that the shekel may appreciate relative to the dollar, or, if the shekel instead devalues relative to the dollar, that the inflation rate in Israel may exceed such rate of devaluation of the shekel, or that the timing of such devaluation may lag behind inflation in Israel. In any such event, the dollar cost of our operations in Israel would increase and our dollar-denominated results of operations would be adversely affected. We cannot predict any future trends in the rate of inflation in Israel or the rate of devaluation (if any) of the shekel against the dollar. For example, the shekel depreciated relative to the dollar, on average, by 13.2% in 2022 and appreciated relative to the dollar, on average, by 3.3% and 7.0% in 2021 and 2020, respectively. If the dollar or Euro cost of our operations in Israel increases, our dollar- and Euro-measured results of operations will be adversely affected. Our operations also could be adversely affected if we are unable to effectively hedge against currency fluctuations in the future.

 

To the extent that we may receive revenues from sales in certain countries, such as certain countries in the Asia Pacific region, where our sales are expected to be denominated in dollars, a strengthening of the dollar in relation to other currencies could make our products less competitive in those foreign markets and collection of receivables more difficult. For further information, see “ITEM 11. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk” elsewhere in this annual report.

 

Risks Related to Healthcare Laws and Other Legal Compliance Matters

 

Certain of our business practices could become subject to scrutiny by regulatory authorities, as well as to lawsuits brought by private citizens. Failure to comply with applicable law or an adverse decision in lawsuits may result in adverse consequences to us.

 

The laws governing our conduct in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions are enforceable by criminal, civil and administrative penalties. In the United States, violations of laws such as the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the “FDCA”), the Public Health Service Act, the Federal False Claims Act, provisions of the U.S. Social Security Act, including the “Anti-Kickback Statute,” or any regulations promulgated under their authority, may result in significant administrative, civil and criminal sanctions, jail sentences, fines or exclusion from federal and state programs, as may be determined by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the “OIG”), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, (“CMS“) other regulatory authorities and the courts. There can be no assurance that our activities will not come under the scrutiny of regulators and other government authorities or that our practices will not be found to violate applicable laws, rules and regulations or prompt lawsuits by private citizen “relators” under federal or state false claims laws.

 

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of any good, facility, item or service reimbursable, in whole or in part, under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not qualify for an exception or safe harbor.

 

For example, even common business arrangements, such as discounted terms and volume incentives for customers in a position to recommend or choose drugs and devices for patients, such as physicians and hospitals, can result in substantial legal penalties, including, among other things, exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid programs if not carefully structured to comply with applicable requirements. Also, certain business practices, such as payment of consulting fees to healthcare providers, sponsorship of educational or research grants, charitable donations, interactions with healthcare providers and financial support for continuing medical education programs, must be conducted within narrowly prescribed and controlled limits to avoid any possibility of unlawfully inducing healthcare providers to prescribe or purchase particular products or rewarding past prescribing. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all its facts and circumstances. Several courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean that if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the Anti-Kickback Statute has been violated. In addition, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in significant civil monetary penalties for each violation, plus up to three times the remuneration involved. Moreover, a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act. Accordingly, civil penalties for such conduct can further be assessed under the federal False Claims Act. Violations can also result in criminal penalties, including criminal fines and imprisonment. Similarly, violations can result in exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Significant enforcement activity has also taken place under federal and state false claims act statutes. Violations of the federal False Claims Act can result in treble damages, and a penalty for each false claim submitted for payment. Pharmaceutical, device and other healthcare companies have been prosecuted under these laws for, among other things, allegedly providing free product to customers with the expectation that the customers would bill federal programs for the product. Companies have been prosecuted for causing false claims to be submitted because of the companies’ marketing of products for unapproved, and thus non-covered, uses. The government may further prosecute conduct constituting a false claim under the criminal False Claims Act. The criminal False Claims Act prohibits the making or presenting of a claim to the government knowing such claim to be false, fictitious, or fraudulent and, unlike the civil False Claims Act, requires proof of intent to submit a false claim.

 

The federal False Claims Act, as well as certain state false claims acts, also permits relators to file complaints in the name of the United States (and if applicable, particular states). These relators may be entitled to receive up to 30% of total recoveries and have been active in pursuing cases against pharmaceutical companies. Where practices have been found to involve improper incentives to use products, the submission of false claims, or other improper conduct, government investigations and assessments of penalties against manufacturers have resulted in substantial damages and fines. In addition, to avoid exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs, many manufacturers have been required to enter into Corporate Integrity Agreements that prescribe allowable corporate conduct and impose reporting and disclosure obligations by the manufacturer to the government. Failure to satisfy requirements under the FDCA can also result in a variety of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including injunctions or consent decrees that prescribe allowable corporate conduct.

 

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit, among other things, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors, knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Like the Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.

 

Additionally, there has been a recent trend of increased federal and state regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals and/or entities. The ACA, among other things, imposed annual reporting requirements on certain manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologicals and medical supplies for payments and other transfers of value provided by them, directly or indirectly, to physicians (defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors), certain non-physician practitioners (physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologist assistants, and certified nurse midwives), and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their family members. A manufacturer’s failure to submit timely, accurately and completely the required information for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests may result in significant civil monetary penalties.

 

In addition, we are subject to analogous state and foreign laws and regulations, such as state anti-kickback and false claims laws, which may apply to sales or marketing arrangements and claims involving healthcare items or services reimbursed by non-governmental third-party payors, including private insurers; state and foreign laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the governments or otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers. For instance, payments made to physicians in certain EU member states must be publicly disclosed. Moreover, agreements with physicians must often be subject of prior notification and/or approval by the physician’s employer, their competent professional organization, and/or the competent authorities of the individual EU member states, state and foreign laws that require drug manufacturers to report information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures; and state and foreign laws requiring the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives.

Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations may involve substantial costs. It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices do not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, including, without limitation, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. If any of the physicians or other healthcare providers or entities with whom we expect to do business is found not to be in compliance with applicable laws, it may be subject to criminal, civil or administrative sanctions, including exclusions from participation in government healthcare programs, which could also materially affect our business.

 

As a public company with securities registered under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), we are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”). The FCPA and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While we continue to maintain and enhance internal policies mandating compliance with these anti-bribery laws, we may operate in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices or may require us to interact with doctors and hospitals, some of which may be state controlled, in a manner that is different than in the United States. Our internal control policies and procedures may not be sufficient to effectively protect us against reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

 

Actual or perceived failures to comply with applicable data protection, privacy and security laws, regulations, standards and other requirements could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

 

The global data protection landscape is rapidly evolving, and we are or may become subject to numerous state, federal and foreign laws, requirements and regulations governing the collection, use, disclosure, retention, and security of personal information, such as information that we may collect in connection with clinical trials. Implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future, and we cannot yet determine the impact future laws, regulations, standards, or perception of their requirements may have on our business. This evolution may create uncertainty in our business, affect our ability to operate in certain jurisdictions or to collect, store, transfer use and share personal information, necessitate the acceptance of more onerous obligations in our contracts, result in liability or impose additional costs on us. The cost of compliance with these laws, regulations and standards is high and is likely to increase in the future. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with federal, state or foreign laws or regulations, our internal policies and procedures or our contracts governing our processing of personal information could result in negative publicity, government investigations and enforcement actions, claims by third parties and damage to our reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our operations, financial performance and business.

 

In the United States, HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 and its implementing regulations, or collectively HIPAA, imposes, among other things, certain standards relating to the privacy, security, transmission and breach reporting of individually identifiable health information. While we do not believe that we are currently acting as a covered entity or business associate under HIPAA and thus are not directly regulated under HIPAA,  any person may be prosecuted under HIPAA’s criminal provisions either directly or under aiding-and-abetting or conspiracy principles. Consequently, depending on the facts and circumstances, we could face substantial criminal penalties if we knowingly receive individually identifiable health information from a HIPAA-covered healthcare provider or research institution that has not satisfied HIPAA’s requirements for disclosure of individually identifiable health information. Certain states have also adopted comparable privacy and security laws and regulations, some of which may be more stringent than HIPAA. Such laws and regulations will be subject to interpretation by various courts and other governmental authorities, thus creating potentially complex compliance issues for us and our customers and strategic partners. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which went into effect on January 1, 2020, among other things, creates new data privacy obligations for covered companies and provides individual privacy rights to California residents, including the right to opt out of certain disclosures of their information. The CCPA also creates a private right of action with statutory damages for certain data breaches, thereby potentially increasing risks associated with a data breach. Although the law includes limited exceptions, including for “protected health information” maintained by a covered entity or business associate, it may regulate or impact our processing of personal information depending on the context. Further, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) recently passed in California. The CPRA will impose additional data protection obligations on covered businesses, including additional consumer rights processes, limitations on data uses, new audit requirements for higher risk data, and opt outs for certain uses of sensitive data. It will also create a new California data protection agency authorized to issue substantive regulations and could result in increased privacy and information security enforcement. The majority of the provisions will go into effect on January 1, 2023, and additional compliance investment and potential business process changes may be required. Similar laws have passed in Virginia, Connecticut, Utah and Colorado, and have been proposed in other states and at the federal level, reflecting a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States. The enactment of such laws could have potentially conflicting requirements that would make compliance challenging. In the event that we are subject to or affected by HIPAA, the CCPA, the CPRA or other domestic privacy and data protection laws, any liability from failure to comply with the requirements of these laws could adversely affect our financial condition.

 

We are subject to data privacy and security laws in the EU as well as the EEA, including Regulation 2016/679, or the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) with respect to our collection, control, processing, sharing, disclosure and other use of personal data located in the EEA. The GDPR went into effect in May 2018, and companies that must comply with the GDPR face increased compliance obligations and risk, including more robust regulatory enforcement of data protection requirements and potential fines for noncompliance of up to €20 million or 4% of the annual global revenues of the noncompliant company, whichever is greater. Among other requirements, the GDPR regulates transfers of personal data subject to the GDPR to third countries that have not been found to provide adequate protection to such personal data, including the United States; in July 2020, the Court of Justice of the EU (“CJEU”) limited how organizations could lawfully transfer personal data from the EEA to the United States by invalidating the Privacy Shield for purposes of international transfers and imposing further restrictions on the use of standard contractual clauses (“SCCs”). In March 2022, the US and EU announced a new regulatory regime intended to replace the invalidated regulations; however, this new EU-US Data Privacy Framework has not been implemented beyond an executive order signed by President Biden on October 7, 2022 on Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities. The European Commission issued revised SCCs on June 4, 2021 to account for the decision of the CJEU and recommendations made by the European Data Protection Board. The revised SCCs must be used for relevant new data transfers from September 27, 2021; existing standard contractual clauses arrangements must be migrated to the revised clauses by December 27, 2022. The new SCCs apply only to the transfer of personal data outside of the EEA and not the United Kingdom. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office has published new data transfer standard contracts for transfers from the UK under the UK GDPR. This new documentation will be mandatory for relevant data transfers from September 21, 2022; existing standard contractual clauses arrangements must be migrated to the new documentation by March 21, 2024; the United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office launched a public consultation on its draft revised data transfers mechanisms in August 2021.  There is some uncertainty around whether the revised clauses can be used for all types of data transfers, particularly whether they can be relied on for data transfers to non-EEA entities subject to the GDPR. As supervisory authorities issue further guidance on personal data export mechanisms, including circumstances where the SCCs cannot be used, and/or start taking enforcement action, we could suffer additional costs, complaints and/or regulatory investigations or fines, and/or if we are otherwise unable to transfer personal data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services, the geographical location or segregation of our relevant systems and operations, and could adversely affect our financial results.

 

Further, since January 2021, we may also be subject to the UK GDPR, which, together with the UK Data Protection Act 2018, retains the GDPR in UK national law. The UK GDPR mirrors the fines under the GDPR, meaning the potential of parallel fines of up to the greater of £17.5 million or 4% of global turnover. The European Commission has adopted an adequacy decision in favor of the UK, enabling data transfers from EU member states to the UK without additional safeguards. However, the UK adequacy decision will automatically expire in June 2025 unless the European Commission re-assesses and renews/extends that decision and remains under review by the Commission during this period. In September 2021, the UK government launched a consultation on its proposals for wide-ranging reform of UK data protection laws following Brexit. There is a risk that any material changes which are made to the UK data protection regime could result in the European Commission reviewing the UK adequacy decision, and the UK losing its adequacy decision if the European Commission deems the UK to no longer provide adequate protection for personal data. The relationship between the UK and the EU in relation to certain aspects of data protection law remains uncertain, and it is unclear how UK data protection laws and regulations will develop in the medium to longer term.

Our business and operations may suffer in the event of information technology system failures, cyberattacks or deficiencies in our cybersecurity.

We collect and maintain information in digital form that is necessary to conduct our business, and we are increasingly dependent on information technology systems and infrastructure to operate our business. In the ordinary course of our business, we collect, store and transmit large amounts of confidential information, including intellectual property, proprietary business information and personal information of customers and our employees and contractors. It is critical that we do so in a secure manner to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of such confidential information. We have implemented physical and electronic security measures to protect our proprietary information, maintain standard operation procedures and conduct business continuity and disaster recovery simulations, penetration testing and train our employees. However, we cannot provide assurance that our data protection and security measures will not be breached or will provide adequate protection for our property.

Our information technology systems and those of our third-party service providers, strategic partners and other contractors or consultants are vulnerable to attack and damage or interruption from computer viruses and malware (e.g. ransomware), malicious code, natural disasters, terrorism, war, telecommunication and electrical failures, hacking, cyberattacks, phishing attacks and other social engineering schemes, employee theft or misuse, human error, fraud, denial or degradation of service attacks, sophisticated nation-state and nation-state-supported actors or unauthorized access or use by persons inside our organization, or persons with access to systems inside our organization. We have also outsourced elements of our information technology infrastructure, and as a result a number of third-party vendors may or could have access to our confidential information.

There is a risk that third parties may obtain and improperly utilize our proprietary information to our competitive disadvantage. Attacks upon information technology systems are increasing in their frequency, levels of persistence, sophistication and intensity, and are being conducted by sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives and expertise. We may also face increased cybersecurity risks due to our reliance on internet technology and the number of our employees who are working remotely, which may create additional opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities. Furthermore, because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to, or to sabotage, systems change frequently and often are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. We may also experience security breaches that may remain undetected for an extended period. Even if identified, we may be unable to adequately investigate or remediate incidents or breaches due to attackers increasingly using tools and techniques that are designed to circumvent controls, to avoid detection, and to remove or obfuscate forensic evidence.  We may not be able to detect or prevent the unauthorized use of such information or take appropriate and timely steps to enforce our intellectual property rights.

We and certain of our service providers are from time to time subject to cyberattacks and security incidents. While we do not believe that we have experienced any significant system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our development programs and our business operations, whether due to a loss, corruption or unauthorized disclosure of our trade secrets, personal information or other proprietary or sensitive information or other similar disruptions. It could also expose us to risks, including an inability to provide our services and fulfill contractual demands, and could cause management distraction and the obligation to devote significant financial and other resources to mitigate such problems. If a security breach or other incident were to result in the unauthorized access to or unauthorized use, disclosure, release or other processing of personal information, it may be necessary to notify individuals, governmental authorities, supervisory bodies, the media and other parties pursuant to privacy and security laws. Any security compromise affecting us, our service providers, strategic partners, other contractors, consultants, or our industry, whether real or perceived, could harm our reputation, erode confidence in the effectiveness of our security measures and lead to regulatory scrutiny. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or systems, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary or personal information, we could incur liability, including litigation exposure, penalties and fines, we could become the subject of regulatory action or investigation, our competitive position could be harmed and the further development and commercialization of our products and services could be delayed.

 

Laws and regulations affecting government contracts make it more costly and difficult for us to successfully conduct our business.

 

We must comply with numerous laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of government contracts, which can make it more difficult for us to retain our rights under our BARDA contracts. These laws and regulations affect how we conduct business with government agencies. Among the most significant government contracting regulations that affect our business are:

 

 

Any material changes in applicable laws and regulations could restrict our ability to maintain our BARDA contracts or obtain new contracts with the U.S. federal government.

 

We could be subject to product liability lawsuits, which could result in costly and time-consuming litigation and significant liabilities.

 

The development of biopharmaceutical products involves an inherent risk of product liability claims and associated adverse publicity. Our products may be found to be harmful or to contain harmful substances. This exposes us to substantial risk of litigation and liability or may force us to discontinue production of certain products. Although we have product liability insurance covering up to $10 million for claims in countries where NexoBrid is sold through our sales force or through our distributors, the coverage may not insure us against all claims that may be asserted against us. Product liability insurance is costly and often limited in scope. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain or maintain insurance on reasonable terms or to otherwise protect ourselves against potential product liability claims that could impede or prevent commercialization of NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates. Furthermore, a product liability claim could damage our reputation, whether or not such claims are covered by insurance or are with or without merit. A product liability claim against us or the withdrawal of a product from the market could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial condition. Furthermore, product liability lawsuits, regardless of their success, would likely be time-consuming and expensive to resolve and would divert management’s time and attention, which could seriously harm our business.

We are subject to extensive environmental, health and safety, and other laws and regulations.

 

Our business involves the controlled use of chemicals. The risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be eliminated. If an accident, spill or release of any such chemicals or substances occurs, we could be held liable for resulting damages, including for investigation, remediation and monitoring of the contamination, including natural resource damages, the costs of which could be substantial. We are also subject to numerous environmental, health and workplace safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures. Although we maintain workers’ compensation insurance to cover the costs and expenses that may be incurred because of injuries to our employees resulting from the use of these materials, this insurance may not provide adequate coverage against potential liabilities. Additional or more stringent laws and regulations affecting our operations may be adopted in the future. We may incur substantial capital costs and operating expenses and may be required to obtain consents to comply with any of these or certain other laws or regulations and the terms and conditions of any permits required pursuant to such laws and regulations, including costs to install new or updated pollution control equipment, modify our operations or perform other corrective actions at our respective facilities. In addition, fines and penalties may be imposed for noncompliance with environmental, health and safety and other laws and regulations or for the failure to have, or comply with the terms and conditions of, required environmental or other permits or consents.

The enactment of legislation implementing changes in tax legislation or policies in different geographic jurisdictions could materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We conduct business globally and file income tax returns in multiple jurisdictions. Our consolidated effective income tax rate could be materially adversely affected by several factors, including: changing tax laws, regulations and treaties, or the interpretation thereof (such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 signed into law in the United States on August 16, 2022 which, among other changes, introduced a 15% corporate minimum tax on certain corporations and a 1% excise tax on certain stock repurchases by United States corporations, which the U.S. Treasury indicated may also apply to certain stock redemptions by a foreign corporation funded by certain United States affiliates); tax policy initiatives and reforms under consideration (such as those related to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development’s (“OECD”) Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, or BEPS, project, the European Commission’s state aid investigations and other initiatives); the practices of tax authorities in jurisdictions in which we operate; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits or examinations and any related interest or penalties. Such changes may include (but are not limited to) the taxation of operating income, investment income, dividends received or (in the specific context of withholding tax) dividends, royalties and interest paid.

We are unable to predict what tax reforms may be proposed or enacted in the future or what effect such changes would have on our business, but such changes, to the extent they are brought into tax legislation, regulations, policies or practices in jurisdictions in which we operate, could increase the estimated tax liability that we have expensed to date and paid or accrued on our consolidated financial statements, and otherwise affect our future results of operations, cash flows in a particular period and overall or effective tax rates in the future in countries where we have operations, reduce post-tax returns to our shareholders and increase the complexity, burden and cost of tax compliance.

  

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property Rights

 

Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to, or incorporated into, our technology and products.

 

Our commercial success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection and trade secret protection for our intellectual property and proprietary technologies, our products and their uses, as well as our ability to operate without infringing upon the proprietary rights of others. We rely on a combination of patents, trademark and trade secret laws, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, licenses, assignments of invention agreements and other restrictions on disclosure and use to protect our intellectual property rights.

 

Our patent protection may be limited, subjecting us to challenges by competitors.

 

At present, we consider our patents relating to our enzymatic platform technology, which underlies NexoBrid, EscharEx and our current pipeline product candidates, to be material to the operation of our business as a whole. Our patents which cover NexoBrid claim specific mixtures of proteolytic enzymes, methods of producing such mixtures and methods of treatment using such mixtures. Although the protection achieved is significant for NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates, when looking at our patents’ ability to block competition, the protection offered by our patents may be, to some extent, more limited than the protection provided by patents which claim chemical structures that were previously unknown. If our patents covering NexoBrid in various jurisdictions were subject to a successful challenge or if a competitor were able to successfully design around them, our business and competitive advantage could be significantly affected.

In addition, the patent landscape in the biotechnology field is highly uncertain and involves complex legal, factual and scientific questions, and changes in either patent laws or in the interpretation of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value and strength of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patent protection. In addition, we may fail to apply for or be unable to obtain patents necessary to protect our technology or products or enforce our patents due to lack of information about the exact use of our process by third parties. Even if patents are issued to us, they may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated, held to be unenforceable or circumvented, which could limit our ability to prevent competitors from using similar technology or marketing similar products, or limit the length of time our technologies and products have patent protection. In addition, we are a party to license agreement with Mark Klein, that imposes various obligations upon us as a licensee, including the obligation to make milestone and royalty payments contingent on the sales of NexoBrid. If we fail to comply with these obligations, the licensor may terminate the license, in which event we might not be able to market any product that is covered by the licensed intellectual property, including NexoBrid.

 

In order to preserve and enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, we may need to assert claims or file lawsuits against third parties. Such lawsuits could entail significant costs to us and divert our management’s attention from developing and commercializing our products. Lawsuits may ultimately be unsuccessful and may also subject us to counterclaims and cause our intellectual property rights to be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or held to be unenforceable.

 

The timing of a patent application, grant, and expiration may put us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors.

 

Our material patents also may not afford us protection against competitors with similar technology. Because patent applications in the United States and many other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after their filing, if at all, and because publications of discoveries in scientific literature often lag behind actual discoveries, neither we nor our licensors can be certain that we or they were the first to make the inventions claimed in our or their issued patents or pending patent applications, or that we or they were the first to file for protection of the inventions set forth in such patent applications. As a result, the patents we own and license may be invalidated in the future, and the patent applications we own and license may not be granted. For example, if a third party has also filed a patent application covering an invention similar to one covered in one of our patent applications, we may be required to participate in an adversarial proceeding known as an “interference proceeding,” declared by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or its foreign counterparts, to determine priority of invention. The costs of these proceedings could be substantial and our efforts in them could be unsuccessful, resulting in a loss of our anticipated patent position. In addition, if a third party prevails in such a proceeding and obtains an issued patent, we may be prevented from practicing technology or marketing products covered by that patent. Additionally, patents and patent applications owned by third parties may prevent us from pursuing certain opportunities such as entering into specific markets or developing certain products. Finally, we may choose to enter into markets where certain competitors have patents or patent protection over technology that may impede our ability to compete effectively.

 

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property rights in all jurisdictions.

 

Effective protection of our intellectual property rights may be unavailable or limited in some countries, and even if available, we may fail to pursue or obtain necessary intellectual property protection in such countries, because filing, prosecuting, maintaining and defending patents on product candidates in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive. In addition, the legal systems of certain countries do not favor the aggressive enforcement of patents and other intellectual property rights, and the laws of certain foreign countries do not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. As a result, our intellectual property may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products, and we may be unable to prevent such competitors from importing such infringing products into territories where we have patent protection but where enforcement is not as strong as in the United States or into jurisdictions in which we do not have patent protection. These products may compete with our product candidates and our patents and other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from competing in those jurisdictions.
 

Our currently issued NexoBrid patents are nominally due to expire at various dates between 2025 and 2029. However, because of the extensive time required for development, testing and regulatory review of a potential product, and although such delays may entitle us to patent term extensions, it is possible that, before NexoBrid can be commercialized in additional international jurisdictions and/or before any of our future products can be commercialized, any related patent may expire or remain in force for only a short period following commercialization, thereby reducing any advantages of the patent. The international PCT patent applications relating to EscharEx were filed on January 30, 2017. National phase applications corresponding to these PCT applications were filed in several jurisdictions and the expiration date of the 13 patents that issued and those that will be issued is January 30, 2037, absent patent-term adjustment and/or extensions. Our pending and future patent applications may not lead to the issuance of patents or, if issued, the patents may not provide us with any competitive advantage. We also cannot guarantee that:

 

 

 

We may be unable to identify all past or future unauthorized uses of our intellectual property.

 

Additionally, unauthorized use of our intellectual property may have occurred or may occur in the future. Any failure to identify unauthorized use of, and otherwise adequately protect, our intellectual property could adversely affect our business, including by reducing the demand for our products. Any reported adverse events involving counterfeit products that purport to be our products could harm our reputation and the sale of our products. Moreover, if we are required to commence litigation related to unauthorized use, whether as a plaintiff or defendant, such litigation would be time-consuming, force us to incur significant costs and divert our attention and the efforts of our management and other employees, which could, in turn, result in lower revenue and higher expenses.

 

In addition to patented technology, we rely on our unpatented proprietary technology, trade secrets, processes and know-how.

 

We rely on proprietary information, such as trade secrets, know-how and confidential information, to protect intellectual property that may not be patentable or that we believe is best protected by means that do not require public disclosure. We generally seek to protect this proprietary information by entering into confidentiality agreements, or consulting, services or employment agreements that contain non-disclosure and non-use provisions with our employees, consultants, contractors, scientific advisors and third parties. However, we may fail to enter into the necessary agreements, and even if entered into, these agreements may be breached or otherwise fail to prevent disclosure, third-party infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary information, may be limited as to their term and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized disclosure or use of proprietary information. We have limited control over the protection of trade secrets used by our suppliers and service providers and could lose future trade secret protection if any unauthorized disclosure of such information occurs. In addition, our proprietary information may otherwise become known or be independently developed by our competitors or other third parties. To the extent that our employees, consultants, contractors, scientific advisors and other third parties use intellectual property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to the related rights or resulting know-how and inventions. Costly and time-consuming litigation could be necessary to enforce and determine the scope of our and relevant third parties’ proprietary rights and failure to obtain or maintain protection for our proprietary information could adversely affect our competitive business position. In addition, if a third party is able to establish that we are using their proprietary information without their permission, we may be required to obtain a license to such information or, if such a license is not available, re-design our products to avoid any such unauthorized use or temporarily delay or permanently stop manufacturing or sales of the affected products. Furthermore, laws regarding trade secret rights in certain markets where we operate may afford little or no protection to our trade secrets.

Some of our employees were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including potential competitors. While we take steps to prevent our employees from using the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed intellectual property, trade secrets or other proprietary information of any such employee’s former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims and, even if we are successful in defending ourselves, could result in substantial costs to us or be distracting to our management. If we fail to defend any such claims successfully, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel.

 

If we are unable to protect our trademarks from infringement, our business prospects may be harmed.

 

We own trademarks that identify “MediWound,” “NexoBrid” and “EscharEx,” among others, and have registered these trademarks in certain key markets. Although we take steps to monitor the possible infringement or misuse of our trademarks, it is possible that third parties may infringe, dilute or otherwise violate our trademark rights. Any unauthorized use of our trademarks could harm our reputation or commercial interests. In addition, our enforcement against third-party infringers or violators may be unduly expensive and time-consuming, and the outcome may be an inadequate remedy.

 

We may be subject to claims that we infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate the intellectual property rights of third parties.

 

Our development, marketing or sale of NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates may infringe or be accused of infringing one or more claims of an issued patent to which we do not hold a license or other rights. We may also be subject to claims that we are infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating other intellectual property rights, such as trademarks, copyrights or trade secrets. Third parties could therefore bring claims against us or our strategic partners that would cause us to incur substantial expenses, including litigation costs or costs associated with settlement, and, if successful against us, could cause us to pay substantial damages. Further, if such a claim were brought against us, we could be forced to temporarily delay or permanently stop manufacturing or sales of NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates that are the subject of the suit.

 

If we are found to be infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the patent or other intellectual property rights of a third party, or in order to avoid or settle claims, we may choose or be required to seek a license from a third party and be required to pay license fees or royalties or both, which could be substantial. These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we could be prevented from commercializing a product, or be forced to cease some aspect of our business operations, if, as a result of actual or threatened claims, we or our strategic partners are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms.

 

There have been substantial litigation and other proceedings regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. In addition, to the extent that we gain greater visibility and market exposure as a public company in the United States, we face a greater risk of being involved in such litigation. In addition to infringement claims against us, we may become a party to other patent litigation and other proceedings, including interference, opposition, re-examination and similar proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and its foreign counterparts, regarding intellectual property rights with respect to NexoBrid, EscharEx or our pipeline product candidates. The cost to us of any patent litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. A negative outcome could result in liability for monetary damages, including treble damages and attorneys’ fees if, for example, we are found to have willfully infringed a patent. A finding of infringement could prevent us from developing, marketing or selling a product or force us to cease some or all of our business operations. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace, and patent litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time.

 

Under applicable employment laws, we may not be able to enforce covenants not to compete.

 

We generally enter into non-competition agreements with our employees. These agreements prohibit our employees, if they cease working for us, from competing directly with us or working for our competitors or clients for a limited period. We may be unable to enforce these agreements under the laws of the jurisdictions in which our employees work and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from benefitting from the expertise our former employees or consultants developed while working for us. For example, Israeli labor courts have required employers seeking to enforce non-compete undertakings of a former employee to demonstrate that the competitive activities of the former employee will harm one of a limited number of material interests of the employer which have been recognized by the courts, such as the protection of a company’s trade secrets or other intellectual property.

 

We may become subject to claims for remuneration or royalties for assigned service invention rights by our employees, which could result in litigation and adversely affect our business.

 

A significant portion of our intellectual property has been developed for us by our employees in the course of their employment. Under the Israeli Patent Law, 5727-1967, or the Patent Law, inventions conceived by an employee in the course and as a result of or arising from his or her employment with a company are regarded as “service inventions,” which belong to the employer, absent a specific agreement between the employee and employer giving the employee proprietary rights. The Patent Law also provides under Section 134 that if there is no agreement between an employer and an employee as to whether the employee is entitled to consideration for service inventions, and to what extent and under which conditions, the Israeli Compensation and Royalties Committee, or the Committee, a body constituted under the Patent Law, shall determine these issues. Section 135 of the Patent law provides criteria for assisting the Committee in making its decisions. According to case law handed down by the Committee, an employee’s right to receive consideration for service inventions is a personal right and is entirely separate from the proprietary rights in such invention. Therefore, this right must be explicitly waived by the employee. A decision handed down in May 2014 by the Committee clarifies that the right to receive consideration under Section 134 can be waived and that such waiver can be made orally, in writing or by behavior like any other contract. The Committee will examine, on a case by case basis, the general contractual framework between the parties, using interpretation rules of the general Israeli contract laws. Further, the Committee has not yet determined one specific formula for calculating this remuneration, nor the criteria or circumstances under which an employee’s waiver of his right to remuneration will be disregarded. Similarly, it remains unclear whether waivers by employees in their employment agreements of the alleged right to receive consideration for service inventions should be declared as void being a depriving provision in a standard contract. We generally enter into assignment-of-invention agreements with our employees pursuant to which such individuals assign to us all rights to any inventions created in the scope of their employment or engagement with us. Although our employees have agreed to assign to us service invention rights and have specifically waived their right to receive any special remuneration for such service inventions beyond their regular salary and benefits, we may face claims demanding remuneration in consideration for assigned inventions. As a consequence of such claims, we could be required to pay additional remuneration or royalties to our current or former employees or be forced to litigate such claims, which could negatively affect our business.

Risks Related to an Investment in Our Ordinary Shares

 

The market price of our ordinary shares may be subject to fluctuation and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

 

 

These factors and any corresponding price fluctuations may materially and adversely affect the market price of our ordinary shares and result in substantial losses being incurred by our investors. In the past, following periods of market volatility, public company shareholders have often instituted securities class action litigation. If we were involved in securities litigation, it could impose a substantial cost upon us and divert the resources and attention of our management from our business.

 Future sales of our ordinary shares could reduce the market price of our ordinary shares.

 

If we or our existing shareholders, our directors or their affiliates or certain of our executive officers, sell a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market, the market price of our ordinary shares could decrease significantly. The perception in the public market that we or our shareholders might sell our ordinary shares could also depress the market price of our ordinary shares and could impair our future ability to obtain capital, especially through an offering of equity securities.

 

 

 

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and actually do, follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable SEC and Nasdaq requirements.

 

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to, and do, follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of those otherwise required under the Nasdaq Stock Market listing rules for domestic U.S. issuers. For instance, we follow home country practice in Israel with regard to the (i) quorum requirement for shareholder meetings (ii) independence requirement for the board of directors and (iii) shareholder approval for certain transactions other than a public offering involving issuances of a 20% or more interest in the company. See “ITEM 16G. Corporate Governance.” We may in the future elect to follow home country practices in Israel with regard to other matters as well, such as the formation and composition of the nominating and corporate governance committee, separate executive sessions of independent directors and the requirement to obtain shareholder approval for certain dilutive events (such as for the establishment or amendment of certain equity-based compensation plans, issuances that will result in a change of control of the company, and certain acquisitions of the stock or assets of another company). Following our home country governance practices as opposed to the requirements that would otherwise apply to a U.S. company listed on the Nasdaq Global Market may provide less protection to you than what is accorded to investors under the Nasdaq Stock Market listing rules applicable to domestic U.S. issuers. See “ITEM 16G. Corporate Governance.”

 As a foreign private issuer, we are not subject to the provisions of Regulation FD or U.S. proxy rules and are exempt from filing certain Exchange Act reports.

 

As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules and regulations under the Exchange Act related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file annual and current reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as U.S. domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act, and we are generally exempt from filing quarterly reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act. Moreover, we are not required to comply with Regulation FD, which prohibits the selective disclosure of material nonpublic information to, among others, broker-dealers and holders of a company’s securities under circumstances in which it is reasonably foreseeable that the holder will trade in the company’s securities on the basis of the information. Even though we intend to comply voluntarily with Regulation FD, these exemptions and leniencies will reduce the frequency and scope of information and protections to which you are entitled as an investor.

 

For so long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer, we are not required to comply with the proxy rules applicable to U.S. domestic companies, including the requirement applicable to emerging growth companies to disclose the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other two most highly compensated executive officers on an individual, rather than an aggregate, basis. Nevertheless, the regulations promulgated under the Israeli Companies Law, 5759-1999 (the “Israeli Companies Law”) require us to disclose the annual compensation of our five most highly compensated officers on an individual, rather than on an aggregate, basis. See “ITEM 6.B. Compensation.” Under the Companies Law regulations, this disclosure is required to be included in the proxy statement for our annual meeting of shareholders each year, which we furnish to the SEC under cover of a Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K. Because of that disclosure requirement under Israeli law, we are also including such information in this annual report, pursuant to the disclosure requirements of Form 20-F.

We would lose our foreign private issuer status if a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares are held of record by U.S. shareholders and we fail to meet additional requirements necessary to avoid loss of foreign private issuer status. Although we have elected to comply with certain U.S. regulatory provisions, our loss of foreign private issuer status would make such provisions mandatory. The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly higher. If we lose our foreign private issuer status, we will be required to file periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We would also be required to follow U.S. proxy disclosure requirements, including the requirement to disclose more detailed information about the compensation of our senior executive officers on an individual basis. We may also be required to modify certain of our policies to comply with accepted governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers. Such conversion and modifications will involve additional costs. In addition, we would lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on U.S. stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers.

We have never paid cash dividends on our share capital, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our share capital, nor do we anticipate paying any cash dividends on our share capital in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our ordinary shares will be an investor’s sole source of gain for the foreseeable future. In addition, Israeli law limits our ability to declare and pay dividends, and may subject our dividends to Israeli withholding taxes. See “ITEM 8.A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Dividend Policy,” “ITEM 10.B. Articles of Association—Dividend and liquidation rights” and “ITEM 10.E. Taxation—Israeli Tax Considerations and Government Programs.”

If we are unable to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or if our internal control over financial reporting or our disclosure controls and procedures are not effective, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and the completeness of the reports we furnish or file with the SEC, the reliability of our financial statements may be questioned and our share price may suffer.

 

We are required to comply with the internal control, evaluation and certification requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”). Pursuant to Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we are required to furnish a report by management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If we become an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer, we will be required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act.

 

To maintain the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal control over financial reporting, we expect that we will need to continue to enhance existing, and implement new, financial reporting and management systems, procedures and controls to manage our business effectively and support our growth in the future. The process of evaluating our internal control over financial reporting requires an investment of substantial time and resources, including by our Chief Financial Officer and other members of our senior management. The determination and any remedial actions required could divert internal resources and take a significant amount of time and effort to complete and could result in us incurring additional costs that we did not anticipate, including the hiring of outside consultants.

 

Irrespective of compliance with Section 404, any failure of our internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our stated results of operations and harm our reputation. As a result, we may experience higher than anticipated operating expenses, as well as higher independent auditor fees during and after the implementation of these changes. If we are unable to implement any of the required changes to our internal control over financial reporting effectively or efficiently, it could adversely affect our operations, financial reporting or results of operations. Further, if our internal controls over financial reporting are not effective, the reliability of our financial statements may be questioned and our share price may suffer.

Our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences if we are characterized as a passive foreign investment company.

 

Generally, if for any taxable year 75% or more of our gross income is passive income, or at least 50% of the average quarterly value of our assets (which may be determined in part by the market value of our ordinary shares, which is subject to change) are held for the production of, or produce, passive income, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Based on our current estimates of our gross income and gross assets and the nature of our business, we do not believe we were classified as a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2022. There can be no assurance that we will not be considered a PFIC for the current or any future taxable year. PFIC status is determined as of the end of the taxable year and depends on a number of factors, including the value of a corporation’s assets and the amount and type of its gross income. Furthermore, the value of our gross assets is likely to be determined in large part by reference to our market capitalization. As such, a decline in the value of our ordinary shares or an increase in the value of our passive assets (including cash and short term investments), for example, may result in our becoming a PFIC. If we are characterized as a PFIC, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our ordinary shares treated as ordinary income, rather than as capital gain, the loss of the preferential rate that may be applicable to dividends received on our ordinary shares by individuals who are U.S. Holders (as defined in “ITEM 10.E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation”), and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and the proceeds of share sales. Certain elections exist that may alleviate some of the adverse consequences of PFIC status and would result in an alternative treatment (such as mark-to-market treatment) of our ordinary shares. However, we do not intend to provide the information necessary for U.S. holders to make qualified electing fund elections if we are classified as a PFIC. See “ITEM 10.E. Taxation—United States Federal Income Taxation—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

If a U.S. person is treated as owning at least 10% of our ordinary shares, such holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

If a U.S. person is treated as owning (directly, indirectly, or constructively) at least 10% of the value or voting power of our ordinary shares, such person may be treated as a “U.S. shareholder” with respect to each “controlled foreign corporation” in our group (if any). Since our group includes one or more U.S. subsidiaries, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries will be treated as controlled foreign corporations (regardless of whether or not we are treated as a controlled foreign corporation). A U.S. shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation may be required to report annually and include in its U.S. taxable income its pro rata share of “Subpart F income,” “global intangible low-taxed income,” and investments in U.S. property by controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether the Company makes any distributions. An individual that is a U.S. shareholder with respect to a controlled foreign corporation generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a U.S. shareholder that is a U.S. corporation. Failure to comply with these reporting obligations may subject a U.S. shareholder to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations with respect to such U.S. shareholder’s U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due from starting. We cannot provide any assurances that we will assist holders of ordinary shares in determining whether any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is treated as a controlled foreign corporation or whether any holder of ordinary shares is treated as a U.S. shareholder with respect to any such controlled foreign corporation or furnish to any U.S. shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with the aforementioned reporting and tax paying obligations. The United States Internal Revenue Service has provided limited guidance on situations in which investors may rely on publicly available information to comply with their reporting and taxpaying obligations with respect to foreign-controlled controlled foreign corporations. A U.S. holder should consult its tax advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to an investment in the ordinary shares.

 

Risks Primarily Related to our Operations in Israel

 

Our headquarters, manufacturing and other significant operations are located in Israel and, therefore, our results may be adversely affected by political, economic or military instability in Israel and by conflicts between Israel and neighboring terrorist groups or countries.

 

Our headquarters, manufacturing and research and development facilities are located in Yavne, Israel. In addition, the majority of our key employees, officers and directors are residents of Israel. In recent years, there has been political instability in Israel, including four national elections within the last two-plus years. Over the past decade, there have been multiple hostilities between Israel and Hamas (an Islamist militia and political group in the Gaza strip) and in the summer of 2006, there was an armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah (an Islamist militia and political group in Lebanon). Even during times without formal conflict, Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Gaza strip have shot rockets into southern Israel, which have sometimes damaged civilian and commercial property.

 

In recent years, Iran, which has threatened to attack Israel and is widely believed to be developing nuclear weapons, has been expanding its influence in Syria and in Lebanon through Hezbollah and other proxy terrorist groups. Although Iran’s activities have not directly affected the political and economic conditions in Israel, Iran’s purpose is widely believed to take control of the Middle East, including Israel. Israel has responded with attacks on Iranian military operations in Syria. These events and any future political, economic and military instability have the potential to interrupt our operations by damaging our facilities (to the extent rocket attacks against Israel reach the region of our headquarters) or preventing our employees, officers and directors from working. Such interruptions or stoppages may result in a material adverse effect on our business, operations and results of operations.

The Israeli government is currently pursuing extensive changes to Israel’s judicial system. In response to the foregoing developments, individuals, organizations and institutions, both within and outside of Israel, have voiced concerns that the proposed changes may negatively impact the business environment in Israel including due to reluctance of foreign investors to invest or transact business in Israel as well as to increased currency fluctuations, downgrades in credit rating, increased interest rates, increased volatility in security markets, and other changes in macroeconomic conditions. To the extent that any of these negative developments do occur, they may have an adverse effect on our business, our results of operations and our ability to raise additional funds, if deemed necessary by our management and board of directors.

Our commercial insurance may leave us subject to a risk of a loss if a terrorist attack or act of war occurs.

 

Our commercial insurance does not cover losses that may occur as a result of an event associated with the security situation in the Middle East. The reinstatement value of direct damages that are caused by terrorist attacks or acts of war that the Israeli government is currently committed to covering might not be maintained or, if maintained, might not be sufficient to compensate us fully for damages incurred. Any losses or damages incurred by us could have a material adverse effect on our business. Any armed conflict involving Israel could adversely affect our operations and results of operations.

Our operations may be disrupted by the obligation of our employees to perform military service.

 

As of December 31, 2022, we had 73 employees based in Israel, certain of whom may be called upon to perform up to 54 days (and in the case of non-officer commanders or officers, up to 70 or 84 days, respectively) of military reserve duty in each three-year period until they reach the age of 40 (and in some cases, depending on their specific military profession, up to 45 or even 49 years of age). In certain emergency circumstances, these employees may be called to immediate and unlimited active duty. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence of a significant number of employees related to military service, which could materially adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Boycotts and various Middle Eastern business restrictions in the region may adversely impact our ability to operate sell our products.

 

Several countries, principally in the Middle East, restrict doing business with Israel and Israeli companies, and additional countries may impose restrictions on doing business with Israel and Israeli companies whether as a result of hostilities in the region or otherwise. In addition, there have been increased efforts by activists to cause companies and consumers to boycott Israeli goods based on Israeli government policies. Recently, Israel has signed bilateral peace agreements with several Middle Eastern (including Arab) countries, forging new economic ties with them. Nevertheless, if the actions by boycott activists become more widespread and successful, that may adversely impact our ability to sell our products.

 

Provisions of Israeli law and our articles of association may delay, prevent or otherwise impede a merger with, or an acquisition of, us, even when the terms of such a transaction are favorable to us and our shareholders.

 

Israeli corporate law regulates mergers, requires tender offers for acquisitions of shares above specified thresholds, requires special approvals for transactions involving directors, officers or significant shareholders and regulates other matters that may be relevant to such types of transactions. For example, a tender offer for all of a company’s issued and outstanding shares can only be completed if the acquirer receives positive responses from the holders of at least 95% of the issued share capital. Completion of the tender offer also requires approval of a majority of the offerees that do not have a personal interest in the tender offer, unless, following consummation of the tender offer, the acquirer would hold at least 98% of the company’s outstanding shares. Furthermore, the shareholders, including those who indicated their acceptance of the tender offer, may, at any time within six months following the completion of the tender offer, petition an Israeli court to alter the consideration for the acquisition, unless the acquirer stipulated in its tender offer that a shareholder that accepts the offer may not seek such appraisal rights. See “ITEM 10.B. Articles of Association—Acquisitions Under Israeli law” for additional information.

 

Furthermore, Israeli tax considerations may make potential transactions unappealing to us or to our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel exempting such shareholders from Israeli tax. For example, Israeli tax law does not recognize tax-free share exchanges to the same extent as U.S. tax law. With respect to mergers, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfillment of a number of conditions, including, in some cases, a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which sales and dispositions of shares of the participating companies are subject to certain restrictions. Moreover, with respect to certain share swap transactions, the tax deferral is limited in time, and when such time expires, the tax becomes payable even if no disposition of the shares has occurred.

 

We have received Israeli government grants for certain research and development activities. The terms of those grants require us to satisfy specified conditions and to pay penalties in addition to repayment of the grants upon certain events.

 

The IIA grants that we have received are repayable by payment of royalties from the sale of products developed as part of the programs for which grants were received. Our obligation to pay these royalties is contingent on our actual sale of such products and services. In the absence of such sales, no payment of such royalties is required.

 

Even following full repayment of any IIA grants, we must nevertheless continue to comply with the requirements of the Encouragement of Research, Development and Technological Innovation in the Industry Law, 5744-1984 (formerly known as the Law for the Encouragement of Industrial Research and Development, 5744-1984), and related regulations (collectively, the “Innovation Law”). When a company develops know-how, technology or products using IIA grants, the terms of these grants and the Innovation Law restrict the transfer outside of Israel of such know-how, and the manufacturing or manufacturing rights of such products, technologies or know-how, without the prior approval of the IIA. Therefore, if aspects of our technologies are deemed to have been developed with IIA funding, the discretionary approval of an IIA committee would be required for any transfer to third parties outside of Israel of know-how or manufacturing or manufacturing rights related to those aspects of such technologies. We may not receive those approvals. Furthermore, the IIA may impose certain conditions on any arrangement under which it permits us to transfer technology or development out of Israel.

 

The transfer of IIA-supported technology or know-how or manufacturing or manufacturing rights related to aspects of such technologies outside of Israel may involve the payment of significant penalties and other amounts, depending upon the value of the transferred technology or know-how, the amount of IIA support, the time of completion of the IIA-supported research project and other factors. If our products are manufactured outside of Israel, assuming we receive prior approval from the IIA for the foreign manufacturing, we may be required to pay increased royalties. The increase in royalties depends on the manufacturing volume that is performed outside of Israel. These restrictions and requirements for payment may impair our ability to sell our technology assets outside of Israel or to outsource or transfer development or manufacturing activities with respect to any product or technology outside of Israel. Furthermore, the consideration available to our shareholders in a transaction involving the transfer outside of Israel of technology or know-how developed with IIA funding (such as a merger or similar transaction) may be reduced by any amounts that we are required to pay to the IIA.

 

It may be difficult to enforce a judgment of a U.S. court against us, our officers and directors or the Israeli experts named in this annual report in Israel or the United States, to assert U.S. securities laws claims in Israel or to serve process on our officers and directors and these experts.

 

We are incorporated in Israel. All of our executive officers and three of our directors listed in this annual report reside outside of the United States, and most of our assets and most of the assets of these persons are located outside of the United States. Therefore, a judgment obtained against us, or any of these persons, including a judgment based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws, may not be collectible in the United States and may not be enforced by an Israeli court. It also may be difficult for you to effect service of process on these persons in the United States or to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on an alleged violation of U.S. securities laws reasoning that Israel is not the most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proven as a fact by expert witnesses, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel that addresses the matters described above. As a result of the difficulty associated with enforcing a judgment against us in Israel, you may not be able to collect any damages awarded by either a U.S. or foreign court.

 

Your rights and responsibilities as a shareholder will be governed by Israeli law, which differs in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of U.S. companies.

 

Since we are incorporated under Israeli law, the rights and responsibilities of our shareholders are governed by our articles of association and Israeli law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in U.S.-based corporations. In particular, a shareholder of an Israeli company has a duty to act in good faith and in a customary manner in exercising its rights and performing its obligations towards the company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing its power in the company, including, among other things, in voting at the general meeting of shareholders on certain matters, such as an amendment to the company’s articles of association, an increase of the company’s authorized share capital, a merger of the company and approval of related party transactions that require shareholder approval. A shareholder also has a general duty to refrain from discriminating against other shareholders. In addition, a controlling shareholder or a shareholder who knows that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholders’ vote or to appoint or prevent the appointment of an office holder in the company or has another power with respect to the company, has a duty to act in fairness towards the company. However, Israeli law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness. See “ITEM 6.C. Board Practices.” Some of the parameters and implications of the provisions that govern shareholder behavior have not been clearly determined. These provisions may be interpreted to impose additional obligations and liabilities on our shareholders that are not typically imposed on shareholders of U.S. corporations.

Additionally, the quorum requirements for meetings of our shareholders are lower than is customary for domestic issuers. As permitted under the Companies Law, pursuant to our articles of association, the quorum required for an ordinary meeting of shareholders will consist of at least two shareholders present in person, by proxy or by other voting instrument in accordance with the Companies Law, who hold at least 25% of our outstanding ordinary shares. For an adjourned meeting at which a quorum is not present, the meeting may generally proceed irrespective of the number of shareholders present at the end of half an hour following the time fixed for the meeting.

General Risk Factors

 

If equity research analysts do not continue to publish research or reports about our business or if they issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our ordinary shares, the price of our ordinary shares could decline.

 

The trading market for our ordinary shares relies in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. We do not have control over these analysts and we do not have commitments from them to write research reports about us. The price of our ordinary shares could decline if no research reports are published about us or our business, or if one or more equity research analysts downgrades our ordinary shares or if those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business.

Item 4.     INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

 

 

Our History

 

MediWound Ltd. ("MediWound") is a company limited by shares organized under the laws of the State of Israel in January 2000. We are registered with the Israeli Registrar of Companies. Our registration number is 51-289494-0. Our principal executive offices are located at 42 Hayarkon Street, Yavne 8122745, Israel, and our telephone number is +972 (77)-971-4100. Our website address is www.MediWound.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this annual report and is not incorporated by reference herein. We have included our website address in this annual report solely for informational purposes. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Puglisi & Associates, located at 850 Library Avenue, Suite 204, Newark, Delaware 19711, and its telephone number is +1 (302) 738-6680. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at: http://www.sec.gov.

Principal Capital Expenditures

 

See “ITEM 5.B. Liquidity and Capital Resources.”

 

We are a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes novel, cost effective, bio‑therapeutic, non-surgical solutions for tissue repair and regeneration. Our strategy leverages our breakthrough enzymatic technology platform into a diversified portfolio of biotherapeutics across multiple indications to pioneer solutions for unmet medical needs. Our current portfolio is focused on next-generation enzymatic therapies for burn care, wound care and tissue repair.

NexoBrid^® is our commercial orphan biological product for early non-surgical eschar removal of deep-partial and full-thickness thermal burns. It is a bromelain-based biological product containing a sterile mixture of proteolytic enzymes that selectively removes burn eschar within four hours without harming surrounding viable tissue. NexoBrid is currently marketed in the EU, Japan, India, as well as in other international markets, and recently received FDA authorization for marketing in the U.S.

EscharEx^®, our next-generation enzymatic therapy under development for the debridement of chronic and hard-to-heal wounds, is based on the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (“API”) as NexoBrid. Results from Phase II studies showed that EscharEx is significantly more effective and faster than standard of care (“SOC”) or placebo control in debridement of Venous Leg Ulcers (“VLUs”) and Diabetic Foot Ulcers (“DFUs”), with a good safety and tolerability profile. EscharEx’s mechanism of action is believed to be mediated by the proteolytic enzymes that cleave and remove the necrotic tissue and prepare the wound bed for healing.

Our third innovative product candidate, MW005, is a topical biological drug under development for the treatment of low-risk Basal Cell Carcinoma (“BCC”). In a Phase I/II open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial conducted in the U.S., MW005 was shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and an effective treatment for BCC with patients demonstrating complete clinical and histological clearance of target lesions.

We manufacture NexoBrid and our product candidates in our cGMP certified sterile manufacturing facility at our headquarters in Yavne, Israel.

 

Key Recent Developments

 

 

Our FDA authorization of NexoBrid for treatment of severe burns was received in December 2022. Our Biologics License Application (“BLA”) submission leading to FDA authorization, which we originally submitted in September 2020 and re-submitted in August 2022 following its initial review, was covered by a comprehensive battery of pre-clinical studies and 8 clinical studies, including the pivotal Phase III U.S. clinical study (DETECT), which evaluated the efficacy and safety of NexoBrid in adult patients with deep-partial and full-thickness thermal burns of 3%-30% of total body surface area (TBSA). The BLA approval triggered a $7.5 million milestone payment from our commercial partner in the U.S., Vericel Corporation.

In December 2022, NexoBrid received marketing authorization in Japan and India. Kaken Pharmaceutical, a leading pharmaceutical company in Japan, has the exclusive rights to market and distribute NexoBrid in Japan. Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV), a leading biopharmaceutical company in India, has the exclusive rights to market and distribute NexoBrid in India.

In September, 2022, we announced that EMA has validated for review our Type II Variation submitted by us to expand the currently approved indication for NexoBrid (removal of eschar in adults with deep partial-and full-thickness thermal burn wounds) into the pediatric population. We expect a decision from the European Commission by mid-year 2023.

 

In July 2022, we announced positive results from our U.S. Phase II Pharmacology Study of EscharEx for Debridement of lower leg ulcers (VLUs and DFUs). The study was designed to evaluate the clinical performance, safety, and pharmacology effect of EscharEx in the debridement of lower leg ulcers in up to fifteen patients. The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of debridement as measured by incidence of, and time to complete debridement. In addition, the study evaluated the pharmacological effects of EscharEx as measured by the changes from baseline to end of the treatment period in (1) wound biofilm presence in wound biopsies, (2) bacterial burden measured by MolecuLight^® fluorescence images, and (3) biomarkers of wound healing and inflammation in wound fluid. 70% of patients achieved complete debridement during the course of treatment within up to 8 applications. On average, complete debridement was achieved after 3.9 applications of EscharEx. Additionally, an average reduction of 35% in wound size was achieved by the end of the 2-week follow-up period. In all patients that were positive for biofilm at baseline, the biofilm was reduced substantially to single individual microorganisms or completely removed by the end of treatment. Seven patients had positive red fluorescence (indicative of bacteria) at baseline and average red fluorescence was reduced from 1.69 cm2 pre-treatment to 0.60 cm2 post treatment. Biomarker analysis from wound fluid is on-going and safety data showed that EscharEx is safe and well-tolerated.

In May 2022, we announced positive results from our U.S. Phase II clinical study of EscharEx for the debridement of VLUs. The study met its primary endpoint with a high degree of statistical significance and demonstrated that patients treated with EscharEx had a statistically significant higher incidence of complete debridement during the 14-day measurement period within up to 8 applications, compared to gel vehicle (EscharEx:  63% (29/46) vs. gel vehicle: 30% (13/43), p-value=0.004). EscharEx efficacy superiority remained statistically significant after adjusting for pre-specified covariates ascribed to patient baseline characteristics, wound size, wound age and regions. The study also met key secondary and exploratory endpoints. In addition, the study showed that EscharEx was safe and well tolerated, and the overall safety was comparable between the arms as assessed by the data safety monitoring board. Importantly, there were no observed deleterious effects on wound closure and no material differences in reported adverse events. We are having discussions with the FDA regarding the EscharEx pivotal Phase III study design, which is expected to be initiated in the second half of 2023.

In July 2022 we presented a market research conducted by Oliver Wyman, describing the market potential of EscharEx, Based on this market research, EscharEx Targeted Addressable Market (“TAM”) for VLUs and DFUs is estimated at approximately $2 billion in the U.S. In addition, this market research and physician feedback suggests potential market share for EscharEx at approximately 30%.

Our Focus:

 

NexoBrid, a concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain, is an easy to use, topically-applied product that removes eschar in four hours without harming the surrounding healthy tissues. Eschar removal is a critical first step in the successful healing of severe burns. Under existing SOC, burn eschar may be removed either by employing certain existing topical agents that have been found to be minimally effective or that take a significantly longer period of time to work, or by resorting to non-selective surgery, which is traumatic and may result in loss of blood and viable tissue. NexoBrid’s rapid and selective debridement alleviates the known risks associated with eschar, such as infection, eventual sepsis, wound deterioration and consequential scarring, and it allows physicians to reach an informed decision on further treatment at an earlier stage by direct visual assessment of the actual burn depth. Furthermore, NexoBrid minimizes the burden associated with invasive surgical procedures, reduces the need for skin grafting and sacrifice of healthy tissue from donor sites on a patient’s body and generally results in a more favorable overall long-term patient outcome. NexoBrid has been investigated in hundreds of patients across more than 22 countries and four continents in nine completed Phase II, Phase III and post-marketing clinical studies. Over 12,000 burn patients have been treated with NexoBrid in the market since 2013 and the safety and efficacy data reported from post marketing data sources are consistent with the data available from clinical trials and no new safety signals have been observed.

There have been hundreds of presentations and several award winning abstracts of NexoBrid in international and national scientific conferences, as well as about 120 peer-reviewed papers, resulting in support of burn specialists and key opinion leaders. Awareness of NexoBrid continues to grow through our marketing efforts in countries where NexoBrid is approved.

 

 

Burns are life threatening and debilitating traumatic injuries causing considerable morbidity and mortality. A burn may result from thermal, electrical or chemical means that destroy the skin to varying depths. According to Critical Care, an international clinical medical journal, burns are also among the most expensive traumatic injuries because of long and costly hospitalization, rehabilitation and wound and scar treatment.

 

Most burn injuries involve part of or the entire thickness of the skin and in some cases, the deeper subcutaneous fat tissue or underlying structures. The severity of the burn depends on three main factors:

 

When patients are hospitalized for a severe burn, the first step in the treatment after patient stabilization and resuscitation is usually eschar removal. The eschar is the burned tissue in the wound, which is deprived of blood and isolated from all natural systemic defense mechanisms. Eschar removal is an essential first step in the treatment of patients with severe burns, allowing for:

 

In addition to minimizing the possibility of additional complications, once the eschar is removed, a physician may properly diagnose the true extent of the trauma by a direct visual assessment of the clean wound bed. An informed treatment strategy can be decided upon only if the depth of the burn and extent of the tissue damage is known. Diagnosis of burn depth is difficult, especially because the burn commonly changes its appearance during the first days after injury due to burn progression. Burns that are initially difficult to classify due to the presence of eschar are referred to as “indeterminate” burns. This ambiguity can delay the assessment of the burn depth and formulation of proper treatment. Unless the burns are life-threatening, definitive treatment is postponed for several days post-injury until diagnosis is clearer, when burn progression by death of the surrounding and underlying tissue has already occurred and ended. During this delay, local and systemic effects of post-burn inflammation and bacterial contamination can occur. Therefore, earlier, selective eschar removal is essential to prevent eschar-related complications and to allow the physician to reach an informed decision on further treatment.

 

Currently, there are two main treatment modalities for debridement:

 

As demonstrated in our clinical trials, NexoBrid combines the advantages of surgical and non-surgical debridement modalities by providing rapid and effective eschar removal while not harming viable tissue. This allows for earlier direct visual assessment of the burn wound in order to formulate proper treatment.

 

Severe burns require specialized care in hospitals or burn centers. Approximately 100,000 patients with severe burns are hospitalized every year in the United States and Europe. The prevalence of patients with severe burns is even higher in emerging economies. For example, approximately 400,000 patients are hospitalized every year with burns in India according to a study conducted by IMS Health. The severe burn patients are predominantly treated by specialists in approximately 250 burn centers in Europe and the United States, as well as at burn units of large hospitals in Europe. We believe these patients can benefit from NexoBrid’s effective and selective, non-surgical eschar removal.

 

In addition to our current marketing of NexoBrid in Europe and the United States, we have signed local distribution agreements for distribution of NexoBrid in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific countries, members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”) and the Middle East and we plan to target additional markets in these territories by leveraging our approved registration file for additional regional marketing authorizations.

 

In addition to the market opportunities for NexoBrid discussed above, we believe that NexoBrid has the potential to play a critical role in the event of a burn mass casualty incident (“BMCI”), which is generally defined as any incident in which emergency medical services resources, such as personnel and equipment, are overwhelmed by the number and severity of casualties. A variety of public emergencies may give rise to a BMCI, such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, fires and explosions. One example of a BMCI is a mass burn casualty disaster, which is defined by the American Burn Association as a catastrophic event in which the number of burn victims exceeds the capacity of the local burn center to provide optimal care. If a significant number of burn victims arrive at a burn center following an event, some victims may go untreated until the bottleneck is resolved. The use of non-surgical means that are capable of providing rapid eschar removal without harming healthy tissue, particularly during public health emergencies, could potentially reduce the time, labor and resource burdens associated with the current standard-of-care, thereby enabling the treatment of more patients. In the event of a mass burn casualty disaster, healthcare professionals can use NexoBrid to begin treatment at the patient’s bedside without the need for a surgical team and facilities. NexoBrid has demonstrated in clinical studies, with statistical significance, its ability to non-surgically and rapidly remove eschar in a single four-hour application. Once the acute treatment has been completed, the wound can be covered with available means and further managed once the BMCI is under control and the bottlenecks resolved. NexoBrid has been recognized by BARDA as a medical countermeasure for treatment of burns in the event of a BMCI.

 

In September 2015, we were awarded the first BARDA Contract for treatment of thermal burn injuries, representing a total value of up to $112 million. Between 2017 and 2020, BARDA expanded its commitment by an aggregate supplemental amount of $47 million. In February 2022 BARDA expanded its awarded contract by providing supplemental funding of $9 million to support the NexoBrid BLA resubmission to the FDA and the continuous expanded access program (collectively the "First BARDA Contract").

The First BARDA Contract is our primary contract with BARDA and relates to the advancement of the development and manufacturing, as well as the procurement of NexoBrid as a medical countermeasure as part of U.S. preparedness for mass casualty events.

 

Under the First BARDA Contract, BARDA provided technical assistance and a total of up to $91 million in funding for NexoBrid development activities required to achieve U.S. marketing authorization from the FDA. These activities include the NexoBrid Phase III (DETECT) study and subsequent requirements for BLA submission, the ongoing Phase III pediatric (CIDS) study and the NexoBrid expanded access treatment protocol (NEXT). In January 2020, BARDA committed an additional $16.5 million to procure NexoBrid as part of the HHS mission to build national preparedness for public health medical emergencies.  The contract further includes a $10 million option to fund the development of other potential NexoBrid indications and an option to procure additional NexoBrid valued at up to $50 million.

 

In September 2018, we were awarded an additional, separated BARDA contract (the “Second BARDA Contract”), which is an additional, separate contract to develop NexoBrid for the treatment of Sulfur Mustard injuries as part of BARDA’s preparedness for mass casualty events. The Second BARDA Contract provides approximately $12 million of funding to support research and development activities up to pivotal studies in animals under the U.S. FDA Animal Rule, and contains options for BARDA to provide additional funding of up to $29 million for additional development activities, animal pivotal studies, and the BLA submission for licensure of NexoBrid for the treatment of sulfur mustard injuries.

 

As of December 31, 2022, the Company has received approximately $82 million in aggregate of funding, from BARDA under the two contracts, and an additional $16.5 million for procurement of NexoBrid for U.S. emergency preparedness.

 

Each BARDA contract may be terminated by BARDA at any time at BARDA’s discretion.

 

 

NexoBrid, our innovative biopharmaceutical product, has received marketing authorizations from the U.S., European Commission and the Israeli, Argentinean, South Korean, Russian, Peruvian, Chilean, Taiwanese, Ukrainian,  other Eurasian states, United Arab Emirates, Japanese and Indian Ministries of Health for the removal of eschar in adults with deep partial- and full-thickness thermal burns. The active ingredient of NexoBrid is a concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain extracted from pineapple stems. Proteolysis is a breakdown of proteins into smaller building blocks, polypeptides or amino acids. Our research and development strategy is centered around our validated proteolytic enzyme platform technology, focused on next-generation bio-active therapies for burn and wound care and biological medicinal products for tissue repair. For each indication, our research and development team further develops and optimizes our enzymatic platform technology, creating unique and differentiated products meeting separate needs based on the specific indication, which is the basis for NexoBrid, EscharEx and all other pipeline product candidates. One vial of NexoBrid containing 2 grams of concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain is sufficient for treating a burn wound area of 1% total body surface area (“TBSA”).

 

We developed NexoBrid to fulfill the previously unmet need for a non-surgical effective and selective debriding agent that combines the efficacy and speed of surgery with the non-invasiveness of non-surgical methods. NexoBrid enhances the ability of physicians to conduct an earlier direct visual assessment of the burn depth to reach an informed decision on further treatment as well as to reduce the surgical burden and achieve a favorable long-term patient outcome.

 

NexoBrid has been investigated in hundreds of patients across 22 countries and four continents in nine completed Phase II and Phase III and post-marketing clinical studies. While we are marketing our product for the removal of eschar in burn wounds under the name “NexoBrid,” in clinical trials the product has been referred to as “Debridase” and “Debrase.”

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the completed clinical trials of NexoBrid:

       

  

 

Pediatric investigational plan – CIDS study

 

The CIDS study is a Phase III, multicenter, multinational, randomized, controlled, open-label study in children with thermal burns. The study objectives are to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment with NexoBrid compared with SOC in hospitalized children with severe thermal burns of 1% to 30% TBSA. We expanded this study also to United States burn centers, following approval of the study protocol by the FDA.  The study is underway in accordance with a study design endorsed by the FDA and the EMA as part of the agreed Pediatric Investigational Plan (“PIP”) to support extension of the indication to pediatric patients. The CIDS study includes pediatric patients of all ages, from newborn to eighteen years of age, offering NexoBrid to this important and sensitive group of patients. The primary endpoints evaluate early eschar removal, surgical burden, and cosmesis and function with a 12-month follow-up. Secondary endpoints included reduction in the need for surgical excision for eschar removal (surgical need), blood loss, reduction of the need for autograft in DPT wounds and non-inferiority in cosmesis and function at twenty-four months follow-up from wound closure. Additional extended long term cosmesis and function assessment at more than 30 months from wound closure was added to the protocol. Non-inferiority of the time to complete wound closure and other standard safety measurements were also compared with the SOC control arm. 

The study was expanded to include burn centers in the United States following agreement with the FDA, under the same protocol with alignment to the U.S. Phase III study (DETECT) protocol for the adult population. The non-inferiority of cosmesis and function at twelve months and twenty-four months from wound closure were defined as safety measurements. In addition, reduction in surgical need was measured only by reduction in incidence of surgical excision for eschar removal.

 

In July 2021, we announced positive top-line results, which include acute phase and 12-month follow-up data analysis. The study enrolled 145 pediatric patients, from newborn to eighteen years of age, randomized to either NexoBrid or SOC at a ratio of 1:1, across 36 burn centers worldwide. The study met all three primary endpoints with a high degree of statistical significance, as well as certain secondary endpoints. NexoBrid demonstrated a significant reduction in time to achieve complete eschar removal and significant reduction in wound area requiring surgical excision while demonstrating non-inferiority to standard-of-care in quality of scars. In addition, the study showed that NexoBrid was safe and well-tolerated. The long-term follow-up for cosmesis and function, quality of life and safety measurements is ongoing, and data is expected in the first half of 2023. This study is funded by BARDA.  See “—BARDA Contracts” above.

 

Expanded access treatment protocol (“NEXT”)

 

The NEXT protocol, which we initiated in October 2019, is an open-label, single-arm treatment protocol which allows for the treatment of up to 250 burn patients with deep partial- and full-thickness thermal burns up to 30% TBSA. In September 2020, the FDA agreed to allow the NEXT protocol to be expanded to include pediatric as well as adult burn patients. The NEXT protocol is being funded by BARDA. See “—BARDA Contracts” above. NEXT has been designed to be consistent with current real-life burn treatment practices in the U.S. and up to 30 U.S. burn centers are anticipated to participate. We received FDA concurrence that patients can be treated under the NEXT protocol in a burn MCI that is not a declared national emergency. We have provided documents for consideration by the FDA supporting the use of NexoBrid in a declared national medical emergency contingent upon the FDA issuance of an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”). The EUA is a mechanism by which the FDA can allow an unapproved medical product that qualifies as a mass casualty medical countermeasure to be used in a public health emergency.

 

Our second innovative product candidate, EscharEx, is a bio-active therapeutic product under development for debridement of chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds. EscharEx is complementary to the large number of existing advanced wound healing therapies, which require a clean wound bed in order to heal the wound. EscharEx API is a concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain and as such, benefits from the wealth of existing development data on NexoBrid. The mechanism of action of EscharEx is mediated by the proteolytic enzymes that cleaves and removes the necrotic tissue and prepares the wound bed for healing. Results from several Phase II studies showed that EscharEx is significantly more effective and faster than SOC or placebo control in debridement of VLUs and DFUs, with a good safety and tolerability profile.

 Chronic and Other Hard-to-Heal Wounds

 

The chronic and other hard-to-heal wound market consists of a broader addressable population of more than 14 million patients in Europe and the United States alone suffering from chronic wounds such as VLUs, DFUs, pressure ulcers and additional patients suffering from surgical/traumatic hard-to-heal wounds. Chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds represent a $25 billion burden to the U.S. healthcare system. Chronic and hard-to-heal wounds are caused by impairment in the biochemical and cellular healing processes due to local or systemic conditions and generally can take several weeks to heal, if not longer. Such wounds can lead to significant morbidity, including pain, infection, impaired mobility, hospitalization, reduced productivity, amputation and mortality. In each of the various wound types, the presence of the eschar is a frequent cause for “chronification” of wounds and the removal of eschar is the key step to commence healing. Eschar needs to be removed to prevent further deterioration of the wound that may result in additional adverse patient outcomes. If not effectively treated, these wounds can lead to potentially severe complications including further infection, osteomyelitis, fasciitis, amputation and mortality. Most advanced wound care therapies, including negative pressure wound therapy, such as V.A.C. Therapy, and skin substitutes such as Apligraf and Dermagraft and human amniotic tissue products, are complementary to our lead product candidate, EscharEx, as these products require a clean wound bed to effectively heal a wound. Four common chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Currently, surgery (sharp debridement) is generally considered a first-line option. Sharp debridement is an effective method to debride a wound. However, this method requires surgically skilled physicians performing surgery with patients under, anesthesia, which in elderly patients with various co-morbidities is accompanied with a higher risk of local and systemic complications. Surgery may also involve hemorrhage which could be more difficult to control due to a high incidence of use of anticoagulants in this population. Surgery on wounds may very easily become infected with the infection propagating to surrounding soft and boney tissues ending in life threatening major complication or amputation. Very often even minor, limited sharp debridement exposes other sensitive tissue, such as tendons, deep vessels/nerves and bones that may become infected or may be severely damaged, necessitating additional, more extensive debridement or even amputation. Due to these limitations, chronic wounds are treated by conservative methods, with autolytic and enzymatic debridement being the most commonly-used non-sharp methods. This includes collagenase-based enzymatic debriding ointment, hydrogels and other topical dressings, which require numerous application sessions and a long time (6-8 weeks) to achieve a clean wound bed, if they achieve this at all. Thus, there is an unmet medical need for a non-surgical rapid and effective debridement agent for the outpatient setting, nursing home facilities and patients’ homes. Given the high demand for an effective non-surgical debridement technique and the clinical data generated to date, EscharEx has the potential to expand the current use of enzymatic debridement across all sites of care and achieve substantial market share. As documented in the Phase II study described below, EscharEx significantly improved the rate of complete debridement after few once-daily applications, thus potentially facilitating wound debridement without the need for surgery. Based on our comprehensive market research study on EscharEx that involved more than 200 healthcare professionals in the U.S. and Europe, which was last updated in 2022, EscharEx TAM for VLUs and DFUs is estimated at approximately $2 billion in the U.S. This market research and physician feedback suggests potential market share for EscharEx at approximately 30%.

 EscharEx Clinical History

 

EscharEx is a topical agent being developed for debridement of chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds, in order to fulfill an unmet need for a non-surgical rapid and effective debridement option. EscharEx is based on the same active substance as NexoBrid but differs in other aspects, such as in formulation and presentation. Based on our current pre-clinical studies, the second generation EscharEx demonstrated even higher potency in lower doses, which could further contribute to EscharEx’s efficacy and tolerability. This advanced generation of EscharEx has been designed in accordance with the current treatment workflow and reimbursement programs, providing a non-surgical easy-to-use, potent product for daily application, which we believe will enhance patient compliance and improve quality of care. Based on the feedback received from different stakeholders, we believe that our second generation EscharEx can better address the unmet medical need for a non-surgical rapid and effective product, particularly in the outpatient setting, where the majority of patients are treated, and has a greater potential to achieve substantial market share.

 

Second generation EscharEx is more differentiated from NexoBrid, which further limits the chances for competition between the two products.

 

Non-clinical safety studies performed with NexoBrid support EscharEx development, and we have already completed successfully bridging toxicology studies. In a pre-IND meeting the FDA stated that existing toxicology data for EscharEx, including cross-referenced NexoBrid data, could be sufficient to support initiation of clinical studies in the product.

Following the successful completion of the EscharEx U.S. Phase II study in VLU patients, we have entered into discussions with the FDA regarding the EscharEx pivotal Phase III study design, which expected to be initiated in the second half of 2023.

 

 

We completed a first Phase II feasibility study in Israel for chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds. In January 2017 we completed and announced the final results of a second Phase II prospective study in Israel and Europe. In November 2017, we announced the final results of a second cohort of the second Phase II study. Based on the completed studies, we believe that our product candidate may be effective for debridement of chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds.

 

First Phase II feasibility study—Israel

 

This first Phase II feasibility study was conducted in Israel to study the efficacy of our technology on chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds. The study assessed 24 patients at two sites. The results showed that our technology was effective in debriding various chronic and other hard-to-heal wound etiologies, such as VLUs, DFUs, pressure sores and trauma on diseased skin.

 

Second Phase II study—Israel/E.U. – First Cohort

 

This second Phase II study was a prospective, controlled, assessor-blinded, randomized, multi-center Phase II study in Israel and Europe. The study objectives were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of EscharEx in comparison to the Gel Vehicle at a ratio of 2:1 for the treatment of a variety of chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds in three etiologies: DFUs, VLUs and post-surgical or traumatic hard-to-heal wounds.

 

The primary endpoint assessed incidence of complete non-viable tissue removal (debridement) at the end of the debridement period (within up to 10 daily applications) and the secondary endpoints assessed various efficacy and safety endpoints, including wound bed preparation and wound healing.

 

In January 2017 we reported final results of the first cohort of 73 patients. The average wound age in the EscharEx arm was more than double (72.8 weeks) that of the gel vehicle group (30.8 weeks). The average wound size was 33.6 cm2 in the EscharEx arm vs. 25.8 cm2 in the gel vehicle group. Despite the larger wounds and that wounds treated with EscharEx were older than wounds treated with gel vehicle (72.8 vs. 30.8 weeks), the study met its primary endpoint. EscharEx demonstrated a statistically significant higher incidence of complete debridement at the end of the debridement period. Patients treated with EscharEx demonstrated a higher incidence of complete debridement (55% or 27/49) compared with patients treated with the hydrogel6 vehicle (29% or 7/24) with p=0.047.

 

 *w/i 10 daily applications

 

Predefined sub-group analyses showed that 50% of patients with DFUs treated with EscharEx (8/16) achieved complete debridement at the end of the debridement period compared with 14.3% of patients with DFUs treated with hydrogel vehicle (1/7). In addition, 62.5% of patients with VLUs treated with EscharEx (10/16) achieved complete debridement at the end of the debridement period compared with 25% of patients with VLUs treated with hydrogel vehicle (2/8). Post hoc analysis showed that 56.3% of patients with VLU or DFU in the EscharEx group had complete debridement at the end of the debridement period compared with 20.0% in hydrogel vehicle group (p=0.028).

 

The study included secondary endpoints that provide further insight into number of efficacy and safety parameters. The secondary endpoint of time to complete debridement demonstrated a clear trend (p=0.075) that strongly suggests that not only is there a difference in the incidence of debridement, as confirmed by the primary endpoint, but that debridement occurred earlier in the group treated by EscharEx. The advantage in time to complete debridement was corroborated by the statistically significant post hoc result in the subgroup of patients with VLUs or DFUs that were treated with EscharEx (p=0.024).

 

Post hoc analysis showed that of patients who achieved complete debridement in the EscharEx group, 93% (25/27) completed the debridement within 7 days (4-5 applications on average).

    

The overall patient demographics were comparable across both arms. No deleterious effect on wound healing was observed and no material differences were found in reported adverse events. The overall safety was comparable between the arms.

 

Second Phase II study—Israel/E.U. – Second Cohort

 

After successfully completing the first cohort of the study which included 73 patients recruited in 15 clinical sites, we initiated a second cohort of patients to demonstrate safety and tolerability over extended periods of application to further support the product’s convenient application. In this second cohort, we recruited 38 patients from two etiologies, either VLUs or DFUs, over extended periods of application (24-72 hours) with up to eight applications, randomizing the patients to two study arms EscharEx or gel vehicle at a ratio of 2:1. The primary objective was to assess safety.

 

EscharEx met its primary safety endpoint in this cohort, and the overall patient demographics and wound baseline characteristics were comparable across the arms in the second cohort. No related systemic adverse events were reported and adverse events related to local application were mild to moderate, reversible and resolved during the trial. Vital signs, pain scores, infection rates, laboratory parameters and blood loss were comparable between the two arms of the trial. Overall, no material safety concerns were identified.

 

EscharEx U.S. Phase II Study in Venous Leg Ulcer (VLU) Patients

 

In December 2019, we initiated a U.S. Phase II adaptive design clinical study of EscharEx for the treatment of VLUs. The study was a multicenter, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, adaptive design study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of EscharEx in debridement of VLUs compared to gel vehicle (placebo control) and non-surgical standard-of-care of either enzymatic or autolytic debridement (NSSOC). The study enrolled 120 patients, with 119 treatet at approximately 20 clinical sites, primarily in the U.S. Study participants were treated with either EscharEx (n=46), gel vehicle control (n=43), or non-surgical standard-of-care (n=30), with a three-month follow-up. The single primary endpoint was incidence of complete debridement (non-viable tissue removal), clinically assessed, within up to 8 treatment applications during the assessment period (within 14 days), compared to gel vehicle placebo control. Secondary and exploratory endpoints assessed time to achieve complete debridement, reduction of pain, reduction of wound area, granulation tissue and wound quality of life, enabling evaluation of clinical benefits compared to both gel vehicle and NSSOC. Incidence and time to achieve wound closure were assessed as safety measurements.

 In May 2022 we announced our results from this study. The study met its primary endpoint with a high degree of statistical significance, demonstrating that patients treated with EscharEx had a statistically significant higher incidence of complete debridement during the 14-day measurement period within up to 8 applications compared to gel vehicle (EscharEx: 63% (29/46) vs. gel vehicle: 30% (13/43), p-value=0.004). EscharEx efficacy superiority remained statistically significant compared to gel vehicle after adjusting for pre-specified covariates ascribed to patient baseline characteristics, wound size, wound age and region.

The study met key secondary and exploratory endpoints. Patients treated with EscharEx had a statistically significant higher incidence of complete debridement, during the same 14-day measurement period, compared to patients treated by non-surgical standard-of-care ("NSSOC") (EscharEx: 63% (29/46) vs. NSSOC: 13% (4/30)) and the time to achieve complete debridement was significantly shorter. Estimated median time to complete debridement was 9 days for patients treated with EscharEx and 59 days for patients treated with NSSOC (p-value=0.016). On average, complete debridement was achieved after 3.6 applications of EscharEx compared to 12.8 applications with NSSOC. Patients treated with EscharEx demonstrated significantly higher incidence of greater than 75% granulation tissue at the end of the treatment period compared to gel vehicle (p-value <0.0001). Favorable trends were observed in wound area reduction and reduction of pain compared to gel vehicle.

       

In addition, the study showed that EscharEx was safe and well tolerated, and the overall safety was comparable between the arms as assessed by the data safety monitoring board. Importantly, there were no observed deleterious effects on wound closure and no material differences in reported adverse events. Estimated time to complete wound closure was 64 days for patients treated with EscharEx compared to 78 days for patients treated with NSSOC.

 EscharEx Pharmacology Study

 

In May 2022, we announced positive results from our U.S. Phase II pharmacology study of EscharEx for debridement of lower leg ulcers. The study was a prospective, open label, single-arm study, conducted at three U.S. clinical sites. The study evaluated the clinical performance, safety, and pharmacology effect of EscharEx in the debridement of lower leg ulcers (VLUs and DFUs). The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of debridement as measured by incidence of, and time to complete debridement. In addition, the study evaluated the pharmacological effects of EscharEx as measured by the changes from baseline to end of treatment period in (1) wound biofilm presence in wound biopsies, (2) bacterial burden measured by MolecuLight^® fluorescence images, and (3) biomarkers of wound healing and inflammation in wound fluid. Twelve patients with either VLUs or DFUs were enrolled in the study. Patients were treated with up to eight daily applications of EscharEx and then continued follow-up for 2 weeks. Punch biopsies and wound fluids were collected prior to the first, and after the last treatment. Biofilm presence was analyzed from wound biopsies. Wound fluids were analyzed to evaluate biomarkers of wound healing and inflammation, i.e., MMPs, cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and HNE. Fluorescent imaging was used during treatment to measure wound size and bacterial load. Fluorescent imaging was also utilized to identify the highest fluorescence area to obtain the biopsy. EscharEx demonstrated safe and effective debridement with a few daily applications. In addition, evaluation of wounds’ tissue samples (biopsies) and fluorescence images, indicated reduction of wound area, biofilm and bacterial bioburden following the treatment with EscharEx.

Seventy percent of patients achieved complete debridement during the course of treatment within up to 8 applications. On average, complete debridement was achieved after 3.9 applications of EscharEx. Additionally, an average reduction of 35% in wound size was achieved by the end of the 2-week follow-up period. In all patients that were positive for biofilm at baseline, the biofilm was reduced substantially to single individual microorganisms or completely removed by the end of treatment. Seven patients had positive red fluorescence (indicative of bacteria) at baseline and average red fluorescence was reduced from 1.69 cm2 pre-treatment to 0.60 cm2 post treatment. Biomarker analysis from wound fluid is on-going and safety data shows that EscharEx is safe and well-tolerated.

 

 

 MW005, is a topically applied biological product candidate for the treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers, based on the same active substance of NexoBrid and EscharEx, a concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain. The clinical development plan of MW005 is supported by the results from several toxicological and other preclinical studies, as well as vast clinical experience from NexoBrid and EscharEx, which share the same API. We launched a new clinical program to evaluate our drug product candidate MW005 in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer.

 

Cancers of the skin are by far the most common of all types of cancer with about approximately 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the US. The number of these cancers has been increasing for many years due to combination of better skin cancer detection, people getting more sun exposure, and people living longer.

  

 Market opportunity

 

Basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma skin cancer that arises from the basal layer of epidermis and its appendages and is the most diagnosed skin cancer in the US (~4.3 million cases annually).

 

Under existing standard of care, low-risk patients are treated with tumor resection via either standard surgical excision or Mohs micrographic surgery. Recurrence rates for these sharp methods of tumor removal are low (~5% at 5 years), and the procedure is considered straightforward with limited patient downtime or side effects. Topical products (5-FU and Imiquimod) are used primarily in superficial lesions, but have limited use and are reserved for surgery ineligible patients. Drawbacks include longer treatment duration (>6 weeks), low efficacy (~14% at 5 years), and side effects such as scarring, skin-site reactions, and fatigue/flu-like illness. High-risk patients are also primarily treated with surgery; surgery-ineligible patients are treated with oral hedgehog pathway inhibitors, which are effective in the short-term, but have high recurrence rates / safety concerns. There is a need for more effective, safer topical products in low-risk superficial basal cell carcinoma for surgery-ineligible patients (e.g., site of tumor is challenging for excision or may result in cosmetic issues) or for patients for whom surgery is not appropriate (e.g., older / frail patients, or those with challenges in seeking pre and post-surgical appointments) and current topical agents may be avoided due to long treatment durations and because they result in an unpleasant treatment process for patients.

 

 

 

U.S. Phase I/II Study in basal cell carcinoma Patients

 

In July 2021, we initiated a U.S. Phase I/II study of MW005 for the treatment of low-risk basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The Phase I/II open-label, randomized clinical study in BCC is designed to evaluate safety and tolerability of MW005 using different schedules of administration, as well as provide a preliminary evaluation of efficacy as measured by the percentage of target lesion with complete histological clearance.

The Phase I/II study was an open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MW005 in patients with BCC, using different regimens. All patients enrolled in the study had histologically confirmed superficial or nodular BCC. Those patients received seven topical applications of MW005 once every other day for 14 days. Eight weeks after the last treatment, all patients underwent a complete excisional biopsy, and the specimen was subject to an independent histological clearance examination. The study’s endpoints included safety and tolerability measurements, as well as efficacy assessment, as measured by the proportion of patients who reached clinically and histologically confirmed complete clearance.

 

Although we have conducted preclinical trials, the development of MW005 for non-melanoma skin cancer indications is still in its preliminary phase and there is no certainty that it will achieve all the aims of the trials as required and/or successfully complete the approval process for such indication. See “ITEM 3.D. Risk Factors—Development and commercialization of EscharEx in the United States and our pipeline product candidates worldwide requires successful completion of the regulatory approval process, and may suffer delays or fail.”

 

Research and Development

 

Our research and development strategy is centered around our validated proteolytic enzyme platform technology, focused on next-generation protein-based therapies for burn and wound care, and for tissue repair, which underlies NexoBrid and EscharEx, into additional product candidates for high-value indications. For more information regarding our research and development expenses, see “ITEM 5.C. Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.”

Pre-Clinical Clinical Studies

 

We conduct clinical studies and preclinical studies to support the efficacy and safety of our products and their ingredients and to extend and validate their benefits for human health. Preclinical studies allow us to substantiate the safety of our products and obtain preliminarily indications of their pharmacological and safety profile. As of the date hereof, we have conducted more than 50 non-GLP and GLP preclinical studies. All pre-clinical safety and toxicology studies were conducted according to the principles of Good Laboratory Practices (“GLP”), and thirteen clinical studies, according to the principles of Good Clinical Practices (“GCP”), for NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates. As a result, we have developed significant experience in planning, designing, executing, analyzing and publishing clinical studies.

 

Our research and development team manages our clinical studies and coordinates the project planning, trial design, execution, outcome analyses and clinical study report submission. During the design, execution and analyses of our studies, our research and development team consults with key opinion leaders and top-tier consultants in the relevant field of research to optimize both design and execution, as well as to strengthen the scientific, medical and regulatory compliance level of the investigational plan. Our clinical studies have been conducted in collaboration with leading medical and research centers throughout the world.

Manufacturing, Supply and Production

 

We operate a manufacturing facility in Yavne, Israel, in a building that we sub-lease from Clal Life Sciences L.P., with 39 employees as of December 31, 2022. This facility allows us to manufacture sterile biopharmaceutical products, such as NexoBrid. The facility is designed to meet current cGMP requirements and similar foreign requirements, as certified by the U.S., EU member states competent authorities, the Israeli Ministry of Health, South Korean ministry of health and Japanese ministry of health. Our facility is subject to audits for reassessment of cGMP compliance and similar foreign requirements, which are performed periodically by regulatory authorities and was re-approved as cGMP-compliant for an additional three years term as of the audit date, until 2025. Additionally, as part of the regulatory approval process for NexoBrid our plant was inspected in 2022 by the FDA and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (“PMDA”) of Japan to confirm it meets all regulatory requirements. In addition, other regional applicable authorities may also need to inspect our plant to confirm it meets all regulatory requirements in order to obtain marketing authorization in these jurisdictions. Applicable changes in our production processes for NexoBrid must be approved by the EMA and similar authorities in other jurisdictions.

While we believe that our current manufacturing capacity at the facility is sufficient to meet the expected near-term commercial demand for NexoBrid, we initiated a facility scale-up in 2022 to meet the growing global demand for NexoBrid. We expect the cost will be approximately $10-12 million.

 

The starting material used by us in the manufacturing of NexoBrid and our other product candidates is bromelain SP, which is derived from pineapple plant stems. We have entered into an agreement with CBC, dated January 11, 2001, as amended on February 28, 2010, pursuant to which CBC uses proprietary methods to manufacture bromelain SP and supplies us with this intermediate drug substance in bulk quantities. According to the terms of the agreement, CBC shall not, and shall not permit related companies or a third party to, manufacture, use, supply or sell the raw materials for the use or production of a product directly or indirectly competing with any of our products. Our supply agreement with CBC has no fixed expiration date and can be voluntarily terminated by us, with at least six months’ advance written notice, or by CBC, with at least 24 months’ advance written notice.

 

Upon obtaining bromelain SP from CBC, we further process it into the drug substance and then into the drug product to finally create the powder form of NexoBrid. The necessary inactive ingredients contained in NexoBrid, or the excipients, are readily available and generally sold to us by multiple suppliers. In addition to this powder, we manufacture a sterile gel substance by combining water for injections produced by us at our facility and additional excipients.

Marketing, Sales and Distribution

 

We commercialize globally NexoBrid via multiple sales channels:

 

 

 In Europe and Israel, we sell NexoBrid, primarily through our own sales force consisting of a marketing team of specialized and knowledgeable sales representatives in Europe, focusing on leading burn centers and Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) management. We have obtained national reimbursement for NexoBrid in Belgium, Italy, and Greece and we continue to locally execute our market access strategy for most of Europe to obtain procurement by burn centers and hospitals as part of their budget, or under local, regional or national reimbursement, depending on the specific process required in each country. We believe that additional burn units in large hospitals as well as smaller hospitals will follow the treatment trends once established by the burn centers. See “—Government Legislation and Regulation—Pharmaceutical Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement.” Furthermore, we are establishing additional distribution channels through local partners to extend outreach in EU (Sweden, Finland, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Greece, Malta, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Portugal, the Netherlands and Luxemburg), where NexoBrid is already approved for marketing as part of the European marketing authorization. In addition to receiving marketing authorization for NexoBrid in the European Union, key opinion leaders in the burn care field worldwide are already aware of NexoBrid’s efficiency in removing eschar due to hundreds of scientific presentations and several award-winning abstracts at international and national conferences and about 120 peer-reviewed papers.

 

 

Vericel License and Supply Agreements

On May 6, 2019, we entered into exclusive license and supply agreements with Vericel to commercialize NexoBrid in all countries of North America (which we refer to as the “Territory”).
 

License Agreement.

 

We entered into the Vericel License Agreement pursuant to which we granted Vericel an exclusive license, with the right to grant sublicenses, to develop and commercialize NexoBrid and any improvements of NexoBrid (the “Licensed Product”) in the Territory.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the Vericel License Agreement, Vericel will have exclusive control regarding the commercialization of Licensed Products in the Territory and must use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize Licensed Products within the Territory. We and Vericel have made customary representations and warranties and have agreed to certain customary covenants, including confidentiality and indemnification.

 

Within 10 days of signing the Vericel License Agreement, Vericel paid us an upfront fee of $17.5 million (the “Upfront Payment”) and upon the U.S. regulatory approval of the BLA for NexoBrid Vericel paid us $7.5 million. Vericel is obligated to pay us up to $125 million, in the aggregate, upon attainment of certain sales milestones. The first sales milestone of $7.5 million is triggered when annual net sales of the Licensed Products in the Territory exceed $75 million.  Vericel is also obligated to pay us tiered royalties on net sales of Licensed Products at rates ranging from mid-high single-digit to mid-teen percentages, subject to certain customary reductions, as well as a percentage of gross profits on committed purchases by BARDA and a royalty on additional sales to BARDA. The royalties will expire on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis upon the latest to occur of (i) twelve years following the first commercial sale of such Licensed Product in such country, (ii) the earliest date on which there are no valid claims of MediWound patent rights covering such Licensed Product in such country, and (iii) the expiration of the regulatory exclusivity period for such Licensed Product in such country (the “Royalty Term”). Such royalties are subject to reduction in the event that (a) Vericel must license additional third-party intellectual property in order to develop, manufacture or commercialize a Licensed Product, or (b) biosimilar competition occurs with respect to the Licensed Product in any country within the Territory. After the expiration of the applicable royalties for the Licensed Product in any country within the Territory, the license for such Licensed Product in such country would become a fully paid-up, royalty-free, perpetual and irrevocable license.

 

The Vericel License Agreement expires on the date of expiration of all royalty obligations due under the agreement unless earlier terminated in accordance with its terms. Either party may terminate the agreement upon the failure of the other party to comply with its material obligations under the agreement if that failure is not remedied within certain specified cure periods or in the event of a party’s insolvency. In addition, Vericel may terminate the agreement upon a 150-day written notice to us.

Supply Agreement.

 

On May 6, 2019, concurrently with our entry into the License Agreement, we entered into a supply agreement  with Vericel (the “Supply Agreement”) pursuant to which we are obligated to supply Vericel with NexoBrid for sale in the Territory on an exclusive basis for the first five years of the term of the Supply Agreement.  The Supply Agreement requires us to take steps to ensure that our manufacturing capacity meets Vericel’s demand for NexoBrid.  In addition, after the exclusivity period or upon supply failure, Vericel will be permitted to establish an additional or alternate source of supply.

 

Pursuant to the Supply Agreement, we will supply NexoBrid to Vericel based on Vericel’s fixed orders on a unit price basis.  After a specified period, the unit price, on an annual basis, may be increased based on the United States Producer Price Index for Chemical Manufacturing published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

The Supply Agreement’s initial term is five years (the “Initial Term”), with Vericel required to provide us with notice regarding whether it plans to extend the Initial Term for an additional two years by the third anniversary of the Supply Agreement. On May 2022, Vericel notified us on its election to extend the Initial Term for an additional 2 years until 2026.  After the Initial Term and optional two-year extension, Vericel, at its sole discretion, may choose to extend the Supply Agreement’s term for additional one-year periods for a potential total term of fifteen years.

 

The Supply Agreement will automatically terminate upon the expiration or termination of the License Agreement.  Either party may terminate the Supply Agreement upon the failure of the other party to comply with its material obligations under the Supply Agreement if such failure is not remedied within certain specified cure periods.  After the Initial Term, Vericel may terminate the Supply Agreement upon 12 months’ prior written notice to us, and we may terminate the Supply Agreement upon 36 months prior written notice to Vericel.

 

BARDA

 

Pursuant to the First BARDA Contract, BARDA has initiated the procurement of NexoBrid valued at $16.5 million, for emergency stockpile as part of the HHS mission to build national preparedness for public health medical emergencies. BARDA purchased inventory is being managed by MediWound under vendor managed inventory. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has received $16.5 million for procurement of NexoBrid for U.S. emergency preparedness.

 

Under our exclusive license and supply agreements with Vericel, we will equally split the gross profits on the initial procurement and receive a double-digit royalty on any additional future BARDA purchases of NexoBrid. Please see “Vericel License and Supply Agreements” above.

 

 

In other international markets, we sell NexoBrid through local distributors with which we have distribution agreements, focusing on Asia Pacific, EMEA, CEE and LATAM. We have signed local distribution agreements for distribution in Argentina, Russia, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Panama, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, New-Zealand, Singapore, Ukraine, Taiwan and United Arab Emirates.

 

Our distributors in Argentina, Russia, South Korea, Peru, Chile, Taiwan, Japan, India, United Arab Emirates and Eurasian countries have obtained marketing authorization. Our additional distributors have filed or are in the process of filing for market authorization in their respective territories and are expected to launch NexoBrid after receipt of local regulatory approval, which may take a year or more to be granted, and, consequently, may occur in certain markets during 2023. We have launched NexoBrid in Argentina, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan and Chile and expect additional launches following receipt of local marketing authorizations. We plan to enter other international markets through collaboration with local distributors and leverage our approved registration file in Europe to obtain regional marketing authorizations.

 

For a breakdown of our consolidated revenues by geographic markets and by categories of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, please see “Item 5.A Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—Operating Results.”

 

Intellectual Property

 

 

The main patents for our proteolytic enzyme technology which underlies NexoBrid, EscharEx and our current pipeline product candidates have been issued in Europe, the United States and other international markets. Our patents which cover NexoBrid claim specific mixtures of proteolytic enzymes, methods of producing such mixtures and methods of treatment using such mixtures. Although the protection achieved is significant for NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates, when looking at our patents’ ability to block competition, the protection offered by our patents may be, to some extent, more limited than the protection provided by patents which claim chemical structures which were previously unknown. Absent patent-term extensions, the NexoBrid patents are nominally set to expire in 2025 and in 2029 in the United States. The NexoBrid patents issued in Europe and in other foreign jurisdictions are nominally set to expire in 2025. The patents and the national phase applications relating to EscharEx, if the national phase applications are granted, will expire on January 30, 2037, absent any patent-term adjustment and/or extensions.

While our policy is to obtain patents by application, license or otherwise, to maintain trade secrets and to seek to operate without infringing on the intellectual property rights of third parties, technologies related to our business have been rapidly developing in recent years. Additionally, patent applications that we may file or license from third parties may not result in the issuance of patents, and our issued patents and any issued patents that we may receive in the future may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. For example, we cannot predict the extent of claims that may be granted or enforceable in our patents nor can we be certain of the priority of inventions covered by pending third‑party patent applications filed in the U.S. If third parties prepare and file patent applications that also claim technology or therapeutics to which we have rights, we may have to participate in proceedings to determine priority of invention, which could result in substantial costs to us, even if the eventual outcome is favorable to us. Moreover, because of the extensive time required for clinical development and regulatory review of a product we may develop, it is possible that, before NexoBrid can be commercialized in additional jurisdictions and/or before any of our future products can be commercialized, related patents will expire a short period following commercialization, thereby reducing the advantage of such patent. Loss or invalidation of certain of our patents, or a finding of unenforceability or limited scope of certain of our intellectual property rights, could have a material adverse effect on us. See “ITEM 3.D. Risk Factors — Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection for the intellectual property relating to, or incorporated into, our technology and products.”

 

In addition to patent protection, we also rely on trade secrets, including unpatented know‑how, technology innovation, drawings, technical specifications and other proprietary information in attempting to develop and maintain our competitive position. We also rely on protection available under trademark laws, and we currently hold various registered trademarks, including “MediWound,” “NexoBrid” and “EscharEx” in various jurisdictions, including the United States, the European Union and Israel.

 

Klein License Agreement

 

In September 2000, we signed an exclusive license agreement, as amended in June 2007, with Mark Klein, a third party, for use of certain patents and intellectual property (the “Klein License Agreement”). Under the Klein License Agreement, we received an exclusive license to use the third party’s patents and intellectual property to develop, manufacture, market and commercialize NexoBrid and its pipeline product candidates for the treatment of burns and other wounds. The claims of such patents are directed to a process of preparing a mixture of escharase and proteolytic enzymes and cover the underlying proteolytic mixture of escharase and proteolytic enzymes prepared by that specific process. Pursuant to the Klein License Agreement, we are obligated to keep accounting records related to the sales of NexoBrid and its pipeline product candidates and pay royalties as discussed below. The Klein License Agreement may be terminated by Mark Klein, subject to notice and dispute resolution provisions of the Klein License Agreement, in the event of our breach, bankruptcy petition, insolvency or failure to achieve a development milestone within six months of a target date. We have already achieved all development milestones under the Klein License Agreement.

 

In consideration for the Klein License Agreement, we paid an aggregate amount of $1.0 million following the achievement of certain development milestones. In addition, we undertook to pay royalties of 1.5‑2.5% from revenues, 10% of royalties received from sublicensing and 2% of lump‑sum payments received from sublicensing up to $1 million and 4% above $1 million, in each case relating to products based on the licensed patents and intellectual property, for a term of 10‑15 years, as applicable, from the date of the first commercial delivery in a major country. In addition, under the Klein License Agreement, we agreed to pay a one‑time lump‑sum amount of $1.5 million upon reaching aggregate revenues of $100 million from the sale of such products.

 Competition

 

NexoBrid received orphan drug status in the European Union on July 31, 2002 and in the United States on August 20, 2003 for debridement of deep partial‑ and full‑thickness burns in hospitalized patients. In the United States and the European Union, a sponsor that develops an orphan drug has marketing exclusivity for seven years post‑approval by the FDA and for ten years post‑approval by the EMA, respectively. The exclusive marketing rights in both regions are subject to certain exceptions, including the development of a clinically significant benefit over the prevalent SOC. Once the market exclusivity for our orphan indication expires in a given jurisdiction, subject to other protections such as patents, we could face competition from other companies that may attempt to develop other products for the same indication.

 

The medical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are intensely competitive and subject to significant technological change and changes in practice. While we believe that our innovative technology, knowledge, experience and scientific resources provide us with competitive advantages, we may face competition from many different sources with respect to NexoBrid, EscharEx, MW005 and our existing pipeline product candidates or any product candidates that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future. Possible competitors may include medical practitioners, pharmaceutical and wound care companies, academic and medical institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions, among others. Any product that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future.

 

In addition, we face competition from the current SOC. The current SOC for eschar removal in severe burns is surgery, where eschar removal can be performed by tangential excision, dermabrasion or hydro jet, or non‑surgical alternatives, such as applying topical medications to the eschar to facilitate the natural healing process. Consequently, we face competition from traditional surgical procedures and topical agents. However, based on our clinical trials, we believe that NexoBrid has a sustainable competitive advantage over the current non‑surgical alternatives and is less invasive than surgery in removing eschar in patients with burn wounds. See “—NexoBrid and Our Clinical History” for the results of our clinical trials.

 

Although we are in the clinical and preclinical phases for our pipeline product candidates for debridement of chronic and other hard‑to‑heal wounds and treatment of low-risk basal cell carcinoma and connective tissue disorders and other indications, respectively, if one of our pipeline product candidates receives approval in the future, we would compete with traditional surgery and existing non‑surgical and other treatments. In chronic and other hard‑to‑heal wounds, we expect to face competition from current standard of care for debridement by sharp debridement or from the current non-surgical standard of care, either enzymatic debridement, primarily Smith & Nephew Plc’s Santyl, a collagenase-based product indicated for debriding chronic dermal ulcers and severely burned areas or autolytic debridement.

 

The current standard of care for treatment of low-risk basal cell carcinoma is surgical excision. In superficial basal cell carcinoma and inoperable nodular basal cell carcinoma, we expect to face competition from current topical applications such as imiquimod and 5FU.

 

In addition to the currently available products, other products may be introduced to debride chronic and other hard‑to‑heal wounds or treat superficial and nodular basal cell carcinoma and connective tissue disorders during the time that we engage in necessary development. Accordingly, if one of our pipeline product candidates is approved, our main challenge in the market would be to educate physicians seeking alternatives to surgery to use our product instead of already existing treatments. While we are still in the development stages, based on our studies, we believe that our pipeline product candidates will be more effective than the current non‑surgical alternatives and less invasive than surgery in removing eschar in chronic and other hard‑to‑heal wounds or tumor resection and may be comparable or perhaps better than currently available treatments for connective tissue disorders.

 

Government Legislation and Regulation

 

Our business is subject to extensive government regulation. Regulation by governmental authorities in the United States, the European Union and other jurisdictions is a significant factor in the development, manufacture and marketing of NexoBrid and in ongoing research and development activities.

 

European Union

 

The approval process of medicinal products in the European Union generally involves satisfactorily completing each of the following:

 

Quality/preclinical studies

 

In order to assess the potential safety and efficacy of a product, tests include laboratory evaluations of product characterization, analytical tests and controls, as well as studies to evaluate toxicity and pharmacological effects in animal studies. The conduct of the preclinical tests and formulation of the compounds for testing must comply with the relevant E.U. regulations and requirements. The results of such tests, together with relevant manufacturing control information and analytical data, are submitted as part of the CTA. Non-clinical studies are performed to demonstrate the health or environmental safety of new biological substances. Non-clinical studies must be conducted in compliance with the principles of GLP as set forth in EU Directive 2004/10/EC. In particular, non-clinical studies, both in vitro and in vivo, must be planned, performed, monitored, recorded, reported and archived in accordance with the GLP principles, which define a set of rules and criteria for a quality system for the organizational process and the conditions for non-clinical studies. These GLP standards reflect the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development requirements.

 

Clinical trial approval

 

Clinical drug development is often described as consisting of four temporal phases (Phase I‑IV). See, for example, the EMA’s note for guidance on general considerations for clinical trials (CPMP/ICH/291/95).

 

Studies in Phase IV are all studies other than routine surveillance performed after drug approval and are related to the approved indication.

 

The phase of development provides an inadequate basis for classification of clinical trials because one type of trial may occur in several phases. The phase concept is a description, not a set of requirements. The temporal phases do not imply a fixed order of studies since for some drugs in a development plan the typical sequence will not be appropriate or necessary.

 

Clinical trials of medicinal products in the EU must be conducted in accordance with EU and national regulations and the International Conference on Harmonization (“ICH”) guidelines on GCP as well as the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki. If the sponsor of the clinical trial is not established within the EU, it must appoint an EU entity to act as its legal representative. The sponsor must take out a clinical trial insurance policy, and in most EU member states, the sponsor is liable to provide ‘no fault’ compensation to any study subject injured in the clinical trial.

 

The regulatory landscape related to clinical trials in the EU has been subject to recent changes. The EU Clinical Trials Regulation (“CTR”) which was adopted in April 2014 and repeals the EU Clinical Trials Directive, became applicable on January 31, 2022. Unlike directives, the CTR is directly applicable in all EU member states without the need for member states to further implement it into national law. The CTR notably harmonizes the assessment and supervision processes for clinical trials throughout the EU via a Clinical Trials Information System, which contains a centralized EU portal and database.

 

While the Clinical Trials Directive required a separate CTA to be submitted in each member state, to both the competent national health authority and an independent ethics committee, much like the FDA and IRB respectively, the CTR introduces a centralized process and only requires the submission of a single application to all member states concerned. The CTR allows sponsors to make a single submission to both the competent authority and an ethics committee in each member state, leading to a single decision per member state. The CTA must include, among other things, a copy of the trial protocol and an investigational medicinal product dossier containing information about the manufacture and quality of the medicinal product under investigation. The assessment procedure of the CTA has been harmonized as well, including a joint assessment by all member states concerned, and a separate assessment by each member state with respect to specific requirements related to its own territory, including ethics rules. Each member state’s decision is communicated to the sponsor via the centralized EU portal. Once the CTA is approved, clinical study development may proceed.

 

The CTR foresees a three-year transition period. The extent to which ongoing and new clinical trials will be governed by the CTR varies. Clinical trials for which an application was submitted (i) prior to January 31, 2022 under the Clinical Trials Directive, or (ii) between January 31, 2022 and January 31, 2023 and for which the sponsor has opted for the application of the Clinical Trials Directive remain governed by said Directive until January 31, 2025. After this date, all clinical trials (including those which are ongoing) will become subject to the provisions of the CTR.

 

 Medicines used in clinical trials must be manufactured in accordance with GMP. Other national and EU-wide regulatory requirements may also apply.

Pediatric investigation plan (“PIP”)

 

We initiated a PIP study in November 2014.

 

On January 26, 2007, Regulation (EC) 1901/2006 came into force with its primary purpose being the improvement of the health of children without subjecting children to unnecessary trials, or delaying the authorization of medicinal products for use in adults. The regulation established the Pediatric Committee (“PDCO”), which is responsible for coordinating the EMA’s activities regarding medicinal products for children. The PDCO’s main role is to determine which studies the applicant needs to perform in the pediatric population as part of the PIP.

 

All applications for marketing authorization for new medicinal products that were not authorized in the EU prior to January 26, 2007 must include the results of studies carried out in children of different ages. The PDCO determines the requirements and procedures of such studies, describing them in a PIP. This requirement also applies when a company wants to add a new indication, pharmaceutical form or route of administration for a medicine that is already authorized. The PDCO can grant deferrals for some medicines, allowing a company to delay development of the medicine in children until there is enough information to demonstrate its effectiveness and safety in adults. The PDCO can also grant waivers when development of a medicine in children is not needed or is not appropriate, because the product is likely to be ineffective or unsafe in children, the disease or condition for which the product is intended occurs only in adult populations, or when the product does not represent a significant therapeutic benefit over existing treatments for pediatric patients.

 

Before an MAA can be filed, or an existing marketing authorization can be amended, the EMA confirms that the applicant complied with the studies’ requirements and measures listed in the PIP. Since the regulation became effective, several incentives for the development of medicines for children become available in the European Union, including:

  

In September 2022, we announced that EMA validated for review our Type II Variation to expand the currently approved indication for NexoBrid (removal of eschar in adults with deep partial-and full-thickness thermal burn into the pediatric population. We expect decision from EMA by mid-year 2023.

Marketing authorization

 

Authorization to market a product in the EU member states proceeds under one of four procedures: a centralized authorization procedure, a mutual recognition procedure, a decentralized procedure or a national procedure. Marketing authorization may be granted only to an applicant established in the European Union. Through our wholly‑owned German subsidiary, we received approval for NexoBrid pursuant to the centralized authorization procedure.

 

The centralized procedure provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization, issued by the European Commission based on the opinion of the EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (“CHMP”), that is valid throughout the EU and the EEA countries, and including Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. The centralized procedure is compulsory for medicines produced by certain biotechnological processes, products designated as orphan medicinal products, advanced therapy medicinal products (“ATMPs”) and products with a new active substance indicated for the treatment of certain diseases, and is optional for products which constitute a significant therapeutic, scientific, or technical innovation or for which a centralized process is in the interest of patients. Products that have received orphan designation in the EU, such as NexoBrid, will qualify for this centralized procedure, under which each product’s MAA is submitted to the EMA. Under the centralized procedure in the European Union, the maximum time frame for the evaluation of an MAA by the EMA is 210 days (excluding clock stops, when additional written or oral information is to be provided by the applicant in response to questions asked by the Committee of Medicinal Products for Human Use).

 

In general, if the centralized procedure is not followed, there are three alternative procedures where applications are filed with one or more members state medicines regulators, each of which will grant a national marketing authorization:

 

It is not always possible for applicants to follow the national procedure. In the case of medicinal products in the category for which the centralized authorization procedure is compulsory, that procedure must be followed. In addition, the national procedure is not available in the case of medicinal product dossiers where the same applicant has already obtained marketing authorization in one of the other European Union member state or has already submitted an application for marketing authorization in another member state and the application is under consideration. In the latter case, applicants must follow a mutual recognition procedure.

 

After a drug has been authorized and launched, it is a condition of maintaining the marketing authorization that all aspects relating to its quality, safety and efficacy must be kept under review. Sanctions may be imposed for failure to adhere to the conditions of the marketing authorization. In extreme cases, the authorization may be revoked, resulting in withdrawal of the product from sale.

Period of authorization and renewals

 

Under the above-described procedures, in order to grant the marketing authorization, the EMA or the competent authorities of the EU member states make an assessment of the risk benefit balance of the product on the basis of scientific criteria concerning its quality, safety and efficacy. Marketing authorization is valid for an initial five‑year period and may be renewed thereafter on the basis of a re‑evaluation of the risk‑benefit balance by the EMA or by the competent authority of the authorizing member state. To this end, the marketing authorization holder shall provide the EMA or other applicable competent authority a consolidated version of the file in respect of quality, safety and efficacy, including all variations introduced since the marketing authorization was granted, at least six months before the end of the initial five‑year period. Once renewed, the marketing authorization is valid for an unlimited period, unless the EMA or other applicable competent authority decides, on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one additional five‑year renewal. Any authorization which is not followed by the actual placing of the drug on the E.U. market (in case of centralized procedure) or on the market of the authorizing member state within three years after authorization shall cease to be valid. 

Orphan designation

  

In the EU, the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products assesses orphan drug designation. The criteria for designating an “orphan medicinal product” in the EU are similar in principle to those in the United States.  A medicinal product can be designated as an orphan if its sponsor can establish that (1) the product is intended for the diagnosis, prevention or treatment of a life threatening or chronically debilitating condition; (2) either (a) such condition affects not more than five in 10,000 persons in the EU when the application is made, or (b) the product, without the benefits derived from the orphan status, would not generate sufficient return in the EU to justify the necessary investment; and (3) there exists no satisfactory method of diagnosis, prevention or treatment of the condition in question that has been authorized for marketing in the EU or, if such method exists, the product will be of significant benefit to those affected by that condition.

 

In the EU, orphan drug designation also entitles a party to financial incentives such as reduction of fees or fee waivers, protocol assistance, access to the centralized procedure, and ten years of market exclusivity upon grant of a marketing authorization for the approved indication, which means that the competent authorities cannot accept another MAA, or grant a marketing authorization, or accept an application to extend a marketing authorization for a similar medicinal product for the same indication for a period of ten years. The period of market exclusivity is extended by two years for orphan medicinal products that have also complied with an agreed PIP. No extension to any supplementary protection certificate can be granted on the basis of pediatric studies for orphan indications. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process. This period may be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, the orphan drug designation criteria are no longer met, including where it is shown that the product is sufficiently profitable not to justify maintenance of market exclusivity, where the prevalence of the condition has increased above the threshold, or a safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior product is available. Orphan drug designation must be requested before submitting an MAA. Additionally, granting of an authorization for another similar orphan medicinal product where another product has market exclusivity can happen at any time if: (i) the second applicant can establish that its product, although similar to the authorized product, is safer, more effective or otherwise clinically superior, (ii) inability of the applicant  to supply sufficient quantities of the orphan medicinal product or (iii) where the applicant consents to a second orphan medicinal product application. A company may voluntarily remove a product from the orphan register.

 

Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in, or shorten the duration of, the regulatory review and approval process.

 

Regulatory data protection

 

Without prejudice to the law on the protection of industrial and commercial property, some marketing authorizations benefit from an “8+2(+1)” year period of regulatory protection. During the first eight years from the grant of the innovator company’s marketing authorization, data exclusivity applies. If granted, the data exclusivity period prevents generic or biosimilar applicants from relying on the pre-clinical and clinical trial data contained in the dossier of the reference product when applying for a generic or biosimilar MA in the EU during a period of eight years from the date on which the reference product was first authorized in the EU. After the eight years have expired, a generic company can make use of the preclinical and clinical trial data of the originator in their regulatory applications but still cannot market their product until the end of the 10 year market exclusivity period. An additional one year of market exclusivity can be obtained if, during the first eight years of those 10 years, the marketing authorization holder obtains an approval for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their approval, are determined to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies. However, there is no guarantee that a product will be considered by the EU’s regulatory authorities to be a new chemical or biological entity, and products may not qualify for data exclusivity. Under the current rules, a third party may reference the preclinical and clinical data of the reference product beginning eight years after first approval, but the third party may market a generic version only after 10 (or 11) years have lapsed.

There is a special regime for biosimilars, or biological medicinal products that are similar to a reference medicinal product but that do not meet the definition of a generic medicinal product, for example, because of differences in raw materials or manufacturing processes. For such products, the results of appropriate preclinical or clinical trials must be provided, and guidelines from the EMA detail the type of quantity of supplementary data to be provided for different types of biological product. There are no such guidelines for complex biological products, such as gene or cell therapy medicinal products, and so it is unlikely that biosimilars of those products will currently be approved in the EU. However, guidance from the EMA states that they will be considered in the future in light of the scientific knowledge and regulatory experience gained at the time.

 

Additional data protection can be applied for when an applicant has complied with all requirements as set forth in an approved PIP.

 

Post-Approval Requirements

 

Similar to the United States, both marketing authorization holders and manufacturers of medicinal products are subject to comprehensive regulatory oversight by the EMA, the European Commission and/or the competent regulatory authorities of the member states. The holder of a marketing authorization must establish and maintain a pharmacovigilance system and appoint an individual qualified person for pharmacovigilance who is responsible for oversight of that system. Key obligations include expedited reporting of suspected serious adverse reactions and submission of periodic safety update reports (“PSURs”).

 

All new MAA must include a risk management plan (“RMP”) describing the risk management system that the company will put in place and documenting measures to prevent or minimize the risks associated with the product. The regulatory authorities may also impose specific obligations as a condition of the marketing authorization. Such risk-minimization measures or post-authorization obligations may include additional safety monitoring, more frequent submission of PSURs, or the conduct of additional clinical trials or post-authorization safety studies.

 

Failure to comply with the aforementioned EU and member state laws may result in administrative, civil or criminal penalties. These penalties could include delays or refusal to authorize the conduct of clinical trials, or to grant marketing authorization, product withdrawals and recalls, product seizures, suspension, withdrawal or variation of the marketing authorization, total or partial suspension of production, distribution, manufacturing or clinical trials, operating restrictions, injunctions, suspension of licenses, fines and criminal penalties. These penalties could include delays or refusal to authorize the conduct of clinical trials, or to grant the marketing authorization, product withdrawals and recalls, product seizures, suspension, withdrawal or variation of the marketing authorization, total or partial suspension of production, distribution, manufacturing or clinical trials, operating restrictions, injunctions, suspension of licenses, fines and criminal penalties.

 

The aforementioned EU rules are generally applicable in the EEA.

Brexit

 

The UK left the EU on January 31, 2020, following which existing EU medicinal product legislation continued to apply in the United Kingdom during the transition period under the terms of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement. The transition period, which ended on December 31, 2020, maintained access to the EU single market and to the global trade deals negotiated by the EU on behalf of its members. The transition period provided time for the UK and EU to negotiate a framework for partnership for the future, which was then crystallized in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”) and became effective on January 1, 2021. The TCA includes specific provisions concerning pharmaceuticals, which include the mutual recognition of GMP inspections of manufacturing facilities for medicinal products and GMP documents issued but does not foresee wholesale mutual recognition of UK and EU pharmaceutical regulations.

 

EU laws which have been transposed into UK law through secondary legislation continue to be applicable as “retained EU law”. However, under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022, which is currently before the UK parliament, any retained EU law not expressly preserved and “assimilated” into domestic law or extended by ministerial regulations (to no later than 23 June 2026) will automatically expire and be revoked by December 31, 2023. In addition, new legislation such as the EU CTR or in relation to orphan medicines will not be applicable. The UK government has passed a new Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021, which introduces delegated powers in favor of the Secretary of State or an ‘appropriate authority’ to amend or supplement existing regulations in the area of medicinal products and medical devices. This allows new rules to be introduced in the future by way of secondary legislation, which aims to allow flexibility in addressing regulatory gaps and future changes in the fields of human medicines, clinical trials and medical devices.

 

As of January 1, 2021, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) is the UK’s standalone medicines and medical devices regulator. As a result of the Northern Ireland protocol, different rules will apply in Northern Ireland than in England, Wales, and Scotland, together, Great Britain (“GB”); broadly, Northern Ireland will continue to follow the EU regulatory regime, but its national competent authority will remain the MHRA. The MHRA has published a guidance on how various aspects of the UK regulatory regime for medicines will operate in GB and in Northern Ireland following the expiry of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020. The guidance includes clinical trials, importing, exporting, and pharmacovigilance and is relevant to any business involved in the research, development, or commercialization of medicines in the UK. The new guidance was given effect via the Human Medicines Regulations (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (the “Exit Regulations”).

 

The MHRA has introduced changes to national licensing procedures, including procedures to prioritize access to new medicines that will benefit patients, including a 150-day assessment and a rolling review procedure. All existing EU MAs for centrally authorized products were automatically converted or grandfathered into UK MAs, effective in GB (only), free of charge on January 1, 2021, unless the MA holder chose to opt-out. After Brexit, companies established in the UK cannot use the centralized procedure and instead must follow one of the UK national authorization procedures or one of the remaining post-Brexit international cooperation procedures to obtain an MA to commercialize products in the UK. For a period of three years from January 1, 2021, the MHRA may rely on a decision taken by the an Commission on the approval of a new (centralized procedure) MA when determining an application for a GB authorization; or use the MHRA’s decentralized or mutual recognition procedures which enable MAs approved in EU member states (or Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) to be granted in GB.

 

There will be no pre-MA orphan designation. Instead, the MHRA will review applications for orphan designation in parallel to the corresponding MA application. The criteria are essentially the same, but have been tailored for the market, i.e., the prevalence of the condition in GB, rather than the EU, must not be more than five in 10,000. Should an orphan designation be granted, the period or market exclusivity will be set from the date of first approval of the product in GB.

 

Data Privacy and Security Laws

 

Numerous state, federal and foreign laws, regulations, and standards govern the collection, use, access to, confidentiality and security of health-related and other personal information, and could apply now or in the future to our operations or the operations of our partners. In the United States, numerous federal and state laws and regulations, including data breach notification laws, health information privacy and security laws and consumer protection laws and regulations govern the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of health-related and other personal information. In addition, certain laws govern the privacy and security of personal data, including health-related data in the EU/EEA and in other foreign jurisdictions. Privacy and security laws, regulations, and other obligations are constantly evolving, may conflict with each other to complicate compliance efforts, and can result in investigations, proceedings, or actions that lead to significant civil and/or criminal penalties and restrictions on data processing.

Cybersecurity

In the normal course of business, we may collect and store personal information and certain sensitive company information, including proprietary and confidential business information, trade secrets, intellectual property, information regarding trial participants in connection with clinical trials, sensitive third-party information and employee information.  To protect this information, our existing cybersecurity policies require continuous monitoring and detection programs, network security precautions, encryption of critical data, and in depth security assessment of vendors. We maintain various protections designed to safeguard against cyberattacks, including firewalls and virus detection software. We have established and regularly test our disaster recovery plan and we protect against business interruption by backing up our major systems. In addition, we periodically scan our environment for any vulnerabilities, perform penetration testing and engage third parties to assess effectiveness of our data security practices. A third party security consultant conducts regular network security reviews, scans and audits. In addition, we maintain insurance that includes cybersecurity coverage.

Our cybersecurity program is led by a team of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals. The program incorporates industry-standard frameworks, policies and practices designed to protect the privacy and security of our sensitive information (“SOPs”). In addition, we maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans, conducted penetration testing, maintain regular cyber security training to employees and conducted an internal audit on our cyber security preparedness in 2022.

Despite the implementation of our cybersecurity program, our security measures cannot guarantee that a significant cyberattack will not occur. A successful attack on our information technology systems could have significant consequences to the business. While we devote resources to our security measures to protect our systems and information, these measures cannot provide absolute security. See “Risk Factors – Risk Related to Healthcare Laws and Other Legal Compliance Matters” for additional information about the risks to our business associated with a breach or compromise to our information technology systems.

 

Manufacturing

 

The manufacturing of authorized drugs, for which a separate manufacturer’s license is mandatory, must be conducted in strict compliance with the EMA’s cGMP requirements and comparable requirements of other regulatory bodies, which mandate the methods, facilities and controls used in manufacturing, processing and packing of drugs to assure their safety and proper identification. The EMA monitors compliance with its GMP requirements through mandatory registration of facilities and inspections of those facilities. The EMA may have a coordinating role for these inspections while the responsibility for carrying them out rests with the competent authority of the member state under whose responsibility the manufacturer falls. Failure to comply with these requirements could interrupt supply and result in delays, unanticipated costs and lost revenues, and could subject the applicant to potential legal or regulatory action, including but not limited to warning letters, suspension of manufacturing, seizure of product, injunctive action or possible civil and criminal penalties. In January 2013, the EU and Israel signed the Protocol on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (the “ACAA”), which covers medicinal products. The ACAA provides for mutual recognition of the conclusions of inspections of compliance of manufacturers and importers with the principles and guidelines of EU GMP and equivalent Israeli cGMP. Certification of the conformity of each batch to its specifications by either the importer or the manufacturer established in Israel or in the EU shall be recognized by the other party without re‑control at import from one party to the other.

Marketing and promotion

 

The marketing and promotion of authorized medicinal products, including industry‑sponsored continuing medical education and advertising directed toward the prescribers of drugs and/or the general public, are strictly regulated in the European Union, notably under Directive 2001/83 and subject to laws concerning promotion of medicinal products, interactions with physicians, misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices. The applicable legislation aims to ensure that information provided by holders of marketing authorizations regarding their products is truthful, balanced and accurately reflects the safety and efficacy claims authorized by the EMA or by the applicable national authority of the authorizing member state. All advertising and promotional activities for the product must be consistent with the approved summary of product characteristics, and therefore all off-label promotion is prohibited. Direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines is also prohibited in the EU. Although general requirements for advertising and promotion of medicinal products are established under EU directives, the details are governed by regulations in each member state and can differ from one country to another. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in adverse publicity, warning letters, mandated corrective advertising and potential civil and criminal penalties.

United States

 

Review and approval of biologics

 

In addition to E.U. regulations, NexoBrid is marketed as a biologic product in the United States for eschar removal in adults with deep partial thickness and/or full thickness thermal burns and is therefore subject to various U.S. regulations. In the United States, the FDA regulates biologics under the Federal, Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), the Public Health Service Act, and their respective implementation regulations. Biologics require the submission of a BLA and licensure by the FDA prior to being marketed in the United States. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local and foreign statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable U.S. requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval may subject an applicant to a variety of administrative or judicial sanctions as well as enforcement actions brought by the FDA, the U.S. Department of Justice or other governmental entities. Possible sanctions may include the FDA’s refusal to approve pending BLAs or supplements, withdrawal of an approval, imposition of a clinical hold, issuance of warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, refusals of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement and civil or criminal penalties.

 

The process required by the FDA prior to marketing and distributing a biologic in the United States generally involves the following:

 

Preclinical studies

 

Preclinical studies include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry, toxicity and formulation, as well as animal studies to assess the potential safety and efficacy of the product candidate. Preclinical safety tests must be conducted in compliance with FDA regulations regarding good laboratory practices. The results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND which must become effective before clinical trials may commence. Some preclinical testing may continue even after the IND is submitted.

 

Clinical trials in support of a BLA

 

Clinical trials involve the administration of an investigational product to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCP requirements, which include, among other things, the requirement that all research subjects provide their informed consent in writing before their participation in any clinical trial. Clinical trials are conducted under written study protocols detailing, among other things, the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. A protocol for each clinical trial and any subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND. An IND automatically becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time the FDA raises concerns or questions related to a proposed clinical trial and places the trial on clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin.

 

In addition, an IRB representing each institution participating in the clinical trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that institution, and the IRB must conduct continuing review and reapprove the study at least annually. The IRB must review and approve, among other things, the study protocol and informed consent information to be provided to study subjects. An IRB must operate in compliance with FDA regulations. Information about certain clinical trials must be submitted within specific timeframes to the National Institutes of Health for public dissemination on their website, ClinicalTrials.gov.

 

For purposes of BLA approval, clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases, which may overlap or be combined. In the United States, the three phases are generally described as follows:

 

 

In some cases, the FDA may require, or companies may voluntarily pursue, additional clinical trials after a product is approved to gain more information about the product. These so-called Phase IV studies may be made a condition to approval of the BLA.

 

Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to the FDA and more frequently if serious adverse events occur. Phase I, Phase II and Phase III clinical trials may not be completed successfully within any specified period, or at all. Furthermore, the FDA or the sponsor may suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.

Submission of a BLA to the FDA

 

The results of the preclinical studies and clinical trials, together with other detailed information, including information on the manufacture, control and composition of the product, are submitted to the FDA as part of a BLA requesting approval to market the product candidate for a proposed indication. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), as amended, applicants are required to pay user fees to the FDA for reviewing a BLA. These user fees, as well as the annual program fees required for approved products, can be substantial. Each BLA submitted to the FDA for approval is typically reviewed for administrative completeness and reviewability within 60 days following submission of the application. If found complete, the FDA will “file” the BLA, which triggers a full review of the application. The FDA may refuse to file any BLA that it deems incomplete or not properly reviewable at the time of submission. The FDA’s established goals are to review and act on standard applications within ten months after it accepts the application for filing, or, if the application qualifies for priority review, six months after the FDA accepts the application for filing. In both standard and priority reviews, the review process is often significantly extended by FDA requests for additional information or clarification. The FDA reviews a BLA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe, pure and potent and the facility in which it is manufactured, processed, packed, or held meets standards designed to assure the product’s continued safety, purity and potency. The FDA may convene an advisory committee to provide clinical insight on application review questions.

 

Before approving a BLA, the FDA generally inspects the facilities at which the product is manufactured or facilities that are significantly involved in the product development and distribution process, and will not approve the product unless cGMP compliance is satisfactory. Additionally, before approving a BLA, the FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCP. If the FDA determines that the application, manufacturing process or manufacturing facilities are not acceptable, it will outline the deficiencies in the submission and often will request additional testing or information. Notwithstanding the submission of any requested additional information, the FDA ultimately may decide that the application does not satisfy the regulatory criteria for approval.  After the FDA evaluates a BLA and conducts inspections of manufacturing facilities where the investigational product will be produced, the FDA may issue an approval letter or a Complete Response letter. An approval letter authorizes commercial marketing of the product with specific prescribing information for specific indications. A Complete Response letter will describe all of the deficiencies that the FDA has identified in the BLA, except that where the FDA determines that the data supporting the application are inadequate to support approval, the FDA may issue the Complete Response letter without first conducting required inspections, testing submitted product lots, and/or reviewing proposed labeling. In issuing the Complete Response letter, the FDA may recommend actions that the applicant might take to place the BLA in condition for approval, including requests for additional information or clarification.

 

The FDA may deny approval of a BLA if applicable statutory or regulatory criteria are not satisfied, or may require additional testing or information, which can delay the approval process. FDA approval of any application may include many delays or may never be granted. If a product is approved, the approval will impose limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be marketed, will require that warning statements be included in the product labeling, may impose additional warnings to be specifically highlighted in the labeling (e.g., a Black Box Warning), which can significantly affect promotion and sales of the product, may require that additional studies be conducted following approval as a condition of the approval and may impose restrictions and conditions on product distribution, prescribing or dispensing. For example, the FDA may approve the BLA with a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, to ensure the benefits of the product outweigh its risks. A REMS is a safety strategy to manage a known or potential serious risk associated with a product and to enable patients to have continued access to such medicines by managing their safe use. A REMS program may be required to include various elements, such as a medication guide or patient package insert, a communication plan to educate healthcare providers of the drug’s risks, or other elements to assure safe use, such as limitations on who may prescribe or dispense the drug, dispensing only under certain circumstances, special monitoring and the use of patient registries.

 

Once a product is approved, marketing the product for other indicated uses or making certain manufacturing or other changes requires FDA review and approval of a supplemental BLA or a new BLA, which may require additional clinical data. In addition, further post‑marketing testing and surveillance to monitor the safety or efficacy of a product may be required. Also, product approvals may be withdrawn if compliance with regulatory standards is not maintained or if safety or manufacturing problems occur following initial marketing. In addition, new government requirements may be established that could delay or prevent regulatory approval of our product candidates under development.

 

Post‑approval requirements

 

Any biologic products for which we receive FDA approvals are subject to pervasive continuing regulation by the FDA. Certain requirements include, among other things, record‑keeping requirements, reporting adverse experiences with the product, providing the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information annually or more frequently for specific events, product sampling and distribution requirements, complying with certain electronic records and signature requirements and complying with FDA promotion and advertising requirements. These promotion and advertising requirements include, among others, standards for direct‑to‑consumer advertising, prohibitions against promoting drugs for uses or in patient populations that are not described in the drug’s approved labeling, known as “off‑label use,” and other promotional activities, such as those considered to be false or misleading. Failure to comply with FDA requirements can have negative consequences, including the immediate discontinuation of noncomplying materials, adverse publicity, enforcement letters from the FDA, mandated corrective advertising or communications with doctors, and civil or criminal penalties. Such enforcement may also lead to scrutiny and enforcement by other government and regulatory bodies. Although physicians may prescribe legally available drugs for off‑label uses, manufacturers may not encourage, market or promote such off‑label uses. As a result, “off‑label promotion” has formed the basis for litigation under the Federal False Claims Act, violations of which are subject to significant civil fines and penalties.

The manufacturing of NexoBrid, EscharEx and our pipeline product candidates are and will be required to comply with applicable FDA manufacturing requirements contained in the FDA’s cGMP regulations. NexoBrid is manufactured at our production plant in Yavne, Israel, which is cGMP certified. The FDA’s cGMP regulations require, among other things, quality control and quality assurance, as well as the corresponding maintenance of comprehensive records and documentation. Biologic manufacturers and other entities involved in the manufacture and distribution of approved drugs and biologics are also required to register their establishments and list any products they make with the FDA and to comply with related requirements in certain states. These entities are further subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and certain state agencies for compliance with cGMP and other laws. Accordingly, manufacturers must continue to expend time, money and effort in the area of production and quality control to maintain cGMP compliance. In addition, a BLA holder must comply with post‑marketing requirements, such as reporting of certain adverse events. Such reports can present liability exposure, as well as increase regulatory scrutiny that could lead to additional inspections, labeling restrictions or other corrective action to minimize further patient risk. Discovery of problems with a product after approval may result in serious and extensive restrictions on the product, manufacturer or holder of an approved BLA, as well as lead to potential market disruptions. These restrictions may include recalls, fines, warning letters, or untitled letters, clinical holds on clinical studies, refusal of the FDA to approve pending applicants or supplements to approved applications, product seizure or detention, or refusal to permit the import or export of products, suspension or revocation of a product license approval until the FDA is assured that quality standards can be met, and continuing oversight of manufacturing by the FDA under a “consent decree,” which frequently includes the imposition of costs and continuing inspections over a period of many years, as well as possible withdrawal of the product from the market. In addition, changes to the manufacturing process generally require prior FDA approval before being implemented. Other types of changes to the approved product, such as adding new indications and additional labeling claims, are also subject to further FDA review and approval.

 

The FDA also may impose a number of post‑approval requirements as a condition of approval of a BLA. For example, the FDA may require post‑marketing testing, or Phase IV testing, as well as REMS and/or surveillance to monitor the effects of an approved product or place other conditions on an approval that could otherwise restrict the distribution or use of NexoBrid.

 

Orphan designation and exclusivity

 

On August 20, 2003, NexoBrid received orphan drug designation in the United States. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a drug product as an “orphan drug” if it is intended to treat a rare disease or condition, meaning that it affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more in cases in which there is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making a drug product available in the United States for treatment of the disease or condition will be recovered from sales of the product. A company must request orphan product designation before submitting a BLA. If the request is granted, the FDA will disclose the identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential use. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.

 

If a product with orphan status receives the first FDA approval for the disease or condition for which it has such designation, the product will be entitled to orphan product exclusivity. Orphan product exclusivity means that FDA may not approve any other applications for the same product for the same disease or condition for seven years, except in certain limited circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan drug exclusivity. Competitors may receive approval of different products for the indication for which the orphan product has exclusivity and may obtain approval for the same product but for a different indication. If a drug or drug product designated as an orphan product ultimately receives marketing authorization for an indication broader than that designated in its orphan product application, it may not be entitled to exclusivity. In addition, exclusive marketing rights in the United States may be lost if the FDA later determines that the request for designation was materially defective or if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantities of the product to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.

 

Expedited Development and Review Programs

 

The FDA offers a number of expedited development and review programs for qualifying product candidates. The fast track program is intended to expedite or facilitate the process for reviewing new products that meet certain criteria. Specifically, new products are eligible for fast track designation if they are intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition and demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for the disease or condition. Fast track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. The sponsor of a fast track product has opportunities for frequent interactions with the review team during product development and, once a BLA is submitted, the product may be eligible for priority review. A fast track product may also be eligible for rolling review, where the FDA may consider for review sections of the BLA on a rolling basis before the complete application is submitted, if the sponsor provides a schedule for the submission of the sections of the BLA, the FDA agrees to accept sections of the BLA and determines that the schedule is acceptable, and the sponsor pays any required user fees upon submission of the first section of the BLA.

 

A product intended to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition may also be eligible for breakthrough therapy designation to expedite its development and review. A product can receive breakthrough therapy designation if preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the product may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development. The designation includes all of the fast track program features, as well as more intensive FDA interaction and guidance beginning as early as Phase I and an organizational commitment to expedite the development and review of the product, including involvement of senior managers.

 

Any marketing application for a biologic submitted to the FDA for approval, including a product with a fast track designation and/or breakthrough therapy designation, may be eligible for other types of FDA programs intended to expedite the FDA review and approval process, such as priority review and accelerated approval. A product is eligible for priority review if it has the potential to provide a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a serious disease or condition compared to marketed products. For products containing new molecular entities, priority review designation means the FDA’s goal is to take action on the marketing application within six months of the 60-day filing date, compared with ten months under standard review.

 

Additionally, products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions may receive accelerated approval upon a determination that the product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit, or on a clinical endpoint that can be measured earlier than irreversible morbidity or mortality, that is reasonably likely to predict an effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit, taking into account the severity, rarity, or prevalence of the condition and the availability or lack of alternative treatments. As a condition of accelerated approval, the FDA will generally require the sponsor to perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical studies to verify and describe the anticipated effect on irreversible morbidity or mortality or other clinical benefit. In addition, the FDA currently requires as a condition for accelerated approval pre-approval of promotional materials, which could adversely impact the timing of the commercial launch of the product.

 

In 2017, FDA established a new regenerative medicine advanced therapy, or RMAT, designation as part of its implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law in December 2016. To qualify for RMAT designation, the product candidate must meet the following criteria: (1) it qualifies as a RMAT, which is defined as a cell therapy, therapeutic tissue engineering product, human cell and tissue product, or any combination product using such therapies or products, with limited exceptions; (2) it is intended to treat, modify, reverse, or cure a serious or life-threatening disease or condition; and (3) preliminary clinical evidence indicates that the drug has the potential to address unmet medical needs for such a disease or condition. Like fast track and breakthrough therapy designation, RMAT designation provides potential benefits that include more frequent meetings with FDA to discuss the development plan for the product candidate and eligibility for rolling review and priority review. Products granted RMAT designation may also be eligible for accelerated approval on the basis of a surrogate or intermediate endpoint reasonably likely to predict long-term clinical benefit, or reliance upon data obtained from a meaningful number of sites, including through expansion to additional sites. Once approved, when appropriate, the FDA can permit fulfillment of post-approval requirements under accelerated approval through the submission of clinical evidence, clinical studies, patient registries, or other sources of real world evidence such as electronic health records; through the collection of larger confirmatory datasets; or through post-approval monitoring of all patients treated with the therapy prior to approval.

 

Fast track designation, breakthrough therapy designation, priority review, accelerated approval, and RMAT designation do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the development or approval process.

 

Pediatric studies and exclusivity

 

Under the Pediatric Research Equity Act of 2003, a BLA or supplement thereto must contain data that are adequate to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug product for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations, and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the product is safe and effective. Sponsors must also submit pediatric study plans prior to the assessment data. Those plans must contain an outline of the proposed pediatric study or studies the applicant plans to conduct, including study objectives and design, any deferral or waiver requests, and other information required by regulation. The applicant, the FDA, and the FDA’s internal review committee must then review the information submitted, consult with each other and agree upon a final plan. The FDA or the applicant may request an amendment to the plan at any time.

 

The FDA may, on its own initiative or at the request of the applicant, grant deferrals for submission of some or all pediatric data until after approval of the product for use in adults, or full or partial waivers from the pediatric data requirements. Additional requirements and procedures relating to deferral requests and requests for extension of deferrals are contained in the FDASIA. Unless otherwise required by regulation, the pediatric data requirements do not apply to products with orphan designation.

 

Separately, in the event the FDA issues a Written Request for pediatric data relating to a product, a BLA sponsor who submits such data may be entitled to pediatric exclusivity. Pediatric exclusivity is another type of non‑patent marketing exclusivity in the United States which, if granted, provides for the attachment of an additional six months of marketing protection to the term of any existing exclusivity, including other non‑patent and orphan exclusivity. This six‑month exclusivity may be granted if a BLA sponsor submits pediatric data that fairly respond to the Written Request from the FDA for such data. The data do not need to show that the product is effective in the pediatric population studied; rather, if the clinical trial is deemed to fairly respond to the FDA’s request, the additional protection is granted. If reports of requested pediatric studies are submitted to and accepted by the FDA within the statutory time limits, whatever statutory or regulatory periods of exclusivity or patent protection cover the product are extended by six months. This is not a patent term extension, but it effectively extends the regulatory period during which the FDA cannot accept or approve another application.

 The Animal Rule

 

In the case of product candidates that are intended to treat certain rare life-threatening diseases, conducting controlled clinical trials to determine efficacy may be unethical or unfeasible. Under regulations issued by the FDA in 2002, often referred to as the “Animal Rule”, the approval of such products can be based on clinical data from trials in healthy human subjects that demonstrate adequate safety and efficacy data from adequate and well-controlled animal studies. Among other requirements, the animal studies must establish that the drug or biological product is reasonably likely to produce clinical benefits in humans. Because the FDA must agree that data derived from animal studies may be extrapolated to establish safety and effectiveness in humans, seeking approval under the Animal Rule may add significant time, complexity and uncertainty to the testing and approval process. In addition, products approved under the Animal Rule are subject to additional requirements including post-marketing study requirements, restrictions imposed on marketing or distribution or requirements to provide information to patients.

 

Patent term restoration and extension

 

A patent claiming a new drug product may be eligible for a limited patent term extension under the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984 (the “Hatch‑Waxman Act”), which permits a patent restoration of up to five years for the patent term lost during product development and the FDA regulatory review. The restoration period granted is typically one‑half the time between the effective date of an IND and the submission date of a BLA, plus the time between the submission date of a BLA and the ultimate approval date. Patent term restoration cannot be used to extend the remaining term of a patent past a total of fourteen years from the product’s approval date. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug product is eligible for the extension, and the application for the extension must be submitted prior to the expiration of the patent in question. A patent that covers multiple drugs for which approval is sought can only be extended in connection with one of the approvals. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews and approves the application for any patent term extension or restoration in consultation with the FDA.

 

Biosimilars and reference product exclusivity

 

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (collectively, the “ACA”), which was signed into law in 2010, includes a subtitle called the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009 (“BPCIA”), which created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products that are biosimilar to or interchangeable with an FDA-approved reference biological product.

 

Biosimilarity, which requires that there be no clinically meaningful differences between the biological product and the reference product in terms of safety, purity, and potency, can be shown through analytical studies, animal studies, and a clinical study or studies. Interchangeability requires that a product is biosimilar to the reference product and the product must demonstrate that it can be expected to produce the same clinical results as the reference product in any given patient and, for products that are administered multiple times to an individual, the biologic and the reference biologic may be alternated or switched after one has been previously administered without increasing safety risks or risks of diminished efficacy relative to exclusive use of the reference biologic. However, complexities associated with the larger, and often more complex, structures of biological products, as well as the processes by which such products are manufactured, pose significant hurdles to implementation of the abbreviated approval pathway that are still being worked out by the FDA.

Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product may not be submitted to the FDA until four years following the date that the reference product was first licensed by the FDA. In addition, the approval of a biosimilar product may not be made effective by the FDA until 12 years from the date on which the reference product was first licensed. During this 12‑year period of exclusivity, another company may still market a competing version of the reference product if the FDA approves a full BLA for the competing product containing the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well‑controlled clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of their product.

 

The BPCIA also created certain exclusivity periods for biosimilars approved as interchangeable products. At this juncture, it is unclear whether products deemed “interchangeable” by the FDA will, in fact, be readily substituted by pharmacies, which are governed by state pharmacy law. The BPCIA is complex and continues to be interpreted and implemented by the FDA. In addition, recent government proposals have sought to reduce the 12‑year reference product exclusivity period. Other aspects of the BPCIA, some of which may impact the BPCIA exclusivity provisions, have also been the subject of recent litigation. As a result, the ultimate impact, implementation, and meaning of the BPCIA remains subject to significant uncertainty.

 

Review and Approval of Drug Products Outside the European Union and the United States

 

In addition to the above regulations, we must obtain approval of a product by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries outside of the European Union and the United States before we can commence clinical trials or marketing of NexoBrid in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA or EU approval. In addition, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary greatly from country to country. In all cases, clinical trials are conducted in accordance with GCP and the applicable regulatory requirements and the ethical principles that have their origin in the Declaration of Helsinki.

If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, we may be subject to, among other things, fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product recalls, seizure of products, operating restrictions and criminal prosecution.

  

Pharmaceutical Coverage, Pricing and Reimbursement

 

Significant uncertainty exists as to the coverage and reimbursement status of any products for which we obtain regulatory approval. In the United States, EU and other markets, sales of any products for which we receive regulatory approval for commercial sale will depend to a large extent on the availability of reimbursement from third‑party payors. Third‑party payors include governments, government health administrative authorities, managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations. The process for determining whether a payor will provide coverage for a drug product may be separate from the process for setting the price or reimbursement rate that the payor will pay for the drug product. Third‑party payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, or formulary, which might not include all of the drug products approved for a particular indication by the FDA, European Commission or National Ministries of Health. Third‑party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the medical necessity and cost‑effectiveness of medical products and services, in addition to their safety and efficacy. We may need to conduct expensive pharmacoeconomic studies in order to demonstrate the medical necessity and cost‑effectiveness of NexoBrid, in addition to the costs required to obtain the FDA or other Ministry of Health approvals. Additionally, NexoBrid may not be considered medically necessary or cost‑effective. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does not guarantee that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Adequate third‑party reimbursement may not be available to enable us to maintain price levels sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.

 

In the United States, the ACA substantially changed the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers and significantly impacted the pharmaceutical industry. The ACA contains a number of provisions, including those governing enrollment in federal healthcare programs, reimbursement changes and fraud and abuse provisions, which will impact existing government healthcare programs and will result in the development of new programs, including Medicare payment for performance initiatives and improvements to the physician quality reporting system and feedback program.  Additionally, the ACA:

 

 

Since its enactment, there have been judicial, executive and congressional challenges to certain aspects of the ACA. On June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the most recent judicial challenge to the ACA brought by several states without specifically ruling on the constitutionality of the ACA. Thus, the ACA will remain in effect in its current form. Further, prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, President Biden issued an executive order that initiated a special enrollment period for purposes of obtaining health insurance coverage through the ACA marketplace from February 15, 2021 through August 15, 2021. The executive order instructed certain governmental agencies to review and reconsider their existing policies and rules that limit access to healthcare, including among others, reexamining Medicaid demonstration projects and waiver programs that include work requirements, and policies that create unnecessary barriers to obtaining access to health insurance coverage through Medicaid or the ACA.

 

There has been heightened governmental scrutiny recently over the manner in which drug manufacturers set prices for their marketed products, which have resulted in several Congressional inquiries and proposed bills designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. . In March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law, which eliminates the statutory Medicaid drug rebate cap, currently set at 100% of a drug’s average manufacturer price, for single source and innovator multiple source drugs, beginning January 1, 2024. In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or IRA, was signed into law.  Among other things, the IRA requires manufacturers of certain drugs to engage in price negotiations with Medicare (beginning in 2026), with prices that can be negotiated subject to a cap; imposes rebates under Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D to penalize price increases that outpace inflation (first due in 2023); and replaces the Part D coverage gap discount program with a new discounting program (beginning in 2025). The IRA permits the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to implement many of these provisions through guidance, as opposed to regulation, for the initial years.  For that and other reasons, it is currently unclear how the IRA will be effectuated, or the impact of the IRA on our business. We expect that additional U.S. federal healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of which could limit the amounts that the U.S. federal government will pay for healthcare products and services, which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressures. At the state level, legislatures have increasingly passed legislation and implemented regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing, including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing.

 

In the EU, pricing and reimbursement schemes vary widely from country to country and often within regions or provinces of countries. Some countries may limit the annual budget of coverage or request that the company participate in the cost above certain use levels or for treatments perceived as unsuccessful and impose monitoring processes on the use of the product. Some countries and hospitals may require inclusion into the hospital formulary for payment from the hospital budget. Some countries and hospitals may require the completion of additional studies that compare the cost‑effectiveness of a particular drug candidate to currently available therapies. For example, the EU provides options for its member states to restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. This Health Technology Assessment (“HTA process”) which is currently governed by the national laws of the individual EU member states, is the procedure according to which the assessment of the public health impact, therapeutic impact and the economic and societal impact of use of a given medicinal product in the national healthcare systems of the individual country is conducted. The outcome of HTA regarding specific medicinal products will often influence the pricing and reimbursement status granted to these medicinal products by the competent authorities of individual EU Member States. On December 15, 2021, the Health Technology Regulation (“HTA Regulation”) was adopted. The HTA Regulation is intended to boost cooperation among EU member states in assessing health technologies, including new medicinal products, and providing the basis for cooperation at EU level for joint clinical assessments in these areas. When it enters into application in 2025, the HTA Regulation will be intended to harmonize the clinical benefit assessment of HTA across the EU.

Further, EU member states may approve a specific price for a drug product or may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the drug product on the market. Other member states allow companies to fix their own prices for drug products, but monitor and control company profits. The downward pressure on health care costs in general, particularly prescription drugs, has become intense. As a result, increasingly high barriers are being erected to the entry of new products. In addition, in some countries, cross‑border imports from low‑priced markets exert competitive pressure that may reduce pricing within a country. Any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for drug products may not allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements. Historically, products launched in the EU do not follow price structures of the United States and generally prices tend to be significantly lower.

Healthcare Law and Regulation

 

Healthcare providers, physicians and third‑party payors play a primary role in the recommendation and prescription of drug products that are granted marketing authorization. Arrangements with healthcare providers, third‑party payors and other customers are subject to broadly applicable fraud and abuse and other healthcare laws and regulations. Such restrictions under applicable federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations, include the following:

 

Violations of any of these laws or any other governmental laws and regulations that may apply include, without limitation, significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, imprisonment, exclusion of products from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, disgorgement, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.

 

Some state laws require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government in addition to requiring drug manufacturers to report information related to payments to physicians and other health care providers or marketing expenditures. Additionally, certain state and local laws require the registration of pharmaceutical sales representatives.

 

Environmental, Health and Safety Matters

 

We are subject to extensive environmental, health and safety laws and regulations in a number of jurisdictions, primarily Israel, governing, among other things: the use, storage, registration, handling, emission and disposal of chemicals, waste materials and sewage; chemicals, air, water and ground contamination; air emissions and the cleanup of contaminated sites, including any contamination that results from spills due to our failure to properly dispose of chemicals, waste materials and sewage. Our operations at our Yavne manufacturing facility use chemicals and produce waste materials and sewage. Our activities require permits from various governmental authorities including, local municipal authorities, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health, local authorities and the municipal water and sewage company conduct periodic inspections in order to review and ensure our compliance with the various regulations.

 

These laws, regulations and permits could potentially require the expenditure by us of significant amounts for compliance or remediation. If we fail to comply with such laws, regulations or permits, we may be subject to fines and other civil, administrative or criminal sanctions, including the revocation of permits and licenses necessary to continue our business activities. In addition, we may be required to pay damages or civil judgments in respect of third‑party claims, including those relating to personal injury (including exposure to hazardous substances we use, store, handle, transport, manufacture or dispose of), property damage or contribution claims. Some environmental, health and safety laws allow for strict, joint and several liability for remediation costs, regardless of comparative fault. We may be identified as a responsible party under such laws. Such developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

In addition, laws and regulations relating to environmental, health and safety matters are often subject to change. In the event of any changes or new laws or regulations, we could be subject to new compliance measures or to penalties for activities which were previously permitted. For instance, new Israeli regulations were promulgated in 2012 relating to the discharge of industrial sewage into the sewer system. These regulations establish new and potentially significant fines for discharging forbidden or irregular sewage into the sewage system.

 

Properties

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 42 Hayarkon Street, Yavne 8122745, Israel. We lease these facilities from our largest shareholder, Clal Life Sciences, L.P. (“CLS”), pursuant to a sub‑lease agreement, as amended, that expires on October 30, 2025. The facilities consist of approximately 32,300 square feet of space, and the yearly lease fee is approximately $578,000. These facilities house our administrative headquarters, our research and development laboratories and our manufacturing plant.

 

C.          Organizational Structure

 

The legal name of our company is MediWound Ltd. and we are organized under the laws of the State of Israel. Our corporate structure consists of MediWound Ltd., our Israeli parent company, (i) MediWound Germany GmbH, our active wholly‑owned subsidiary, which was incorporated on April 16, 2013 under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany (ii) MediWound US, Inc., which was incorporated on December 8, 2020 under the laws of the State of Delaware and (iii) MediWound UK Limited, our inactive wholly‑owned subsidiary, which was incorporated on July 26, 2004 under the laws of England.

 

D.          Property, Plants and Equipment

 

See “ITEM 4.B. Business Overview—Properties”, “ITEM 4.B. Business Overview—Manufacturing, Supply and Production” and “ITEM 4.B. Business Overview—Environmental, Health and Safety Matters”.

 

Item 4A. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

 

None.

 

Item 5.   OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

 

A.          Operating Results

 

The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022 and related notes, and the information contained elsewhere in this annual report. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, as issued by the IASB.

 

Company Overview

 

We are a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes novel, cost effective, bio‑therapeutic, non-surgical solutions for tissue repair and regeneration. Our strategy leverages our breakthrough enzymatic technology platform into diversified portfolio of biotherapeutics across multiple indications to pioneer solutions for unmet medical needs. Our current portfolio is focused on next-generation protein-based therapies for burn care, wound care and tissue repair.

Our first innovative biopharmaceutical product, NexoBrid®, has received marketing authorization from the FDA and marketing authorization from the European Medicines Agency (the “EMA”) and other international markets for removal of dead or damaged tissue, known as eschar, in adults with deep partial-thickness and full-thickness thermal burns, also referred to as severe burns. NexoBrid, a concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain, represents a new paradigm in burn care management, and our clinical trials have demonstrated, with statistical significance, its ability to non‑surgically and rapidly remove the eschar, without harming viable tissues, earlier relative to existing standard of care.

We commercialize NexoBrid globally through multiple sales channels. We sell NexoBrid to burn centers in the European Union, United Kingdom and Israel, primarily through our direct sales force, focusing on key burn centers and KOLs. In the United States, we entered into exclusive license and supply agreements with Vericel Corporation (Nasdaq: VCEL) to commercialize NexoBrid in North America. We have established local distribution channels in multiple international markets, focusing on Asia Pacific, EMEA, CEE and LATAM, which local distributors are also responsible for obtaining local marketing authorization within the relevant territories.

We have been awarded two contracts with the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA"), for the advancement of the development and manufacturing, as well as the procurement of NexoBrid which has initiated on January 2020, as a medical countermeasure as part of BARDA preparedness for mass casualty events.

In September 20, 2022, we announced that that the EMA has validated for review the Type II Variation submitted by MediWound to expand the current approved indication for NexoBrid (removal of eschar in adults with deep partial-thickness and full-thickness thermal burn wounds) into the pediatric population. MediWound expects a decision from the European Commission in the first quarter of 2023.

EscharEx, our next-generation enzymatic therapy under development, is a topical biological drug candidate for the debridement of chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds. Designed for the outpatient setting, EscharEx is an easy-to-use concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain; having the same API as NexoBrid. In several Phase II trials, EscharEx was shown to be well-tolerated and demonstrated safety and efficacy in the debridement of various chronic and other hard-to-heal wounds with only few daily applications. EscharEx’s mechanism of action is mediated by the proteolytic enzymes that cleave and remove the necrotic tissue and prepare the wound bed for healing.

On May 12, 2022, we announced positive results from our U.S. Phase II clinical study of EscharEx for the debridement of VLUs. The study met its primary endpoint with a high degree of statistical significance, demonstrating that patients treated with EscharEx had a statistically significant higher incidence of complete debridement during the 14-day measurement period within up to 8 applications, compared to gel vehicle (EscharEx: 63% (29/46) vs. gel vehicle: 30% (13/43), p-value=0.004). EscharEx efficacy superiority remained statistically significant after adjusting for pre-specified covariates ascribed to patient baseline characteristics, wound size, wound age and regions.

The study met key secondary and exploratory endpoints. Patients treated with EscharEx had a statistically significant higher incidence of complete debridement, during the same 14-day measurement period, compared to patients treated by non-surgical standard-of-care ("NSSOC") (EscharEx: 63% (29/46) vs. NSSOC: 13% (4/30)) and the time to achieve complete debridement was significantly shorter. Estimated median time to complete debridement was 9 days for patients treated with EscharEx and 59 days for patients treated with NSSOC (p-value=0.016). On average, complete debridement was achieved after 3.6 applications of EscharEx compared to 12.8 applications with NSSOC. Patients treated with EscharEx demonstrated significantly higher incidence of at least 75% granulation tissue at the end of the treatment period compared to gel vehicle (p-value <0.0001). Favorable trends were observed in wound area reduction and reduction of pain compared to gel vehicle.

EscharEx was also evaluated in a U.S. Phase II pharmacology study. The study was prospective, open label, single-arm and conducted at three U.S. clinical sites. On July 7, 2022, we announced positive results from this study. 70% of patients achieved complete debridement during the course of treatment within up to 8 applications. On average, complete debridement was achieved after 3.9 applications of EscharEx. Additionally, an average reduction of 35% in wound size was achieved by the end of the 2-week follow-up period. In all patients that were positive for biofilm at baseline, the biofilm was reduced substantially to single individual microorganisms or completely removed by the end of treatment. Seven patients had positive red fluorescence (indicative of bacteria) at baseline and average red fluorescence was reduced from 1.69 cm2 pre-treatment to 0.60 cm2 post treatment. Biomarker analysis from wound fluid is on-going and safety data shows that EscharEx is safe and well-tolerated.

We manufacture NexoBrid and our product candidates in our cGMP certified sterile manufacturing facility at our headquarters in Yavne, Israel.

 

 

We expect to continue to invest in our research and development efforts, including in respect of our NexoBrid ongoing clinical trials which are fully funded by BARDA, as well as the clinical development and trials of EscharEx, MW005 and our other pipeline product candidates. In addition, we expect to continue to advance NexoBrid as a standard of care, and expand its commercial reach in international markets, including for potential use as a medical countermeasure during mass casualty events.

Key Components of Statements of Operations

 

Revenues

 

Sources of revenues. We derive revenues from sales of NexoBrid to burn centers and hospitals burn units in Europe and Israel as well as to local distributors in other countries in accordance with distribution agreements we have in place, which also include revenues from licenses. We generate revenues from BARDA procurement of NexoBrid for emergency stockpile pursuant to BARDA contract.

 

We generate revenues from development services provided to BARDA.

Our ability to generate additional, more significant revenues will depend on the successful commercialization of NexoBrid.

 

Cost of Revenues

 

Our total cost of revenues includes expenses for the manufacturing of NexoBrid, including: the cost of raw materials; employee‑related expenses, including salaries, equity based‑compensation and other benefits and related expenses, lease payments, utility payments, depreciation, changes in inventory of finished products, royalties and other manufacturing expenses. These expenses are partially reduced by an allotment of manufacturing costs associated with research and development activities to research and development expenses.

 

Cost of revenues includes costs associated with the research and development services provided to BARDA and MTEC, including salaries and related expenses, clinical trials, sub‑contractors and external advisors.

 We expect that our cost of revenues from sale of products will continue to increase as we expand the sale of NexoBrid throughout the European Union, the United States and other international markets.

 Operating Expenses

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

Research and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later‑stage clinical trials. We expect research and development costs to increase significantly for the foreseeable future as EscharEx progresses in its clinical program in the U.S. and our other pipeline product candidates' progress in clinical trials. However, we do not believe that it is possible at this time to accurately project total program‑specific expenses to reach commercialization. There are numerous factors associated with the successful development of any of our product candidates, including future trial design and various regulatory requirements, many of which cannot be determined with accuracy at this time based on our stage of development. Additionally, future commercial and regulatory factors beyond our control will affect our clinical development programs and plans. Our actual spending could differ as our plans change and we invest in other drugs or potentially reduce our anticipated funding on research for existing products.

 

Research and development expenses consist primarily of compensation for employees engaged in research and development activities, including salaries, equity‑based compensation, benefits and related expenses, clinical trials, contract research organization sub‑contractors, development materials, external advisors and the allotted cost of our manufacturing facility for research and development purposes.

Selling and Marketing Expenses

 

Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of compensation expenses for personnel engaged in sales and marketing, including salaries, equity based‑compensation and benefits and related expenses, as well as promotion, marketing, market access, medical, and sales and distribution activities. These expenses are primarily comprised of costs related to our subsidiary in Germany, which is focused on marketing NexoBrid in E.U., and costs related to maintain marketing authorization.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses consist principally of compensation for employees in executive and administrative functions, including salaries, equity‑based compensation, benefits and other related expenses, professional consulting services, including legal and audit fees, as well as costs of office and overhead. We expect general and administrative expenses to remain stable.

 

Financial Income/Financial Expense

 

Financial income includes interest income, revaluation of financial instruments and exchange rate differences. Financial expense consists primarily of revaluation of financial instruments, financial expenses in respect of deferred revenue, revaluation of lease liabilities and exchange rate differences. The market interest due on government grants received from the IIA is also considered a financial expense, and is recognized beginning on the date we receive the grant until the date on which the grant is expected to be repaid as part of the revaluation to fair value of liabilities in respect of government grants.

 

Taxes on Income

 

The standard corporate tax rate in Israel is 23%.

 

 

Under the Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 5719‑1959 (the “Investment Law”), we have been granted “Beneficiary Enterprise” status, which provides certain benefits, including tax exemptions and reduced corporate tax rates. Income not eligible for Beneficiary Enterprise benefits is taxed at the regular corporate tax rate. The benefit entitlement period starts from the first year that the Beneficiary Enterprise first earns taxable income, and is limited to 12 years from the year in which the company requested to have tax benefits apply.

Comparison of Period to Period Results of Operations

 

 

		Years Ended December 31,
		2022				2021
		(in thousands)
Condensed statements of operations data:
Revenues		$	26,496			$	23,763
Cost of revenues			13,331				14,992
Gross profit			13,165				8,771
Operating expenses:
Research and development			10,181				10,256
Selling and marketing			3,725				3,388
General and administrative			6,920				6,348
			684				-
Other expenses
Operating loss			(8,345	)			(11,221	)
Financial expenses, net			(11,176	)			(2,303	)
Loss before taxes on income			(19,521	)			(13,524	)
Tax expenses			(78	)			(27	)
Net loss		$	(19,599	)		$	(13,551	)

Year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

 

Revenues 

   

		Years Ended December 31,
		2022				2021
		(in thousands)
Revenues from sale of products		$	5,347			$	9,613
Revenues from development services			12,943				12,372
Revenues from license agreements			8,206				1,778
			26,496				23,763

 

Revenues from sale of products

 

Revenues from sales of products in 2022 were $5.3 million, a 44% decrease compared to $9.6 million in 2021. This was primarily the result of BARDA's $4.3 million decrease in emergency stockpile procurement.

Revenues from development services

 

 

Revenues from license agreement

 

In 2022, revenues from licenses were $8.2 million compared to $1.8m in 2021, driven by the BLA approval milestone of $7.5 million from Vericel.

Our revenues, as reported in our consolidated financial statements, are based on the location of the customers, as shown in the below table:

 

		Years Ended December 31,
		2022				2021
		(in thousands)
International (excluding U.S.)		$	4,624			$	5,661
U.S.			21,872				18,102
			26,496				23,718

Costs and Expenses

 

Cost of revenues

		Years Ended December 31,
		2022				2021
		(in thousands)
Cost of revenues from sales of products		$	3,184			$	4,983
Cost of revenues from development services			9,829				9,907
Cost of revenues from license agreements			318				102
			13,331				14,992

 

Cost of revenues as a percentage of total revenues decreased from 63% for 2021 to 50% for 2022.

 

Cost of revenues from sales of products as a percentage of revenues from sales of products increased to approximately 60% for the year ended December 31, 2022 from approximately 52% in the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase of cost of revenues from sales of product is primarily driven by BARDA procurement for emergency response preparedness.

 

Cost of revenues from development services as a percentage of revenues from development services was approximately 76% in the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to approximately 80% in the year ended December 31, 2021.

 

Cost of revenues from license agreements as a percentage of revenues from license agreements were 4% in the year ended December 31, 2022, due to costs associated with royalties’ payments pursuant to a license agreement with Mark Klein un regard to Vericel milestone payment.

 

Research and development expenses,

 

Research and development expenses decreased by 1% from approximately $10.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately $10.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

Selling and marketing expenses

 

Selling and marketing expenses increased by 10% in 2022 compared to 2021, from approximately $3.4 million in the year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately $3.7 million in the year ended December 31, 2022.

 

General and administrative expenses

 

General and administrative expenses increased 9% in 2022 compared to 2021 from approximately $6.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately $6.9 million in the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in general and administrative expenses was primarily a result of one-time expenses related to the BLA approval and management changes in mid-2022.

Other expenses

 

 Other one-time expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 were $0.7 million associated with management replacement and Vericel milestone payment fee.

 Financial income

 

 

Financial expense

 

Financial expenses increased from approximately $2.3 million in the year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately $11.2 million in the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in financial expenses was primarily driven by $10.9 million of revaluation and issuance expenses related to our issues and outstanding warrants.

 

B.          Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our primary uses of cash are to fund working capital requirements, manufacturing costs, research and development expenses of EscharEx and other products candidates, as well as sales and marketing activities associated with the commercialization of NexoBrid in Europe.

 

In February 2020, we entered into an Open Market Sales Agreement with Jefferies LLC to issue and sell our ordinary shares with gross sales proceeds of up to $15 million, from time to time, through an at the market offering under which Jefferies LLC will act as our sales agent. As of the date hereof, we have not issued or sold any ordinary shares pursuant to the Open Market Sales Agreement.

Funding under the BARDA contracts is classified under cash use for continuing operating activities.

 

 

 

On September 22, 2022, we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with the several purchasers listed on the signature pages thereto (the “2022 Purchasers”), in connection with the offer and sale of 1,082,223 of our ordinary shares, (the “2022 RD Securities Purchase Agreement”) and, pursuant to the RD Securities Purchase Agreement, we also agreed to issue to the 2022 Purchasers 1,082,223 unregistered ordinary warrants (the “RD Warrants”) to purchase up to 1,082,223 Ordinary Shares (the “2022 RD Offering”). The combined purchase price of for one ordinary share and associated RD Warrant was $12.25. The RD Warrants have an exercise price of $13.475 per ordinary share and became exercisable on November 28, 2022 for four years. The 2022 RD Offering closed on September 26, 2022.  The gross proceeds from the 2022 RD Offering were approximately $13.26 million. As of December 31, 2022, none of the RD Warrants have been exercised.

On February 3, 2023, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the “2023 Securities Purchase Agreement”) with the purchasers listed on the signature pages thereto (the “2023 Purchasers”), in connection with the offer and sale of 1,964,286 ordinary shares (the “2023 Offering”). The purchase price per ordinary share was $14.00. The 2023 Offering closed on February 7, 2023. The gross proceeds from the Offering were approximately $27.5 million.  

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including our revenue growth, timing of milestone payments, the timing and extent of our spending on research and development efforts, and international expansion. We may also seek to invest in or acquire complementary businesses or technologies. To the extent that existing cash and cash from operations are insufficient to fund our future activities, we may need to raise additional funding through debt and equity financing. Additional funds may not be available on favorable terms or at all. We believe our existing cash, cash equivalents and short‑term bank deposits will be sufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements for at least the next 24 months.

 

Cash Flows

 

The following table summarizes our consolidated statement of cash flows for the periods presented. The below discussion beneath the table omits a description of our cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020. In order to view that discussion, please see “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources—Cash Flows” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, which we filed with the SEC on March 25, 2022:

  Net cash used in operating activities

 

Net cash used in all periods resulted primarily from our net loss adjusted for non‑cash charges and measurements and changes in components of working capital. Adjustments for non‑cash items include depreciation and amortization, equity‑based compensation, revaluation of contingent liabilities and lease liability, and changes in assets and liabilities items.

 

 

 Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

 

Net cash related continuing investing activities primarily provided by proceeds of investments in short‑term banks deposits offset by used in purchases of property and equipment. Net cash used in investing activities was $0.5 million in the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $3.5 million provided during the year ended December 31, 2021.

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

Net cash provided by continuing financing activities was $35.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to use in of $1.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase in net cash provided by continuing financing activities was primarily a result of our proceeds from our 2022 Offerings, net of issuance expenses offset with payments of lease liabilities and repayment pursuant to IIA and TEVA considerations.

 

 Israeli Corporate-Level Tax Considerations and Government Programs

 

The following is a brief summary of the material Israeli tax laws applicable to us, and certain Israeli Government programs that benefit us and therefore impact our results of operations and financial condition. To the extent that the discussion is based on new tax legislation that has not yet been subject to judicial or administrative interpretation, we cannot assure you that the appropriate tax authorities or the courts will accept the views expressed in this discussion. The discussion below is subject to change, including due to amendments under Israeli law or changes to the applicable judicial or administrative interpretations of Israeli law, which change could affect the tax consequences described below.

 

General Corporate Tax Structure in Israel

 

Generally, Israeli companies are subject to a corporate tax on their taxable income. Effective January 1, 2018 and thereafter, the corporate tax rate is 23%. However, the effective tax rate payable by a company that derives income from an Approved Enterprise, a Beneficiary Enterprise, a Preferred Enterprise or Technology Enterprise (as discussed below) may be considerably less. Capital gains derived by an Israeli company are generally subject to the prevailing regular corporate tax rate.

 

Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Taxes), 5729-1969

 

The Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Taxes), 5729-1969 (the “Industry Encouragement Law”), provides several tax benefits for “Industrial Companies.”

The Industry Encouragement Law defines an “Industrial Company” as an Israeli resident-company which was incorporated in Israel, of which 90% or more of its income in any tax year, other than income from certain government loans, is derived from an “Industrial Enterprise” owned by it and located in Israel or in the “Area”, in accordance with the definition under section 3A of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance (New Version) 1961. An “Industrial Enterprise” is defined as an enterprise whose principal activity in a given tax year is industrial production.

 

The following tax benefits, among others, are available to Industrial Companies:

 

 

 

Eligibility for benefits under the Industry Encouragement Law is not contingent upon approval of any governmental authority.

 

We believe that we currently qualify as an Industrial Company within the meaning of the Industry Encouragement Law. However, there can be no assurance that we will continue to qualify as an Industrial Company or that the benefits described above will be available in the future.

 

Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 5719-1959

 

The Investment Law provides certain incentives for capital investments in production facilities (or other eligible assets).

 

The Investment Law was significantly amended several times during recent years, with the three most significant changes effective as of April 1, 2005 (the “2005 Amendment”), as of January 1, 2011 (the “2011 Amendment”), and as of January 1, 2017 (the “2017 Amendment”). Pursuant to the 2005 Amendment, tax benefits granted in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Law prior to its revision by the 2005 Amendment remain in force but any benefits granted subsequently are subject to the provisions of the amended Investment Law. Similarly, the 2011 Amendment introduced new benefits to replace those granted in accordance with the provisions of the Investment Law in effect prior to the 2011 Amendment. However, companies entitled to benefits under the Investment Law as in effect prior to January 1, 2011 were entitled to choose to continue to enjoy such benefits, provided that certain conditions are met, or elect instead, irrevocably, to forego such benefits and have the benefits of the 2011 Amendment apply. The 2017 Amendment introduces new benefits for Technological Enterprises, alongside the existing tax benefits. Prior to 2011, we did not utilize any of the benefits for which we were eligible under the Investment Law.

 

The following is a summary of the Investment Law subsequent to its amendments as well as the relevant changes contained in the new legislation.

 

Tax Benefits Subsequent to the 2005 Amendment

 

The 2005 Amendment applies to new investment programs and investment programs commencing after 2004, but does not apply to investment programs approved prior to April 1, 2005 (“Approved Enterprise”). The 2005 Amendment provides that terms and benefits included in any certificate of approval that was granted before the 2005 Amendment became effective (April 1, 2005) will remain subject to the provisions of the Investment Law as in effect on the date of such approval. Pursuant to the 2005 Amendment, the Israeli Authority for Investments and Development of the Israeli Ministry of Economy (the “Investment Center”) will continue to grant Approved Enterprise status to qualifying investments. The 2005 Amendment, however, limits the scope of enterprises that may be approved by the Investment Center by setting criteria for the approval of a facility as an Approved Enterprise.

The 2005 Amendment provides that Approved Enterprise status will only be necessary for receiving cash grants. As a result, it is no longer necessary for a company to obtain the advance approval of the Investment Center in order to receive the tax benefits previously available under the alternative benefits track. Rather, a company may claim the tax benefits offered by the Investment Law directly in its tax returns, provided that its facilities meet the criteria for tax benefits set forth in the 2005 Amendment. Companies or programs under the new provisions receiving these tax benefits are referred to as Beneficiary Enterprises. Companies that have a Beneficiary Enterprise, are entitled to approach the Israel Tax Authority for a pre‑ruling regarding their eligibility for tax benefits under the Investment Law, as amended.

 

Tax benefits are available under the 2005 Amendment to production facilities (or other eligible facilities), which are generally required to derive more than 25% of their business income from export to specific markets with a population of at least 14 million in 2012 (such export criteria will further increase in the future by 1.4% per annum). In order to receive the tax benefits, the 2005 Amendment states that a company must make an investment which meets certain conditions, including exceeding a minimum investment amount specified in the Investment Law. Such investment allows a company to receive “Beneficiary Enterprise” status, and may be made over a period of no more than three years ending in the year in which the company chose to have the tax benefits apply to its Beneficiary Enterprise. Where the company requests to apply the tax benefits to an expansion of existing facilities, only the expansion will be considered to be a Beneficiary Enterprise and the company’s effective tax rate will be the weighted average of the applicable rates. In this case, the minimum investment required in order to qualify as a Beneficiary Enterprise is required to exceed a certain percentage of the value of the company’s production assets before the expansion.

 

The extent of the tax benefits available under the 2005 Amendment to qualifying income of a Beneficiary Enterprise depends on, among other things, the geographic location in Israel of the Beneficiary Enterprise. The location will also determine the period for which tax benefits are available. Such tax benefits include an exemption from corporate tax on undistributed income for a period of between two to ten years, depending on the geographic location of the Beneficiary Enterprise in Israel, and a reduced corporate tax rate of between 10% to 25% for the remainder of the benefits period, depending on the level of foreign investment in the company in each year. A company qualifying for tax benefits under the 2005 Amendment which pays a dividend out of income attributed to its Beneficiary Enterprise during the tax exemption period will be subject to corporate tax in respect of the amount of the dividend distributed (grossed‑up to reflect the pre‑tax income that it would have had to earn in order to distribute the dividend) at the corporate tax rate that would have otherwise been applicable. Dividends paid to Israeli shareholders out of income attributed to a Beneficiary Enterprise (or out of dividends received from a company whose income is attributed to a Beneficiary Enterprise) are generally subject to withholding tax at source at the rate of 15% (in the case of non-Israeli shareholders - subject to the receipt in advance of a valid certificate from the ITA allowing for a reduced tax rate, 15% or such lower rate as may be provided in an applicable tax treaty, applicable to dividends and distributions out of income attributed to a Beneficiary Enterprise). The reduced rate of 15% is limited to dividends and distributions out of income attributed to a Beneficiary Enterprise during the benefits period and actually paid at any time up to 12 years thereafter, except with respect to a qualified Foreign Investment Company (as such term is defined in the Investment Law), in which case the 12‑year limit does not apply.

 

The benefits available to a Beneficiary Enterprise are subject to the fulfillment of conditions stipulated in the Investment Law and its regulations. If a company does not meet these conditions, it would be required to refund the amount of tax benefits, as adjusted by the Israeli consumer price index, and interest, or other monetary penalties.

 

We currently have Beneficiary Enterprise programs under the Investment Law, which we believe will entitle us to certain tax benefits. The majority of any taxable income from our Beneficiary Enterprise programs (once generated) would be tax exempt for a period of ten years commencing in the year in which we will first earn taxable income relating to such enterprises, subject to the 12-year limitation from the year the company chose to have its tax benefits apply.

 

Tax Benefits Under the 2011 Amendment

 

The 2011 Amendment canceled the availability of the tax benefits granted under the Investment Law prior to 2011 and, instead, introduced new tax benefits for income generated by a “Preferred Company” through its “Preferred Enterprise” (as such terms are defined in the Investment Law) as of January 1, 2011. The definition of a Preferred Company includes a company incorporated in Israel that is not fully owned by a governmental entity, and that has, among other things, Preferred Enterprise status and is controlled and managed from Israel.

The tax benefits under the 2011 Amendment for a Preferred Company meeting the criteria of the law include, among others, a reduced corporate tax rate of 15% for preferred income attributed to a Preferred Enterprise in 2011 and 2012, unless the Preferred Enterprise was located in a specified development zone, in which case the rate was 10%. Under the 2011 Amendment, such corporate tax rate was reduced in 2013 from 15% and 10%, respectively, to 12.5% and 7%, respectively, and then increased to 16% and 9%, respectively, in 2014 and thereafter until 2016. Pursuant to the 2017 Amendment, in 2017 and thereafter, the corporate tax rate for Preferred Enterprise which is located in a specified development zone was decreased to 7.5%, while the reduced corporate tax rate for other development zones remains 16%. Income attributed to a Preferred Company from a “Special Preferred Enterprise” (as such term is defined in the Investment Law) would be entitled, during a benefits period of 10 years, to reduced tax rates of 8%, or 5% if the Special Preferred Enterprise is located in a certain development zone. As of January 1, 2017, the definition of “Special Preferred Enterprise” includes less stringent conditions. Dividends paid to Israeli shareholders out of preferred income attributed to a Preferred Enterprise or to a Special Preferred Enterprise are generally subject to withholding tax at source at the rate of 20% (in the case of non-Israeli shareholders - subject to the receipt in advance of a valid certificate from the ITA allowing for a reduced tax rate, 20%, or such lower rate as may be provided in an applicable tax treaty. However, if such dividends are paid to an Israeli company, no tax is required to be withheld (although, if such dividends are subsequently distributed to individuals or a non‑Israeli company, the aforesaid will apply).

 

The 2011 Amendment also provided transitional provisions to address companies already enjoying existing tax benefits under the Investment Law. These transitional provisions provide, among other things, that: unless an irrevocable request is made to apply the provisions of the Investment Law as amended in 2011 with respect to income to be derived as of January 1, 2011, a Beneficiary Enterprise can elect to continue to benefit from the benefits provided to it before the 2011 Amendment came into effect, provided that certain conditions are met.

 

We have examined the possible effect, if any, of these provisions of the 2011 Amendment on our financial statements and have decided, at this time, not to opt to apply the new benefits under the 2011 Amendment. There can be no assurance that we will comply with the conditions required to remain eligible for benefits under the Investment Law in the future or that we will be entitled to any additional benefits thereunder.

 

New Tax benefits under the 2017 Amendment that became effective on January 1, 2017.

 

The 2017 Amendment was enacted as part of the Economic Efficiency Law that was published on December 29, 2016, and is effective as of January 1, 2017. The 2017 Amendment provides new tax benefits for two types of “Technology Enterprises,” as described below, and is in addition to the other existing tax beneficial programs under the Investment Law.

 

The 2017 Amendment provides that a technology company satisfying certain conditions will qualify as a “Preferred Technology Enterprise” and will thereby enjoy a reduced corporate tax rate of 12% on income that qualifies as “Preferred Technology Income,” as defined in the Investment Law. The tax rate is further reduced to 7.5% for a Preferred Technology Enterprise located in development zone A. In addition, a Preferred Technology Company will enjoy a reduced corporate tax rate of 12% on capital gain derived from the sale of certain “Benefitted Intangible Assets” (as defined in the Investment Law) to a related foreign company if the Benefitted Intangible Assets were acquired from a foreign company after January 1, 2017 for at least NIS 200 million, and the sale receives prior approval from the Israeli Innovation Authority.

 

The 2017 Amendment further provides that a technology company satisfying certain conditions will qualify as a “Special Preferred Technology Enterprise” and will thereby enjoy a reduced corporate tax rate of 6% on “Preferred Technology Income” regardless of the company’s geographic location within Israel. In addition, a Special Preferred Technology Enterprise will enjoy a reduced corporate tax rate of 6% on capital gain derived from the sale of certain “Benefitted Intangible Assets” to a related foreign company if the Benefitted Intangible Assets were either developed by Special Preferred Technology Enterprise or acquired from a foreign company on or after January 1, 2017, and the sale received prior approval from IIA. A Special Preferred Technology Enterprise that acquires Benefitted Intangible Assets from a foreign company for more than NIS 500 million will be eligible for these benefits for at least ten years, subject to certain approvals as specified in the Investment Law.

Dividends distributed by a Preferred Technology Enterprise or a Special Preferred Technology Enterprise, to Israeli shareholders paid out of Preferred Technology Income, are generally subject to withholding tax at source at the rate of 20% (in the case of non-Israeli shareholders - subject to the receipt in advance of a valid certificate from the ITA allowing for a reduced tax rate, 20%, or such lower rate as may be provided in an applicable tax treaty. However, if such dividends are paid to an Israeli company, no tax is required to be withheld (although, if such dividends are subsequently distributed to individuals or a non-Israeli company, the aforesaid will apply). If such dividends are distributed to a foreign company that holds solely or together with other foreign companies 90% or more in the Israeli company and other conditions are met, the withholding tax rate will be 4% (or a lower under the tax treaty, if applicable, subject to the receipt in advance of a valid certificate from the Israeli Tax Authority allowing for a reduced tax rate).

C.          Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.

 

Our research and development strategy is centered on developing our patented proteolytic enzyme technology, which underlies NexoBrid and EscharEx, into additional products for high‑value indications. Our research and development team is located at our facilities in Yavne, Israel, and consists of 73 employees as of December 31, 2022 and is supported by highly experienced consultants in various research and development disciplines.

 

 

We received funds from BARDA in accordance with the terms of our BARDA contracts. As of December 31, 2022 we had accrued $82 million of BARDA’s participation in NexoBrid’s research and development programs.

 

For a description of our research and development policies for the last three years, see “ITEM 4.B. Business Overview—Research and Development.”

 

D.          Trend Information

 

•

further actions taken by central banks in Europe and the U.S. to increase interest rates as a means to slow down inflation, which may worsen credit/financing conditions for our customers who purchase our products;

•

potential contraction of economic activities and recessionary conditions that could arise as a result of interest rate increases and a decrease in consumer demand; and

•

the continued depreciated value of the Euro relative to the U.S. dollar, which may have an adverse impact on the U.S.- denominated value of our European-derived revenues for purposes of our financial statements.

We cannot provide any assurances as to the extent of our resilience to the adverse impact of these specific developments in future periods. See also “ITEM 3.D. – Risk Factors –“We depend on a sole supplier to obtain our intermediate drug substance, bromelain SP, which is necessary for the production of our products.” 

 

Other than the foregoing and as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the period from January 1, 2022 to the present time that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our net revenue, income, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial condition.