Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

v3.4.0.3
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
 
Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation
 
The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair statement of the balances and results for the periods presented. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the Company’s annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted. These condensed consolidated financial statement results are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the full fiscal year or any future period.
 
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures have been prepared with the presumption that users of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have read or have access to the audited consolidated financial statements for the preceding fiscal year. Accordingly, these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Form 10-K, which was filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 15, 2016, from which the Company derived the balance sheet data at December 31, 2015.
 
The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries: Innmune Limited, Coronado SO, Cyprium Therapeutics, Inc., Escala, JMC, CB Securities Corporation, Avenue, Checkpoint, Mustang and Helocyte. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.
 
The preparation of the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
 
Use of Estimates
 
The Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include certain amounts that are based on management’s best estimates and judgments. The Company’s significant estimates include, but are not limited to, useful lives assigned to long-lived assets, fair value measurements, stock-based compensation, common stock issued to acquire licenses, investments, accrued expenses, provisions for income taxes and contingencies. Due to the uncertainty inherent in such estimates, actual results may differ from these estimates.
 
Reclassification
 
Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year amounts to conform to the current year presentation in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.
 
Fair Value Measurement
 
The Company follows accounting guidance on fair value measurements for financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis. Under the accounting guidance, fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability.
  
The accounting guidance requires fair value measurements be classified and disclosed in one of the following three categories:
 
Level 1
Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: 
Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices for similar assets or liabilities that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace.
Level 3: 
Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity and that are financial instruments whose values are determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant judgment or estimation.
 
The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Assets and liabilities measured at fair value are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company’s assessment of the significance of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires management to make judgments and consider factors specific to the asset or liability.
 
Certain of the Company’s financial instruments are not measured at fair value on a recurring basis, but are recorded at amounts that approximate their fair value due to their liquid or short-term nature, such as accounts payable, accrued expenses and other current liabilities. The carrying value of the amount owed to Ovamed GmbH (“Ovamed”) upon the acquisition of certain manufacturing rights in December 2012 to under the amendment to our sublicense agreement with Ovamed has been recorded at its net present value, which approximates its fair value. The amounts due to Ovamed are included in current liabilities at March 31, 2016 and at December 31, 2015 on the condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (see Note 9).
 
Segment Reporting
 
The Company operates in one operating segment and, accordingly, no segment disclosures have been presented herein. All of the Company’s equipment, leasehold improvements and other fixed assets are physically located within the United States, and all agreements with the Company’s vendors are denominated in U.S. dollars.
 
Cash and Cash Equivalents
 
The Company considers highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents at March 31, 2016 and at December 31, 2015 consisted of cash, money market funds and certificates of deposit in institutions in the United States. Balances at certain institutions have exceeded Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured limits and U.S. government agency securities.
 
Property and Equipment
 
Office equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each asset. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated useful lives or the term of the respective leases.
 
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
 
The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. Factors that the Company considers in deciding when to perform an impairment review include significant underperformance of the business in relation to expectations, significant negative industry or economic trends, and significant changes or planned changes in the use of the assets. If an impairment review is performed to evaluate a long-lived asset for recoverability, the Company compares forecasts of undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the long-lived asset to its carrying value. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of an asset are less than its carrying amount. The impairment loss would be based on the excess of the carrying value of the impaired asset over its fair value, determined based on discounted cash flows.
 
Restricted Cash 
 
The Company records cash held in trust or pledged to secure certain debt obligations as restricted cash. As of March 31, 2016, the Company has $14.6 million of restricted cash collateralizing a note payable of $14.0 million (see Note 8) and a pledge to secure a letter of credit in connection with a new lease of $0.6 million.
 
Investments at Fair Value
 
The Company elects the fair value option for its long-term investments at fair value (see Note 4). The decision to elect the fair value option, which is irrevocable once elected, is determined on an instrument by instrument basis and applied to an entire instrument. The net gains or losses, if any, on an investment for which the fair value option has been elected are recognized as a change in fair value of investments on the condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
 
The Company has various processes and controls in place to ensure that fair value is reasonably estimated. While the Company believes its valuation methods are appropriate and consistent with other market participants, the use of different methodologies or assumptions to determine the fair value of certain financial instruments could result in a different estimate of fair value at the reporting date.
 
Intangible Asset Licenses
 
The Company records the costs of acquired product distribution license rights as intangible asset-licenses in the condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Upon commencement of product sales, license rights will be amortized over the expected life of the product into product expense in the condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of March 31, 2016, product sales related to the Company’s intangible asset licenses had not yet commenced (see Note 7).
 
Deferred Financing Costs
 
Financing costs incurred in connection with the promissory note for $15.0 million between Israel Discount Bank (“IDB”) and the National Securities Corporation’s NSC Biotech Venture Fund I LLC note (the “NSC Note”) are now recorded as a reduction of principal balance due to ASU No. 2015-3 and are being amortized over the appropriate expected life based on the term of the note using the effective interest rate method.
 
Revenue Recognition
 
Reimbursement Arrangements and Collaborative Arrangements
 
Checkpoint is reimbursed by TG Therapeutics, Inc. (“TGTX”), a related party, for its share of the cost of the license and product research and development costs under the collaboration agreement with them. The gross amount of these reimbursed costs are reported as revenue in the condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, since the Company acts as a principal, bears credit risk and may perform part of the services required in the transactions. Consistent with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 605-45, Revenue Recognition - Principal Agent Considerations, these reimbursements are treated as revenue by the Company. The actual expenses creating the reimbursements are reflected as expenses in the condensed consolidated financial statements.
 
The Company recognizes revenue for the performance of services or the shipment of products when each of the following four criteria is met: (i) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists; (ii) products are delivered or as services are rendered; (iii) the sales price is fixed or determinable; and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.
 
The Company follows ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition - Multiple-Element Arrangements and ASC 808, Collaborative Arrangements, if applicable, to determine the recognition of revenue under its collaborative research, options to enter into collaborative research agreements and development and commercialization agreements. The terms of these agreements generally contain multiple elements, or deliverables, which may include (i) grants of licenses, or options to obtain licenses, to our intellectual property, (ii) research and development services, (iii) drug product manufacturing, and/or (iv) participation on joint research and/or joint development committees. The payments we may receive under these arrangements typically include one or more of the following: non-refundable, up-front license fees; funding of research and/or development efforts; amounts due upon the achievement of specified objectives; and/or royalties on future product sales.
 
ASC 605-25 provides guidance relating to the separability of deliverables included in an arrangement into different units of accounting and the allocation of arrangement consideration to the units of accounting. The evaluation of multiple-element arrangements requires management to make judgments about (i) the identification of deliverables, (ii) whether such deliverables are separable from the other aspects of the contractual relationship, (iii) the estimated selling price of each deliverable, and (iv) the expected period of performance for each deliverable.
 
To determine the units of accounting under a multiple-element arrangement, management evaluates certain separation criteria, including whether the deliverables have stand-alone value, based on the relevant facts and circumstances for each arrangement. Management then estimates the selling price for each unit of accounting and allocates the arrangement consideration to each unit utilizing the relative selling price method. The allocated consideration for each unit of accounting is recognized over the related obligation period in accordance with the applicable revenue recognition criteria.
 
If there are deliverables in an arrangement that are not separable from other aspects of the contractual relationship, they are treated as a combined unit of accounting, with the allocated revenue for the combined unit recognized in a manner consistent with the revenue recognition applicable to the final deliverable in the combined unit. Payments received prior to satisfying the relevant revenue recognition criteria are recorded as deferred revenue in the condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and recognized as revenue in the condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations when the related revenue recognition criteria are met.
 
JMC’s co-promotion revenue for Dermasorb HC™ is based upon prescription volume over an established baseline.
 
Research and Development
 
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Advance payments for goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made. Upfront and milestone payments due to third parties that perform research and development services on the Company’s behalf will be expensed as services are rendered or when the milestone is achieved.
 
Research and development costs primarily consist of personnel related expenses, including salaries, benefits, travel, and other related expenses, stock-based compensation, payments made to third parties for license and milestone costs related to in-licensed products and technology, payments made to third party contract research organizations for preclinical and clinical studies, investigative sites for clinical trials, consultants, the cost of acquiring and manufacturing clinical trial materials, costs associated with regulatory filings, laboratory costs and other supplies.
 
In accordance with ASC 730-10-25-1, Research and Development, costs incurred in obtaining technology licenses are charged to research and development expense if the technology licensed has not reached commercial feasibility and has no alternative future use. Certain licenses purchased by the Company require substantial completion of research and development, regulatory and marketing approval efforts in order to reach commercial feasibility and have no alternative future use.
 
Valuation of Warrants Related to NSC Note
 
In accordance with ASC 815 –  Derivatives and Hedging , the Company classified the fair value of the warrants (“Contingently Issuable Warrants”) granted in connection with the NSC Note transferred to Avenue effective February 2015 as a derivative liability. The Company valued these Contingently Issuable Warrants using an option pricing model, and used estimates for an expected dividend yield, a risk-free interest rate, and expected volatility together with management’s estimate of the probability of issuance of the Contingently Issuable Warrants (see Note 4 and Note 8). At each reporting period, as long as the Contingently Issuable Warrants were potentially issuable and there was a potential for an insufficient number of authorized shares available to settle the Contingently Issuable Warrants, these Contingently Issuable Warrants will be revalued and any difference from the previous valuation date would be recognized as a change in fair value of subsidiary’s warrant liabilities in the condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
 
Contingencies
 
The Company records accruals for contingencies and legal proceedings expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated.
 
If a loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material, would be disclosed.
 
Stock-Based Compensation
 
The Company expenses stock-based compensation to employees over the requisite service period based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the awards and forfeiture rates. For stock-based compensation awards to non-employees, the Company remeasures the fair value of the non-employee awards at each reporting period prior to vesting and finally at the vesting date of the award. Changes in the estimated fair value of these non-employee awards are recognized as compensation expense in the period of change.
 
The Company estimates the fair value of stock options grants using the Black-Scholes option pricing model and the assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment.
 
Income Taxes
 
The Company records income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax effects attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective income tax bases, and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. The Company establishes a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be recovered based on an evaluation of objective verifiable evidence. For tax positions that are more likely than not of being sustained upon audit, the Company recognizes the largest amount of the benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. For tax positions that are not more likely than not of being sustained upon audit, the Company does not recognize any portion of the benefit.
 
Non-Controlling Interests
 
Non-controlling interests in consolidated entities represent the component of equity in consolidated entities held by third parties. Any change in ownership of a subsidiary while the controlling financial interest is retained is accounted for as an equity transaction between the controlling and non-controlling interests (see Note 10).
 
Comprehensive Loss
 
The Company’s comprehensive loss is equal to its net loss for all periods presented.
 
Recent Accounting Pronouncements 
 
In January 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10):  Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Liabilities. ASU No. 2016-01 requires several targeted changes including that equity investments (except those accounted for under the equity method of accounting, or those that result in consolidation of the investee) be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. The new guidance also changes certain disclosure requirements and other aspects of current U.S. GAAP. Amendments are to be applied as a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. ASU No. 2016-01 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is not permitted with the exception of certain targeted provisions. We are currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU No. 2016-01 on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
 
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). ASU No. 2016-02 requires an entity to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on its balance sheet and disclose key information about leasing arrangements. Lessees and lessors are required to disclose qualitative and quantitative information about leasing arrangements to enable a user of the financial statements to assess the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. ASU No. 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company currently in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption of ASU No. 2016-02 on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
 
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations”. The purpose of ASU No. 2016-08 is to clarify the implementation of guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-08 are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU No. 2016-08 on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.
 
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting”. The amendment is to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-09 are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company is currently assessing the impact of ASU No. 2016-09 on the condensed consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.