Significant Accounting Policies (Policies) |
12 Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Use of Estimates |
Use of Estimates
The process of preparing financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of assets and liabilities at the date of financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and changes in estimates may occur. The most significant estimates are related to stock based compensation, the value of derivative instruments and the accrual of research and clinical obligations.
Prior to the registration of its common stock and the subsequent public listing of the common stock, the Company had granted stock options at exercise prices not less than the fair value of its common stock as determined by the board of directors, with input from management. The Company’s board of directors determined the estimated fair value of the common stock based on a number of objective and subjective factors, including external market conditions affecting the biotechnology industry sector and the historic prices at which the Company sold shares of preferred stock. |
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| Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash |
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash
The Company considers only those investments which are highly liquid, readily convertible to cash, and that mature within three months from date of purchase to be cash equivalents. Marketable investments are those with original maturities in excess of three months. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, cash equivalents were comprised of money market funds. The Company had no marketable investments at December 31, 2016 and 2015.
Restricted cash as of December 31, 2016 included a $150,000 collateral account for the Company’s corporate credit cards and is classified in current assets. Additionally, as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 restricted cash included a stand-by letter of credit issued in favor of a landlord for $50,000 and $36,375, respectively (See Note 5) and is classified in noncurrent assets.
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash consists of the following:
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| Financial Instruments |
Financial Instruments
The carrying amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheet for cash and cash equivalents and accounts payable approximate fair value based on the short-term nature of these instruments. The carrying value of loans payable approximate their fair value due to their market terms. |
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| Property and Equipment |
Property and Equipment
The estimated life for the Company’s property and equipment is as follows: three years for computer hardware and software and three to five years for office furniture and equipment. The Company’s leasehold improvements and assets under capital lease are amortized over the shorter of their useful lives or the terms of the respective leases. See Note 4 for details of property and equipment and Note 5 for operating and capital lease commitments. |
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| Research and Development Expenses and Collaborative Research Agreements |
Research and Development Expenses and Collaborative Research Agreements
Costs incurred for research and development are expensed as incurred.
For amounts received under the development award received from the CFFT during 2015 and 2016 (See Note 14), the Company is amortizing these amounts on a straight-line basis over the expected duration of the performance period of the development program under the award, which is expected to conclude in the second quarter of 2017. |
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| Accruals for Research and Development Expenses and Clinical Trials |
Accruals for Research and Development Expenses and Clinical Trials
As part of the process of preparing its financial statements, the Company is required to estimate its expenses resulting from its obligations under contracts with vendors, clinical research organizations and consultants and under clinical site agreements in connection with conducting clinical trials. The financial terms of these contracts are subject to negotiations, which vary from contract to contract and may result in payment terms that do not match the periods over which materials or services are provided under such contracts. The Company’s objective is to reflect the appropriate expenses in its financial statements by matching those expenses with the period in which services are performed and efforts are expended. The Company accounts for these expenses according to the timing of various aspects of the expenses. The Company determines accrual estimates through financial models taking into account discussion with applicable personnel and outside service providers as to the progress of clinical trials, or the services completed. During the course of a clinical trial, the Company adjusts its clinical expense recognition if actual results differ from its estimates. The Company makes estimates of its accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date based on the facts and circumstances known to it at that time. The Company’s clinical trial accruals are dependent upon the timely and accurate reporting of contract research organizations and other third-party vendors. Although the Company does not expect its estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, its understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in it reporting amounts that are too high or too low for any particular period. For the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, there were no material adjustments to the Company’s prior period estimates of accrued expenses for clinical trials. |
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| Concentrations of Credit Risk |
Concentrations of Credit Risk
The Company has no significant off-balance-sheet concentration of credit risk such as foreign exchange contracts, option contracts or other hedging arrangements. The Company may from time to time have cash in banks in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. |
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| Segment Information |
Segment Information
Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision making group, in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. To date, the Company has viewed its operations and manages its business as principally one operating segment, which is developing and commercializing therapeutics to treat rare life-threatening inflammatory fibrotic diseases. As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, all of the Company’s assets were located in the United States. |
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| Income Taxes |
Income Taxes
For federal and state income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based upon temporary differences between the financial statement and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. Deferred income taxes are based upon prescribed rates and enacted laws applicable to periods in which differences are expected to reverse. A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce a net deferred tax benefit when it is more likely than not that the tax benefit from the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Accordingly, given the cumulative losses since inception, the Company has provided a valuation allowance equal to 100% of the tax benefit in order to eliminate the deferred tax assets amounts. Tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Company’s tax returns are required to be evaluated to determine whether the tax positions are “more-likely-than-not” of being sustained by the applicable tax authority.
Tax positions not deemed to meet a more-likely-than-not threshold, as well as accrued interest and penalties, if any, would be recorded as a tax expense in the current year. There were no uncertain tax positions that require accrual or disclosure to the financial statements as of December 31, 2016 or 2015. |
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| Impairment of Long-lived Assets |
Impairment of Long-lived Assets
The Company continually monitors events and changes in circumstances that could indicate that carrying amounts of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognized when expected cash flows are less than an asset’s carrying value. Accordingly, when indicators of impairment are present, the Company evaluates the carrying value of such assets in relation to the operating performance and future undiscounted cash flows of the underlying assets. The Company’s policy is to record an impairment loss when it is determined that the carrying value of the asset may not be recoverable. No impairment charges were recorded for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015. |
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| Share-based Payments |
Share-based Payments
The Company recognizes compensation costs resulting from the issuance of stock-based awards to employees, non-employees and directors as an expense in the statement of operations over the service period based on a measurement of fair value for each stock-based award. The fair value of each option grant is estimated as of the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value is amortized as compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of the awards, which is generally the vesting period. Stock options granted to non-employee consultants are revalued at the end of each reporting period until vested and the changes in their fair value are recorded as adjustments to expense over the related vesting period. |
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| Net Loss Per Common Share |
Net Loss Per Common Share
Basic net loss per share of the Company’s common stock has been computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share of the Company’s common stock has been computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect, if any, of outstanding stock options, warrants and convertible securities. Diluted net loss per share of the Company’s common stock has been computed by dividing the net loss for the period by the weighted average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding during such period. For years in which there is a net loss, options, warrants and convertible securities are anti-dilutive and therefore excluded from diluted loss per share calculations. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015:
The following potentially dilutive securities outstanding at December 31, 2016 and 2015 have been excluded from the computation of dilutive weighted average shares outstanding as the inclusion would be antidilutive.
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| Recent Accounting Pronouncements |
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
Revenue Recognition
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) issued guidance codified in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue Recognition — Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) which amends the guidance in former ASC 605, Revenue Recognition, and is effective for public companies for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company plans to adopt the standard in the first quarter of 2018 and believes that its adoption may have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Specifically, the new standard differs from the current accounting standard in many respects, such as in the accounting for variable consideration received, including milestone payments or contingent payments. Under the Company’s current accounting policy, milestone payments are recognized as revenue in the period that the payment-triggering event occurred or was achieved (See Note 8). ASC 606, however, may require the Company to recognize these payments before the payment-triggering event is completely achieved, subject to management’s assessment of whether it is probable that the triggering event will be achieved and that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved.
Accounting for Share-Based Payments
In June 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-12, Accounting for Share-Based Payments When the Terms of an Award Provide That a Performance Target Could Be Achieved after the Requisite Service Period (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) (“ASU 2014-12”). ASU 2014-12 clarifies that entities should treat performance targets that can be met after the requisite service period of a share-based payment award as performance conditions that affect vesting. Therefore, an entity would not record compensation expense (measured as of the grant date without taking into account the effect of the performance target) related to an award for which transfer to the employee is contingent on the entity’s satisfaction of a performance target until it becomes probable that the performance target will be met. There are no new disclosures required under ASU 2014-12. ASU 2014-12 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. The Company’s adoption of ASU 2014-12 in the first quarter of 2016 had no impact on its financial position, results of operations, cash flows, or disclosures.
Reporting of Going-Concern Uncertainties
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (“ASU 2014-15), which states management should evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise a substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management’s evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known and likely to occur at the date that the financial statements are issued. ASU 2014-15 was effective for the annual period ending after December 15, 2016 and its adoption did not have any impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, cash flows, or disclosures.
Accounting for Leases
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”). Under ASU 2016-02, a lessee will be required to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms of more than 12 months. Consistent with current GAAP, the recognition, measurement, and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease by a lessee primarily will depend on its classification as a finance or operating lease. However, unlike current GAAP, which requires only capital leases to be recognized on the balance sheet, ASU 2016-02 will require both types of leases to be recognized on the balance sheet. ASU 2016-02 will take effect for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018, with early application permitted. Management has not yet determined if it will adopt ASU 2016-02 earlier than the required adoption date. The adoption of ASU 2016-02 will have an impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, cash flows, and disclosures as the Company has an operating lease commitment for office space as of December 31, 2016 in the amount of $1,030,118 (see Note 5) for which ASU 2016-02 would apply.
Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting
On March 30, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 simplifies several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions including the accounting for income taxes, forfeitures, and statutory tax withholding requirements, as well as classification in the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-09 will take effect for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017, with early application permitted. Management does not expect the adoption of ASU 2016-09 to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements, although there may be additional disclosures upon adoption.
Restricted Cash Presentation
On November 17, 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-18, Restricted Cash (a consensus of the FASB Emerging Issues Task Force) (“ASU 2016-18”), which addresses classification and presentation of changes in restricted cash on the statement of cash flows. ASU 2016-18 requires an entity’s reconciliation of the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows to include in cash and cash equivalents amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash equivalents. ASU 2016-18 is effective for public business entities for annual and interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, adjustments should be reflected at the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. The Company early adopted ASU 2016-18 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 using a retrospective transition method for each period presented. |
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