Operating Expenses
Our operating expenses are comprised of research and development expenses and general and administrative expenses.
Research and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses consist of costs incurred to conduct basic research, such as the discovery and development of novel small molecules as therapeutics, as well as any external expenses of preclinical and clinical development activities. We expense all costs of research and development as incurred. These expenses consist primarily of:
•third-party contract costs relating to research, formulation, manufacturing, preclinical study, and clinical trial activities;
•personnel costs, including salaries, related benefits, and stock-based compensation for employees engaged in scientific research and development functions;
•allocated facility-related costs;
•laboratory consumables; and
•third-party license fees.
At any given time, we have later stage programs in clinical development as well as several active early-stage research and drug discovery projects. Our internal resources, employees and infrastructure are utilized across multiple projects, including our early-stage discovery projects. As such, we report information regarding costs incurred based on our programs (i.e., disease area) rather than on a project specific basis. All indirect costs are allocated to programs based on headcount and square footage of our facilities. We expect that our research and development expenses will fluctuate from period to period as we advance our research and development programs. However, in the next 12 months, we anticipate a reduction in our external research and development expenses, primarily driven by the completion of the Phase 2a human challenge study of EDP-323 and the Phase 2b study of zelicapavir in pediatric patients. These milestones, along with strategic adjustments, have positioned us to reduce spending in 2025 while maintaining our commitment to advancing key programs. To date, we have not identified any significant impact of inflation on spending in research and development, but it is uncertain whether there will be inflationary impacts, including as a result of tariffs, in future periods.
Our research and drug discovery and development programs are in early stages; therefore, the successful development of our product candidates is highly uncertain and may not result in approved products. Completion dates and completion costs can vary significantly for each product candidate and are difficult to predict. Given the uncertainty associated with clinical trial enrollments and the risks inherent in the development process, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of the current or future clinical trials of our product candidates or if, or to what extent, we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our product candidates. We anticipate that we will make determinations as to which development programs to pursue and how much funding to direct to each program on an ongoing basis in response to the preclinical and clinical success and prospects of each product candidate, as well as ongoing assessments of the commercial potential of each product candidate.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, which include salaries, related benefits and stock-based compensation, of our executive, finance, business and corporate development and other administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include travel expenses, allocated facility-related costs not otherwise included in research and development expenses, directors’ and officers’ liability insurance premiums, professional fees for auditing, tax, and legal services, patent expenses and litigation expenses associated with prosecuting our patent infringement suit.
We expect that general and administrative expenses may increase in the long term. To date we have not experienced a significant impact of inflation on general and administrative expenses, but we anticipate inflation may impact future periods.
Other Income (Expense)
Other income (expense) consists of interest expense, interest and investment income, net and the change in fair value of our outstanding Series 1 nonconvertible preferred stock. Interest expense consists of the interest expense and amortization of debt issuance costs associated with the royalty sale agreement with an affiliate of OMERS. Interest income consists of interest earned on our cash equivalents and marketable securities balances. Investment income consists of the amortization or accretion of any purchased premium or discount, respectively, on our marketable securities. The change in fair value of our Series 1 nonconvertible preferred stock relates to the remeasurement of these financial instruments from period to period as these instruments may require a transfer of assets because of the liquidation preference features of the underlying instrument.
Income Tax Benefit (Expense)
Income tax benefit (expense) is based on our best estimate of taxable net income (loss), applicable income tax rates, net research and development tax credits and carryforwards, net operating loss carrybacks and interest earned on such refunds, changes in valuation allowance estimates and deferred income taxes.