UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒	QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to .

Commission File Number 001-33451

Albireo Pharma, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

s
Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		90-0136863 (IRS Employer Identification No.)

10 Post Office Square, Suite 1000, Boston, MA (Address of principal executive offices)		02109 (Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (857) 254-5555

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock	ALBO	The Nasdaq Capital Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.


Large accelerated filer	☐	Accelerated filer	☐
Non-accelerated filer	☒	Smaller reporting company	☒
		Emerging growth company	☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). ☐ Yes ☒ No

As of April 29, 2021, there were 19,194,729 shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, outstanding.

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Albireo Pharma, Inc.


		Page
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements (unaudited)		6

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020		6

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020		7

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020		8

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020		9

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2021 and 2020		10

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements		11

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations		20

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk		31

Item 4. Controls and Procedures		31

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings		32

Item 1A. Risk Factors		32

Item 6. Exhibits		33

Signatures		34

All brand names, trademarks or service marks appearing in this quarterly report are the property of their respective owners. The registrant’s use or display of another party’s trademark, service mark, trade dress or product in this quarterly report is not intended to, and does not, imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of, the registrant by such other party.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This quarterly report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which we refer to as the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act, that relate to future events or to our future operating or financial performance. Any forward-looking statement involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements include statements, other than statements of historical fact, about, among other things:

●

the progress, number, scope, cost, duration or results of our development activities, nonclinical studies and clinical trials of Bylvay™ (odevixibat), elobixibat, A3907, A2342 or any of our other product candidates or programs, such as the target indication(s) for development or approval, the size, design, population, conduct, cost, objective or endpoints of any clinical trial, or the timing for initiation or completion of or availability of results from any clinical trial (including BOLD, our pivotal clinical trial of Bylvay in patients with biliary atresia or ASSERT, our pivotal trial of Bylvay in Alagille syndrome, or ALGS) for submission, review or approval of any regulatory filing, or for meeting with regulatory authorities;

●

the potential benefits that may be derived from any of our product candidates;

●

the timing of and our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our existing product candidates, any product candidates that we may develop, and any related restrictions, limitations, or warnings in the label of any approved product candidates;

●

access to the Expanded Access Program (EAP) for Bylvay, or the potential commercial launch of Bylvay in patients with PFIC, subject to regulatory approval;

●

any payment that EA Pharma Co., Ltd., or EA Pharma, may make to us or any other action or decision that EA Pharma may make concerning elobixibat or our business relationship;

●

the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations or financial condition;

●

our future operations, financial position, revenues, costs, expenses, uses of cash, capital requirements, our need for additional financing or the period for which our existing cash resources will be sufficient to meet our operating requirements; or

●

our strategies, prospects, plans, expectations, forecasts or objectives.

Words such as, but not limited to, “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “targets,” “likely,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” “scheduled” and similar expressions or phrases, or the negative of those expressions or phrases, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement contained in this report, we caution you that these statements are based on our estimates or projections of the future that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance, experience or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Actual results, level of activity, performance, experience or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement as a result of various important factors, including our critical accounting policies and risks and uncertainties relating, among other things, to:

●

the design, size, duration and endpoints for, and results from BOLD, our pivotal trial of Bylvay in biliary atresia, and ASSERT our pivotal trial of Bylvay in ALGS, or any other trials that will be required to obtain

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marketing approval for Bylvay to treat patients with PFIC, biliary atresia, ALGS or any other pediatric cholestatic liver disease or for A3907 and A2342 as potential treatments for adult liver and viral diseases;

●

whether favorable findings from clinical trials of Bylvay to date, including findings in our completed Phase 3 clinical trial in PFIC and findings in indications other than PFIC, will be predictive of results from future clinical trials, including our pivotal trial of Bylvay in biliary atresia and pivotal trial of Bylvay in ALGS;

●

whether either or both of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, and European Medicines Agency, or EMA, will determine that the primary endpoint and treatment duration of our completed Phase 3 trial in patients with PFIC are sufficient, even though such primary endpoint was met with statistical significance, to support approval of Bylvay in the United States, or U.S., or the European Union, or E.U., to treat PFIC, a symptom of PFIC, a specific PFIC subtype(s) or otherwise; and whether either agency will complete their respective reviews within the target timelines, including the FDA’s Prescription Drug User Fee Act goal date of July 20, 2021, as a potential result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise;

●

the outcome and interpretation by regulatory authorities of an ongoing third-party study pooling and analyzing long-term PFIC patient data;

●

the timing for initiation or completion of, or for availability of data from, our pivotal trial of Bylvay in biliary atresia and our pivotal trial of Bylvay in ALGS, and the outcomes of such trials;

●

delays or other challenges in the recruitment of patients for the pivotal trial of Bylvay in biliary atresia and the pivotal trial of Bylvay in ALGS;

●

whether Bylvay will meet the criteria to receive a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher from the FDA when applicable, whether a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher that we may receive in the future for Bylvay, if any, will be valuable to us, and, if necessary, whether the rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program will be renewed beyond 2026;

●

the COVID-19 pandemic, which may negatively impact the conduct of, and the timing of initiation, enrollment, completion and reporting with respect to, our clinical trials; negatively impact the supply of drug product for our clinical and preclinical programs; and/or result in other adverse impacts on our business;

●

the competitive environment and commercial opportunity for a potential treatment for PFIC and other orphan pediatric cholestatic liver diseases;

●

the conduct and results of clinical trials and nonclinical studies and assessments of Bylvay, A3907, A2342 or any of our other product candidates and programs, including the performance of third parties engaged to execute them and difficulties or delays in patient enrollment and data analysis;

●

the medical benefit that may be derived from Bylvay, A3907, A2342 or any of our other product candidates;

●

the extent to which our agreement with EA Pharma for elobixibat generates nondilutive income for us;

●

the timing and success of submission, acceptance and approval of regulatory filings and any related restrictions, limitations or warnings in the label of any approved product candidates;

●

whether we are able to effectively commercialize Bylvay in patients with PFIC, if approved by the FDA or EMA;

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●

the significant control or influence that EA Pharma has over the commercialization of elobixibat in Japan and the development and commercialization of elobixibat in EA Pharma’s other licensed territories;

●

whether we elect to seek and, if so, our ability to establish a license or other partnering transaction with a third party for elobixibat in the United States or Europe;

●

the accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses, costs, future revenues, uses of cash and capital requirements;

●

our ability to obtain additional financing on reasonable terms, or at all;

●

our ability to establish additional licensing, collaboration or similar arrangements on favorable terms and our ability to attract collaborators with development, regulatory and commercialization expertise;

●

the success of competing third-party products or product candidates;

●

our ability to successfully commercialize any approved product candidates, including their rate and degree of market acceptance;

●

whether we are able to maintain compliance with the terms and conditions of our loan and security agreement with Hercules Capital, Inc.;

●

our ability to expand and protect our intellectual property estate;

●

regulatory developments in the United States and other countries;

●

the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting;

●

the performance of our third-party suppliers, manufacturers and contract research organizations and our ability to obtain alternative sources of raw materials;

●

our ability to attract and retain key personnel; and

●

our ability to comply with regulatory requirements relating to our business, and the costs of compliance with those requirements, including those on data privacy and security.

These and other risks and uncertainties are described in greater detail under the caption “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, in Item 1A of Part II of this quarterly report, and in other filings that we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. As a result of the risks and uncertainties, the results or events indicated by the forward-looking statements may not occur. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.

In addition, any forward-looking statement in this quarterly report represents our views only as of the filing date of this quarterly report and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments may cause our views to change. Although we may elect to update these forward-looking statements publicly at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, except as required by applicable law. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, joint ventures or investments we may make.

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PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

Albireo Pharma, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands, except share data)

(unaudited)


	March 31,		December 31,
	2021		2020
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	217,081	$	251,272
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		8,884		10,593
Total current assets		225,965		261,865
Property and equipment, net		440		478
Goodwill		17,260		17,260
Other assets		6,154		6,004
Total assets	$	249,819	$	285,607
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	6,577	$	5,283
Accrued expenses		13,628		19,051
Current portion of note payable, net of discount		600		—
Other current liabilities		1,406		948
Total current liabilities		22,211		25,282
Liability related to sale of future royalties		67,113		65,894
Note payable, net of discount		9,136		9,621
Other long-term liabilities		3,441		3,579
Total liabilities		101,901		104,376
Stockholders’ Equity:
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share — 50,000,000 authorized at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 0 and 0 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively		—		—
Common stock, $0.01 par value per share — 30,000,000 authorized at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020; 19,192,805 and 19,107,040 issued and outstanding at March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively		192		191
Additional paid-in capital		459,937		456,472
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(1,658)		(8,612)
Accumulated deficit		(310,553)		(266,820)
Total stockholders’ equity		147,918		181,231
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	249,819	$	285,607

See accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Albireo Pharma, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

(unaudited)


	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2021		2020
Revenue	$	1,966	$	1,549
Operating expenses:
Research and development		19,943		16,130
General and administrative		15,273		8,153
Other operating expense, net		6,528		6,816
Total operating expenses		41,744		31,099
Operating loss		(39,778)		(29,550)
Interest expense, net		(3,955)		(1,938)
Net loss	$	(43,733)	$	(31,488)
Net loss per common share - basic and diluted	$	(2.29)	$	(2.23)
Weighted-average common shares used to compute basic and diluted net loss per common share		19,131,557		14,132,217

See accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Albireo Pharma, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

(in thousands)

(unaudited)


	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2021		2020
Net loss	$	(43,733)	$	(31,488)
Other comprehensive (loss) income:
Foreign currency translation adjustment		6,954		6,287
Total other comprehensive income		6,954		6,287
Total comprehensive loss	$	(36,779)	$	(25,201)

See accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Albireo Pharma, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

(in thousands, except share data)

(unaudited)


						Accumulated
				Additional		Other				Total
	Common Stock			Paid-In		Comprehensive		Accumulated		Stockholders’
	Shares	Amount		Capital		Income (loss)		Deficit		Equity
Balance--December 31, 2020	19,107,040	$	191	$	456,472	$	(8,612)	$	(266,820)	$	181,231
Stock-based compensation expense	—		—		3,062		—		—		3,062
Exercise of options and vesting of RSUs	85,765		1		403		—		—		404
Other comprehensive income	—		—		—		6,954		—		6,954
Net loss	—		—		—		—		(43,733)		(43,733)
Balance--March 31, 2021	19,192,805	$	192	$	459,937	$	(1,658)	$	(310,553)	$	147,918


						Accumulated
				Additional		Other				Total
	Common Stock			Paid-In		Comprehensive		Accumulated		Stockholders’
	Shares	Amount		Capital		Income (loss)		Deficit		Equity
Balance--December 31, 2019	12,749,443	$	127	$	245,769	$	6,452	$	(159,187)	$	93,161
Stock-based compensation expense	—		—		2,381		—		—		2,381
Exercise of options and vesting of RSUs	37,662		—		94		—		—		94
Issuance of common stock, net of costs	2,190,750		22		42,977		—		—		42,999
Other comprehensive income	—		—		—		6,287		—		6,287
Net loss	—		—		—		—		(31,488)		(31,488)
Balance--March 31, 2020	14,977,855	$	149	$	291,221	$	12,739	$	(190,675)	$	113,434

See accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Albireo Pharma, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(in thousands)

(unaudited)


	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2021		2020
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss	$	(43,733)	$	(31,488)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Accretion of liability related to sale of future royalties		3,100		2,040
Accretion of debt discount and amortization of issuance costs		115		—
Depreciation and amortization		37		39
Share based compensation expense		3,062		2,381
Foreign currency adjustments		6,479		6,544
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		1,669		1,283
Other assets		152		135
Accounts payable		1,362		2,233
Accrued expenses		(5,245)		(6,987)
Other current and long-term liabilities		(1,714)		24
Net cash used in operating activities		(34,716)		(23,796)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs		—		42,999
Proceeds from exercise of options		404		94
Net cash provided by financing activities		404		43,093
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		121		(625)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents		(34,191)		18,672
Cash and cash equivalents—beginning of period		251,272		131,843
Cash and cash equivalents—end of period	$	217,081	$	150,515

See accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Albireo Pharma, Inc.

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

(unaudited)

1. Summary of significant accounting policies and basis of presentation

Organization

Albireo Pharma, Inc. (the Company), is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel bile acid modulators to treat orphan pediatric liver diseases and other liver and gastrointestinal diseases and disorders. The Company’s clinical pipeline includes a Phase 3 product candidate, a Phase 1 product candidate and elobixibat, which is approved in Japan for the treatment of chronic constipation. Bylvay, the Company’s Phase 3 lead product candidate, is in development for the treatment of patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC), biliary atresia and Alagille syndrome (ALGS), each a rare, life-threatening disorder affecting young children.

Since its inception, the Company has devoted substantially all of its resources to its research and development efforts, including activities to develop its product candidates and to prepare for potential commercialization of Bylvay in PFIC in 2021. and to provide general and administrative support for these operations.

The Company has primarily funded its operations with proceeds from the sales of common stock, the sale of royalties to HealthCare Royalty Partners III, L.P. (HCR) and proceeds from the issuance of debt. As of March 31, 2021, the Company has raised an aggregate of $356.7 million through the issuance common stock, net of issuance costs, $59.3 million from the sale of its future royalties and $9.5 million through the Loan and Security Agreement, net of issuance costs.

The Company has incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception. The Company expects to continue to incur significant expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. In addition, the Company anticipates that its expenses will increase significantly in connection with ongoing activities to support the launch of Bylvay for PFIC and the advancement of Bylvay into later stage clinical trials and providing administrative support.

The Company does not expect to generate significant revenue from sales of Bylvay in 2021. As a result, the Company will need substantial additional funding to support its continued operations and growth strategy. Until such a time as the Company can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, the Company expects to finance its operations through the sale of equity, debt financings or other capital sources, including collaborations with other companies or other strategic transactions. The Company may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements on favorable terms, or at all. If the Company fails to raise capital or enter into such agreements as, and when, needed, the Company may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more of its product candidates or delay its pursuit of potential in-licenses or acquisitions.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $217.1 million. Management believes that its cash and cash equivalent resources at March 31, 2021, will be sufficient to allow the Company to fund its current operating plan through at least the next twelve months from the issuance of these financial statements.

The Company is subject to those risks associated with any biopharmaceutical company that has substantial expenditures for research and development. There can be no assurance that the Company’s research and development projects will be successful, that products developed will obtain necessary regulatory approval, or that any approved product will be commercially viable. In addition, the Company operates in an environment of rapid technological

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change and is largely dependent on the services of its employees and consultants. If the Company fails to become profitable or is unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then it may be unable to continue its operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce its operations.

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (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 and should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (including normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for fair presentation have been included in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year, any other interim period or any future fiscal year. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared on a basis consistent with prior periods.

Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative GAAP as found in the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) and Accounting Standards Update (ASU) of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).

Principles of consolidation

The accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Foreign currency translation

Functional currency

Items included in the financial statements of each entity comprising the Company are measured using the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity operates (the functional currency).

Transactions and balances

Foreign currency transactions in each entity comprising the Company are remeasured into the functional currency of the entity using the exchange rates prevailing at the respective transaction dates. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the remeasurement at period-end exchange rates of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are recognized within other operating (income) expense, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The results and financial position of the Company that have a functional currency different from the USD are translated into the presentation currency as follows:

assets and liabilities presented are translated at the closing exchange rate as of March 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020;

income and expenses for each statement of comprehensive loss are translated at the average exchange rate for the applicable period; and

significant transactions use the closing exchange rate on the date of the transaction.

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All resulting exchange differences arising from such translations are recognized directly in other comprehensive income (loss) and presented as a separate component of equity.

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Management must apply significant judgment in this process. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions, including but not limited to accruals, including its clinical trial accruals, realizability of deferred tax assets and the accretion of interest on the monetization liability. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates.

Revenue recognition

Milestone Payments

At the inception of each arrangement that includes development milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether the milestones are considered probable of being achieved and estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the associated milestone value is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within the control of the Company or the licensee, such as regulatory approvals, are not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. The Company evaluates factors such as the scientific, clinical, regulatory, commercial, and other risks that must be overcome to achieve the particular milestone in making this assessment. There is considerable judgment involved in determining whether it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur. At the end of each subsequent reporting period, the Company reevaluates the probability of achievement of all milestones subject to constraint and, if necessary, adjusts its estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect revenues and earnings in the period of adjustment.

Royalties

For arrangements that include sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on a level of sales, and the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which the royalties relate, the Company recognizes revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied).

In 2012, the Company entered into a license agreement (the Agreement) with EA Pharma Co., Ltd. (EA Pharma, formerly Ajinomoto Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.) to develop a select product candidate (elobixibat) for registration and subsequent commercialization in select markets. In conjunction with the Agreement, the Company granted EA Pharma an exclusive license to its intellectual property for development and commercialization activities in the designated field and territories. The Company has completed all of its performance obligations under the Agreement.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company is eligible to receive an additional regulatory-based milestone payment under the Agreement of $5.0 million if a specified regulatory event is achieved for elobixibat. The cash payments and any other payments for milestones and royalties from EA Pharma are non-refundable, non-creditable and not subject to set-off.

The Agreement will continue until the last royalty period for any product in the territory, which is defined as the period when there are no remaining patent rights or regulatory exclusivity in place for any products subject to royalties. EA Pharma may terminate the Agreement upon 180 days’ prior written notice to the Company. Either party may terminate the Agreement for the other party’s uncured material breach or insolvency and in certain other circumstances agreed to by the parties.

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Monetization of Future Royalties

In December 2017, the Company entered into a royalty interest acquisition agreement (RIAA) with HCR pursuant to which it sold to HCR the right to receive all royalties from sales in Japan and sales milestones achieved from any covered territory potentially payable to the Company under the Agreement, up to a specified maximum “cap” amount of $78.8 million, based on the funds the Company received from HCR. In January 2018, the Company received $44.5 million from HCR, net of certain transaction expenses, under the RIAA. On June 8, 2020, the parties entered into an amendment to the RIAA pursuant to which HCR agreed to pay the Company an additional $14.8 million, net of certain transaction expenses, in exchange for the elimination of the (i) $78.8 million cap amount on HCR’s rights to receive royalties on sales in Japan and sales milestones for elobixibat in certain other territories that may become payable by EA Pharma and (ii) the $15.0 million payable to the Company if a specified sales milestone is achieved for elobixibat in Japan. The Company is obligated to make royalty interest payments to HCR under the RIAA only to the extent it receives future Japanese royalties, sales milestones or other specified payments from EA Pharma. Although the Company sold its rights to receive royalties from the sales of elobixibat in Japan, as a result of its ongoing involvement in the cash flows related to these royalties, the Company will continue to account for these royalties and milestones as revenue. Upon receipt of the payments from HCR the Company recorded net cash totaling $59.3 million as a liability related to sale of future royalties (royalty obligation). The royalty obligation will be amortized using the effective interest rate method.

The following table shows the activity within the liability account for the three month period ended March 31, 2021:


	March 31, 2021
	(in thousands)
Liability related to sale of future royalties—beginning balance	$	68,594
Accretion of interest expense on liability related to royalty monetization		3,100
Repayment of the liability		(2,665)
Liability related to sale of future royalties—ending balance	$	69,029
Less current portion classified within accrued expenses		(1,916)
Net ending liability related to sale of future royalties	$	67,113

The Company records estimated royalties due for the current period in accrued expenses until the payment is received from EA Pharma at which time the Company then remits payment to HCR. As royalties are remitted to HCR, the balance of the royalty obligation will be effectively repaid over the life of the RIAA. In order to determine the accretion of the royalty obligation, the Company is required to estimate the total amount of future royalty payments to be received and submitted to HCR, as noted above. The sum of these amounts less the $59.3 million proceeds the Company received will be recorded as interest expense over the life of the royalty obligation. At March 31, 2021, the Company’s estimate of its total interest expense resulted in an annual effective interest rate of approximately 18.8%.

The Company periodically assesses the estimated royalty payments to HCR and to the extent such payments are greater or less than its initial estimates or the timing of such payments is materially different than its original estimates, the Company will prospectively adjust the accretion of interest on the royalty obligation. There are a number of factors that could materially affect the amount and the timing of royalty payments, most of which are not within the Company’s control. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the rate of elobixibat prescriptions, the number of doses administered, the introduction of competing products, manufacturing or other delays, patent protection, adverse events that result in governmental health authority imposed restrictions on the use of the drug products, significant changes in foreign exchange rates as the royalties remitted to HCR are in U.S. dollars while sales of elobixibat are in Japanese yen, and sales never achieving forecasted numbers, which would result in reduced royalty payments and reduced non-cash interest expense over the life of the royalty obligation. To the extent future royalties result in an amount less than the liability, the Company is not obligated to fund any such shortfall.

Recent accounting pronouncements

There are no recently issued accounting pronouncements the Company has not yet adopted that will materially impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Table of Contents

2. Fair Value of financial instruments

When measuring the fair value of financial instruments, the Company evaluates valuation techniques such as the market approach, the income approach and the cost approach. A three-level valuation hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques that are used to measure fair value, is based upon whether such inputs are observable or unobservable.

Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect market assumptions made by the reporting entity. The three-level hierarchy for the inputs to valuation techniques is briefly summarized as follows:

Level 1—Observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets;

Level 2—Observable inputs such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active, or model-derived valuations whose significant inputs are observable for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; and

Level 3—Unobservable inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s estimate of assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

The following tables represent information about the Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis (in thousands):


	March 31, 2021
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3
Cash Equivalents:
Money market funds	$	215,008	$	—	$	—
Total

SEC Form 10-Q filed by Albireo Pharma, Inc.