UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10‑K

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

or

 

For the transition period from                          to                     

Commission File Number: 001‑12400

INCYTE CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

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

 

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

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well‑known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15 (d) of the Act. Yes ☐   No ☒

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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S‑K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10‑K or any amendment to this Form 10‑K. ☒

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

 

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 ☒

The aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non‑affiliates (based on the closing sale price on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on June 30, 2017) was approximately $21.4 billion.

As of February 8, 2018 there were 211,663,861 shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value per share, outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Items 10 (as to directors and Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance), 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III incorporate by reference information from the registrant’s proxy statement to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the registrant’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 1, 2018.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

Item 1.  Business

This report contains forward‑looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements relate to future periods, future events or our future operating or financial plans or performance. Often, these statements include the words “believe,” “expect,” “target,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “estimate,” “potential,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” or the negative of these terms, and other similar expressions. These forward‑looking statements include statements as to:

 

 

 

 

 

These forward‑looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected and include, but are not limited to:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward‑looking statements. Except as required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update any forward‑looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future.

In this report all references to “Incyte,” “we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company” mean Incyte Corporation and our subsidiaries, except where it is made clear that the term means only the parent company.

Incyte and JAKAFI are our registered trademarks. We also refer to trademarks of other corporations and organizations in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

Overview

Incyte is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of

proprietary therapeutics. Our global headquarters is located in Wilmington, Delaware. We conduct our European clinical development operations from our offices in Geneva, Switzerland, and Lausanne, Switzerland, and have recently opened our Japanese office in Tokyo.

Marketed Indications - JAKAFI (ruxolitinib)

JAKAFI (ruxolitinib) is our first product to be approved for sale in the United States. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2011 for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high‑risk myelofibrosis and in December 2014 for the treatment of patients with polycythemia vera who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea. Myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera are both rare blood cancers. Under our collaboration agreement with Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd., Novartis received exclusive development and commercialization rights to ruxolitinib outside of the United States for all hematologic and oncologic indications and sells ruxolitinib outside of the United States under the name JAKAVI.

In 2003, we initiated a research and development program to explore the inhibition of enzymes called janus associated kinases (JAK). The JAK family is composed of four tyrosine kinases—JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and Tyk2—that are involved in the signaling of a number of cytokines and growth factors. JAKs are central to a number of biologic processes, including the formation and development of blood cells and the regulation of immune functions. Dysregulation of the JAK‑STAT signaling pathway has been associated with a number of diseases, including myeloproliferative neoplasms, other hematological malignancies, rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. Myeloproliferative neoplasms are a closely related group of blood diseases in which blood cells, specifically platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells, grow or act abnormally. These diseases include myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV) and essential thrombocythemia (ET).

We have discovered multiple potent, selective and orally bioavailable JAK inhibitors that are selective for JAK1 or JAK1 and JAK2. JAKAFI is the most advanced compound in our JAK program. It is an oral JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor.

JAKAFI is marketed in the United States through our own specialty sales force and commercial team. JAKAFI was the first FDA‑approved JAK inhibitor for any indication and was the first and remains the only product approved by the FDA for use in MF and PV. The FDA has granted JAKAFI orphan drug status for MF, PV, ET, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD).

To help ensure that all eligible MF and PV patients have access to JAKAFI, we have established a patient assistance program called IncyteCARES (CARES stands for Connecting to Access, Reimbursement, Education and Support). IncyteCARES helps ensure that any patient with intermediate or high‑risk MF or uncontrolled PV who meets certain eligibility criteria and is prescribed JAKAFI has access to the product regardless of ability to pay and has access to ongoing support and educational resources during treatment. In addition, IncyteCARES works closely with payers to help facilitate insurance coverage of JAKAFI.

JAKAFI is distributed primarily through a network of specialty pharmacy providers and wholesalers that allow for efficient delivery of the medication by mail directly to patients or direct delivery to the patient’s pharmacy. Our distribution process uses a model that is well‑established and familiar to physicians who practice within the oncology field.

To further support appropriate use and future development of JAKAFI, our U.S. Medical Affairs department is responsible for providing appropriate scientific and medical education and information to physicians, preparing scientific presentations and publications, and overseeing the process for supporting investigator sponsored trials.

Myelofibrosis.  Myelofibrosis is a rare, life‑threatening condition. MF, considered the most serious of the myeloproliferative neoplasms, can occur either as primary MF, or as secondary MF that develops in some patients who previously had polycythemia vera or essential thrombocythemia. We estimate there are between 16,000 and 18,500 patients with MF in the United States. Based on the modern prognostic scoring systems referred to as International Prognostic Scoring System and Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System, we believe intermediate and high‑risk patients represent 80%  to 90%  of all patients with MF in the United States and encompass patients over the age of 65, or patients who have or have ever had any of the following: anemia, constitutional symptoms, elevated white blood cell or blast counts, or platelet counts less than 100,000 per microliter of blood.

Most MF patients have enlarged spleens and many suffer from debilitating symptoms, including abdominal discomfort, pruritus (itching), night sweats and cachexia (involuntary weight loss). There were no FDA approved therapies for MF until the approval of JAKAFI.

The FDA approval was based on results from two randomized Phase III trials (COMFORT‑I and COMFORT‑II), which demonstrated that patients treated with JAKAFI experienced significant reductions in splenomegaly (enlarged spleen). COMFORT‑I also demonstrated improvements in symptoms. The most common hematologic adverse reactions in both trials were thrombocytopenia and anemia. These events rarely led to discontinuation of JAKAFI treatment. The most common non‑hematologic adverse reactions were bruising, dizziness and headache.

In August 2014, the FDA approved supplemental labeling for JAKAFI to include Kaplan‑Meier overall survival curves as well as additional safety and dosing information. The overall survival information is based on three‑year data from COMFORT‑I and II, and shows that at three years the probability of survival for patients treated with JAKAFI in COMFORT‑I was 70% and for those patients originally randomized to placebo it was 61%. In COMFORT‑II, at three years the probability of survival for patients treated with JAKAFI was 79% and for patients originally randomized to best available therapy it was 59%.  In December 2016, we announced an exploratory pooled analysis of data from the five-year follow-up of the COMFORT-I and COMFORT-II trials of patients treated with JAKAFI, which further supported previously published overall survival findings.

In October 2017, the FDA approved updated labeling for JAKAFI to include the addition of new patient-reported outcome (PRO) data from the COMFORT-I study, as well as updating the warning related to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. An exploratory analysis of PRO data of patients with myelofibrosis receiving JAKAFI showed improvement in fatigue-related symptoms at Week 24. Fatigue response (defined as a reduction of 4.5 points or more from baseline in the PROMIS® Fatigue total score) was reported in 35% of patients treated with JAKAFI versus 14% of the patients treated with placebo.

In September 2016, we announced that JAKAFI had been included as a recommended treatment in the latest National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for myelofibrosis, underscoring the important and long-term clinical benefits seen in patients treated with JAKAFI.

Polycythemia Vera.  PV is a myeloproliferative neoplasm typically characterized by elevated hematocrit, the volume percentage of red blood cells in whole blood, which can lead to a thickening of the blood and an increased risk of blood clots, as well as an elevated white blood cell and platelet count. When phlebotomy can no longer control PV, chemotherapy such as hydroxyurea, or interferon, is utilized. Approximately 25,000 patients with PV in the United States are considered uncontrolled because they have an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea, the most commonly used chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of PV.

In December 2014, the FDA approved JAKAFI for the treatment of patients with PV who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea. The approval of JAKAFI for PV was based on data from the pivotal Phase III RESPONSE trial. In this trial, patients treated with JAKAFI demonstrated superior hematocrit control and reductions in spleen volume compared to best available therapy. In addition, a greater proportion of patients treated with JAKAFI achieved complete hematologic remission—which was defined as achieving hematocrit control, and lowering platelet and white blood cell counts. In the RESPONSE trial, the most common hematologic adverse reactions (incidence > 20%) were thrombocytopenia and anemia. The most common non‑hematologic adverse events (incidence >10%) were headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, pruritus, dyspnea and muscle spasms.

In March 2016, the FDA approved supplemental labeling for JAKAFI to include additional safety data as well as efficacy analyses from the RESPONSE trial to assess the durability of response in JAKAFI treated patients after 80 weeks. At this time, 83% patients were still on treatment, and 76% of the responders at 32 weeks maintained their response through 80 weeks.

In June 2016, we announced data from the Phase 3 RESPONSE-2 study of JAKAFI in patients with inadequately controlled PV that was resistant to or intolerant of hydroxyurea who did not have an enlarged spleen. These data showed that JAKAFI was superior to best available therapy in maintaining hematocrit control (62.2% vs. 18.7%, respectively; P<0.0001) without the need for phlebotomy.

In August 2017, we announced that JAKAFI had been included as a recommended treatment in the latest NCCN Guidelines for patients with polycythemia vera who have had an inadequate response to first-line therapies, such as hydroxyurea.

We have retained all development and commercialization rights to JAKAFI in the United States and are eligible to receive development and commercial milestones as well as royalties from product sales outside the United States. We hold patents that cover the composition of matter and use of ruxolitinib which patents, including applicable extensions, expire in late 2027.

Marketed Indications - ICLUSIG (ponatinib)

In June 2016, we acquired the European operations of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARIAD) and obtained an exclusive license to develop and commercialize ICLUSIG (ponatinib) in Europe and other select countries. ICLUSIG is a kinase inhibitor. The primary target for ICLUSIG is BCR-ABL, an abnormal tyrosine kinase that is expressed in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL).

In the European Union, ICLUSIG is approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic phase, accelerated phase or blast phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) who are resistant to dasatinib or nilotinib; who are intolerant to dasatinib or nilotinib and for whom subsequent treatment with imatinib is not clinically appropriate; or who have the T315I mutation, or the treatment of adult patients with Philadelphia-chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) who are resistant to dasatinib; who are intolerant to dasatinib and for whom subsequent treatment with imatinib is not clinically appropriate; or who have the T315I mutation.

Clinical Programs in Oncology

We believe that the future of cancer treatment lies in the use of immune therapies, which seek to recruit the patient’s own immune system to tackle cancer, and targeted therapies, which aim to block, directly or indirectly, the effects of cancer-causing mutations. Our most advanced programs are detailed below.

JAK Inhibition

Building upon positive, independently published third-party data of ruxolitinib in GVHD, we have initiated the REACH clinical program to evaluate ruxolitinib in patients with steroid-refractory GVHD. REACH1, a pivotal Phase II trial in steroid-refractory acute GVHD was initiated in December 2016 and is now fully-recruited. REACH2, the Novartis-sponsored Phase III trial in steroid-refractory acute GVHD, and REACH3, the Phase III trial in steroid-refractory chronic GVHD that is co-sponsored by Incyte and Novartis, are both now underway.  In June 2016, we announced that the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for ruxolitinib in patients with acute GVHD. In April 2016, we announced an agreement with Eli Lilly and Company enabling us to develop and commercialize ruxolitinib in the United States for the treatment of GVHD. We also announced an agreement with Novartis granting Novartis exclusive research, development and commercialization rights for ruxolitinib in GVHD outside the United States.

A proof-of-concept trial of itacitinib, a selective JAK1 inhibitor, is ongoing for the treatment of patients with acute GVHD. Based on preliminary data from this trial, a pivotal program investigating itacitinib for the treatment of patients with treatment-naïve acute GVHD was initiated in July 2017. The FDA has granted itacitinib orphan drug status for GVHD.

GVHD is a condition that can occur after an allogeneic transplant (the transfer of genetically dissimilar stem cells or tissue). In GVHD, the donated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells view the recipient’s body as foreign and attack the body. We estimate that the long-term survival in patients with corticosteroid-refractory GVHD is approximately 5% to 30% and that the diagnosed incidence of acute and chronic GVHD is approximately 17,000 per year across the United States and Europe.

Following positive proof-of-concept data, we initiated a pivotal program investigating ruxolitinib for the treatment of patients with essential thrombocythemia. ET is a Philadelphia chromosome negative myeloproliferative neoplasm, characterized by the overproduction of platelets in the bone marrow. The pivotal RESET trial is enrolling ET

patients that are refractory to or intolerant of hydroxyurea, the current standard of care for first-line treatment of these patients.

The clinical program to evaluate itacitinib in solid tumors includes a clinical trial in combination with AstraZeneca/MedImmune’s EGFR inhibitor osimertinib.

IDO1 Inhibition

Epacadostat is a novel, potent and selective inhibitor of the enzyme indoleamine 2, 3‑dioxygenase‑1 (IDO1), which is a key regulator of the mechanisms that are responsible for allowing tumors to escape from a patient’s immune surveillance. IDO1 expression by tumor cells, or by antigen presenting cells such as macrophages and dendritic cells in tumors, creates an environment in which tumor specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes are rendered functionally inactive or are no longer able to attack a patient’s cancer cells. By inhibiting IDO1, it is proposed that this “brake” on the anti‑tumor immune response is removed, allowing anti‑tumor specific cytotoxic T cells, generated in a patient spontaneously in response to the tumor, or through a therapy designed to stimulate the immune response, to have greater anti‑tumor efficacy.

The ECHO clinical development program will investigate the development of epacadostat in combination with other therapeutic agents, including checkpoint inhibitors, vaccines, epigenetic therapies, and chemotherapies. During 2014, we signed clinical trial collaboration agreements with Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca/MedImmune and Roche/Genentech to evaluate epacadostat with their respective anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 agents, pembrolizumab, nivolumab, durvalumab and atezolizumab, respectively, in Phase I/II trials. We have global development and commercialization rights to epacadostat for all indications.

In October 2015, we and Merck announced an expansion of the companies’ ongoing clinical trial collaboration to include ECHO-301, a Phase III study evaluating the combination of epacadostat with pembrolizumab as a first-line treatment for patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma. In July 2017, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to the ECHO-301 trial to demonstrate a statistically robust and clinically meaningful improvement in progression free survival and/or overall survival compared to patients treated with pembrolizumab alone.

In March 2017, we and Merck announced details of the companies’ planned expansion of the ongoing clinical trial collaboration to include Phase III trials in four additional tumor types, evaluating epacadostat plus pembrolizumab in patients with non-small cell lung (NSCLC), renal, bladder, and head & neck cancers. These trials have all been initiated.

In April 2017, we and Bristol-Myers Squibb announced an expansion of our clinical trial collaboration to include two Phase III programs of epacadostat in combination with nivolumab in NSCLC and head & neck cancer. Both of these trials are now open for recruitment.

In October 2017, we and AstraZeneca announced an expansion of our clinical trial collaboration to include a Phase III trial of epacadostat in combination with AstraZeneca’s PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab in patients with Stage III NSCLC.

PD-1 Antagonism

In October 2017, we and MacroGenics announced an exclusive global collaboration and license agreement for MacroGenics’ MGA012, an investigational monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-1. Under this collaboration, we obtained exclusive worldwide rights for the development and commercialization of MGA012 in all indications. Enrollment in the dose escalation portion of the Phase 1 study of MGA012 has been completed and the molecule is currently being evaluated as monotherapy across four solid tumor types in the dose expansion portion of the study.

PI3K-delta Inhibition

The PI3K-delta pathway mediates oncogenic signaling in B cell malignancies. INCB50465 is a PI3K-delta inhibitor that has demonstrated potency and selectivity in preclinical studies and has potential therapeutic utility in the treatment of patients with lymphoma. We have initiated the CITADEL clinical program to evaluate INCB50465 in non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including patients with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma.

FGFR 1/2/3 Inhibition

INCB54828 is an inhibitor of the FGFR isoforms 1, 2 and 3 that has demonstrated potency and selectivity in preclinical studies. The FGFR family of receptor tyrosine kinases can act as oncogenic drivers in a number of liquid and solid tumor types. We initiated the FIGHT clinical program to evaluate INCB54828 across a spectrum of cancers that are driven by FGF/FGFR mutations. The program now has three Phase II trials enrolling – FIGHT-201 in patients with bladder cancer, FIGHT-202 in patients with cholangiocarcinoma, and FIGHT-203 in patients with 8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (8p11 MPN).

 

1. MGA012 licensed from MacroGenics.

We also have a number of other earlier-stage clinical programs. We intend to describe these programs more fully once we have obtained clinical proof‑of‑concept and established that the program warrants further development in a specific indication or group of indications.

INCB57643 is a BRD inhibitor. BRDs are a family of proteins which play important roles in mediating gene transcription, most notably by facilitating the expression of oncogenes such as MYC, one of the most frequently dysregulated oncogenes in all human cancer.

INCB53914 is a pan-PIM kinase inhibitor that has demonstrated potency and selectivity in preclinical studies. PIM kinases integrate signals from multiple pathways important for the survival and proliferation of malignant cells. Over expression of PIM kinases has been reported in human hematological cancers with each isoform showing a distinct expression pattern among the various malignancy subtypes.

INCB52793 is a selective JAK1 inhibitor that has exhibited 150 times greater selectivity for JAK1 over JAK2 in preclinical studies. Dysregulation of the JAK-STAT pathway has been implicated in the pathogenesis of leukemia.

INCB59872 is an LSD1 inhibitor. LSD1 is a key enzyme that is involved in epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. Dysregulated LSD1 activity can perturb normal gene expression, leading to cellular transformation.  In particular, the function of LSD1 has been reported to maintain stem cell-like gene expression patterns in various cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia and small cell lung cancer.

INCB62079 is a selective, irreversible inhibitor of FGFR4 that has exhibited 250 times greater selectivity for FGFR4 than other FGFR isoforms in preclinical studies. Preclinical data has also demonstrated the compound’s selective activity against cancer cell lines with FGF19-FGFR4 pathway activation, and dose-dependent activity in murine models of FGF19-driven hepatocellular carcinoma.

INCB01158 is a first-in-class, small molecule arginase inhibitor in hematology and oncology licensed from Calithera Biosciences, Inc. In preclinical models, arginase inhibition has been shown to enhance anti-tumor immunity both as a single agent and in combination with other immuno-modulatory therapeutics.

INCAGN1876 is an anti-GITR agonist antibody and INCAGN1949 is an anti-OX40 agonist antibody.  Both are programs within our antibody discovery alliance with Agenus Inc. GITR and OX40 are costimulatory receptors that are expressed on effector T cells and are important for T cell survival and enhanced cytokine production. Both are also expressed on regulatory T cells and can abrogate their suppressive function. Preclinical data demonstrate that anti-GITR and anti-OX40 agonist antibodies inhibit tumor growth by enhancing the levels and function of effector T cells and by decreasing regulatory T cells.

Clinical Programs outside Oncology

In January 2017, we initiated a Phase II trial of ruxolitinib cream for the topical treatment of atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a skin disorder that causes the skin to become red, scaly, and itchy. Onset can occur at any age, but is much more common in infants and children. United States and European prevalence are estimated at 10.3 million patients and 6.5 million patients, respectively.

A Phase II trial of topical ruxolitinib in patients with vitiligo, a long term skin condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment, was initiated in June 2017.

 

1. Novartis’ rights for ruxolitinib outside of the United States under our Collaboration and License Agreement with Novartis do not include topical administration.

 

Partnered Programs

 

Baricitinib

 

We have a second JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor, baricitinib, which is subject to our collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Company, in which Lilly received exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to the compound for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The Phase III program of baricitinib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis incorporated all three rheumatoid arthritis populations (methotrexate naïve, biologic naïve, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor inadequate responders); used event rates to fully power the baricitinib program for structural comparison and non-inferiority vs. adalimumab; and evaluated patient-reported outcomes. All four Phase III trials met their respective primary endpoints.

 

In January 2016, Lilly submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA and a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency for baricitinib as treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. In February 2017, we and Lilly announced that the European Commission approved baricitinib as OLUMIANT for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to, one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In July 2017, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) granted marketing approval for OLUMIANT for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (including the prevention of structural injury of joints) in patients with inadequate response to standard-of-care therapies.

 

In April 2017, we and Lilly announced that the FDA had issued a complete response letter for the New Drug Application of baricitinib as a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. The letter indicated that the FDA was unable to approve the application in its current form. Specifically, the FDA indicated that additional clinical data are needed to determine the most appropriate doses. The FDA also stated that additional data are necessary to further characterize safety concerns across treatment arms. In December 2017, Lilly announced that the NDA for baricitinib had been resubmitted and included new safety and efficacy data. The FDA classified the application as a Class II resubmission, which started a new six-month review cycle.

Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease characterized by aberrant or abnormal immune mechanisms that lead to joint inflammation and swelling and, in some patients, the progressive destruction of joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect connective tissue in the skin and organs of the body.

Current rheumatoid arthritis treatments include the use of non‑steroidal anti‑inflammatory drugs, disease‑modifying anti‑rheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate, and the newer biological response modifiers that target pro‑inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor, implicated in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. None of these approaches to treatment is curative; therefore, there remains an unmet need for new safe and effective treatment options for these patients. Rheumatoid arthritis is estimated to affect about 1% of the world’s population.

 

Psoriatic Arthritis.  Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis that is seen in association with skin psoriasis. It causes joint pain and swelling that can lead to damage of the joint if the inflammation is not controlled.  Baricitinib has been shown to inhibit the JAK-STAT pathway in related conditions such as psoriasis in Phase II trials, and based on its activity profile, baricitinib also has the potential to demonstrate positive clinical outcomes in PsA. Lilly expects to initiate a Phase III program to evaluate the safety and efficacy of baricitinib in patients with PsA during 2018.

 

Atopic Dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis (AtD) is a condition that makes the skin red and itchy and which is common in children but can occur at any age. Atopic dermatitis is long lasting and tends to flare periodically and then subside. Lilly has conducted a Phase IIa trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of baricitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. The JAK-STAT pathway has been shown to play an essential role in the dysregulation of immune responses in atopic dermatitis. Therefore, we believe that inhibiting cytokine pathways dependent on JAK1 and JAK2 may lead to positive clinical outcomes in atopic dermatitis. In December 2017, Lilly announced that a Phase III program to evaluate the safety and efficacy of baricitinib in patients with moderate to severe AtD has been initiated.

 

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease that causes inflammation. In addition to affecting the skin and joints, it can affect other organs in the body such as the kidneys, the tissue lining the lungs and heart, and the brain. Lilly has conducted a Phase II trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of

baricitinib in patients with SLE. Baricitinib’s activity profile suggests that it inhibits cytokines implicated in SLE such as type I interferon (IFN), type II IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-23 as well as other cytokines that may have a role in SLE, including granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-12. The potential impact of baricitinib on the IFN pathway is highly relevant to SLE, as clinical and preclinical studies have established that this pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

We exercised our co-development options in rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, and psoriatic arthritis to fund 30% of future global development costs through regulatory approval, including post-launch studies required by a regulatory authority, in exchange for increased tiered royalties ranging up to the high twenties on potential future sales. We also exercised our co-development options in systemic lupus erythematosus and axial spondyloarthritis, should Lilly decide to progress into a pivotal program in these indications.

Capmatinib

Capmatinib is a potent and highly selective MET inhibitor. The investigational compound has demonstrated inhibitory activity in cell-based biochemical and functional assays that measure MET signaling and MET dependent cell proliferation, survival and migration. Under our agreement, Novartis received worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights to capmatinib and certain back‑up compounds in all indications. Capmatinib is being evaluated in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, non‑small cell lung cancer and other solid tumors, and may have potential utility as a combination agent.

MET is a clinically validated receptor kinase cancer target. Abnormal MET activation in cancer correlates with poor prognosis. Dysregulation of the MET pathway triggers tumor growth, formation of new blood vessels that supply the tumor with nutrients, and causes cancer to spread to other organs. Dysregulation of the MET pathway is seen in many types of cancers, including lung, kidney, liver, stomach, breast and brain.

1. Baricitinib licensed to Lilly

2. Capmatinib licensed to Novartis

License Agreements and Business Relationships

As part of our business strategy, we establish business relationships, including collaborative arrangements with other companies and medical research institutions to assist in the clinical development and/or commercialization of certain of our drugs and drug candidates and to provide support for our research programs. We also evaluate opportunities for acquiring products or rights to products and technologies that are complementary to our business from other companies and medical research institutions.

Below is a brief description of our significant business relationships and collaborations and related license agreements that expand our pipeline and provide us with certain rights to existing and potential new products and technologies.

Novartis

In November 2009, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Novartis. Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis received exclusive development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to ruxolitinib and certain back‑up compounds for hematologic and oncology indications, including all hematological malignancies, solid tumors and myeloproliferative diseases. We retained exclusive development and commercialization rights to JAKAFI (ruxolitinib) in the United States and in certain other indications. Novartis also received worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights to our MET inhibitor compound capmatinib and certain back‑up compounds in all indications. We retained options to co‑develop and to co‑promote capmatinib in the United States.

Under this agreement, we received an upfront payment and immediate milestone payment totaling $210.0 million and were initially eligible to receive additional payments of up to approximately $1.2 billion if defined development and commercialization milestones are achieved. We are also eligible to receive tiered, double‑digit royalties ranging from the upper‑teens to the mid‑twenties percent on future ruxolitinib net sales outside of the United States, and tiered, worldwide royalties on future capmatinib net sales that range from 12% to 14%. In addition, Novartis has received reimbursement and pricing approval for ruxolitinib in a specified number of countries, and we are now obligated to pay to Novartis tiered royalties in the low single-digits on future ruxolitinib net sales within the United States. Each company is responsible for costs relating to the development and commercialization of ruxolitinib in its respective territories, with costs of collaborative studies shared equally. Novartis is also responsible for all costs relating to the development and commercialization of capmatinib.

In April 2016, we amended this agreement to provide that Novartis has exclusive research, development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to ruxolitinib (excluding topical formulations) in the GVHD field. Under this amendment, we received a $5.0 million payment in exchange for the development and commercialization rights to ruxolitinib in GVHD outside of the United States and became eligible to receive up to $75.0 million of additional potential development and regulatory milestones relating to GVHD.  In March 2017, we recognized a $25.0 million milestone for the first patient first visit in a GVHD study and in December 2017, we recognized a $40.0 million milestone for Novartis achieving annual net sales of a JAK licensed product of $600.0 million.  

The Novartis agreement will continue on a program‑by‑program basis until Novartis has no royalty payment obligations with respect to such program or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement or any program in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Royalties are payable by Novartis on a product‑by‑product and country‑by‑country basis until the latest to occur of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patent rights covering the licensed product in the relevant country, (ii) the expiration of regulatory exclusivity for the licensed product in such country and (iii) a specified period from first commercial sale in such country of the licensed product by Novartis or its affiliates or sublicensees. The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a program‑by‑program basis by Novartis for convenience. The agreement may also be terminated by either party under certain other circumstances, including material breach.

Lilly

In December 2009, we entered into a License, Development and Commercialization Agreement with Lilly. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly received exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to baricitinib and certain back‑up compounds for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We received an initial payment of $90.0 million, and were initially eligible to receive additional payments of up to $665.0 million based on the achievement of defined development, regulatory and commercialization milestones.

We retained options to co-develop our JAK1/JAK2 inhibitors with Lilly on a compound-by-compound and indication-by-indication basis. Lilly is responsible for all costs relating to the development and commercialization of the compounds unless we elect to co-develop any compounds or indications. If we elect to co-develop any compounds and/or indications, we would be responsible for funding 30% of the associated future global development costs from the initiation of a Phase IIb trial through regulatory approval, including post-launch studies required by a regulatory authority. We would receive an incremental royalty rate increase across all tiers resulting in effective royalty rates ranging up to the high twenties on potential future global net sales for compounds and/or indications that we elect to co-develop.  For indications that we elect not to co-develop, we would receive tiered, double-digit royalty payments on future global net sales with rates ranging

up to 20% if the product is successfully commercialized. We previously had retained an option to co-promote products in the United States but, in March 2016, we waived our co-promotion option as part of an amendment to the agreement. 

In July 2010, we elected to co-develop baricitinib with Lilly in rheumatoid arthritis and we are responsible for funding 30% of the associated future global development costs for this indication from the initiation of the Phase IIb trial through regulatory approval, including post-launch studies required by a regulatory authority. In January 2017, we elected to co-develop baricitinib with Lilly in psoriatic arthritis and atopic dermatitis. We have also exercised our co-development options in systemic lupus erythematosus and axial spondyloarthritis, should Lilly decide to progress into a pivotal program in these indications.

In March 2016, we entered into an amendment to the agreement with Lilly that allows us to engage in the development and commercialization of ruxolitinib in the GVHD field. We paid Lilly an upfront payment of $35.0 million and Lilly is eligible to receive up to $40.0 million in additional regulatory milestone payments relating to ruxolitinib in the GVHD field.

In February 2017, the European Commission announced the approval of baricitinib as OLUMIANT, triggering a $65.0 million milestone payment from Lilly.  In July 2017, Japan's MHLW granted marketing approval for OLUMIANT, triggering a $15.0 million milestone payment to Incyte from Lilly.  In December 2017, we recognized a $30.0 million milestone payment for the first patient treated in the atopic dermatitis Phase III program for baricitinib.

The Lilly agreement will continue until Lilly no longer has any royalty payment obligations or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement in accordance with its terms. Royalties are payable by Lilly on a product‑by‑product and country‑by‑country basis until the latest to occur of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patent rights covering the licensed product in the relevant country, (ii) the expiration of regulatory exclusivity for the licensed product in such country and (iii) a specified period from first commercial sale in such country of the licensed product by Lilly or its affiliates or sublicensees. The agreement may be terminated by Lilly for convenience, and may also be terminated under certain other circumstances, including material breach.

Agenus

In January 2015, we entered into a License, Development and Commercialization Agreement with Agenus Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, 4-Antibody AG (now known as Agenus Switzerland Inc.), which we collectively refer to as Agenus. Under this agreement, the parties have agreed to collaborate on the discovery of novel immuno-therapeutics using Agenus’ antibody discovery platforms. In February 2017, we and Agenus amended this agreement.

Under the terms of this agreement, as amended, we received exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to four checkpoint modulators directed against GITR, OX40, LAG-3 and TIM-3. In addition to the initial four program targets, we and Agenus have the option to jointly nominate and pursue additional targets within the framework of the collaboration, and in November 2015, three more targets were added. Targets may be designated profit-share programs, where all costs and profits are shared equally by us and Agenus, or royalty-bearing programs, where we are responsible for all costs associated with discovery, preclinical, clinical development and commercialization activities. The programs relating to GITR and OX40 and two of the undisclosed targets were profit-share programs until February 2017, while the other targets currently under collaboration are royalty-bearing programs.  The February 2017 amendment converted the programs relating to GITR and OX40 to royalty-bearing programs and removed from the collaboration the profit-share programs relating to the two undisclosed targets, with one reverting to us and one reverting to Agenus.  Should any of those removed programs be successfully developed by a party, the other party will be eligible to receive the same milestone payments as the royalty-bearing programs and royalties at a 15% rate on global net sales.  There are currently no profit-share programs.  For each royalty-bearing product other than GITR and OX40, Agenus will be eligible to receive tiered royalties on global net sales ranging from 6% to 12%.  For GITR and OX40, Agenus will be eligible to receive 15% royalties on global net sales. Under the February 2017 amendment, we paid Agenus $20.0 million in accelerated milestones relating to the clinical development of the GITR and OX40 programs.  Agenus is eligible to receive up to an additional $510.0 million in future contingent development, regulatory and commercialization milestones across all programs in the collaboration.  The agreement may be terminated by us for convenience upon 12 months’ notice and may also be terminated under certain other circumstances, including material breach.

Hengrui

In September 2015, we entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement with Hengrui.  Under the terms of this agreement, we received exclusive development and commercialization rights worldwide, with the exception of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to INCSHR1210, an investigational PD-1 monoclonal antibody, and certain back-up compounds.  In February 2018, Incyte and Hengrui agreed to terminate the collaboration, pursuant to the terms of the License and Collaboration Agreement.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l. Acquisition

In June 2016, we acquired from ARIAD all of the outstanding shares of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l., the parent company of ARIAD’s European subsidiaries responsible for the development and commercialization of ICLUSIG in the European Union and other countries, including Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Israel and Russia, in exchange for an upfront payment of $147.5 million, including customary working capital adjustments.  We obtained an exclusive license to develop and commercialize ICLUSIG in Europe and other select countries. ARIAD will be eligible to receive from us tiered royalties on net sales of ICLUSIG in our territory and up to $135.0 million in potential future oncology development and regulatory approval milestone payments, together with additional milestone payments for non-oncology indications, if approved, in our territory.

Merus

In December 2016, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Merus N.V. Under this agreement, which became effective in January 2017, the parties have agreed to collaborate with respect to the research, discovery and development of bispecific antibodies utilizing Merus’ technology platform.  The collaboration encompasses up to eleven independent programs, including two of Merus’ current preclinical immuno-oncology discovery programs.  We received exclusive development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to products and product candidates resulting from one of Merus’ current preclinical discovery programs, referred to as “Program 1.”  We also received worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights to products and product candidates resulting from the other current Merus preclinical discovery program that is subject to the collaboration and to up to nine additional programs.  Merus retained exclusive development and commercialization rights in the United States to products and product candidates resulting from Program 1 and options, subject to certain conditions, to co-fund development of products resulting from two other programs in exchange for a share of profits in the United States.  Merus will also have the right to participate in a specified proportion of detailing activities in the United States for one of those co-developed programs.  Should Program 1 fail to successfully complete IND-enabling toxicology studies, Merus would be granted an additional option to co-fund development of a program in exchange for a share of profits in the United States.  All costs related to the collaboration are subject to joint research and development plans.  Each party will share equally the costs of mutually agreed global development activities for Program 1, and fund itself any independent development activities in its territory. We will be responsible for all research, development and commercialization costs relating to all other programs, subject to Merus’ election to co-fund development and co-detail described above.  If Merus exercises its co-funding option for a program, Merus would be responsible for funding 35% of the associated future global development costs and, for certain of such programs, would be responsible for reimbursing us for certain development costs incurred prior to the option exercise.  All products as to which Merus has exercised its option to co-fund development would be subject to joint development plans and overseen by a joint development committee, but we will have final determination as to such plans in cases of dispute. 

In February 2017, we paid Merus an upfront non-refundable payment of $120.0 million.  For each program as to which Merus does not have commercialization or co-development rights, Merus will be eligible to receive up to $100.0 million in future contingent development and regulatory milestones and up to $250.0 million in commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties ranging from 6% to 10% of global net sales.  For each program as to which Merus exercises its option to co-fund development, Merus will be eligible to receive a 50% share of profits (or sustain 50% of any losses) in the United States and be eligible to receive tiered royalties ranging from 6% to 10% of net sales of products outside of the United States.  If Merus opts to cease co-funding a program as to which it exercised its co-development option, then Merus will no longer receive a share of profits in the United States but will be eligible to receive the same milestones from the co-funding termination date and the same tiered royalties described above with respect to non-co-developed programs and, depending on the stage at which Merus chose to cease co-funding development costs, additional

royalties ranging up to 4% of net sales in the United States.  For Program 1, we and Merus will each be eligible to receive tiered royalties on net sales in the other party’s territory at rates ranging from 6% to 10%.  

The Merus agreement will continue on a program-by-program basis until we have no royalty payment obligations with respect to such program or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement or any program in accordance with the terms of the agreement.  The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a program-by-program basis by us for convenience.  The agreement may also be terminated by either party under certain other circumstances, including material breach, as set forth in the agreement.  If the agreement is terminated with respect to one or more programs, all rights in the terminated programs revert to Merus, subject to payment to us of a reverse royalty of up to 4% on sales of future products, if Merus elects to pursue development and commercialization of products arising from the terminated programs. 

Calithera

In January 2017, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Calithera Biosciences, Inc. Under this agreement, we received an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize small molecule arginase inhibitors, including INCB01158 (CB-1158), which is currently in Phase I clinical trials, for hematology and oncology indications. We have agreed to co-fund 70% of the global development costs for the development of the licensed products for hematology and oncology indications. Calithera will have the right to conduct certain clinical development under the collaboration, including combination studies of a licensed product with a proprietary compound of Calithera. We will be entitled to 60% of the profits and losses from net sales of licensed product in the United States, and Calithera will have the right to co-detail licensed products in the United States, and we have agreed to pay Calithera tiered royalties ranging from the low to mid-double digits on net sales of licensed products outside the United States. Calithera may opt out of its co-funding obligation, in which case the U.S. profit sharing will no longer be in effect, and we have agreed to pay Calithera tiered royalties ranging from the low to mid-double digits on net sales of licensed products both in the United States and outside the United States, and additional royalties to reimburse Calithera for previously incurred development costs.

Calithera retains rights to certain arginase inhibitors that are not part of the collaboration for specific orphan indications outside of hematology and oncology, subject to our rights to negotiate a license for any such programs under specified circumstances if Calithera elects to out-license them.

In January 2017, we paid Calithera an upfront license fee of $45.0 million and have agreed to pay potential development, regulatory and sales milestone payments of over $430.0 million if the profit share is in effect, or $750.0 million if the profit share terminates.

The Calithera agreement will continue on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis for so long as we are developing or commercializing products in the United States (if the parties are sharing profits in the United States) and until we have no further royalty payment obligations, unless earlier terminated according to the terms of the agreement. The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a product-by-product and/or a country-by-country basis by us for convenience. The agreement may also be terminated by us for Calithera’s uncured material breach, by Calithera for our uncured material breach and by either party for bankruptcy or patent challenge. If the agreement is terminated early with respect to one or more products or countries, all rights in the terminated products and countries revert to Calithera.

MacroGenics

In October 2017, we entered into a Global Collaboration and License Agreement with MacroGenics, Inc. Under this agreement, we received exclusive development and commercialization rights worldwide to MacroGenics’ MGA012, an investigational monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-1. Except as set forth in the succeeding sentence, we will have sole authority over and bear all costs and expenses in connection with the development and commercialization of MGA012 in all indications, whether as a monotherapy or as part of a combination regimen.  MacroGenics has retained the right to develop and commercialize, at its cost and expense, its pipeline assets in combination with MGA012.  In addition, MacroGenics has the right to manufacture a portion of both companies’ global clinical and commercial supply needs of MGA012.  In December 2017, we paid MacroGenics an upfront payment of $150.0 million. MacroGenics will be eligible to receive up to $420.0 million in future contingent development and regulatory milestones, and up to $330.0 million in commercial milestones as well as tiered royalties ranging from 15% to 24% of global net sales.

The MacroGenics agreement will continue until we are no longer commercializing, developing or manufacturing MGA012 or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement in accordance with its terms.  The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a licensed product by licensed product basis by us for convenience.  The agreement may also be terminated by either party under certain other circumstances, including material breach, as set forth in the agreement. 

Syros

In January 2018, we entered into a target discovery, research collaboration and option agreement with Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Under this agreement, Syros will use its proprietary gene control platform to identify novel therapeutic targets with a focus in myeloproliferative neoplasms and we have received options to obtain exclusive worldwide rights to intellectual property resulting from the collaboration for up to seven validated targets.  We will have exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize any therapies under the collaboration that modulate those validated targets.  We paid Syros $2.5 million in cash for access to proprietary technology and $7.5 million in cash for research and development services. We have agreed to pay Syros up to $54.0 million in target selection and option exercise fees should we decide to exercise all of our options under the agreement. For products resulting from the collaboration against each of the seven selected and validated targets, we have agreed to pay up to $50.0 million in potential development and regulatory milestones and up to $65.0 million in potential commercial milestones. Syros is also eligible to receive low single-digit royalties on net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.  

Incyte’s Approach to Drug Discovery and Development

Our productivity in drug discovery is primarily a result of our core competency in medicinal chemistry which is tightly integrated with, and supported by, an experienced team of biologists and pharmaceutical scientists with expertise in multiple therapeutic areas. This discovery team operates in concert with an equally experienced drug development organization with expertise in clinical sciences, statistics, and regulatory affairs. Our drug development organization manages our clinical programs and utilizes clinical research organizations (CROs), expert scientific advisory boards, and leading consultants and suppliers as appropriate to ensure our clinical trials are conducted efficiently, effectively, and in accordance with regulatory and compliance guidelines. 

To succeed in our objective to discover and advance novel therapeutics that address serious unmet medical needs, we have established a broad range of discovery capabilities in‑house, including target validation, high‑throughput screening, medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and pharmacological and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion) assessment. We augment these capabilities through collaborations with academic and contract laboratory resources with relevant expertise.

In addition to our small molecule expertise, we have added biotherapeutic antibody discovery capabilities. The collaboration with Agenus has provided us with access to their antibody discovery platform and provided us with both clinical antibodies and pre-clinical candidates. Recently, we have expanded our discovery reach to include bispecific antibodies through a collaboration with Merus. We are complementing these collaborations by building in-house antibody discovery, pharmacology, ADME and CMC capabilities and will partner these efforts with our small molecule portfolio.

Driven by a target- and pathway-centric discovery process, our pipeline has grown and is currently focused primarily in the area of oncology. We conduct a limited number of discovery programs in parallel at any one time. This focus allows us to allocate resources to our selected programs at a level that we believe is competitive with larger pharmaceutical companies. We continually modify the resourcing of our discovery efforts with the goals of maximizing  information content when and where we need it and ensuring that each program, regardless of stage, is executed in the most efficient and data-rich manner possible. We believe this approach has played a critical role in the development of our product portfolio.

Once our compounds reach clinical development, our objective is to rapidly progress the lead candidate into a proof‑of‑concept clinical trial to quickly assess the therapeutic potential of the clinical candidate itself as well as its underlying mechanism of action. This information is then used to evaluate the compound’s development opportunities, identify the most appropriate indication or indications to pursue, and develop a clinical and regulatory plan to advance the molecule forward.

Our development teams are responsible for ensuring that our clinical candidates are expeditiously progressed through clinical safety, proof-of-concept, and formal efficacy/pivotal trials. Our development teams include employees with expertise in drug development, including clinical trial design, statistics, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance and project management. We have also built internal process chemistry and formulation teams that work closely with external GMP contract manufacturers to support our drug development efforts.

Incyte’s Commercial Strategy

Our strategy is to develop and commercialize our compounds on our own in selected markets where we believe a company of our size can successfully compete, such as in myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and other oncology indications. In November 2011, we received regulatory approval of JAKAFI (ruxolitinib) in the United States for the treatment of intermediate or high‑risk myelofibrosis. Since that time, we have focused on increasing utilization of JAKAFI in this patient population. In December 2014, JAKAFI was approved for the treatment of patients with polycythemia vera who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea. JAKAFI is the only FDA‑approved product to treat these two diseases. We have expanded the marketing, medical, sales and operational infrastructure to support continued commercialization of JAKAFI in its two indications and to prepare for potential future indications of JAKAFI in the United States. We are expanding marketing, medical and operational infrastructure outside of the United States and within the United States to prepare for potential approval of other products.

For rights to ruxolitinib outside the United States as well as for pipeline compounds that are outside of our core expertise, would require expensive clinical studies, or could be used in combination with other compounds or biologics, we have established or may in the future establish collaborations or strategic relationships to support development and commercialization, such as our collaborations with Novartis and Lilly for our JAK inhibitors. We believe the key benefits to entering into strategic relationships include the potential to receive upfront payments and future milestones and royalties in exchange for certain rights to our compounds, as well as the potential to expedite the development and commercialization of certain of our compounds.

ICLUSIG is approved in the European Union for the treatment of adult patients with CML who are resistant to dasatinib or nilotinib; who are intolerant to dasatinib or nilotinib and for whom subsequent treatment with imatinib is not clinically appropriate, or who have the T315I mutation.  ICLUSIG is also indicated in adult patients with Philadelphia positive AML who are resistant to dasatinib; who are intolerant to dasatinib and for whom subsequent treatment with imatinib is not clinically appropriate, or who have the T315I mutation. We are focused on increasing the utilization of ICLUSIG in this patient population within our territory as appropriate. 

Please also see Note 16 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for financial information about geographic areas.

Patents and Other Intellectual Property

We regard the protection of patents and other enforceable intellectual property rights that we own or license as critical to our business and competitive position. Accordingly, we rely on patent, trade secret and copyright law, as well as nondisclosure and other contractual arrangements, to protect our intellectual property. We have established a patent portfolio of patents and patent applications owned or licensed by us that cover aspects of all our drug products and drug candidates. The patents and patent applications relating to our drug products and drug candidates generally include claims directed to the compounds, methods of using the compounds, formulations of the compounds, pharmaceutical salt forms of the compounds, and methods of manufacturing the compounds. Our policy is to pursue patent applications on inventions and discoveries that we believe are commercially important to the development and growth of our business. The following table sets forth the status of the patents and patent applications in the United States, the European Union, and Japan,

covering our drug products and drug candidates in key programs that show at least proof of concept in their respective clinical development programs:

Patents extend for varying periods according to the date of patent filing or grant and the legal term of patents in the various countries where patent protection is obtained. The actual protection afforded by a patent, which can vary from country to country, depends on the type of patent, the scope of its coverage and the availability of legal remedies in the country.

We may seek to license rights relating to technologies, drug candidates or drug products in connection with our drug discovery and development programs and commercialization activities. Under these licenses, such as our licenses from Agenus, ARIAD, Calithera, MacroGenics and Merus we may be required to pay up‑front fees, license fees, milestone payments and royalties on sales of future products.

Although we believe our rights under patents and patent applications provide a competitive advantage, the patent positions of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. We may not be able to develop patentable products or processes, and may not be able to obtain patents in the United States or elsewhere from pending applications. Even if patent claims are allowed, the claims may not issue, or in the event of issuance, may not be valid or enforceable or may not be sufficient to protect the technology owned by or licensed to us or provide us with a competitive advantage. Any patent or other intellectual property rights that we own or obtain may be circumvented, challenged or invalidated by our competitors. Others may have patents that relate to our business or technology and that may prevent us from marketing our drug candidates unless we are able to obtain a license to those patents. In addition, litigation or other proceedings may be necessary to defend against claims of infringement, to enforce patents, to protect our other intellectual property rights, to determine the scope and validity of the proprietary rights of third parties or to defend ourselves in patent or other intellectual property right suits brought by third parties. We could incur substantial costs in such litigation or other proceedings. An adverse outcome in any such litigation or proceeding could subject us to significant liability.

With respect to proprietary information that is not patentable, and for inventions for which patents are difficult to enforce, we rely on trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements to protect our interests. While we require all employees, consultants and potential business partners to enter into confidentiality agreements, we may not be able to adequately protect our trade secrets or other proprietary information. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.

Competition

Our drug discovery, development and commercialization activities face, and will continue to face, intense competition from organizations such as pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as academic and research institutions and government agencies. We face significant competition from organizations, particularly fully integrated pharmaceutical companies that are pursuing pharmaceuticals that are competitive with JAKAFI, ICLUSIG and our drug candidates.

Many companies and institutions, either alone or together with their collaborative partners, have substantially greater financial resources, larger drug discovery, development and commercial staffs and significantly greater experience than we do in:

Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining patent protection, receiving FDA and other regulatory approval or commercializing products that compete with JAKAFI, ICLUSIG or our drug candidates.

In addition, any drug candidate that we successfully develop may compete with existing therapies that have long histories of safe and effective use. Competition may also arise from:

We face and will continue to face intense competition from other companies for collaborative arrangements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, for establishing relationships with academic and research institutions and for licenses to drug candidates or proprietary technology. These competitors, either alone or with their collaborative partners, may succeed in developing products that are more effective than ours.

Our ability to compete successfully will depend, in part, on our ability to:

In a number of countries, including in particular, developing countries, government officials and other groups have suggested that pharmaceutical companies should make drugs available at a low cost. In some cases, governmental authorities have indicated that where pharmaceutical companies do not do so, their patents might not be enforceable to prevent generic competition. Some major pharmaceutical companies have greatly reduced prices for their drugs in certain developing countries. If certain countries do not permit enforcement of any of our patents, sales of our products in those countries, and in other countries by importation from low‑price countries, could be reduced by generic competition or by parallel importation of our product. Alternatively, governments in those countries could require that we grant compulsory licenses to allow competitors to manufacture and sell their own versions of our products in those countries, thereby

reducing our product sales, or we could respond to governmental concerns by reducing prices for our products. In all of these situations, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Government Regulation

Our ongoing research and development activities and any manufacturing and marketing of our approved drug products and our drug candidates are subject to extensive regulation by numerous governmental authorities in the United States and other countries. Before marketing in the United States, any drug developed by us must undergo rigorous preclinical testing, clinical trials, and an extensive regulatory clearance process implemented by the FDA under the United States Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and its implementing regulations and, in the case of biologics, the Public Health Service Act. The FDA regulates, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, safety, efficacy, record‑keeping, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution and import and export, of these products. 

FDA Review and Approval Process

The regulatory review and approval process is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. The steps generally required before a drug may be marketed in the United States include:

Similar requirements exist within foreign agencies as well. The time required to satisfy FDA requirements or similar requirements of foreign regulatory agencies may vary substantially based on the type, complexity and novelty of the product or the targeted disease.

Preclinical testing includes laboratory evaluation of product pharmacology, drug metabolism, and toxicity which includes animal studies, to assess potential safety and efficacy as well as product chemistry, stability, formulation, development, and testing. The results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND. An IND will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless before that time, the FDA raises safety concerns or questions about the conduct of the clinical trial(s) included in the IND. In the latter case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding FDA concerns or questions before clinical trials can proceed. We cannot be sure that submission of an IND will result in the FDA allowing clinical trials to commence.

Clinical trials involve the administration of the investigational drug to human subjects under the supervision of qualified investigators and in accordance with good clinical practices regulations covering the protection of human

subjects. These regulations require all research subjects to provide informed consent. Clinical trials are conducted under protocols detailing the objectives of the study, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol must be submitted to the FDA as part of the IND and each trial must be reviewed and approved by an institutional review board (IRB) before it can begin.

Clinical trials typically are conducted in three sequential phases, but the phases may overlap or be combined. Phase I usually involves the initial introduction of the investigational drug into healthy volunteers to evaluate its safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion. Phase II usually involves clinical trials in a limited patient population to evaluate dosage tolerance and optimal dosage, identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, and evaluate and gain preliminary evidence of the efficacy of the drug for specific indications. Phase III clinical trials usually further evaluate clinical efficacy and safety by testing the drug in its final form in an expanded patient population, providing statistical evidence of efficacy and safety, and providing an adequate basis for labeling. We cannot guarantee that Phase I, Phase II or Phase III testing will be completed successfully within any specified period of time, if at all. Furthermore, we, the IRB, or the FDA may suspend clinical trials at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.

As a separate amendment to an IND, a clinical trial sponsor may submit to the FDA a request for a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA). Under the SPA procedure, a sponsor may seek the FDA’s agreement on the design and size of a clinical trial intended to form the primary basis of an effectiveness claim. If the FDA agrees in writing, its agreement may not be changed after the trial begins, except when agreed by FDA or in limited circumstances, such as when a substantial scientific issue essential to determining the safety and effectiveness of a drug candidate is identified after a Phase III clinical trial is commenced and agreement is obtained with the FDA. If the outcome of the trial is successful, the sponsor will ordinarily be able to rely on it as the primary basis for approval with respect to effectiveness. However, additional trials could also be requested by the FDA to support approval, and the FDA may make an approval decision based on a number of factors, including the degree of clinical benefit as well as safety. The FDA is not obligated to approve an NDA or BLA as a result of an SPA agreement, even if the clinical outcome is positive.

Even after initial FDA approval has been obtained, post‑approval trials, or Phase IV studies, may be required to provide additional data, and will be required to obtain approval for the sale of a product as a treatment for a clinical indication other than that for which the product was initially tested and approved. Also, the FDA will require post‑approval safety reporting to monitor the side effects of the drug. Results of post‑approval programs may limit or expand the indication or indications for which the drug product may be marketed. Further, if there are any requests for modifications to the initial FDA approval for the drug, including changes in indication, manufacturing process, manufacturing facilities, or labeling, a supplemental NDA or BLA may be required to be submitted to the FDA.

The length of time and related costs necessary to complete clinical trials varies significantly and may be difficult to predict. Clinical results are frequently susceptible to varying interpretations that may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approvals. Additional factors that can cause delay or termination of our clinical trials, or cause the costs of these clinical trials to increase, include:

Any drug is likely to produce some toxicities or undesirable side effects in animals and in humans when administered at sufficiently high doses and/or for sufficiently long periods of time. Unacceptable toxicities or side effects may occur at any dose level, and at any time in the course of animal studies designed to identify unacceptable effects of a drug candidate, known as toxicological studies, or in clinical trials of our drug candidates. The appearance of any unacceptable toxicity or side effect could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, limit, delay or abort the development of any of our drug candidates, and could ultimately prevent their marketing approval by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities for any or all targeted indications.

The FDA’s fast track, breakthrough therapy, accelerated approval, and priority review designation programs are intended to facilitate the development and expedite the review and approval of drug candidates intended for the treatment of serious or life‑threatening conditions and that demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for these conditions. Under these programs, FDA can, for example, review portions of an NDA or BLA for a drug candidate before the entire application is complete, thus potentially beginning the review process at an earlier time.

We cannot guarantee that the FDA will grant any of our requests for any of these expedited program designations, that any such designations would affect the time of review or that the FDA will approve the NDA or BLA submitted for any of our drug candidates, whether or not these designations are granted. Additionally, FDA approval of a product can include restrictions on the product’s use or distribution (such as permitting use only for specified medical conditions or limiting distribution to physicians or facilities with special training or experience). Approval of such designated products can be conditioned on additional clinical trials after approval.

Sponsors submit the results of preclinical studies and clinical trials to the FDA as part of an NDA or BLA. NDAs and BLAs must also contain extensive product manufacturing information and proposed labeling. Upon receipt, the FDA initially reviews the NDA or BLA to determine whether it is sufficiently complete to initiate a substantive review. If the FDA identifies deficiencies that would preclude substantive review, the FDA will refuse to accept the NDA or BLA and will inform the sponsor of the deficiencies that must be corrected prior to resubmission. If the FDA accepts the submission for review (then deemed a “filing”), the FDA typically completes the NDA or BLA review within a pre‑determined time frame. Under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the FDA agrees to review NDAs and BLAs under either a standard review or priority review. FDA procedures provide for priority review of NDAs and BLAs submitted for drugs that, compared to currently marketed products, if any, offer a significant improvement in the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of a disease. The FDA seeks to review NDAs and BLAs that are granted priority status more quickly than NDAs and BLAs given standard review status. The FDA’s stated policy is to act on 90% of priority NDAs and BLAs within eight months of receipt (or six months after filing, which occurs within 60 days after NDA or BLA submission). Although the FDA historically has not met these goals, the agency has made significant improvements in the timeliness of the review process. NDA and BLA review often extends beyond anticipated completion dates due to FDA requests for additional data or clarification, the FDA’s decision to have an advisory committee review, and difficulties in scheduling an advisory committee meeting. The recommendations of an advisory committee are not binding on the FDA.

To obtain FDA approval to market a product, we must demonstrate that the product is safe and effective for the patient population that will be treated. If regulatory approval of a product is granted, the approval will be limited to those disease states and conditions for which the product is safe and effective, as demonstrated through clinical trials. Marketing or promoting a drug for an unapproved indication is prohibited. Furthermore, approval may entail requirements for post‑marketing studies or risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, including the need for patient and/or physician education, patient registries, medication or similar guides, or other restrictions on the distribution of the product. If an NDA or BLA does not satisfy applicable regulatory criteria, the FDA may deny approval of an NDA or BLA or may issue a complete response, and require, among other things, additional clinical data or analyses.

The Orphan Drug Act provides incentives to manufacturers to develop and market drugs for rare diseases and conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the United States at the time of application for orphan drug designation. The first developer to receive FDA marketing approval for an orphan drug is entitled to a seven year exclusive marketing period in the United States for the orphan drug indication. However, a drug that the FDA considers to be clinically superior to, or different from, another approved orphan drug, even though for the same indication, may also obtain approval in the United States during the seven year exclusive marketing period.

Regulation of Manufacturing Process

Even when NDA or BLA approval is obtained, a marketed product, such as JAKAFI, its manufacturer and its manufacturing facilities are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA. The manufacturing process for pharmaceutical products is highly regulated and regulators may shut down manufacturing facilities that they believe do not comply with regulations. Discovery of previously unknown problems with a product, manufacturer or facility may result in restrictions on the product, manufacturer or facility, including costly recalls or withdrawal of the product from the market. Manufacturing facilities are always subject to inspection by the applicable regulatory authorities.

We and our third‑party manufacturers are subject to current Good Manufacturing Practices, which are extensive regulations governing manufacturing processes, including but not limited to stability testing, record keeping and quality standards as defined by the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, or ICH, FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Similar regulations are in effect in other countries. Manufacturing facilities are subject to inspection by the applicable regulatory authorities and are subject to manufacturing licenses where applicable. These facilities, whether our own or our contract manufacturers, must be inspected before we can use them in commercial manufacturing of our related products. We or our contract manufacturers may not be able to comply with applicable Good Manufacturing Practices and FDA or other regulatory requirements. If we or our contract manufacturers fail to comply, we or our contract manufacturers may be subject to legal or regulatory action, such as suspension of manufacturing license, seizure of product, or voluntary recall of product. Furthermore, continued compliance with applicable Good Manufacturing Practices will require continual expenditure of time, money and effort on the part of us or our contract manufacturers in the areas of production and quality control and record keeping and reporting, in order to ensure full compliance.

Post‑Approval Regulation

Any products manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to pervasive and continuing regulation by the FDA, including record‑keeping requirements, reporting of adverse experiences with the drug and other reporting, advertising and promotion restrictions. The FDA’s rules for advertising and promotion require, among other things, that our promotion be fairly balanced and adequately substantiated by clinical studies, and that we not promote our products for unapproved uses. We must also submit appropriate new and supplemental applications and obtain FDA approval for certain changes to the approved product, product labeling or manufacturing process. On its own initiative, the FDA may require changes to the labeling of an approved drug if it becomes aware of new safety information that the agency believes should be included in the approved drug’s labeling. The FDA also enforces the requirements of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act, or PDMA, which, among other things, imposes various requirements in connection with the distribution of product samples to physicians.

In addition to inspections related to manufacturing, we are subject to periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA and other regulatory bodies related to the other regulatory requirements that apply to marketed drugs manufactured or distributed by us. The FDA also may conduct periodic inspections regarding our review and reporting of adverse events, or related to compliance with the requirements of the PDMA concerning the handling of drug samples. When the FDA conducts an inspection, the inspectors will identify any deficiencies they believe exist in the form of a notice of inspectional observations. The observations may be more or less significant. If we receive a notice of inspectional observations, we likely will be required to respond in writing, and may be required to undertake corrective and preventive actions in order to address the FDA’s concerns.

There are a variety of state laws and regulations that apply in the states or localities where JAKAFI and our drug candidates are or may be marketed. For example, we must comply with state laws that require the registration of manufacturers and wholesale distributors of pharmaceutical products in that state, including, in certain states, manufacturers and distributors who ship products into the state even if such manufacturers or distributors have no place of business within the state. Some states also impose requirements on manufacturers and distributors to establish the pedigree of product in the chain of distribution, including some states that require manufacturers and others to adopt new technology capable of tracking and tracing product as it moves through the distribution chain. Any applicable state or local regulations may hinder our ability to market, or increase the cost of marketing, our products in those states or localities.

The FDA’s policies may change and additional government regulations may be enacted which could impose additional burdens or limitations on our ability to market products after approval. Moreover, increased attention to the containment of health care costs in the United States and in foreign markets could result in new government regulations which could have a material adverse effect on our business. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of adverse governmental regulation which might arise from future legislative or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad.

Marketing Exclusivity

The FDA may grant five years of exclusivity in the United States for the approval of NDAs for new chemical entities, and three years of exclusivity for supplemental NDAs, for among other things, new indications, dosages or dosage forms of an existing drug if new clinical investigations that were conducted or sponsored by the applicant are essential to the approval of the supplemental application. Additionally, six months of marketing exclusivity in the United States is available if, in response to a written request from the FDA, a sponsor submits and the agency accepts requested information relating to the use of the approved drug in the pediatric population. The six month pediatric exclusivity is added to any existing patent or non‑patent exclusivity period for which the drug is eligible. Orphan drug products are also eligible for pediatric exclusivity if the FDA requests and the company completes pediatric clinical trials. Under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act, the FDA may grant 12 years of data exclusivity for innovative biological products.

Foreign Regulation

Outside the United States, our ability to market a product is contingent upon receiving a marketing authorization from the appropriate regulatory authorities. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, marketing authorization, pricing and reimbursement vary widely from country to country. At present, foreign marketing authorizations are applied for at a national level, although within the European Union (EU) registration procedures are available to companies wishing to market a product in more than one EU member state. If the competent regulatory authority is satisfied that adequate evidence of safety, quality and efficacy has been presented, a marketing authorization may be granted. This foreign regulatory approval process involves all of the risks associated with FDA approval discussed above and may also include additional risks.

Whether or not we obtain FDA approval for a product, we must obtain the requisite approvals from regulatory authorities in non-US countries prior to the commencement of clinical trials or marketing of the product in those countries. Certain countries outside of the United States have a process that requires the submission of a clinical trial application, or CTA, much like an IND prior to the commencement of human clinical trials. In Europe, a CTA must be submitted to the competent national health authority and to independent ethics committees in each country in which a company plans to conduct clinical trials. Once the CTA is approved in accordance with a country’s requirements, clinical trial development may proceed in that country and are conducted in accordance with GCP and other applicable regulatory requirements.

To obtain regulatory approval of an investigational drug under EU regulatory systems, we must submit a marketing authorization application (MAA). This application is similar to the NDA in the United States, with the exception of, among other things, country-specific document requirements. Drugs can be authorized in the EU by using (i) the centralized authorization procedure, (ii) the mutual recognition procedure, (iii) the decentralized procedure or (iv) national authorization procedures.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) implemented the centralized procedure for the approval of human drugs to facilitate marketing authorizations that are valid throughout the EU. This procedure results in a single marketing authorization granted by the European Commission that is valid across the EU. Under the centralized procedure, the maximum timeframe for the evaluation of a marketing authorization application 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 for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP)). A positive opinion on the MAA by the CHMP then needs to be endorsed by the European Commission. Accelerated assessment might be granted by the CHMP in exceptional cases, in which case the EMA ensures that the evaluation for the opinion of the CHMP is completed within 150 days (excluding clock stops) and the opinion issued thereafter.

The mutual recognition procedure (MRP) for the approval of human drugs is an alternative approach to facilitate individual national marketing authorizations within the EU. The MRP may be applied for all human drugs for which the centralized procedure is not obligatory. The MRP is based on the principle of the mutual recognition by EU member states of their respective national marketing authorizations. Based on a marketing authorization in the reference member state, the applicant may apply for marketing authorizations in other member states. In such case, the reference member state shall update its existing assessment report about the drug. After the assessment is completed, copies of the report are sent to all member states, together with the approved summary of product characteristics, labeling and package leaflet. The concerned member states then recognize the decision of the reference member state and the summary of product characteristics, labeling and package leaflet. National marketing authorizations shall be granted within 30 days after acknowledgement of the agreement.

Should any Member State refuse to recognize the marketing authorization by the reference member state, the member states shall make all efforts to reach a consensus. If this fails, the procedure is submitted to an EMA scientific committee for arbitration. The opinion of this EMA Committee is then forwarded to the Commission, for the start of the decision making process. As in the centralized procedure, this process entails consulting various European Commission Directorates General and the Standing Committee on Human Medicinal Products or Veterinary Medicinal Products, as appropriate.

Legislation similar to the Orphan Drug Act has been enacted in other countries outside of the United States, including the EU. The orphan legislation in the EU is available for therapies addressing conditions that affect five or fewer out of 10,000 persons, are life‑threatening or chronically debilitating conditions and for which no satisfactory treatment is authorized. The market exclusivity period is for ten years, although that period can be reduced to six years if, at the end of the fifth year, available evidence establishes that the product does not justify maintenance of market exclusivity.

For other countries outside of the EU, such as non-EU countries in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Japan or other countries in Asia, the requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary. In all cases, again, the clinical trials are conducted in accordance with GCP and the other applicable regulatory requirements.

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

Manufacturing

Our manufacturing strategy is to contract with third parties to manufacture the raw materials, our active pharmaceutical ingredients, or API, and finished dosage form for clinical and commercial uses. We currently do not operate manufacturing facilities for clinical or commercial production of JAKAFI, ICLUSIG, or our drug candidates. In addition, we expect for the foreseeable future to continue to rely on third parties for the manufacture of commercial supplies of the raw materials, API and finished drug product for any drugs that we successfully develop and are approved for commercial sale. In this manner, we continue to build and maintain our supply chain and quality assurance resources.

Manufacturing of our Products

Our supply chain for manufacturing raw materials, API and drug product ready for distribution and commercialization is a multi‑step international process. Establishing and managing the supply chain requires a significant financial commitment and the creation and maintenance of numerous third‑party contractual relationships.

We contract with third parties to manufacture JAKAFI, ICLUSIG, and our drug candidates for clinical and commercial purposes. Third-party manufacturers supply us with raw materials, and other third-party manufacturers convert these raw materials into API or convert the API into final dosage form. For most of our drug candidates, once our raw materials are produced, we rely on one third-party to manufacture the API, another to make finished drug product and a third to package and label the finished product. For ruxolitinib phosphate, the API for JAKAFI, we have two qualified third-party contract manufacturers from which we can source drug substance. The API for ICLUSIG is sourced from Takeda in addition to one qualified third-party contract manufacturer.

We also rely on third-party contract manufacturers to tablet or capsulate all of our active pharmaceutical ingredients for clinical and commercial uses. For JAKAFI, we have two qualified third-party manufacturers from which we can source commercial drug product.  For ICLUSIG we have two qualified third-party manufacturers from which we can source commercial drug product. Secondary packaging of ICLUSIG is performed by a qualified third-party manufacturer. Primary packaged product for ICLUSIG can be used for clinical and commercial purposes.

We may not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of any of our raw materials, drug candidates, API, or finished goods if our designated manufacturers do not have the capacity or capability to manufacture our products according to our schedule and specifications. If any of these single source suppliers were to become unable or unwilling to supply us with API or finished product that complies with applicable regulatory requirements, we could incur significant delays in our clinical trials or interruption of commercial supply which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We have established a quality assurance program intended to ensure that our third-party manufacturers and service providers produce materials and provide services, as applicable, in accordance with the FDA and EMA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices and other applicable regulations. Our quality assurance program extends to our licensed facilities that oversee the manufacturing and distribution activities.

For our future products, we intend to continue to establish third‑party suppliers to manufacture sufficient quantities of our drug candidates to undertake clinical trials and to manufacture sufficient quantities of any product that is approved for commercial sale. If we are unable to contract for large scale manufacturing with third parties on acceptable terms for our future products or develop manufacturing capabilities internally, our ability to conduct large scale clinical trials and meet customer demand for commercial products will be adversely affected.

Third‑party Manufacturers

Our third‑party manufacturers are independent entities, under contract with us, who are subject to their own unique operational and financial risks which are out of our control. If we or any of our third‑party manufacturers fail to perform as required, this could impair our ability to deliver our products on a timely basis or cause delays in our clinical trials and applications for regulatory approval. To the extent these risks materialize and affect their performance obligations to us, our financial results may be adversely affected.

We believe the technology used to manufacture our products is proprietary. For products manufactured by our third‑party manufacturers, we have licensed the necessary aspects of this manufacturing technology that we believe is proprietary to us to enable them to manufacture the products for us. We have agreements with these third‑party manufacturers that are intended to restrict these manufacturers from using or revealing our technology, but we cannot be certain that these third‑party manufacturers will comply with these restrictions.

While we believe there are multiple third parties capable of providing most of the materials and services we need in order to manufacture API and distribute finished goods, and that supply of materials that cannot be second sourced can be managed with inventory planning, there is always a risk that we may underestimate demand, and that our manufacturing capacity through third-party manufacturers may not be sufficient. In addition, because of the significant lead times involved in our supply chain for ruxolitinib phosphate, we may have less flexibility to adjust our supply in response to changes in demand than if we had shorter lead times.  Our strategy is to maintain 24 months of safety stock of API to be able to respond to changes in demand to provide on-time supply of drug product as well as at least 6 months of brite stock bottles.

Access to Supplies and Materials

Our third-party manufacturers need access to certain supplies and products to manufacture JAKAFI, ICLUSIG, and our drug candidates. If delivery of material from their suppliers were interrupted for any reason or if they are unable to purchase sufficient quantities of raw materials used to manufacture JAKAFI, ICLUSIG, and our drug candidates, they may be unable to ship JAKAFI and ICLUSIG for commercial supply or to supply our drug candidates in development for clinical trials. For example, currently raw materials used to manufacture ruxolitinib phosphate, the API in JAKAFI, are supplied by Chinese-based companies. As a result, an international trade dispute between China and the United States or any other actions by the Chinese government that would limit or prevent Chinese companies from supplying these materials

would adversely affect our ability to manufacture and supply our products to meet market needs and have a material and adverse effect on our operating results.

Agenus

Under our collaboration with Agenus, Agenus had primary responsibility for manufacturing activities, including selecting and monitoring third‑party manufacturers. Under the February 2017 amendment to our collaboration agreement, we assumed primary responsibility for manufacturing activities, including selecting and monitoring third-party manufacturers, of all products from royalty-bearing programs under the collaboration. Manufacturing antibodies and products containing antibodies is a more complex process than manufacturing small molecule drugs and subject to additional risks. The process of manufacturing antibodies and products containing antibodies is highly susceptible to product loss due to contamination, equipment failure or improper installation or operation of equipment, vendor or operator error, inconsistency in yields, variability in product characteristics, and difficulties in scaling the production process. Even minor deviations from normal manufacturing processes could result in reduced production yields, product defects and other supply disruptions. If microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in our drug candidates or in the manufacturing facilities in which our drug candidates are made, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination.

Research and Development

Since our inception, we have made substantial investments in research and technology development. During the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, we incurred research and development expenses of $1.3 billion, $581.9 million and $479.5 million, respectively.

Human Resources

As of December 31, 2017, we had 1,208 employees, including 669 in research and development, 93 in medical affairs, 256 in sales and marketing and 190 in operations support, finance and administrative positions. Geographically, 985 employees were based in the United States and 223 employees were based in Europe and Japan.  None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements, and management considers relations with our employees to be good.

Available Information

We were incorporated in Delaware in 1991 and our website is located at www.incyte.com. We make available free of charge on our website our annual reports on Form 10‑K, quarterly reports on Form 10‑Q, current reports on Form 8‑K and amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such materials to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10‑K.

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

RISKS RELATING TO COMMERCIALIZATION OF OUR PRODUCTS

We depend heavily on our lead product, JAKAFI (ruxolitinib), which is marketed as JAKAVI outside the United States. If we are unable to successfully commercialize JAKAFI in its approved indications or to successfully obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize ruxolitinib for the treatment of additional indications, or if we are significantly delayed or limited in doing so, our business may be materially harmed.

JAKAFI is our first and, currently, only product approved for sale in the United States. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, in November 2011 for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis and in December 2014 for the treatment of patients with polycythemia vera who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea, which we refer to as uncontrolled polycythemia vera. Although we have received regulatory approval for these indications, such approval does not guarantee future revenues. While in June 2016 we acquired exclusive rights to develop and commercialize ICLUSIG in the European Union, or EU, and other countries,

we anticipate that JAKAFI product sales will continue to contribute a significant percentage of our total revenues over the next several years.

The commercial success of JAKAFI and our ability to generate and maintain revenues from the sale of JAKAFI will depend on a number of factors, including:

If we are not successful in commercializing JAKAFI in the United States, or are significantly delayed or limited in doing so, our business may be materially harmed and we may need to delay other drug discovery and development initiatives or even significantly curtail operations.

In addition, our receipt of royalties under our collaboration agreement with Novartis for sales of JAKAVI outside the United States will depend on factors similar to those listed above for jurisdictions outside the United States.

If we are unable to obtain, or maintain at anticipated levels, reimbursement for our products from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations, our pricing may be affected or our product sales, results of operations or financial condition could be harmed.

We may not be able to sell our products on a profitable basis or our profitability may be reduced if we are required to sell our products at lower than anticipated prices or reimbursement is unavailable or limited in scope or amount. JAKAFI and ICLUSIG are expensive and almost all patients will require some form of third-party coverage to afford their cost. Our future revenues and profitability will be adversely affected if we cannot depend on government and other third-party payors to defray the cost of our products to the patient. Reimbursement systems in international markets vary significantly by country and by region, and reimbursement approvals must be obtained on a country-by-country basis. Reimbursement in the EU must be negotiated on a country-by-country basis and in many countries the product cannot be commercially launched until reimbursement is approved. The timing to complete the negotiation process in each country is highly uncertain, and in some countries, we expect that it may exceed 12 months.  Risks related to pricing and reimbursement are described below under “—Other Risks Relating to our Business— Health care reform measures could impact the pricing and profitability of pharmaceuticals, and adversely affect the commercial viability of our products and drug candidates. Our ability to generate revenues will be diminished if we are unable to obtain an adequate level of reimbursement from private insurers, government insurance programs or other third-party payors of health care costs, which could be affected by current and potential healthcare reform legislation.” If government and other third-party payors refuse to provide

coverage and reimbursement with respect to our products, determine to provide a lower level of coverage and reimbursement than anticipated, or reduce previously approved levels of coverage and reimbursement, then our pricing or reimbursement for our products may be affected and our product sales, results of operations or financial condition could be harmed.

We depend upon a limited number of specialty pharmacies and wholesalers for a significant portion of any revenues from JAKAFI, and the loss of, or significant reduction in sales to, any one of these specialty pharmacies or wholesalers could adversely affect our operations and financial condition.

We sell JAKAFI primarily to specialty pharmacies and wholesalers. Specialty pharmacies dispense JAKAFI to patients in fulfillment of prescriptions and wholesalers sell JAKAFI to hospitals and physician offices. We do not promote JAKAFI to specialty pharmacies or wholesalers, and they do not set or determine demand for JAKAFI. Our ability to successfully commercialize JAKAFI will depend, in part, on the extent to which we are able to provide adequate distribution of JAKAFI to patients. Although we have contracted with a number of specialty pharmacies and wholesalers, they are expected generally to carry a very limited inventory and may be reluctant to be part of our distribution network in the future if demand for the product does not increase. Further, it is possible that these specialty pharmacies and wholesalers could decide to change their policies or fees, or both, at some time in the future. This could result in their refusal to carry smaller volume products such as JAKAFI, or lower margins or the need to find alternative methods of distributing our product. Although we believe we can find alternative channels to distribute JAKAFI on relatively short notice, our revenue during that period of time may suffer and we may incur additional costs to replace any such specialty pharmacy or wholesaler. The loss of any large specialty pharmacy or wholesaler as part of our distribution network, a significant reduction in sales we make to specialty pharmacies or wholesalers, or any failure to pay for the products we have shipped to them could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

If we are unable to establish and maintain effective sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, or to enter into agreements with third parties to do so, we will not be able to successfully commercialize our products.

Prior to our commercialization of JAKAFI, we had no experience selling and marketing drug products and with pricing and obtaining adequate third-party reimbursement for drug products. Under our collaboration and license agreement with Novartis, we have retained commercialization rights to JAKAFI in the United States. We have established commercial capabilities in the United States, but cannot guarantee that we will be able to enter into and maintain any marketing, distribution or third-party logistics agreements with third-party providers on acceptable terms, if at all. In connection with our June 2016 acquisition from ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. we licensed rights to develop and commercialize ICLUSIG in certain countries and we acquired the European sales, marketing and distribution operations of ARIAD.  We may not be able to maintain those operations or retain their personnel or distribution arrangements. We may not be able to correctly judge the size and experience of the sales and marketing force and the scale of distribution capabilities necessary to successfully market and sell our products. Establishing and maintaining sales, marketing and distribution capabilities are expensive and time consuming. Competition for personnel with experience in sales and marketing can be high. Our expenses associated with building and maintaining the sales force and distribution capabilities may be disproportional compared to the revenues we may be able to generate on sales of our products.

If we fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, we could lose our approval to market our products or be subject to other governmental enforcement activity.

We cannot guarantee that we will be able to maintain regulatory approval to market our products in the jurisdictions in which they are currently marketed. If we do not maintain our regulatory approval to market our products, in particular JAKAFI, our results of operations will be materially harmed. We and our collaborators, third-party manufacturers and suppliers are subject to rigorous and extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state agencies as well as foreign governmental agencies. These regulations continue to apply after product marketing approval, and cover, among other things, testing, manufacturing, quality control, labeling, advertising, promotion, risk mitigation, and adverse event reporting requirements.

The commercialization of our products is subject to post-regulatory approval product surveillance, and our products may have to be withdrawn from the market or subject to restrictions if previously unknown problems occur. Regulatory agencies may also require additional clinical trials or testing for our products, and our products may be recalled

or may be subject to reformulation, additional studies, changes in labeling, warnings to the public and negative publicity.  For example, from late 2013 through 2014, ICLUSIG was subject to review by the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, of the benefits and risks of ICLUSIG to better understand the nature, frequency and severity of events obstructing the arteries or veins, the potential mechanism that leads to these side effects and whether there needed to be a revision in the dosing recommendation, patient monitoring and a risk management plan for ICLUSIG. This review was completed in January 2015, with additional warnings in the product information but without any change in the approved indications.  The EMA could take additional actions in the future that reduce the commercial potential of ICLUSIG.

Failure to comply with the laws and regulations administered by the FDA or other agencies could result in:

The occurrence of any such event may have a material adverse effect on our business.

If the use of our products harms patients, or is perceived to harm patients even when such harm is unrelated to our products, our regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted or we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims.

The testing of JAKAFI and ICLUSIG, the manufacturing, marketing and sale of JAKAFI and the marketing and sale of ICLUSIG expose us to product liability and other risks. Side effects and other problems experienced by patients from the use of our products could:

If our products are used by a wide patient population, new risks and side effects may be discovered, the rate of known risks or side effects may increase, and risks previously viewed as less significant could be determined to be significant.

Previously unknown risks and adverse effects of our products may also be discovered in connection with unapproved, or off-label, uses of our products. We are prohibited by law from promoting or in any way supporting or encouraging the promotion of our products for off-label uses, but physicians are permitted to use products for off-label purposes. In addition, we are studying and expect to continue to study JAKAFI in diseases for potential additional indications in controlled clinical settings, and independent investigators are doing so as well. In the event of any new risks

or adverse effects discovered as new patients are treated for intermediate or high-risk myelofibrosis or uncontrolled polycythemia vera and as JAKAFI is studied in or used by patients for off-label indications, regulatory authorities may delay or revoke their approvals, we may be required to conduct additional clinical trials, make changes in labeling of JAKAFI, reformulate JAKAFI or make changes and obtain new approvals. We may also experience a significant drop in the sales of JAKAFI, experience harm to our reputation and the reputation of JAKAFI in the marketplace or become subject to lawsuits, including class actions. Any of these results could decrease or prevent sales of JAKAFI or substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing JAKAFI. Similar results could occur with respect to our commercialization of ICLUSIG.

Patients who have been enrolled in our clinical trials or who may use our products in the future often have severe and advanced stages of disease and known as well as unknown significant pre-existing and potentially life-threatening health risks. During the course of treatment, patients may suffer adverse events, including death, for reasons that may or may not be related to our products. Such events could subject us to costly litigation, require us to pay substantial amounts of money to injured patients, delay, negatively impact or end our opportunity to receive or maintain regulatory approval to market our products, or require us to suspend or abandon our commercialization efforts. Even in a circumstance in which we do not believe that an adverse event is related to our products, the investigation into the circumstance may be time consuming or inconclusive. These investigations may interrupt our sales efforts, impact and limit the type of regulatory approvals our products receive or maintain, or delay the regulatory approval process in other countries.

Factors similar to those listed above also apply to our collaboration partner Novartis and to ICLUSIG for jurisdictions outside the United States.

If we market our products in a manner that violates various laws and regulations, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties.

In addition to FDA and related regulatory requirements, we are subject to health care “fraud and abuse” laws, such as the federal False Claims Act, the anti‑kickback provisions of the federal Social Security Act, and other state and federal laws and regulations. Federal and state anti‑kickback laws prohibit, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce, or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for the purchase, lease or order of any health care item or service reimbursable under Medicare, Medicaid, or other federally‑ or state‑financed health care programs. Federal false claims laws prohibit any person from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false claim for payment to the federal government, or knowingly making, or causing to be made, a false statement to get a false claim paid. Pharmaceutical companies have been prosecuted under these laws for a variety of alleged promotional and marketing activities.

Although physicians are permitted, based on their medical judgment, to prescribe products for indications other than those approved by the FDA, manufacturers are prohibited from promoting their products for such off‑label uses. We market JAKAFI for intermediate or high‑risk myelofibrosis and uncontrolled polycythemia vera and provide promotional materials to physicians regarding the use of JAKAFI for these indications. Although we believe that our promotional materials for physicians do not constitute off‑label promotion of JAKAFI, the FDA or other agencies may disagree. If the FDA or another agency determines that our promotional materials or other activities constitute off‑label promotion of JAKAFI, it could request that we modify our promotional materials or other activities or subject us to regulatory enforcement actions, including the issuance of a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine and criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action if they believe that the alleged improper promotion led to the submission and payment of claims for an unapproved use, which could result in significant fines or penalties under other statutory authorities, such as laws prohibiting false claims for reimbursement. Even if it is later determined we are not in violation of these laws, we may be faced with negative publicity, incur significant expenses defending our position and have to divert significant management resources from other matters.

The European Union and member countries impose similar strict restrictions on the promotion and marketing of drug products.  The off-label promotion of medicinal products is prohibited in the EU and in other territories. The promotion of medicinal products that are not subject to a marketing authorization is also prohibited in the EU. Violations of the rules governing the promotion of medicinal products in the EU and in other territories could be penalized by administrative measures, fines and imprisonment.

The majority of states also have statutes or regulations similar to the federal anti‑kickback law and false claims laws, which apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor. In recent years, several states and localities, including California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Vermont, and West Virginia, have enacted legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to establish marketing compliance programs, file periodic reports with the state or make periodic public disclosures on sales, marketing, pricing, clinical trials, and other activities. Similar legislation is being considered in other states. Additionally, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the federal government has enacted the Physician Payment Sunshine provisions. The Sunshine provisions require manufacturers to publicly report certain payments or other transfers of value made to physicians and teaching hospitals. Many of these requirements are new and uncertain, and the penalties for failure to comply with these requirements are unclear. Nonetheless, if we are found not to be in full compliance with these laws, we could face enforcement action and fines and other penalties, and could receive adverse publicity. See also “—Other Risks Relating to our Business—If we fail to comply with the extensive legal and regulatory requirements affecting the health care industry, we could face increased costs, penalties and a loss of business” below.

Competition for our products could harm our business and result in a decrease in our revenue.

Present and potential competitors for JAKAFI could include major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as specialty pharmaceutical firms.  For example, in January 2018, Celgene Corporation announced an agreement to acquire Impact Biomedicines, which is developing a drug candidate for the treatment of myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera. See “—Other Risks Relating to our Business— We face significant competition for our drug discovery and development efforts, and if we do not compete effectively, our commercial opportunities will be reduced or eliminated” for a description of risks relating to this type of competition.  In addition, JAKAFI could face competition from generic products.  As a result of the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, in the United States, generic manufacturers may seek approval of a generic version of an innovative pharmaceutical by filing with the FDA an Abbreviated New Drug Application, or ANDA. The Hatch-Waxman Act provides significant incentives to generic manufacturers to challenge U.S. patents on successful innovative pharmaceutical products.  In February 2016, we received a notice letter regarding an ANDA that requested approval to market a generic version of JAKAFI and purported to challenge patents covering ruxolitinib phosphate and its use that expire in 2028. The notice letter does not challenge the ruxolitinib composition of matter patent, which expires in December 2027.  To date, to our knowledge, the FDA has taken no action with respect to this ANDA. Separately, in January 2018 the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of United States Patent and Trademark Office denied a petition challenging our patent covering deuterated ruxolitinib analogs, although the challenging party retains the right to challenge the validity of the patent in federal court. There can be no assurance that our patents will be upheld or that any litigation in which we might engage with any such generic manufacturer would be successful in protecting JAKAFI’s exclusivity.  The entry of a generic version of JAKAFI could result in a decrease in JAKAFI sales and materially harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

ICLUSIG currently competes with existing therapies that are approved for the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, or CML, who are resistant or intolerant to prior tyrosine kinase inhibitor, or TKI, therapies, on the basis of, among other things, efficacy, cost, breadth of approved use and the safety and side-effect profile. In addition, a generic version of imatinib was launched in the United States in February 2016, and generic versions are expected to be launched in other markets. Although we currently believe that generic versions of imatinib will not materially impact our commercialization of ICLUSIG, given ICLUSIG’s various indication statements globally that are currently focused on resistant or intolerant CML, we cannot be certain how physicians, payors, patients, regulatory authorities and other market participants will respond to the availability of generic versions of imatinib.

OTHER RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS

We may be unsuccessful in our efforts to discover and develop drug candidates and commercialize drug products.

None of our drug candidates, other than JAKAFI/JAKAVI, has received regulatory approval. Our ability to discover and develop drug candidates and to commercialize additional drug products will depend on our ability to:

We have limited experience with many of the activities listed above and may not be successful in discovering, developing, or commercializing additional drug products. Discovery and development of drug candidates are expensive, uncertain and time‑consuming, and we do not know if our efforts will lead to discovery of any drug candidates that can be successfully developed and marketed. Of the compounds or biologics that we identify as potential drug products or that we may in‑license from other companies, including potential products for which we are conducting clinical trials, only a few, if any, are likely to lead to successful drug development programs and commercialized drug products.

We depend heavily on the success of our most advanced drug candidates. We might not be able to commercialize any of our drug candidates successfully, and we may spend significant time and money attempting to do so.

We have invested significant resources in the development of our most advanced drug candidates. Ruxolitinib is in Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of patients with steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease and is in other clinical trials. Epacadostat is in a number of Phase III clinical trials.  Further, we have a number of drug candidates in Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. Our ability to generate product revenues will depend on the successful development and eventual commercialization of our most advanced drug candidates. We, or our collaborators or licensees, may decide to discontinue development of any or all of our drug candidates at any time for commercial, scientific or other reasons.  For example, in early 2016, we decided to discontinue the studies of ruxolitinib in pancreatic cancer and solid tumors and itacitinib in pancreatic cancer.  If a product is developed but not approved or marketed, we may have spent significant amounts of time and money on it, which could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition as well as our business plans.

If we or our collaborators are unable to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates in the United States and foreign jurisdictions, we or our collaborators will not be permitted to commercialize products resulting from our research.

In order to commercialize drug products in the United States, drug candidates will have to obtain regulatory

approval from the FDA. Satisfaction of regulatory requirements typically takes many years. To obtain regulatory approval, we or our collaborators, as the case may be, must first show that our drug candidates are safe and effective for target indications through preclinical testing (animal testing) and clinical trials (human testing). Preclinical testing and clinical development are long, expensive and uncertain processes, and we do not know whether the FDA will allow us or our collaborators to undertake clinical trials of any drug candidates in addition to our compounds currently in clinical trials. If regulatory approval of a product is granted, this approval will be limited to those disease states and conditions for which the product is demonstrated through clinical trials to be safe and effective.

Completion of clinical trials may take several years and failure may occur at any stage of testing. The length of time required varies substantially according to the type, complexity, novelty and intended use of the drug candidate. Interim results of a preclinical test or clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results, and acceptable results in early clinical trials may not be repeated in later clinical trials. For example, a drug candidate that is successful at the preclinical level may cause harmful or dangerous side effects when tested at the clinical level. Our rate of commencement and completion of clinical trials may be delayed, and existing clinical trials with our drug candidates may be stopped, due to many potential factors, including:

Data obtained from clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretation, which may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. Many companies in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry, including our company, have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after achieving promising results in earlier clinical trials. In addition, regulatory authorities may refuse or delay approval as a result of other factors, such as changes in regulatory policy during the period of product development and regulatory agency review. For example, the FDA has in the past required, and could in the future require, that we or our collaborators conduct additional trials of any of our drug candidates, which would result in delays. In April 2017, we and our collaborator Lilly announced that the FDA had issued a complete response letter for the New Drug Application (NDA) of OLUMIANT (baricitinib) as a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. The letter indicated that the FDA was unable to approve the application in its current form. Specifically, the FDA indicated that additional clinical data are needed to determine the most appropriate doses. The FDA also stated that additional data are necessary to further characterize safety concerns across treatment arms.

Compounds or biologics developed by us or with or by our collaborators and licensees may not prove to be safe and effective in clinical trials and may not meet all of the applicable regulatory requirements needed to receive marketing approval. For example, in January 2016, a Phase II trial that was evaluating ruxolitinib in combination with regorafenib in patients with relapsed or refractory metastatic colorectal cancer and high C-reactive protein was stopped early after a planned analysis of interim efficacy data determined that the likelihood of the trial meeting its efficacy endpoint was insufficient.  In addition, in February 2016, we made a decision to discontinue our JANUS 1 study, our JANUS 2 study, our other studies of ruxolitinib in colorectal, breast and lung cancer, and our study of INCB39110 in pancreatic cancer after a planned analysis of interim efficacy data of JANUS 1 demonstrated that ruxolitinib plus capecitabine did not show a sufficient level of efficacy to warrant continuation. If clinical trials of any of our compounds or biologics are stopped for safety, efficacy or other reasons or fail to meet their respective endpoints, our overall development plans, business, prospects, expected operating results and financial condition could be materially harmed and the value of our company could be negatively affected. 

Outside the United States, our and our collaborators’ ability to market a product is contingent upon receiving a marketing authorization from the appropriate regulatory authorities. This foreign regulatory approval process typically includes all of the risks associated with the FDA approval process described above and may also include additional risks. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary greatly from country to country and may require us to perform additional testing and expend additional resources. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one foreign regulatory authority does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries or by the FDA.

Health care reform measures could impact the pricing and profitability of pharmaceuticals, and adversely affect the commercial viability of our products and drug candidates. Our ability to generate revenues will be diminished if we are unable to obtain an adequate level of reimbursement from private insurers, government insurance programs or other third‑party payors of health care costs, which could be affected by current and potential healthcare reform legislation.

Our ability to commercialize our current and any future approved products successfully will depend in part on the extent to which adequate reimbursement levels for the cost of our products and related treatment are obtained from third‑party payors, such as private insurers, government insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other health care related organizations.

In recent years, through legislative and regulatory actions, the federal government has made substantial changes to various payment systems under the Medicare and other federal health care programs. Comprehensive reforms to the U.S. healthcare system were enacted, including changes to the methods for, and amounts of, Medicare reimbursement. While there is currently significant uncertainty regarding the implementation of some of these reforms or the scope of amended or additional reforms, the implementation of reforms could significantly reduce payments from Medicare and Medicaid. Reforms or other changes to these payment systems, may change the availability, methods and rates of reimbursements from Medicare, private insurers and other third-party payors for our current and any future approved products. Some of these changes and proposed changes could result in reduced reimbursement rates or in eliminating dual sources of payment, which could reduce the price that we or any of our collaborators or licensees receive for any products in the future, and which would adversely affect our business strategy, operations and financial results. Further federal and state proposals to regulate prices of pharmaceutical products and other health care reforms are possible, which could limit the prices that can be charged for any of our products and may further limit the commercial viability of our products and drug candidates. In certain foreign markets, pricing or profitability of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to government control. If reimbursement for our products is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, our business could be materially harmed. There may be future changes that result in reductions in current coverage and reimbursement levels for our current or any future approved products, and we cannot predict the scope of any future changes or the impact that those changes would have on our operations.

Third‑party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and services. Also, the trend toward managed health care in the United States, the organizations for which could control or significantly influence the purchase of health care services and products, as well as legislative and regulatory proposals to reform health care or reduce government insurance programs, may all result in lower prices for or rejection of our products. Adoption of our products by the medical community may be limited without adequate reimbursement for those products. Cost control initiatives may decrease coverage and payment levels for our products and, in turn, the price that we will be able to charge for any product. Our products may not be considered cost‑effective, and coverage and reimbursement may not be available or sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a profitable basis. We are unable to predict all changes to the coverage or reimbursement methodologies that will be applied by private or government payors to our current and any future approved products.

The continuing efforts of legislatures, health agencies and third‑party payors to contain or reduce the costs of health care, any denial of private or government payor coverage or inadequate reimbursement for our drug candidates could materially and adversely affect our business strategy, operations, future revenues and profitability, and the future revenues and profitability of our potential customers, suppliers, collaborators and licensees and the availability of capital.  The same risks apply to our compounds developed and marketed by our collaborators, and our future potential milestone and royalty revenues could be affected in a similar manner.

We depend on our collaborators and licensees for the future development and commercialization of some of our drug candidates. Conflicts may arise between our collaborators and licensees and us, or our collaborators and licensees may choose to terminate their agreements with us, which may adversely affect our business.

We have licensed to Novartis rights to ruxolitinib outside of the United States and worldwide rights to our MET inhibitor compounds and licensed to Lilly worldwide rights to baricitinib. We have also licensed to Pfizer our portfolio of CCR2 antagonist compounds. Under the terms of our agreements with these collaborators, we have no or limited control over the further clinical development of these drug candidates and any revenues we may receive if these drug candidates receive regulatory approval and are commercialized will depend primarily on the development and commercialization efforts of others. While OLUMIANT (baricitinib) was approved by the European Commission in February 2017 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients and by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in July 2017 for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in patients with inadequate response to standard-of-care therapies, if the New Drug Application for baricitinib for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis does not receive FDA approval, we will not receive future milestone payments or royalties related to that indication in the United States under our agreement with Lilly.  In addition, even if baricitinib is approved by the FDA in this indication, delays in any such approval, or any label modifications or restrictions in connection with any approval by the FDA, European or other regulatory authorities, or the existence of other risks relating to approved drug products, including those described under “Risks Relating to Commercialization of Our Products,” could delay the receipt of and reduce resulting potential royalty and milestone revenue from baricitinib.  

Conflicts may arise with our collaborators and licensees if they pursue alternative technologies or develop alternative products either on their own or in collaboration with others as a means for developing treatments for the diseases that we have targeted. Competing products and product opportunities may lead our collaborators and licensees to withdraw their support for our drug candidates. Any failure of our collaborators and licensees to perform their obligations under our agreements with them or otherwise to support our drug candidates could negatively impact the development of our drug candidates, lead to our loss of potential revenues from product sales and milestones and delay our achievement, if any, of profitability. Additionally, conflicts may arise if, among other things, there is a dispute about the achievement and payment of a milestone amount or the ownership of intellectual property that is developed during the course of a collaborative relationship.

Our existing collaborative and license agreements can be terminated by our collaborators and licensees for convenience, among other circumstances. If any of our collaborators or licensees terminates its agreement with us, or terminates its rights with respect to certain indications or drug candidates, we may not be able to find a new collaborator for them, and our business could be adversely affected. Should an agreement be terminated before we have realized the benefits of the collaboration or license, our reputation could be harmed, we may not obtain revenues that we anticipated receiving, and our business could be adversely affected.

The success of our drug discovery and development efforts may depend on our ability to find suitable collaborators to fully exploit our capabilities. If we are unable to establish collaborations or if these future collaborations are unsuccessful in the development and commercialization of our drug candidates, our research, development and commercialization efforts may be unsuccessful, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

An important element of our business strategy is to enter into collaborative or license arrangements with other parties, under which we license our drug candidates to those parties for development and commercialization or under which we study our drug candidates in combination with other parties’ compounds or biologics. For example, in addition to our Novartis, Lilly and Pfizer collaborations, we have entered into clinical study relationships with respect to epacadostat and are evaluating strategic relationships with respect to several of our other programs. However, because collaboration and license arrangements are complex to negotiate, we may not be successful in our attempts to establish these arrangements. Also, we may not have drug candidates that are desirable to other parties, or we may be unwilling to license a drug candidate to a particular party because such party interested in it is a competitor or for other reasons. The terms of any such arrangements that we establish may not be favorable to us. Alternatively, potential collaborators may decide against entering into an agreement with us because of our financial, regulatory or intellectual property position or for scientific, commercial or other reasons. If we are not able to establish collaboration or license arrangements, we may not be able to develop and commercialize a drug product, which could adversely affect our business and our revenues.

We will likely not be able to control the amount and timing of resources that our collaborators or licensees devote to our programs or drug candidates. If our collaborators or licensees prove difficult to work with, are less skilled than we originally expected, do not devote adequate resources to the program, are unable to obtain regulatory approval of our drug candidates, pursue alternative technologies or develop alternative products, or do not agree with our approach to development or manufacturing of the drug candidate, the relationship could be unsuccessful. Our collaborations with respect to epacadostat involve the study of our collaborators’ drugs used in combination with epacadostat on a number of indications or tumor types, many of which are the same across multiple collaborations. We cannot assure you that potential conflicts will not arise or be alleged among these collaborations. If a business combination involving a collaborator or licensee and a third-party were to occur, the effect could be to terminate or cause delays in development of a drug candidate.

If we fail to enter into additional licensing agreements or if these arrangements are unsuccessful, our business and operations might be adversely affected.

In addition to establishing collaborative or license arrangements under which other parties license our drug candidates for development and commercialization or under which we study our drug candidates in combination with such parties’ compounds or biologics, we may explore opportunities to develop our clinical pipeline by in-licensing drug candidates or therapeutics targets that fit within our focus on oncology, such as our collaborations with Agenus Inc., Calithera Biosciences, Inc., MacroGenics, Inc., Merus N.V., and Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or explore additional opportunities to further develop and commercialize existing drug candidates in specific jurisdictions, such as our June 2016 acquisition of the development and commercialization rights to ICLUSIG in certain countries. We may be unable to enter into any additional in-licensing agreements because suitable drug candidates that are within our expertise may not be available to us on terms that are acceptable to us or because competitors with greater resources seek to in-license the same drug candidates. Drug candidates that we would like to develop or commercialize may not be available to us because they are controlled by competitors who are unwilling to license the rights to the drug candidate to us. In addition, we may enter into license agreements that are unsuccessful and our business and operations might be adversely affected if we are unable to realize the expected economic benefits of a collaboration or other licensing arrangement, by the termination of a drug candidate and termination and winding down of the related license agreement, or due to other business or regulatory issues that may adversely affect a licensor’s ability to continue to perform its obligations under an in-license agreement. As discussed above under “We depend on our collaborators and licensees for the future development and commercialization of some of our drug candidates. Conflicts may arise between our collaborators and licensees and us, or our collaborators and licensees may choose to terminate their agreements with us, which may adversely affect our business,” conflicts or other issues may arise with our licensors. Those conflicts could result in delays in our plans to develop drug candidates or result in the expenditure of additional funds to resolve those conflicts that could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. We may also need to license drug delivery or other technology in order to continue to develop our drug candidates. If we are unable to enter into additional agreements to license drug candidates, drug delivery technology or other technology or if these arrangements are unsuccessful, our research and development efforts could be adversely affected.

Even if a drug candidate that we develop receives regulatory approval, we may decide not to commercialize it if we determine that commercialization of that product would require more money and time than we are willing to invest.

Even if any of our drug candidates receives regulatory approval, it could be subject to post‑regulatory surveillance, and may have to be withdrawn from the market or subject to restrictions if previously unknown problems occur. Regulatory agencies may also require additional clinical trials or testing, and the drug product may be recalled or may be subject to reformulation, additional studies, changes in labeling, warnings to the public and negative publicity. As a result, we may not continue to commercialize a product even though it has obtained regulatory approval. Further, we may decide not to continue to commercialize a product if the market does not accept the product because it is too expensive or because third parties, such as insurance companies or Medicare, have not approved it for substantial reimbursement. In addition, we may decide not to continue to commercialize a product if competitors develop and commercialize similar or superior products or have proprietary rights that preclude us from ultimately marketing our products.

Any approved drug product that we bring to the market may not gain market acceptance by physicians, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community.

Even if we are successful in gaining regulatory approval of any of our drug candidates in addition to JAKAFI or acquire rights to approved drug products in addition to ICLUSIG, we may not generate significant product revenues and we may not become profitable if these drug products do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance. Physicians may not recommend our drug products until longer‑term clinical data or other factors demonstrate the safety and efficacy of our drug products as compared to other alternative treatments. Even if the clinical safety and efficacy of our drug products is established, physicians may elect not to prescribe these drug products for a variety of reasons, including the reimbursement policies of government and other third‑party payors and the effectiveness of our competitors in marketing their products.

Market acceptance of our drug products, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:

We have limited capacity to conduct preclinical testing and clinical trials, and our resulting dependence on other parties could result in delays in and additional costs for our drug development efforts.

We have limited internal resources and capacity to perform preclinical testing and clinical trials. As part of our development strategy, we often hire clinical research organizations, or CROs, to perform preclinical testing and clinical trials for drug candidates. If the CROs that we hire to perform our preclinical testing and clinical trials do not meet deadlines, do not follow proper procedures, or a conflict arises between us and our CROs, our preclinical testing and clinical trials may take longer than expected, may cost more, may be delayed or may be terminated. If we were forced to find a replacement entity to perform any of our preclinical testing or clinical trials, we may not be able to find a suitable entity on favorable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to find another company to perform a preclinical test or clinical trial, the delay in the test or trial may result in significant additional expenditures. Events such as these may result in delays in our obtaining regulatory approval for our drug candidates or our ability to commercialize our products and could result in increased expenditures that would adversely affect our operating results.

We face significant competition for our drug discovery and development efforts, and if we do not compete effectively, our commercial opportunities will be reduced or eliminated.

The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are intensely competitive and subject to rapid and significant technological change. Our drug discovery and development efforts may target diseases and conditions that are already subject to existing therapies or that are being developed by our competitors, many of which have substantially greater resources, larger research and development staffs and facilities, more experience in completing preclinical testing and clinical trials, and formulation, marketing and manufacturing capabilities. As a result of these resources, our competitors may develop drug products that render our products obsolete or noncompetitive by developing more effective drugs, developing their products more efficiently or pricing their products more competitively. Our ability to develop competitive products would be limited if our competitors succeeded in obtaining regulatory approvals for drug candidates more rapidly than we were able to or in obtaining patent protection or other intellectual property rights that limited our drug development efforts. Any drug products resulting from our research and development efforts, or from our joint efforts with collaborators

or licensees, might not be able to compete successfully with our competitors’ existing and future products, or obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere. The development of products or processes by our competitors with significant advantages over those that we are developing could harm our future revenues and profitability.

Our reliance on other parties to manufacture our drug products and drug candidates could result in a short supply of the drugs, delays in clinical trials or drug development, increased costs, and withdrawal or denial of a regulatory authority’s approval.

We do not currently operate manufacturing facilities for clinical or commercial production of JAKAFI and our other drug candidates or for ICLUSIG. We currently hire third parties to manufacture the raw materials, active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, and finished drug product of JAKAFI, ICLUSIG and our other drug candidates for clinical trials.  In addition, we expect to continue to rely on third parties for the manufacture of commercial supplies of raw materials, API and finished drug product for any drugs that we successfully develop. We also hire third parties to package and label the finished product. The FDA requires that the raw materials, API and finished product for JAKAFI and our other drug candidates be manufactured according to its current Good Manufacturing Practices regulations and regulatory authorities in other countries have similar requirements. There are only a limited number of manufacturers that comply with these requirements. Failure to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices and the applicable regulatory requirements of other countries in the manufacture of our drug candidates and products could result in the FDA or a foreign regulatory authority halting our clinical trials, withdrawing or denying regulatory approval of our drug product, enforcing product recalls or other enforcement actions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may not be able to obtain sufficient quantities of our drug candidates or any drug products we may develop if our designated manufacturers do not have the capacity or capability to manufacture them according to our schedule and specifications. Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products often encounter difficulties in production, especially in scaling up initial production. These problems include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control and assurance and shortages of qualified personnel.  In addition, we may not be able to arrange for our drug candidates or any drug products that we may develop to be manufactured by one of these parties on reasonable terms, if at all.  We generally have a single source or a limited number of suppliers that are qualified to supply each of the API and finished product of JAKAFI, ICLUSIG and our other drug candidates and, in the case of JAKAFI, we only have a single source for its raw materials. If any of these suppliers were to become unable or unwilling to supply us with raw materials, API or finished product that complies with applicable regulatory requirements, we could incur significant delays in our clinical trials or interruption of commercial supply that could have a material adverse effect on our business. If we have promised delivery of a drug candidate or drug product and are unable to meet the delivery requirement due to manufacturing difficulties, our development programs could be delayed, we may have to expend additional sums in order to ensure that manufacturing capacity is available when we need it even if we do not use all of the manufacturing capacity, and our business and operating results could be harmed.

We may not be able to adequately manage and oversee the manufacturers we choose, they may not perform as agreed or they may terminate their agreements with us. Foreign manufacturing approval processes typically include all of the risks associated with the FDA approval process for manufacturing and may also include additional risks.

A number of our collaborations involve the manufacture of antibodies. Either we or our collaborators have primary responsibility for manufacturing activities, and we are currently using third-party contract manufacturing organizations. Manufacturing antibodies and products containing antibodies is a more complex process than manufacturing small molecule drugs and subject to additional risks. The process of manufacturing antibodies and products containing antibodies is highly susceptible to product loss due to contamination, equipment failure or improper installation or operation of equipment, vendor or operator error, inconsistency in yields, variability in product characteristics, and difficulties in scaling the production process. Even minor deviations from normal manufacturing processes could result in reduced production yields, product defects and other supply disruptions. If microbial, viral or other contaminations are discovered in our product candidates or in the manufacturing facilities in which our product candidates are made, such manufacturing facilities may need to be closed for an extended period of time to investigate and remedy the contamination.

If we fail to comply with the extensive legal and regulatory requirements affecting the health care industry, we could face increased costs, penalties and a loss of business.

Our activities, and the activities of our collaborators, partners and third‑party providers, are subject to extensive government regulation and oversight both in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions. The FDA and comparable agencies in other jurisdictions directly regulate many of our most critical business activities, including the conduct of preclinical and clinical studies, product manufacturing, advertising and promotion, product distribution, adverse event reporting and product risk management. States increasingly have been placing greater restrictions on the marketing practices of healthcare companies. In addition, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have been the target of lawsuits and investigations alleging violations of government regulations, including claims asserting submission of incorrect pricing information, impermissible off‑label promotion of pharmaceutical products, payments intended to influence the referral of federal or state healthcare business, submission of false claims for government reimbursement, antitrust violations, violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar anti‑bribery or anti‑corruption laws, or violations related to environmental matters. There is also enhanced scrutiny of company-sponsored patient assistance programs, including insurance premium and co-pay assistance programs and donations to third-party charities that provide such assistance. Violations of governmental regulation by us, our vendors or donation recipients may be punishable by criminal and civil sanctions, including fines and civil monetary penalties and exclusion from participation in government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. In addition to penalties for violation of laws and regulations, we could be required to repay amounts we received from government payors, or pay additional rebates and interest if we are found to have miscalculated the pricing information we have submitted to the government. Actions taken by federal or local governments, legislative bodies and enforcement agencies with respect to these legal and regulatory compliance matters could also result in reduced demand for our products, reduced coverage of our products by health care payors, or both. We cannot ensure that our compliance controls, policies, and procedures will in every instance protect us from acts committed by our employees, collaborators, partners or third‑party providers that would violate the laws or regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate. Whether or not we have complied with the law, an investigation into alleged unlawful conduct could increase our expenses, damage our reputation, divert management time and attention and adversely affect our business. Risks relating to compliance with laws and regulations may be heightened as we continue to expand our global operations and enter new therapeutic areas with different patient populations, which due to different product distribution methods, marketing programs or patient assistance programs may result in additional regulatory burdens and obligations.

As our drug discovery and development operations are conducted at our headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, the loss of access to this facility would negatively impact our business.

Our facility in Wilmington, Delaware is our headquarters and is also where we conduct all of our drug discovery, research, development and marketing activities. In addition, natural disasters or actions of activists opposed to aspects of pharmaceutical research may disrupt our experiments or our ability to access or use our facility. The loss of access to or use of our Wilmington, Delaware facility, either on a temporary or permanent basis would result in an interruption of our business and, consequently, would adversely affect our overall business.

We depend on key employees in a competitive market for skilled personnel, and the loss of the services of any of our key employees or our inability to attract and retain additional personnel would affect our ability to expand our drug discovery and development programs and achieve our objectives.

We are highly dependent on the members of our executive management team and principal members of our commercial, development, medical, operations and scientific staff. We experience intense competition for qualified personnel. Our future success also depends in part on the continued service of our executive management team and key personnel and our ability to recruit, train and retain essential personnel for our drug discovery and development programs, and for our medical affairs and commercialization activities. If we lose the services of any of these people or if we are unable to recruit sufficient qualified personnel, our research and product development goals, and our commercialization efforts could be delayed or curtailed. We do not maintain “key person” insurance on any of our employees.

If we fail to manage our growth effectively, our ability to develop and commercialize products could suffer.

We expect that if our drug discovery efforts continue to generate drug candidates, our clinical drug candidates continue to progress in development, and we continue to build our development, medical and commercial organizations, we will require significant additional investment in personnel, management and resources. Our ability to achieve our research, development and commercialization objectives depends on our ability to respond effectively to these demands and expand our internal organization, systems, controls and facilities to accommodate additional anticipated growth. If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, our business could be harmed and our ability to execute our business strategy could suffer.

We may acquire businesses or assets, form joint ventures or make investments in other companies that may be unsuccessful, divert our management’s attention and harm our operating results and prospects.

As part of our business strategy, we may pursue additional acquisitions of what we believe to be complementary businesses or assets or seek to enter into joint ventures. We also may pursue strategic alliances in an effort to leverage our existing infrastructure and industry experience to expand our product offerings or distribution, or make investments in other companies. For example, in June 2016, we completed the acquisition of the European operations of ARIAD and obtained the exclusive license to develop and commercialize ICLUSIG in Europe and other countries. The success of our acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances and investments will depend on our ability to identify, negotiate, complete and, in the case of acquisitions, integrate those transactions and, if necessary, obtain satisfactory debt or equity financing to fund those transactions.  We may not realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, joint venture, strategic alliance or investment. We may not be able to integrate acquisitions successfully into our existing business, maintain the key business relationships of businesses we acquire, or retain key personnel of an acquired business, and we could assume unknown or contingent liabilities or incur unanticipated expenses. Integration of acquired companies or businesses also may require management resources that otherwise would be available for ongoing development of our existing business.  Any acquisitions or investments made by us also could result in significant write-offs or the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, any of which could harm our operating results. For example, in the year ended December 31, 2017, we recorded unrealized losses related to our investments in Agenus Inc. and Merus N.V., and we may in the future experience additional losses related to our investments.  In addition, if we choose to issue shares of our stock as consideration for any acquisition, dilution to our stockholders could result.

Risks associated with the expansion of our operations outside of the United States could adversely affect our business.

Our acquisition of ARIAD’s European operations significantly expanded our operations in Europe, and we plan to continue to expand our operations and conduct certain development activities outside of the United States. We have limited experience with conducting activities outside of the United States. International operations and business expansion plans are subject to numerous additional risks, including:

Although we conducted due diligence of ARIAD’s European operations prior to the acquisition, we may discover or identify deficiencies or non-compliance with such laws and regulations as we complete the integration of the ARIAD business and conduct our European operations. Any of the risks described above, if encountered, could significantly increase our costs of operating internationally, prevent us from operating in certain jurisdictions, or otherwise significantly harm our future international expansion and operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we could face substantial liabilities and may be required to limit commercialization of our products and our results of operations could be harmed.

In addition to the risks described above under “—Risks Relating to Commercialization of Our Products—If the use of our products harms patients, or is perceived to harm patients even when such harm is unrelated to our products, our regulatory approvals could be revoked or otherwise negatively impacted or we could be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims,” the conduct of clinical trials of medical products that are intended for human use entails an inherent risk of product liability. If any product that we or any of our collaborators or licensees develops causes or is alleged to cause injury during clinical trials or commercialization, we may be held liable. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities, including substantial damages to be paid to the plaintiffs and legal costs, or we may be required to limit further development and commercialization of our products. Additionally, any product liability lawsuit could cause injury to our reputation, participants and investigators to withdraw from clinical trials, and potential collaborators or licensees to seek other partners, any of which could impact our results of operations.

Our product liability insurance policy may not fully cover our potential liabilities. In addition, we may determine that we should increase our coverage, and this insurance may be prohibitively expensive to us or our collaborators or licensees and may not fully cover our potential liabilities. Since December 30, 2017, we elected to self-insure a portion of our exposure to product liability risks through our wholly-owned captive insurance subsidiary, in tandem with third-party insurance policies. Our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the development or commercialization of our drug candidates and products, and if our liabilities from any such claims exceed our third-party insurance limits and self-insurance reserves, our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be adversely impacted.

Because our activities involve the use of hazardous materials, we may be subject to claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these materials that could be time consuming and costly.

We are subject to various environmental, health and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, the use, handling, storage and disposal of regulated substances and the health and safety of our employees. Our research and development processes involve the controlled use of hazardous and radioactive materials and biological waste resulting in the production of hazardous waste products. We cannot completely eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or discharge and any resultant injury from these materials. If any injury or contamination results from our use or the use by our collaborators or licensees of these materials, we may be sued and our liability may exceed our insurance coverage and our total assets. Further, we may be required to indemnify our collaborators or licensees against all damages and other liabilities arising out of our development activities or products produced in connection with these collaborations or licenses. Compliance with the applicable environmental and workplace laws and regulations is expensive. Future changes to environmental, health, workplace and safety laws could cause us to incur additional expense or may restrict our operations or impair our research, development and production efforts.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR FINANCIAL RESULTS

We may incur losses in the future and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future.

Due to historical net losses, we had an accumulated deficit of $2.0 billion as of December 31, 2017. We intend to continue to spend significant amounts on our efforts to discover and develop drugs. As a result, we may incur losses in future periods as well.

We anticipate that our drug discovery and development efforts and related expenditures will increase as we focus on the studies, including preclinical tests and clinical trials prior to seeking regulatory approval, that are required before we can sell a drug product.

The development of drug products will require us to spend significant funds on research, development, testing, obtaining regulatory approvals, manufacturing and marketing. To date, we do not have any drug products that have generated significant revenues other than from sales of JAKAFI and we cannot assure you that we will generate significant revenues from the drug candidates that we license or develop, including ICLUSIG, for several years, if ever.

We cannot be certain whether or when we will achieve profitability because of the significant uncertainties relating to our ability to generate commercially successful drug products. Even if we are successful in obtaining regulatory approvals for manufacturing and commercializing drug products in addition to JAKAFI and ICLUSIG, we may incur losses if our drug products do not generate significant revenues. If we achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability.

We may need additional capital in the future. If we are unable to generate sufficient funds from operations, the capital markets may not permit us to raise additional capital at the time that we require it, which could result in limitations on our research and development or commercialization efforts or the loss of certain of our rights in our technologies or drug candidates.

Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors and we anticipate that we may need to raise additional capital to fund our business plan and research and development efforts going‑forward and to repay our indebtedness.

Additional factors that may affect our future funding requirements include:

If we require additional capital at a time when investment in companies such as ours, or in the marketplace generally, is limited due to the then prevailing market or other conditions, we may have to scale back our operations, eliminate one or more of our research or development programs, or attempt to obtain funds by entering into an agreement with a collaborator or licensee that would result in terms that are not favorable to us or relinquishing our rights in certain of our proprietary technologies or drug candidates. If we are unable to raise funds at the time that we desire or at any time thereafter on acceptable terms, we may not be able to continue to develop our drug candidates. The sale of equity or additional convertible debt securities in the future may be dilutive to our stockholders and may provide for rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of our holders of common stock, and debt financing arrangements may require us to pledge certain assets or enter into covenants that could restrict our operations or our ability to incur further indebtedness.

Our marketable securities and long term investments are subject to risks that could adversely affect our overall financial position.

We invest our cash in accordance with an established internal policy and customarily in instruments, corporate bonds and money market funds which historically have been highly liquid and carried relatively low risk. In recent periods, similar types of investments and money market funds have experienced losses in value or liquidity issues that differ from their historical pattern.

Should a portion of our cash or marketable securities lose value or have their liquidity impaired, it could adversely affect our overall financial position by imperiling our ability to fund our operations and forcing us to seek additional financing sooner than we would otherwise. Such financing, if available, may not be available on commercially attractive terms.

As discussed under “Other Risks Relating to Our Business— We may acquire businesses or assets, form joint ventures or make investments in other companies that may be unsuccessful, divert our management’s attention and harm our operating results and prospects,” any investments that we may make in companies with which we have strategic alliances, such as Agenus and Merus, could result in our recognition of losses on those investments. In addition, to the extent we may seek to sell or otherwise monetize those investments, we may not be able to do so at our desired price or valuation levels, or at all, due to the limited liquidity of some or all of those investments.

Any loss in value of our long term investments could adversely affect our financial position on the consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of operations.

Our current revenues are derived from JAKAFI and ICLUSIG product sales, JAKAVI and OLUMIANT product royalties, collaborations and from licensing our intellectual property. If we are unable to achieve milestones, develop products or renew or enter into new collaborations, our revenues may decrease, and future milestone and royalty payments may not contribute significantly to revenues for several years, and may never result in revenues.

We derived substantially all of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2017 from JAKAFI and ICLUSIG product revenues, JAKAVI and OLUMIANT product royalties and our collaborations and licensing our intellectual property to others. Future revenues from research and development collaborations depend upon continuation of the collaborations, the achievement of milestones and royalties we earn from any future products developed from our research. If we are unable to successfully achieve milestones or our collaborators fail to develop successful products, we will not earn the future revenues contemplated under our collaborative agreements.  For example, delays in or other limitations with respect to the approval of baricitinib in the United States for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis, or the failure to obtain such approval, as discussed under “—We depend on our collaborators and licensees for the future development and commercialization of some of our drug candidates. Conflicts may arise between our collaborators and

licensees and us, or our collaborators and licensees may choose to terminate their agreements with us, which may adversely affect our business.” would affect potential future royalty and milestone revenue.

RISKS RELATING TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND LEGAL MATTERS

If we are subject to arbitration, litigation and infringement claims, they could be costly and disrupt our drug discovery and development efforts.

The technology that we use to make and develop our drug products, the technology that we incorporate in our products, and the products we are developing may be subject to claims that they infringe the patents or proprietary rights of others. The success of our drug discovery and development efforts will also depend on our ability to develop new compounds, drugs and technologies without infringing or misappropriating the proprietary rights of others. We are aware of patents and patent applications filed in certain countries claiming intellectual property relating to some of our drug discovery targets and drug candidates. While the validity of issued patents, patentability of pending patent applications and applicability of any of them to our programs are uncertain, if any of these patents are asserted against us or if we choose to license any of these patents, our ability to commercialize our products could be harmed or the potential return to us from any product that may be successfully commercialized could be diminished.

From time to time we have received, and we may in the future receive, notices from third parties offering licenses to technology or alleging patent, trademark, or copyright infringement, claims regarding trade secrets or other contract claims. Receipt of these notices could result in significant costs as a result of the diversion of the attention of management from our drug discovery and development efforts. Parties sending these notices may have brought and in the future may bring litigation against us or seek arbitration relating to contract claims.

We may be involved in future lawsuits or other legal proceedings alleging patent infringement or other intellectual property rights or contract violations. In addition, litigation or other legal proceedings may be necessary to:

We may be unsuccessful in defending or pursuing these lawsuits, claims or other legal proceedings. Regardless of the outcome, litigation or other legal proceedings can be very costly and can divert management’s efforts. An adverse determination may subject us to significant liabilities or require us or our collaborators or licensees to seek licenses to other parties’ patents or proprietary rights. We or our collaborators or licensees may also be restricted or prevented from manufacturing or selling a drug or other product that we or they develop. Further, we or our future collaborators or licensees may not be able to obtain any necessary licenses on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to develop non‑infringing technology or license technology on a timely basis or on reasonable terms, our business could be harmed.

We may be unable to adequately protect or enforce our proprietary information, which may result in its unauthorized use, a loss of revenue under a collaboration agreement or loss of sales to generic versions of our products or otherwise reduce our ability to compete in developing and commercializing products.

Our business and competitive position depends in significant part upon our ability to protect our proprietary technology, including any drug products that we create. Despite our efforts to protect this information, unauthorized parties may attempt to obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. For example, one of our collaborators may disclose proprietary information pertaining to our drug discovery efforts. In addition, while we have filed numerous patent applications with respect to ruxolitinib and our drug candidates in the United States and in foreign countries, our patent applications may fail to result in issued patents. In addition, because patent applications can take several years to issue as patents, there may be pending patent applications of others that may later issue as patents that cover some aspect of ruxolitinib and our drug candidates. Our existing patents and any future patents we may obtain may not be broad enough

to protect our products or all of the potential uses of our products, or otherwise prevent others from developing competing products or technologies. In addition, our patents may be challenged and invalidated or may fail to provide us with any competitive advantages if, for example, others were first to invent or first to file a patent application for the technologies and products covered by our patents.  As noted above under “—Risks Relating to Commercialization of Our Products—Competition for our products could potentially harm our business and result in a decrease in our revenue,” a potential generic drug company competitor has challenged certain patents relating to JAKAFI.

Additionally, when we do not control the prosecution, maintenance and enforcement of certain important intellectual property, such as a drug candidate in‑licensed to us or subject to a collaboration with a third-party, the protection of the intellectual property rights may not be in our hands. If we do not control the intellectual property rights in‑licensed to us with respect to a drug candidate and the entity that controls the intellectual property rights does not adequately protect those rights, our rights may be impaired, which may impact our ability to develop, market and commercialize the in‑licensed drug candidate.

Our means of protecting our proprietary rights may not be adequate, and our competitors may:

We pursue a policy of having our employees, consultants and advisors execute proprietary information and invention agreements when they begin working for us. However, these agreements may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets or other proprietary information in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure. If we fail to maintain trade secret and patent protection, our potential, future revenues may be decreased.

If the effective term of our patents is decreased due to changes in the United States patent laws or if we need to refile some of our patent applications, the value of our patent portfolio and the revenues we derive from it may be decreased.

The value of our patents depends, in part, on their duration. A shorter period of patent protection could lessen the value of our rights under any patents that we obtain and may decrease the revenues we derive from our patents. The United States patent laws were amended in 1995 to change the term of patent protection from 17 years from patent issuance to 20 years from the earliest effective filing date of the application. Because the time from filing to issuance of biotechnology applications may be more than three years depending on the subject matter, a 20‑year patent term from the filing date may result in substantially shorter patent protection.

Additionally, United States patent laws were amended in 2011 with the enactment of the America Invents Act and third parties are now able to challenge the validity of issued U.S. patents through various review proceedings; thus rendering the validity of U.S. patents more uncertain. We may be obligated to participate in review proceedings to determine the validity of our U.S. patents. We cannot predict the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, the conduct of which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our efforts and resources. If we are unsuccessful in these proceedings some or all of our claims in the patents may be narrowed or invalidated and the patent protection for our products and drug candidates in the United States could be substantially shortened. Further, if all of the patents covering one of our products are invalidated, the FDA could approve requests to manufacture a generic version of that product prior to the expiration date of those patents.

Other changes in the United States patent laws or changes in the interpretation of patent laws could diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. For example, the Supreme Court of the United States recently ruled that isolated DNA sequences cannot be patented. Although we no longer receive significant revenues generated from our former information products business, the majority of our gene patent portfolio from that business consists of patents on isolated DNA sequences, and this ruling limits our ability to derive additional revenues from our gene patent portfolio. Additionally, the Supreme Court recently resolved a split among the circuit courts of appeals regarding antitrust challenges to settlements of patent infringement lawsuits under the Hatch‑Waxman Act between brand‑name drug companies and generic drug companies. The Court rejected the “scope of the patent” test and ruled that

settlements involving “reverse payments” from brand‑name drug companies to generic drug companies should be analyzed under the rule of reason. This ruling may create uncertainty and make it more difficult to settle patent litigation if a company seeking to manufacture a generic version of one of our products challenges the patents covering that product prior to the expiration date of those patents.

International patent protection is particularly uncertain and costly, and our involvement in opposition proceedings in foreign countries may result in the expenditure of substantial sums and management resources.

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent law outside the United States is even more uncertain and costly than in the United States and is currently undergoing review and revision in many countries. Further, the laws of some foreign countries may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as United States laws. For example, certain countries do not grant patent claims that are directed to the treatment of humans. We have participated, and may in the future participate, in opposition proceedings to determine the validity of our foreign patents or our competitors’ foreign patents, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our efforts. For example, there is a patent opposition proceeding in India against our Indian patent that covers the composition of matter and use of certain Janus Kinase inhibitors, including ruxolitinib phosphate, for the treatment of myeloid proliferative disorders, cancer, immune‑related diseases, skin disorders, and other diseases. Successful challenges to our patent or other intellectual property rights through these proceedings could result in a loss of rights in the relevant jurisdiction and allow third parties to use our proprietary technologies without a license from us or our collaborators, which may also result in loss of future royalty payments. In addition, successful challenges may jeopardize or delay our ability to enter into new collaborations or commercialize potential products, which could harm our business and results of operations.

RISKS RELATING TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DATA PRIVACY

Significant disruptions of information technology systems, breaches of data security, or unauthorized disclosures of sensitive data or personally identifiable information or individually identifiable health information could adversely affect our business, and could subject us to liability or reputational damage.

Our business is increasingly dependent on critical, complex, and interdependent information technology (IT) systems, including Internet-based systems, some of which are managed or hosted by third parties, to support business processes as well as internal and external communications. The size and complexity of our IT systems make us potentially vulnerable to IT system breakdowns, malicious intrusion, and computer viruses, which may result in the impairment of our ability to operate our business effectively.

We are currently in the process of enhancing our IT systems to address our planned growth as well as to support our planned manufacturing operations. There are inherent costs and risks associated with implementing the enhancements to our IT systems, including potential delays in access to, or errors in, critical business and financial information, substantial capital expenditures, additional administrative time and operating expenses, retention of sufficiently skilled personnel to implement and operate the enhanced systems, demands on management time, and costs of delays or difficulties in transitioning to the enhanced systems, any of which could harm our business and results of operations. In addition, the implementation of enhancements to our IT systems may not result in productivity improvements at a level that outweighs the costs of implementation, or at all.

In addition, our systems and the systems of our third-party providers and collaborators are potentially vulnerable to data security breaches which may expose sensitive data to unauthorized persons or to the public. Such data security breaches could lead to the loss of confidential information, trade secrets or other intellectual property, or could lead to the public exposure of personal information (including personally identifiable information or individually identifiable health information) of our employees, clinical trial patients, customers, business partners, and others.  Data security breaches could also result in loss of clinical trial data or damage to the integrity of that data.  In addition, the increased use of social media by our employees and contractors could result in inadvertent disclosure of sensitive data or personal information, including but not limited to, confidential information, trade secrets and other intellectual property.

Any such disruption or security breach, as well as any action by us or our employees or contractors that might be inconsistent with the rapidly evolving data privacy and security laws and regulations applicable within the United States and elsewhere where we conduct business, could result in enforcement actions by U.S. states, the U.S. Federal government

or foreign governments, liability or sanctions under data privacy laws that protect personally identifiable information, regulatory penalties, other legal proceedings such as but not limited to private litigation, the incurrence of significant remediation costs, disruptions to our operations and collaborations, and damage to our reputation, which could harm our business and operations. Because of the rapidly moving nature of technology and the increasing sophistication of cybersecurity threats, our measures to prevent, respond to and minimize such risks may be unsuccessful.  

Increasing use of social media could give rise to liability, breaches of data security, or reputational damage.

We and our employees are increasingly utilizing social media tools as a means of communication both internally and externally. Despite our efforts to monitor evolving social media communication guidelines and comply with applicable rules, there is risk that the use of social media by us or our employees to communicate about our products or business may cause us to be found in violation of applicable requirements. In addition, our employees may knowingly or inadvertently make use of social media in ways that may not comply with our social media policy or other legal or contractual requirements, which may give rise to liability, lead to the loss of trade secrets or other intellectual property, or result in public exposure of personal information of our employees, clinical trial patients, customers, and others. Furthermore, negative posts or comments about us or our products in social media could seriously damage our reputation, brand image, and goodwill.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2.  Properties

Our global headquarters is in Wilmington, Delaware, which is where our principal drug discovery and development operations are also located. We own two buildings comprising approximately 344,000 square feet of laboratory and office space at this site.  In March 2017, we acquired additional adjacent land with a view toward further expanding our headquarters facilities.

We lease approximately 160,000 square feet of office space in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and approximately 100,000 square feet of additional laboratory and office space in Wilmington, Delaware. 

We conduct our European clinical development operations from our offices in Geneva, Switzerland and Lausanne, Switzerland, and have recently opened our Japanese office in Tokyo.

Item 3.  Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we are party to legal proceedings in the course of our business.  The outcome of any such proceedings, regardless of the merits, is inherently uncertain. We do not expect any such current legal proceedings to have a material adverse impact on our business or financial condition.

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

Our executive officers are as follows:

Hervé Hoppenot, age 58, joined Incyte as President and Chief Executive Officer and a Director, in January 2014 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in May 2015. Mr. Hoppenot served as the President of Novartis Oncology, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Novartis AG, a pharmaceutical company, from January 2010 to January 2014. Prior to that, Mr. Hoppenot served in other executive positions at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, serving from September 2006 to January 2010 as Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer of Novartis Oncology and Head of Global Product Strategy & Scientific Development of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and

from 2003 to September 2006 as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Marketing of Novartis Oncology. Prior to joining Novartis, Mr. Hoppenot served in various increasingly senior roles at Aventis S.A. (formerly Rhône‑Poulenc S.A.), a pharmaceutical company, including as Vice President Oncology US of Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2000 to 2003 and Vice President US Oncology Operations of Rhone‑Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 1998 to 2000. Mr. Hoppenot holds a Diploma from ESSEC International Business School. Mr. Hoppenot is also a director of Cellectis S.A.

Barry P. Flannelly, age 60, has served as Executive Vice President and General Manager US since June 2015 and joined Incyte as Executive Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Planning in August 2014. Prior to joining Incyte, he served as Chief Executive Officer of OSS Healthcare Inc., a biotechnology start‑up company, from August 2013 to July 2014. He served as Vice President, Global Product Strategy and Commercial Planning of Nektar Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, from April 2011 until April 2013, and as Senior Vice President, Commercial, of Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from August 2008 until January 2011. Prior thereto, Dr. Flannelly held key positions at biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies such as Abraxis BioScience, Inc. and Novartis. Dr. Flannelly earned his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy, his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Baltimore, and his B.S. degree in Pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.

David W. Gryska, age 61, joined Incyte as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in October 2014. Prior to joining Incyte, Mr. Gryska served as an independent consultant and as a member of several public company boards of directors. Mr. Gryska served as the Chief Operating Officer and a Director of Myrexis, Inc., a biotechnology company, from May 2012 to December 2012. From December 2006 to October 2010, Mr. Gryska served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Celgene Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company. From October 2004 to December 2006, Mr. Gryska was a principal at Strategic Consulting Group. Previously, Mr. Gryska served at Scios, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2000 to 2004, and as Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer from 1998 to 2000. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Gryska served as Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Cardiac Pathways. Prior to Cardiac Pathways, Mr. Gryska served as a partner at Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Gryska is a CPA, and holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Loyola University and an M.B.A. from Golden Gate University.

Reid M. Huber, age 46, has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer since April 2014. Dr. Huber joined Incyte as Associate Director, Applied Technology in January 2002 and held roles of increasing responsibility in both drug discovery and clinical development at Incyte.  Prior to joining Incyte, Dr. Huber held scientific research positions with DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company from 1998 to 2002. Dr. Huber held intramural pre‑doctoral and post‑doctoral fellowships at the National Institutes of Health from 1997 to 1998. Dr. Huber received his B.S. in biochemistry/molecular genetics from Murray State University and his Ph.D. in molecular genetics from Washington University.

Vijay Iyengar, age 45, joined Incyte in May 2016 as Executive Vice President, Global Strategy and Corporate Development.  Prior to joining Incyte, from April 2014 to April 2016, he was the President of Genoptix Corporation, a Novartis Company.  From December 2011 to March 2014, he was the Vice President and Rare Diseases Franchise Head at Novartis Oncology and from July 2009 to December 2011, he was the Vice President and Oncology General Manager of Novartis Greece. From October 2007 to June 2009, he was the Global Brand Executive Director at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and from January 2006 to October 2007, he was the Global Brand Director, Oncology at Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Iyengar received his B.S. degree in Biology from Stanford University and earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School.

Steven Stein, age 51, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer since May 2016 and joined Incyte as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer in March 2015. Prior to joining Incyte, from May 2011 to February 2015, he was the Senior Vice President, US Clinical Development & Medical Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.  From February 2004 to April 2011, Dr. Stein was the Vice President, Global Oncology, Clinical Development and the Head of Medicines Development for Hematology and Supportive Care for GlaxoSmithKline.  Dr. Stein held a post-doctoral fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Pennsylvania from 1998 to 2001, and earned his M.D. from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1990.

Paula J. Swain, age 60, has served as Executive Vice President, Human Resources since August 2002 and joined Incyte as Senior Vice President of Human Resources in January 2002. Ms. Swain served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Bristol‑Myers Squibb Company from October 2001 to January 2002, after it acquired DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company. From July 1998 to October 2001, Ms. Swain was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at DuPont Pharmaceuticals. From October 1992 to July 1998, Ms. Swain held a variety of human resources positions of increasing responsibility at DuPont Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Swain received her B.A. in Psychology and Industrial Relations from Rockhurst University.

Wenqing Yao, age 55, has served as Executive Vice President, Head of Discovery Chemistry since October 2014.  Dr. Yao joined Incyte as Director, Chemistry in February 2002 and held roles of increasing responsibility at Incyte. Prior to joining Incyte, Dr. Yao held scientific research positions with DuPont Pharmaceuticals and Bristol‑Myers Squibb Company from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Yao received his B.S. in chemistry from Xuzhou Normal University, his M.S. in organic chemistry from NanKai University and his Ph.D. in organic/medicinal chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.

PART II

Item 5.  Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Our common stock, $.001 par value per share, is traded on The Nasdaq Global Select Market (Nasdaq) under the symbol “INCY.” The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the range of high and low sales prices for our common stock on Nasdaq, as reported in its consolidated transaction reporting system.

As of December 31, 2017, our common stock was held by 154 stockholders of record. We have never declared or paid dividends on our capital stock and do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future.

Item 6.  Selected Financial Data

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

(in thousands, except per share data)

The data set forth below should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Item 7 and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included in Item 8 of this Report.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with “Selected Consolidated Financial Data” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes included elsewhere in this Report.

Overview

Incyte is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics. Our global headquarters is located in Wilmington, Delaware. We conduct our European clinical development operations from our offices in Geneva, Switzerland and Lausanne, Switzerland, and have recently opened our Japanese office in Tokyo.

JAKAFI (ruxolitinib) is our first product to be approved for sale in the United States. It is an oral JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2011 for the treatment of patients with intermediate or high‑risk myelofibrosis and in December 2014 for the treatment of patients with polycythemia vera who have had an inadequate response to or are intolerant of hydroxyurea. Myelofibrosis and polycythemia vera are both rare blood cancers.

Under our collaboration agreement with Novartis International Pharmaceutical Ltd., Novartis received exclusive development and commercialization rights to ruxolitinib outside of the United States for all hematologic and oncologic indications and sells ruxolitinib outside of the United States under the name JAKAVI. In April 2016, we amended this agreement to provide that Novartis has exclusive research, development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to ruxolitinib (excluding topical formulations) in the graft-versus-host-disease field.

We have a second oral JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor, baricitinib, which is subject to a collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Company in which Lilly received exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights for the compound for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. In January 2016, Lilly submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA and a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency for baricitinib as treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.  In March 2016, we entered into an amendment to the agreement with Lilly that amended the non-compete provision of the agreement to allow us to engage in the development and commercialization of ruxolitinib in the graft-versus-host-disease field. In February 2017, we and Lilly announced that the European Commission approved baricitinib as OLUMIANT for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients who have responded inadequately to, or who are intolerant to, one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In July 2017, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) granted marketing approval for OLUMIANT for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (including the prevention of structural injury of joints) in patients with inadequate response to standard-of-care therapies. In April 2017, we and Lilly announced that the FDA had issued a complete response letter for the New Drug Application of baricitinib as a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. The letter indicated that the FDA was unable to approve the application in its current form. Specifically, the FDA indicated that additional clinical data are needed to determine the most appropriate doses. The FDA also stated that additional data are necessary to further characterize safety concerns across treatment arms. In December 2017, Lilly announced that the NDA for baricitinib had been resubmitted and included new safety and efficacy data. The FDA classified the application as a Class II resubmission, which started a new six-month review cycle.

 

In June 2016, we acquired (the “Acquisition”) from ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. all of the outstanding shares of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l., the parent company of ARIAD’s European subsidiaries responsible for the development and commercialization of ICLUSIG in the European Union and other countries, including Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, Israel and Russia. We obtained an exclusive license to develop and commercialize ICLUSIG in those countries. ICLUSIG is approved in the European Union for the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia who are resistant to or intolerant of certain second-generation BCR-ABL inhibitors and all patients who have the T3151 mutation. 

Since we began our drug-discovery and development activities in early 2002, we have filed Investigational New Drug (IND) applications and progressed multiple internally developed proprietary compounds into clinical development. As of February 15, 2018, our development portfolio, including ruxolitinib, was comprised of 17 candidates against 14 molecular targets.

License Agreements and Business Relationships

As part of our business strategy, we establish business relationships, including collaborative arrangements with other companies and medical research institutions to assist in the clinical development and/or commercialization of certain of our drugs and drug candidates and to provide support for our research programs. We also evaluate opportunities for acquiring products or rights to products and technologies that are complementary to our business from other companies and medical research institutions.

Below is a brief description of our significant business relationships and collaborations and related license agreements that expand our pipeline and provide us with certain rights to existing and potential new products and technologies.

Novartis

In November 2009, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Novartis. Under the terms of the agreement, Novartis received exclusive development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to ruxolitinib and certain back‑up compounds for hematologic and oncology indications, including all hematological malignancies, solid tumors and myeloproliferative diseases. We retained exclusive development and commercialization rights to JAKAFI (ruxolitinib) in the United States and in certain other indications. Novartis also received worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights to our MET inhibitor compound capmatinib and certain back‑up compounds in all indications. We retained options to co‑develop and to co‑promote capmatinib in the United States.

Under this agreement, we received an upfront payment and immediate milestone payment totaling $210.0 million and were initially eligible to receive additional payments of up to approximately $1.2 billion if defined development and commercialization milestones are achieved. We are also eligible to receive tiered, double‑digit royalties ranging from the upper‑teens to the mid‑twenties percent on future ruxolitinib net sales outside of the United States, and tiered, worldwide royalties on future capmatinib net sales that range from 12% to 14%. In addition, Novartis has received reimbursement and pricing approval for ruxolitinib in a specified number of countries, and we are now obligated to pay to Novartis tiered royalties in the low single-digits on future ruxolitinib net sales within the United States. Each company is responsible for costs relating to the development and commercialization of ruxolitinib in its respective territories, with costs of collaborative studies shared equally. Novartis is also responsible for all costs relating to the development and commercialization of capmatinib.

In April 2016, we amended this agreement to provide that Novartis has exclusive research, development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to ruxolitinib (excluding topical formulations) in the GVHD field. Under this amendment, we received a $5.0 million payment in exchange for the development and commercialization rights to ruxolitinib in GVHD outside of the United States and became eligible to receive up to $75.0 million of additional potential development and regulatory milestones relating to GVHD. In March 2017, we recognized a $25.0 million milestone payment for the first patient first visit in a GVHD study and in December 2017, we recognized a $40.0 million milestone for Novartis achieving annual net sales of a JAK licensed product of $600.0 million. 

The Novartis agreement will continue on a program‑by‑program basis until Novartis has no royalty payment obligations with respect to such program or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement or any program in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Royalties are payable by Novartis on a product‑by‑product and country‑by‑country basis until the latest to occur of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patent rights covering the licensed product in the relevant country, (ii) the expiration of regulatory exclusivity for the licensed product in such country and (iii) a specified period from first commercial sale in such country of the licensed product by Novartis or its affiliates or sublicensees. The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a program‑by‑program basis by Novartis for convenience. The agreement may also be terminated by either party under certain other circumstances, including material breach.

Lilly

In December 2009, we entered into a License, Development and Commercialization Agreement with Lilly. Under the terms of the agreement, Lilly received exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to baricitinib and certain back‑up compounds for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We received an initial payment of $90.0 million, and were initially eligible to receive additional payments of up to $665.0 million based on the achievement of defined development, regulatory and commercialization milestones.

We retained options to co-develop our JAK1/JAK2 inhibitors with Lilly on a compound-by-compound and indication-by-indication basis. Lilly is responsible for all costs relating to the development and commercialization of the compounds unless we elect to co-develop any compounds or indications. If we elect to co-develop any compounds and/or indications, we would be responsible for funding 30% of the associated future global development costs from the initiation of a Phase IIb trial through regulatory approval, including post-launch studies required by a regulatory authority. We would receive an incremental royalty rate increase across all tiers resulting in effective royalty rates ranging up to the high-twenties on potential future global net sales for compounds and/or indications that we elect to co-develop. For indications that we elect not to co-develop, we would receive tiered, double-digit royalty payments on future global net sales with rates ranging up to 20% if the product is successfully commercialized. We previously had retained an option to co-promote products in the United States but, in March 2016, we waived our co-promotion option as part of an amendment to the agreement. 

In July 2010, we elected to co-develop baricitinib with Lilly in rheumatoid arthritis and we are responsible for funding 30% of the associated future global development costs for this indication from the initiation of the Phase IIb trial through regulatory approval, including post-launch studies required by a regulatory authority. In January 2017, we elected to co-develop baricitinib with Lilly in psoriatic arthritis and atopic dermatitis. We have also exercised our co-development options in systemic lupus erythematosus and axial spondyloarthritis, should Lilly decide to progress into a pivotal program in these indications.

In March 2016, we entered into an amendment to the agreement with Lilly that allows us to engage in the development and commercialization of ruxolitinib in the GVHD field. We paid Lilly an upfront payment of $35.0 million and Lilly is eligible to receive up to $40.0 million in additional regulatory milestone payments relating to ruxolitinib in the GVHD field.

In February 2017, the European Commission announced the approval of baricitinib as OLUMIANT, triggering a $65.0 million milestone payment from Lilly. In July 2017, Japan's MHLW granted marketing approval for OLUMIANT, triggering a $15.0 million milestone payment to Incyte from Lilly. In December 2017, we recognized a $30.0 million milestone payment for the first patient treated in the atopic dermatitis Phase III program for baricitinib.

The Lilly agreement will continue until Lilly no longer has any royalty payment obligations or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement in accordance with its terms. Royalties are payable by Lilly on a product‑by‑product and country‑by‑country basis until the latest to occur of (i) the expiration of the last valid claim of the licensed patent rights covering the licensed product in the relevant country, (ii) the expiration of regulatory exclusivity for the licensed product in such country and (iii) a specified period from first commercial sale in such country of the licensed product by Lilly or its affiliates or sublicensees. The agreement may be terminated by Lilly for convenience, and may also be terminated under certain other circumstances, including material breach.

Agenus

In January 2015, we entered into a License, Development and Commercialization Agreement with Agenus Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, 4-Antibody AG (now known as Agenus Switzerland Inc.), which we collectively refer to as Agenus. Under this agreement, the parties have agreed to collaborate on the discovery of novel immuno-therapeutics using Agenus’ antibody discovery platforms. In February 2017, we and Agenus amended this agreement.

Under the terms of this agreement, as amended, we received exclusive worldwide development and commercialization rights to four checkpoint modulators directed against GITR, OX40, LAG-3 and TIM-3. In addition to the initial four program targets, we and Agenus have the option to jointly nominate and pursue additional targets within the framework of the collaboration, and in November 2015, three more targets were added. Targets may be designated profit-share programs, where all costs and profits are shared equally by us and Agenus, or royalty-bearing programs, where we are responsible for all costs associated with discovery, preclinical, clinical development and commercialization activities. The programs relating to GITR and OX40 and two of the undisclosed targets were profit-share programs until February 2017, while the other targets currently under collaboration are royalty-bearing programs. The February 2017 amendment converted the programs relating to GITR and OX40 to royalty-bearing programs and removed from the collaboration the profit-share programs relating to the two undisclosed targets, with one reverting to us and one reverting to Agenus.  Should any of those removed programs be successfully developed by a party, the other party will be eligible to receive the same milestone payments as the royalty-bearing programs and royalties at a 15% rate on global net sales.  There are currently no profit-share programs. For each royalty-bearing product other than GITR and OX40, Agenus will be eligible to receive tiered royalties on global net sales ranging from 6% to 12%. For GITR and OX40, Agenus will be eligible to receive 15% royalties on global net sales. Under the February 2017 amendment, we paid Agenus $20.0 million in accelerated milestones relating to the clinical development of the GITR and OX40 programs. Agenus is eligible to receive up to an additional $510.0 million in future contingent development, regulatory and commercialization milestones across all programs in the collaboration.  The agreement may be terminated by us for convenience upon 12 months’ notice and may also be terminated under certain other circumstances, including material breach.

Hengrui

In September 2015, we entered into a License and Collaboration Agreement with Hengrui. Under the terms of this agreement, we received exclusive development and commercialization rights worldwide, with the exception of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, to INCSHR1210, an investigational PD-1 monoclonal antibody, and certain back-up compounds. In February 2018, Incyte and Hengrui agreed to terminate the collaboration, pursuant to the terms of the License and Collaboration Agreement.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals (Luxembourg) S.à.r.l. Acquisition

In June 2016, we completed the Acquisition. ARIAD will be eligible to receive from us tiered royalties on net sales of ICLUSIG in our territory and up to $135.0 million in potential future oncology development and regulatory approval milestone payments, together with additional milestone payments for non-oncology indications, if approved, in our territory.

Merus

In December 2016, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Merus N.V. Under this agreement, which became effective in January 2017, the parties have agreed to collaborate with respect to the research, discovery and development of bispecific antibodies utilizing Merus’ technology platform. The collaboration encompasses up to eleven independent programs, including two of Merus’ current preclinical immuno-oncology discovery programs.  We received exclusive development and commercialization rights outside of the United States to products and product candidates resulting from one of Merus’ current preclinical discovery programs, referred to as “Program 1.” We also received worldwide exclusive development and commercialization rights to products and product candidates resulting from the other current Merus preclinical discovery program that is subject to the collaboration and to up to nine additional programs. Merus retained exclusive development and commercialization rights in the United States to products and product candidates resulting from Program 1 and options, subject to certain conditions, to co-fund development of products resulting from two other programs in exchange for a share of profits in the United States. Merus will also have the right to

participate in a specified proportion of detailing activities in the United States for one of those co-developed programs.  Should Program 1 fail to successfully complete IND-enabling toxicology studies, Merus would be granted an additional option to co-fund development of a program in exchange for a share of profits in the United States. All costs related to the collaboration are subject to joint research and development plans.  Each party will share equally the costs of mutually agreed global development activities for Program 1, and fund itself any independent development activities in its territory. We will be responsible for all research, development and commercialization costs relating to all other programs, subject to Merus’ election to co-fund development and co-detail described above. If Merus exercises its co-funding option for a program, Merus would be responsible for funding 35% of the associated future global development costs and, for certain of such programs, would be responsible for reimbursing us for certain development costs incurred prior to the option exercise. All products as to which Merus has exercised its option to co-fund development would be subject to joint development plans and overseen by a joint development committee, but we will have final determination as to such plans in cases of dispute. 

In February 2017, we paid Merus an upfront, non-refundable payment of $120.0 million.  For each program as to which Merus does not have commercialization or co-development rights, Merus will be eligible to receive up to $100.0 million in future contingent development and regulatory milestones and up to $250.0 million in commercialization milestones as well as tiered royalties ranging from 6% to 10% of global net sales.  For each program as to which Merus exercises its option to co-fund development, Merus will be eligible to receive a 50% share of profits (or sustain 50% of any losses) in the United States and be eligible to receive tiered royalties ranging from 6% to 10% of net sales of products outside of the United States.  If Merus opts to cease co-funding a program as to which it exercised its co-development option, then Merus will no longer receive a share of profits in the United States but will be eligible to receive the same milestones from the co-funding termination date and the same tiered royalties described above with respect to non-co-developed programs and, depending on the stage at which Merus chose to cease co-funding development costs, additional royalties ranging up to 4% of net sales in the United States.  For Program 1, we and Merus will each be eligible to receive tiered royalties on net sales in the other party’s territory at rates ranging from 6% to 10%.  

The Merus agreement will continue on a program-by-program basis until we have no royalty payment obligations with respect to such program or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement or any program in accordance with the terms of the agreement.  The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a program-by-program basis by us for convenience.  The agreement may also be terminated by either party under certain other circumstances, including material breach, as set forth in the agreement.  If the agreement is terminated with respect to one or more programs, all rights in the terminated programs revert to Merus, subject to payment to us of a reverse royalty of up to 4% on sales of future products, if Merus elects to pursue development and commercialization of products arising from the terminated programs. 

Calithera

In January 2017, we entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Calithera Biosciences, Inc. Under this agreement, we received an exclusive, worldwide license to develop and commercialize small molecule arginase inhibitors, including INCB01158 (CB-1158), which is currently in Phase I clinical trials, for hematology and oncology indications. We have agreed to co-fund 70% of the global development costs for the development of the licensed products for hematology and oncology indications. Calithera will have the right to conduct certain clinical development under the collaboration, including combination studies of a licensed product with a proprietary compound of Calithera. We will be entitled to 60% of the profits and losses from net sales of licensed product in the United States, and Calithera will have the right to co-detail licensed products in the United States, and we have agreed to pay Calithera tiered royalties ranging from the low to mid-double digits on net sales of licensed products outside the United States. Calithera may opt out of its co-funding obligation, in which case the U.S. profit sharing will no longer be in effect, and we have agreed to pay Calithera tiered royalties ranging from the low to mid-double digits on net sales of licensed products both in the United States and outside the United States, and additional royalties to reimburse Calithera for previously incurred development costs.

Calithera retains rights to certain arginase inhibitors that are not part of the collaboration for specific orphan indications outside of hematology and oncology, subject to our rights to negotiate a license for any such programs under specified circumstances if Calithera elects to out-license them.

In January 2017, we paid Calithera an upfront license fee of $45.0 million and have agreed to pay potential development, regulatory and sales milestone payments of over $430.0 million if the profit share is in effect, or $750.0 million if the profit share terminates.

The Calithera agreement will continue on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis for so long as we are developing or commercializing products in the United States (if the parties are sharing profits in the United States) and until we have no further royalty payment obligations, unless earlier terminated according to the terms of the agreement. The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a product-by-product and/or a country-by-country basis by us for convenience. The agreement may also be terminated by us for Calithera’s uncured material breach, by Calithera for our uncured material breach and by either party for bankruptcy or patent challenge. If the agreement is terminated early with respect to one or more products or countries, all rights in the terminated products and countries revert to Calithera.

MacroGenics

In October 2017, we entered into a Global Collaboration and License Agreement with MacroGenics, Inc. Under this agreement, we received exclusive development and commercialization rights worldwide to MacroGenics’ MGA012, an investigational monoclonal antibody that inhibits PD-1. Except as set forth in the succeeding sentence, we will have sole authority over and bear all costs and expenses in connection with the development and commercialization of MGA012 in all indications, whether as a monotherapy or as part of a combination regimen. MacroGenics has retained the right to develop and commercialize, at its cost and expense, its pipeline assets in combination with MGA012. In addition, MacroGenics has the right to manufacture a portion of both companies’ global clinical and commercial supply needs of MGA012.  In December 2017, we paid MacroGenics an upfront payment of $150.0 million. MacroGenics will be eligible to receive up to $420.0 million in future contingent development and regulatory milestones, and up to $330.0 million in commercial milestones as well as tiered royalties ranging from 15% to 24% of global net sales.

The MacroGenics agreement will continue until we are no longer commercializing, developing or manufacturing MGA012 or, if earlier, the termination of the agreement in accordance with its terms. The agreement may be terminated in its entirety or on a licensed product by licensed product basis by us for convenience. The agreement may also be terminated by either party under certain other circumstances, including material breach, as set forth in the agreement. 

Syros

In January 2018, we entered into a target discovery, research collaboration and option agreement with Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Under this agreement, Syros will use its proprietary gene control platform to identify novel therapeutic targets with a focus in myeloproliferative neoplasms and we have received options to obtain exclusive worldwide rights to intellectual property resulting from the collaboration for up to seven validated targets.  We will have exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize any therapies under the collaboration that modulate those validated targets.  We paid Syros $2.5 million in cash for access to proprietary technology and $7.5 million in cash for research and development services. We have agreed to pay Syros up to $54.0 million in target selection and option exercise fees should we decide to exercise all of our options under the agreement. For products resulting from the collaboration against each of the seven selected and validated targets, we have agreed to pay up to $50.0 million in potential development and regulatory milestones and up to $65.0 million in potential commercial milestones. Syros is also eligible to receive low single-digit royalties on net sales of products resulting from the collaboration.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Estimates

The preparation of financial statements requires us to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form our basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from those estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

We believe the following critical accounting policies affect the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

Revenue Recognition.  Revenues are recognized when (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (3) the price is fixed or determinable and (4) collectability is reasonably assured. Revenues are deferred for fees received before earned or until no further obligations exist. We exercise judgment in determining that collectability is reasonably assured or that services have been delivered in accordance with the arrangement. We assess whether the fee is fixed or determinable based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the sales price is subject to refund or adjustment. We assess collectability based primarily on the customer’s payment history and on the creditworthiness of the customer.

Product Revenues

 

Our product revenues consist of U.S. sales of JAKAFI and European sales of ICLUSIG.  Product revenues are recognized once we meet all four revenue recognition criteria described above. In November 2011, we began shipping JAKAFI to our customers in the U.S., which include specialty pharmacies and wholesalers. In June 2016, we acquired the right to and began shipping ICLUSIG to our customers in the European Union and certain other jurisdictions, which include retail pharmacies, hospital pharmacies and distributors.

 

We recognize revenues for product received by our customers net of allowances for customer credits, including estimated rebates, chargebacks, discounts, returns, distribution service fees, patient assistance programs, and government rebates, such as Medicare Part D coverage gap reimbursements in the U.S. Product shipping and handling costs are included in cost of product revenues.

 

Customer Credits:  Our customers are offered various forms of consideration, including allowances, service fees and prompt payment discounts. We expect our customers will earn prompt payment discounts and, therefore, we deduct the full amount of these discounts from total product sales when revenues are recognized. Service fees are also deducted from total product sales as they are earned.

 

Rebates and Discounts:  Allowances for rebates include mandated discounts under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program in the U.S. and mandated discounts in Europe in markets where government-sponsored healthcare systems are the primary payers for healthcare. Rebate amounts are based upon contractual agreements or legal requirements with public sector benefit providers. Rebates are amounts owed after the final dispensing of the product to a benefit plan participant and are based upon contractual agreements or legal requirements with public sector benefit providers. The accrual for rebates is based on statutory discount rates and expected utilization as well as historical data we have accumulated since product launch. Our estimates for expected utilization of rebates are based on data received from our customers. Rebates are generally invoiced and paid in arrears so that the accrual balance consists of an estimate of the amount expected to be incurred for the current quarter’s activity, plus an accrual balance for known prior quarters’ unpaid rebates. If actual future