Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

v3.23.1
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2023
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Pre
se
ntation
The accompanying financial information as of March 31, 2023 and for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 has been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022 was derived from the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements, including all related disclosures, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K that was filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023. There have been no material changes to the complete listing of significant accounting policies as described in Note 2 thereof.
In the opinion of management, the unaudited financial information as of March 31, 2023 and for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 reflects all adjustments, which are normal recurring adjustments, necessary to present a fair statement of financial position, results of operations and cash flows. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the operating results for the full fiscal year or any future periods.
Prin
cip
les of Consolidation
The Company has a wholly-owned subsidiary, ContraFect International Limited, in Scotland that establishes legal status for interactions with the European Economic Area. This subsidiary is dormant or is otherwise
non-operative.
Any inter-company accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
Significant Risks and Uncertainties
The Company’s operations are subject to a number of factors that can affect its operating results and financial condition. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the results of clinical testing and trial activities of the Company’s products, the Company’s ability to obtain regulatory approval to market its products, competition from products manufactured and sold or being developed by other companies, the price of, and demand for, the Company’s products, the Company’s ability to negotiate favorable licensing or other manufacturing and marketing agreements for its products, the Company’s ability to raise capital and the effects of
COVID-19
and the recent failure of certain financial institutions, on the Company’s business, operations and financial performance and position.
 
The Company currently relies on a single manufacturer of drug substance for each of its product candidates and two manufacturers of drug product, one located in the United States and one in Western Europe, and there are no long-term supply agreements in place. A sustained disruption in the operations of any of these manufacturers, or in the even
t the
Company would need to change to a new supplier, could result in a significant delay in the ability of the Company to complete any associated activities.
Use of Est
imat
es
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates its estimates and assumptions, including those related to stock-based compensation, warrant valuation, research and development accruals and prepaid expenses and realization of net deferred income tax assets. The Company’s actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Concentrations of Credi
t R
isk
Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities. The Company holds these investments in highly rated financial institutions, and, by policy, limits the amounts of credit exposure to any one financial institution. These amounts at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company’s accounts at Silicon Valley Bank have not experienced any credit losses and the Company does not believe it has material exposure to any significant credit risk on these funds. The Company maintains the majority of its cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities at other financial institutions. The Company has no
off-balance
sheet concentrations of credit risk, such as foreign currency exchange contracts, option contracts or other hedging arrangements.
Cash and Cash Equ
ivalen
ts
The Company considers all highly liquid investments with maturities at the date of purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include bank demand deposits, marketable securities with maturities of three months or less at purchase, and money market funds that invest primarily in certificates of deposit, commercial paper and U.S. government and U.S. government agency obligations. Cash equivalents are reported at fair value.
Marketable Securities
Marketable securities consist of investments in corporate debt securities. Management determines the appropriate classification of the securities at the time they are acquired and evaluates the appropriateness of such classifications at each balance sheet date. The Company classifies its marketable securities as
available-for-sale
pursuant to ASC 320,
Investments – Debt and Equity Securities
. The Company classifies marketable securities available to fund current operations as current assets on its consolidated balance sheets. Marketable securities are classified as long-term assets on the consolidated balance sheets if (i) the Company has the intent and ability to hold the investments for a period of at least one year and (ii) the contractual maturity date of the investments is greater than one year. Marketable securities, together with accrued interest receivable, net of any allowance for credit losses, are recorded at fair value on the consolidated balance sheet, with unrealized gains and losses included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ (deficit) equity and a component of total comprehensive loss in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, until realized. The fair value of these securities is based on quoted prices for identical or similar assets. Realized gains and losses are included in interest income in the consolidated statement of operations on a specific-identification basis.
There were no realized gains or losses on sales of marketable securities for the three months ended March 31, 2023 or 2022. There were no marketable securities that had been in an unrealized loss position for more than 12 months as of March 31, 2023 or December 31, 2022.
The Company reviews marketable securities for other-than-temporary impairment whenever the fair value of a marketable security is less than the amortized cost and evidence indicates that a marketable security’s carrying amount is not recoverable within a reasonable period of time. Other-than-temporary impairments of investments are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations if the Company has experienced a credit loss, has the intent to sell the marketable security, or if it is more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the marketable security before recovery of the amortized cost basis. Evidence considered in this assessment includes reasons for the impairment, compliance with the Company’s investment policy, the severity and the duration of the impairment and changes in value subsequent to the end of the period.
 
Fair Va
lue
of Financial Instruments
The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and warrant liabilities. Fair value estimates of these instruments are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant market information. These estimates may be subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of judgment and therefore cannot be determined with precision. The fair value of the Company’s warrant liabilities is based upon unobservable inputs, as described further below.
The Company discloses information on all assets and liabilities reported at fair value using a hierarchy of inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions about the inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, and are developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The fair value hierarchy applies only to the valuation inputs used in determining the reported fair value of the investments and is not a measure of the investment credit quality. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:
Level 1—Valuations based on unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.
Level 2—Valuations based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active or for which all significant inputs are observable, either directly or indirectly.
Level 3—Valuations that require inputs that reflect the Company’s own assumptions that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable.
To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by the Company in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
The Company had no liabilities classified as Level 1 or Level 2. The carrying amounts reported in the accompanying financial statements for accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their respective fair values due to their short-term maturities. The fair value of the warrant liabilities is discussed in Note 4, “Fair Value Measurements.”
Stock-based Co
m
pensation
Stock-based compensation is measured and recognized as compensation expense for all stock-based payment awards made to employees, directors, and
non-employees,
including employee stock options. Compensation expense based on the grant date fair value is generally amortized over the requisite service period of the award on a straight-line basis.
The fair value of options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model on the date of grant based on key assumptions such as stock price, risk free interest rates, expected volatility, expected term, and expected dividend yield. The Company’s estimates of these assumptions are based on historical data and judgment regarding future trends and factors.
Government Contracts and Grant Agreements
On March 10, 2021, the Company entered into a cost-share contract (the “BARDA Contract”) with BARDA, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. The base period for the BARDA Contract included government funding of up to $9.8 million to reimburse expenses to support the conduct of the Phase 3 DISRUPT study and futility analysis. In connection with the Trial Closure, the BARDA Contract was modified to provide for up to $6.6 million in funding to support a futility outcome root-cause analysis and the
close-out
of the Phase 3 DISRUPT study of exebacase.
The Company recognizes a receivable in other current assets with a related reduction in its research and development expenses when the actual reimbursable costs have been incurred and the Company has complied with the conditions of the applicable government contract or grant agreement and the amounts will be received. The Company recognized a reduction to its research and development expense in the amount of $2.7 million and $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The receivable for government contracts and grant agreements as of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was $1.7 million and $2.6 million, respectively. The Company has $2.6 million of committed government contract and grant agreement funding remaining as of March 31, 2023.
 
R
estr
u
cturing
The Company has made estimates and judgments regarding the amount and timing of its restructuring expense and liability, including current and future period termination
benefits and other costs to be incurred when related actions take place. Actual results
may differ from these estimates. Restructuring charges are reflected in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
Net Loss
Per S
hare
Basic net loss per share applicable to common stockholders is calculated by dividing net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for common stock equivalents. Diluted net loss per share applicable to common stockholders is calculated by adjusting weighted average shares outstanding for the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents outstanding for the period, determined using the treasury-stock method. For purposes of the dilutive net loss per share applicable to common stockholders’ calculation, stock options and warrants are considered to be common stock equivalents but are excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share applicable to common stockholders, as their effect would be anti-dilutive; therefore, basic and diluted net loss per share applicable to common stockholders were the same for all periods presented.
Recently A
dopt
ed Accounting Pro
noun
cements
Credit Losses
On January 1, 2023, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update
No. 2016-13,
Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (ASU
2016-13).
ASU
2016-13
amended the guidance for measuring and recording credit losses on financial assets measured at amortized cost by replacing the “incurred loss” model with an “expected loss” model. Accordingly, these financial assets will be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. This new standard also requires that credit losses related to
available-for-sale
debt securities be recorded through an allowance for such losses rather than reducing the carrying amount under the current, other-than-temporary-impairment model. The adoption of the new guidance did not affect the Company’s consolidated financial statements.