ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of novel treatments for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Currently, we are developing two therapies targeting hematologic malignancies. TG-1101 (ublituximab) is a novel, glycoengineered monoclonal antibody that targets a unique epitope on the CD20 antigen found on mature B-lymphocytes. We are also developing TGR-1202 (umbralisib), an orally available PI3K delta inhibitor. The delta isoform of PI3K is strongly expressed in cells of hematopoietic origin and is believed to be important in the proliferation and survival of B-lymphocytes. Both TG-1101 and TGR-1202, or the combination of which is referred to as "U2," are in Phase 3 clinical development for patients with hematologic malignancies, with TG-1101 also in Phase 3 clinical development for Multiple Sclerosis. Additionally, the Company has recently brought its anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody into Phase 1 development and aims to bring additional pipeline assets into the clinic in the future.

We also actively evaluate complementary products, technologies and companies for in-licensing, partnership, acquisition and/or investment opportunities. To date, we have not received approval for the sale of any of our drug candidates in any market and, therefore, have not generated any product sales from our drug candidates.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

We have incurred operating losses since our inception, and expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future and may never become profitable. As of December 31, 2017, we have an accumulated deficit of $354.9 million.

Our major sources of cash have been proceeds from the private placement and public offering of equity securities. We have not yet commercialized any of our drug candidates and cannot be sure if we will ever be able to do so. Even if we commercialize one or more of our drug candidates, we may not become profitable. Our ability to achieve profitability depends on many factors, including our ability to obtain regulatory approval for our drug candidates; successfully complete any post-approval regulatory obligations; and successfully commercialize our drug candidates alone or in partnership. We may continue to incur substantial operating losses even if we begin to generate revenues from our drug candidates.

As of December 31, 2017, we had $84.8 million in cash and cash equivalents, investment securities, and interest receivable. The Company believes its cash, cash equivalents, investment securities, and interest receivable on hand as of December 31, 2017 combined with the additional capital raised in the first quarter of 2018 (see Note 13) will be sufficient to fund the Company’s planned operations into the second quarter of 2019. The actual amount of cash that we will need to operate is subject to many factors, including, but not limited to, the timing, design and conduct of clinical trials for our drug candidates. We are dependent upon significant future financing to provide the cash necessary to execute our current operations, including the commercialization of any of our drug candidates.

Our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market and trades under the symbol “TGTX.”

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2017-09, “Scope of Modification Accounting” (“ASU 2017-09”). ASU 2017-09 provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting. An entity should account for the effects of a modification unless all the following are met:

● The fair value (or calculated value or intrinsic value, if such an alternative measurement method is used) of the modified award is the same as the fair value (or calculated value or intrinsic value, if such an alternative measurement method is used) of the original award immediately before the original award is modified. If the modification does not affect any of the inputs to the valuation technique that the entity uses to value the award, the entity is not required to estimate the value immediately before and after the modification.

● The vesting conditions of the modified award are the same as the vesting conditions of the original award immediately before the original award is modified.

● The classification of the modified award as an equity instrument or a liability instrument is the same as the classification of the original award immediately before the original award is modified.

             ASU 2017-09 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning on or after December 15, 2017. Early adoption is permitted for public business entities for reporting periods for which financial statements have not yet been issued, and all other entities for reporting periods for which financial statements have not yet been made available for issuance. The amendments should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The Company  adopted ASU 2017-09 on January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-09 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2017.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment” (“ASU 2017-04”). ASU 2017-04 removes the requirement to compare the implied fair value of goodwill with its carrying amount as part of step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. As a result, under ASU 2017-04, an entity should perform its annual, or interim, goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. In addition, ASU 2017-04:

● Clarifies the requirements for excluding and allocating foreign currency translation adjustments to reporting units in connection with an entity’s testing of reporting units for goodwill impairment.

● Clarifies that an entity should consider income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable.

● Makes minor changes to the overview and background sections of certain Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC” or “Codification”) subtopics and topics as part of the Board’s initiative to unify and improve those sections throughout the Codification.

              ASU 2017-04 is effective prospectively for annual and interim periods beginning on or after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2017-04 to have a material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, “FASB Clarifies the Definition of a Business” (“ASU 2017-01”). ASU 2017-01 clarifies the definition of a business in ASC 805. The amendments in ASU 2017-01 are intended to make application of the guidance more consistent and cost-efficient. The amendments in ASU 2017-01:

● Provide a screen to determine when a set of assets and activities is not a business. The screen requires that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. This screen reduces the number of transactions that need to be further evaluated.

● Provide that if the screen is not met, (1) to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and a substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and (2) remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. The amendments provide a framework to assist entities in evaluating whether both an input and a substantive process are present. The framework includes two sets of criteria to consider that depend on whether a set has outputs. Although outputs are not required for a set to be a business, outputs generally are a key element of a business; therefore, the Board has developed more stringent criteria for sets without outputs.

● Narrow the definition of the term output so that the term is consistent with how outputs are described in Topic 606.

ASU 2017-01 is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted for transactions that occurred before the issuance date or effective date of the standard if the transactions were not reported in financial statements that have been issued or made available for issuance. 

  The Company adopted ASU 2017-01 on January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2017-01 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2017.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which supersedes all existing revenue recognition requirements, including most industry-specific guidance. ASU 2014-09 provides a single set of criteria for revenue recognition among all industries. The new standard requires a company to recognize revenue when it transfers goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects to receive for those goods or services.

ASU 2014-09 includes guidance for determining whether a license transfers to a customer at a point in time or over time based on the nature of the entity’s promise to the customer. To determine whether the entity’s promise is to provide a right to access its intellectual property or a right to use its intellectual property, the entity should consider the nature of the intellectual property to which the customer will have rights.

ASU 2014-09 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard allows for two transition methods - full retrospective, in which the standard is applied to each prior reporting period presented, or modified retrospective, in which the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard is recognized at the date of initial adoption.

  The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 on January 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective approach. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2017.

Other pronouncements issued by the FASB or other authoritative accounting standards with future effective dates are either not applicable or not significant to our condensed consolidated financial statements.

USE OF ESTIMATES

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the applicable reporting period. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to accrued expenses and stock-based compensation. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Such differences could be material to the financial statements.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

We treat liquid investments with original maturities of less than three months when purchased as cash and cash equivalents.

RESTRICTED CASH

We record cash pledged or held in trust as restricted cash. As of December 31, 2017, we have approximately $0.6 million of restricted cash pledged to secure a line of credit as a security deposit for an Office Agreement (see Note 9).

INVESTMENT SECURITIES

Investment securities at both December 31, 2017 and 2016 consist of short-term government securities. We classify these securities as held-to-maturity. Held-to-maturity securities are those securities in which we have the ability and intent to hold the security until maturity. Held-to-maturity securities are recorded at amortized cost, adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the related held-to-maturity security as an adjustment to yield using the effective interest method.

A decline in the market value of any investment security below cost, that is deemed to be other than temporary, results in a reduction in the carrying amount to fair value. The impairment is charged to operations and a new cost basis for the security is established. Other-than-temporary impairment charges are included in interest and other income (expense), net. Unrealized gains, if determined to be temporary, are included in accumulated other comprehensive income in equity. Dividend and interest income are recognized when earned.

CREDIT RISK

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. The Company maintains its cash and cash equivalents with high-credit quality financial institutions. At times, such amounts may exceed federally-insured limits.

REVENUE RECOGNITION

We recognize license revenue in accordance with the revenue recognition guidance of the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, or Codification. We analyze each element of our licensing agreement to determine the appropriate revenue recognition. The terms of the license agreement may include payments to us of non-refundable up-front license fees, milestone payments if specified objectives are achieved, and/or royalties on product sales. We recognize revenue from upfront payments over the period of significant involvement under the related agreements unless the fee is in exchange for products delivered or services rendered that represent the culmination of a separate earnings process and no further performance obligation exists under the contract. We recognize milestone payments as revenue upon the achievement of specified milestones only if (1) the milestone payment is non-refundable, (2) substantive effort is involved in achieving the milestone, (3) the amount of the milestone is reasonable in relation to the effort expended or the risk associated with achievement of the milestone, and (4) the milestone is at risk for both parties. If any of these conditions are not met, we defer the milestone payment and recognize it as revenue over the estimated period of performance under the contract.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COSTS

Generally, research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Nonrefundable advance payments for goods or services that will be used or rendered for future research and development activities are deferred and amortized over the period that the goods are delivered or the related services are performed, subject to an assessment of recoverability. We make estimates of costs incurred in relation to external clinical research organizations, or CROs, and clinical site costs. We analyze the progress of clinical trials, including levels of patient enrollment, invoices received and contracted costs when evaluating the adequacy of the amount expensed and the related prepaid asset and accrued liability. Significant judgments and estimates must be made and used in determining the accrued balance and expense in any accounting period. We review and accrue CRO expenses and clinical trial study expenses based on work performed and rely upon estimates of those costs applicable to the stage of completion of a study. Accrued CRO costs are subject to revisions as such trials progress to completion. Revisions are charged to expense in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known. With respect to clinical site costs, the financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation and vary from contract to contract. Payments under these contracts may be uneven, and depend on factors such as the achievement of certain events, the successful recruitment of patients, the completion of portions of the clinical trial or similar conditions. The objective of our policy is to match the recording of expenses in our financial statements to the actual services received and efforts expended. As such, expense accruals related to clinical site costs are recognized based on our estimate of the degree of completion of the event or events specified in the specific clinical study or trial contract.

Prepaid research and development in our consolidated balance sheets includes, among other things, certain fees related to development and manufacturing services. These development and manufacturing agreements often require payments in advance of services performed or goods received. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, we recorded approximately $8.1 million and $5.7 million, respectively, in prepaid research and development related to such advance agreements.

INCOME TAXES

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases, operating losses and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. If the likelihood of realizing the deferred tax assets or liability is less than “more likely than not,” a valuation allowance is then created.

We, and our subsidiaries, file income tax returns in the U.S. Federal jurisdiction and in various states. We have tax net operating loss carryforwards that are subject to examination for a number of years beyond the year in which they were generated for tax purposes. Since a portion of these net operating loss carryforwards may be utilized in the future, many of these net operating loss carryforwards will remain subject to examination. We recognize interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions in income tax expense. Refer to Note 7 for further information for impact of tax reform.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

We recognize all share-based payments to employees and non-employee directors (as compensation for service) as noncash compensation expense in the consolidated financial statements based on the fair values of such payments. Stock-based compensation expense recognized each period is based on the value of the portion of share-based payment awards that is ultimately expected to vest during the period. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

For share-based payments to consultants and other third-parties (including related parties), noncash compensation expense is determined at the “measurement date.” The expense is recognized over the vesting period of the award. Until the measurement date is reached, the total amount of compensation expense remains uncertain. We record compensation expense based on the fair value of the award at the reporting date. The awards to consultants and other third-parties (including related parties) are then revalued, or the total compensation is recalculated based on the then current fair value, at each subsequent reporting date.

In addition, because some of the options, restricted stock and warrants issued to employees, consultants and other third-parties vest upon achievement of certain milestones, the total expense is uncertain. Compensation expense for such awards that vest upon the achievement of milestones is recognized when the achievement of such milestone becomes probable.

BASIC AND DILUTED NET LOSS PER COMMON SHARE

Basic net loss per common share is calculated by dividing net loss applicable to common shares by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per common share is the same as basic net loss per common share, since potentially dilutive securities from stock options, stock warrants and convertible notes would have an antidilutive effect either because the Company incurred a net loss during the period presented or because such potentially dilutive securities were out of the money and the Company realized net income during the period presented. The amounts of potentially dilutive securities excluded from the calculation were 4,835,706, 8,033,779 and 7,064,396 at December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. During the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 the Company incurred a net loss, therefore, all of the securities are antidilutive and excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share.

	December 31,
	2017	2016	2015
Unvested restricted stock	4,820,143	7,142,055	5,859,914
Shares issuable upon note conversion	15,563	14,812	17,733
Warrants	--	876,912	1,186,749
Total	4,835,706	8,033,779	7,064,396

LONG-LIVED ASSETS AND GOODWILL

Long-lived assets are reviewed for an impairment loss when circumstances indicate that the carrying value of long-lived tangible and intangible assets with finite lives may not be recoverable. Management’s policy in determining whether an impairment indicator, a triggering event, exists comprises measurable operating performance criteria as well as qualitative measures. If an analysis is necessitated by the occurrence of a triggering event, we make certain assumptions in determining the impairment amount. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized.

Goodwill is reviewed for impairment annually, or when events arise that could indicate that an impairment exists. We test for goodwill impairment using a two-step process. The first step compares the fair value of the reporting unit with the unit's carrying value, including goodwill. When the carrying value of the reporting unit is greater than fair value, the unit’s goodwill may be impaired, and the second step must be completed to measure the amount of the goodwill impairment charge, if any. In the second step, the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill is compared with the carrying amount of the unit’s goodwill. If the carrying amount is greater than the implied fair value, the carrying value of the goodwill must be written down to its implied fair value. We will continue to perform impairment tests annually, at December 31, and whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable.