Nature of business	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020
Nature of business
Nature of business	1. Nature of business Verastem, Inc. (the Company) is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new medicines to improve the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer. The Company’s pipeline is focused on novel small molecule drugs that inhibit critical signaling pathways in cancer that promote cancer cell survival and tumor growth, including RAF/MEK inhibition and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition. The Company’s product candidates, defactinib and VS-6766 (formerly known as CH5126766, CK127, and RO5126766), are being investigated for treatment of various solid tumors. The Company is currently developing its product candidates in both preclinical and clinical studies as potential therapies for certain cancers, including, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and mesothelioma. The Company believes that these compounds may be beneficial as therapeutics either as single agents or when used in combination with immuno-oncology agents, other pathway inhibitors or other current and emerging standard of care treatments in aggressive cancers that do not adequately respond to currently available therapies. On September 24, 2018, the Company’s first commercial product, COPIKTRA® (duvelisib), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) for the treatment of adult patients with certain hematologic cancers including relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/ small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after at least two prior therapies and relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after at least two prior systemic therapies. On August 10, 2020, the Company and Secura Bio, Inc. (Secura) entered into an asset purchase agreement (Secura APA). Pursuant to the Secura APA, the Company sold to Secura its exclusive worldwide license, including certain related assets for the research, development, commercialization, and manufacture in oncology indications of products containing COPIKTRA (duvelisib). The transaction closed on September 30, 2020. Refer to Note 16. License and collaboration agreements for a detailed discussion of the Secura APA. The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Verastem Securities Company and Verastem Europe GmbH, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company. All financial information presented has been consolidated and includes the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company is subject to the risks associated with other life science companies, including, but not limited to, possible failure of preclinical testing or clinical trials, competitors developing new technological innovations, inability to obtain marketing approval of the Company’s product candidates, VS-6766 and defactinib, market acceptance and commercial success of the Company’s product candidates, VS-6766 and defactinib, following receipt of regulatory approval, and, protection of proprietary technology and the continued ability to obtain adequate financing to fund the Company’s future operations. If the Company does not obtain marketing approval and successfully commercialize its product candidates, VS-6766 and defactinib, following regulatory approval, it will be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability and may need to raise additional capital. The Company has historical losses from operations and anticipates that it will continue to incur losses as it continues the research and development of its product candidates. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments of $205.7 million, inclusive of $35.2 million of restricted cash, and accumulated deficit of $572.6 million. The Company expects its existing cash resources will be sufficient to fund its planned operations through 12 months from the date of issuance of these condensed consolidated financial statements. The Company expects to finance the future development costs of its clinical product portfolio with its existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, through future milestones and royalties received through the Secura APA or through strategic financing opportunities that could include, but are not limited to collaboration agreements, future offerings of its equity, or the incurrence of debt. However, there is no guarantee that any of these strategic or financing opportunities will be executed or executed on favorable terms, and some could be dilutive to existing stockholders. If the Company fails to obtain additional future capital, it may be unable to complete its planned preclinical studies and clinical trials and obtain approval of certain investigational product candidates from the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities.

Nature of business

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

1. Nature of business

Verastem, Inc. (the Company) is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of new medicines to improve the lives of patients diagnosed with cancer. The Company’s pipeline is focused on novel small molecule drugs that inhibit critical signaling pathways in cancer that promote cancer cell survival and tumor growth, including RAF/MEK inhibition and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibition.

The Company’s product candidates, defactinib and VS-6766 (formerly known as CH5126766, CK127, and RO5126766), are being investigated for treatment of various solid tumors. The Company is currently developing its product candidates in both preclinical and clinical studies as potential therapies for certain cancers, including, ovarian cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, and mesothelioma. The Company believes that these compounds may be beneficial as therapeutics either as single agents or when used in combination with immuno-oncology agents, other pathway inhibitors or other current and emerging standard of care treatments in aggressive cancers that do not adequately respond to currently available therapies.

On September 24, 2018, the Company’s first commercial product, COPIKTRA® (duvelisib), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) for the treatment of adult patients with certain hematologic cancers including relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia/ small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) after at least two prior therapies and relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after at least two prior systemic therapies. On August 10, 2020, the Company and Secura Bio, Inc. (Secura) entered into an asset purchase agreement (Secura APA). Pursuant to the Secura APA, the Company sold to Secura its exclusive worldwide license, including certain related assets for the research, development, commercialization, and manufacture in oncology indications of products containing COPIKTRA (duvelisib). The transaction closed on September 30, 2020. Refer to Note 16. License and collaboration agreements for a detailed discussion of the Secura APA.

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Verastem Securities Company and Verastem Europe GmbH, wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company. All financial information presented has been consolidated and includes the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The Company is subject to the risks associated with other life science companies, including, but not limited to, possible failure of preclinical testing or clinical trials, competitors developing new technological innovations, inability to obtain marketing approval of the Company’s product candidates, VS-6766 and defactinib, market acceptance and commercial success of the Company’s product candidates, VS-6766 and defactinib, following receipt of regulatory approval, and, protection of proprietary technology and the continued ability to obtain adequate financing to fund the Company’s future operations. If the Company does not obtain marketing approval and successfully commercialize its product candidates, VS-6766 and defactinib, following regulatory approval, it will be unable to generate product revenue or achieve profitability and may need to raise additional capital.

The Company has historical losses from operations and anticipates that it will continue to incur losses as it continues the research and development of its product candidates. As of September 30, 2020, the Company had cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments of $205.7 million, inclusive of $35.2 million of restricted cash, and accumulated deficit of $572.6 million. The Company expects its existing cash resources will be sufficient to fund its planned operations through 12 months from the date of issuance of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

The Company expects to finance the future development costs of its clinical product portfolio with its existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, through future milestones and royalties received through the Secura

APA or through strategic financing opportunities that could include, but are not limited to collaboration agreements, future offerings of its equity, or the incurrence of debt. However, there is no guarantee that any of these strategic or financing opportunities will be executed or executed on favorable terms, and some could be dilutive to existing stockholders. If the Company fails to obtain additional future capital, it may be unable to complete its planned preclinical studies and clinical trials and obtain approval of certain investigational product candidates from the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities.