Summary of significant accounting policies (Policies) |
12 Months Ended | ||||||||||||
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Dec. 31, 2015 | |||||||||||||
Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |||||||||||||
Basis of presentation | The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). Any reference in these notes to applicable guidance is meant to refer to the authoritative United States generally accepted accounting principles as found in the Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") and Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") of the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB"). |
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Use of estimates | The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. On an ongoing basis, the Company's management evaluates its estimates, which include, but are not limited to, estimates related to clinical study accruals, stock-based compensation expense, and amounts of expenses during the reported period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and other market-specific or other relevant assumptions that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from those estimates or assumptions. Prior to the Company's initial public offering ("IPO"), the Company utilized significant estimates and assumptions in determining the fair value of its common stock. The Company utilized various valuation methodologies in accordance with the framework of the 2004 and 2013 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Technical Practice Aids, Valuation of Privately-Held Company Equity Securities Issued as Compensation, to estimate the fair value of its common stock. Each valuation methodology included estimates and assumptions that required the Company's judgment. These estimates and assumptions included a number of objective and subjective factors, including external market conditions affecting the biotechnology industry sector, the prices at which the Company sold shares of preferred stock, the superior rights and preferences of securities senior to the Company's common stock at the time and the likelihood of achieving a liquidity event, such as an initial public offering or a sale of the Company. Significant changes to the key assumptions used in the valuations could have resulted in different fair values of common stock at each valuation date and may have materially affected the financial statements. |
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Principles of consolidation | Principles of consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, TK Pharma, Inc., a Massachusetts Securities Corporation. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. |
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Segment information | Segment information Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker, or decision-making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company and the Company's chief operating decision maker, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, view the Company's operations and manage its business as one operating segment, which is the business of developing and commercializing products for nocturnal leg cramps, muscle cramps, spasms and spasticity associated with severe neuromuscular conditions, and exercise-associated muscle cramps. The Company operates in only one geographic segment, the United States. |
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Concentrations of credit risk and off-balance sheet risk | Concentrations of credit risk and off-balance sheet risk Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities are financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk. The Company's cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities are held in accounts at financial institutions that management believes are creditworthy. The Company has not experienced any credit losses in such accounts and does not believe it is exposed to any significant credit risk on these funds. The Company has no financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk of loss. |
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Property and equipment | Property and equipment Property and equipment is stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Maintenance and repairs that do not improve or extend the lives of the respective assets are expensed to operations as incurred, while costs of major additions and betterments are capitalized. Upon disposal, the related cost and accumulated depreciation is removed from the accounts and any resulting gain or loss is included in the results of operations. Depreciation is recorded, once assets are placed in service, using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, which are as follows:
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Impairment of long-lived assets | Impairment of long-lived assets The Company evaluates long-lived assets for potential impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability is measured by comparing the book values of the assets to the expected future net undiscounted cash flows that the assets are expected to generate. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the book value of the assets exceed their fair value. |
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Research and development expenses | Research and development expense Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred in performing research and development activities. The costs include employee compensation costs, clinical study costs, external consultant costs, regulatory costs and facilities and overhead costs. Facilities and overhead costs primarily include the allocation of insurance, rent, utility and office-related expenses attributable to research and development personnel. The Company records payments made to outside vendors in advance of services performed or goods being delivered for use in research and development activities as prepaid expenses, which are expensed as services are performed or goods are delivered. |
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Stock-based compensation expense | Stock-based compensation expense The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation awards to employees and directors in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation ("ASC 718"). ASC 718 requires all stock-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the statement of operations based on their grant date fair values. Compensation expense related to awards to employees with service conditions is recognized on a straight-line basis based on the grant date fair value over the associated service period of the award, which is generally the vesting term. Compensation expense related to awards to employees with performance conditions is recognized based on grant date fair value over the remaining service period when management determines that achievement of the milestone is probable. Management evaluates when the achievement of a performance-based milestone is probable based on the relative satisfaction of the performance conditions as of the reporting date. The Company accounts for stock-based compensation arrangements with non-employees based upon the fair value of the consideration received or the equity instruments issued, whichever is more reliably measurable, in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 505-50, Equity-Based Payments to Non-Employees. The measurement date for non-employee awards is generally the date performance of services required from the non-employee is complete, resulting in periodic adjustments to stock-based compensation expense during the vesting period for changes in the fair value of the awards. Stock-based compensation costs for non-employee service awards are recognized as services are provided, which is generally the vesting period, on a straight-line basis. The unvested portion of the awards is subject to re-measurement over the vesting period. The Company estimates the fair value of its stock options using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires the input of subjective assumptions, including (a) the expected stock price volatility, (b) the expected term of the award, (c) the risk-free interest rate, (d) expected dividends and (e) the estimated fair value of the Company's common stock on the measurement date. Due to the lack of significant trading history for the Company's common stock, it has based its estimate of expected volatility on the historical volatility of a group of similar companies that are publicly traded. When selecting these public companies on which it has based its expected stock price volatility, the Company selected companies with comparable characteristics, including enterprise value, risk profiles, position within the industry, and with historical share price information sufficient to meet the expected term of the stock-based awards. The Company computes historical volatility data using the volatility for the selected companies' shares during the equivalent period of the calculated expected term of the stock-based awards. The Company will continue to apply this process until a sufficient amount of historical information regarding the volatility of its own stock price becomes available. Due to the lack of Company specific historical option activity, the Company has estimated the expected term of its employee stock options using the "simplified" method, whereby, the expected term equals the arithmetic average of the vesting term and the original contractual term of the option. The expected term for non-employee awards is the remaining contractual term of the option. The risk-free interest rates are based on the U.S. Treasury securities with a maturity date commensurate with the expected term of the associated award. The Company has never paid, and does not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. The Company is also required to estimate forfeitures at the time of grant and revise those estimates in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from its estimates. The Company records stock-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest. To the extent that actual forfeitures differ from the Company's estimates, the differences are recorded as a cumulative adjustment in the period the estimates were revised. |
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Income taxes | Income taxes Income taxes are recorded in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes ("ASC 740"), which provides for deferred taxes using an asset and liability approach. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial reporting and the tax reporting basis of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company provides a valuation allowance against net deferred tax assets unless, based upon the available evidence, it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized. The Company has evaluated available evidence and concluded that the Company may not realize the benefit of its deferred tax assets; therefore a valuation allowance has been established for the full amount of the deferred tax assets. The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740. When uncertain tax positions exist, the Company recognizes the tax benefit of tax positions to the extent that the benefit will more likely than not be realized. The determination as to whether the tax benefit will more likely than not be realized is based upon the technical merits of the tax position as well as consideration of the available facts and circumstances. As of December 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, the Company did not have any significant uncertain tax positions. The Company's practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. |
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Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders | Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares and dilutive common stock equivalents outstanding for the period, determined using the treasury stock method and the if-converted method, for convertible securities, if inclusion of these is dilutive. For year ended December 31, 2015 and the period from February 26, 2014 (inception) December 31, 2014, the Company has excluded the effects of all potentially dilutive shares from the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding as their inclusion in the computation for each period would be anti-dilutive due to the net loss per share incurred by the Company. |
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Comprehensive loss | Comprehensive loss Comprehensive loss is the change in equity of a company during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances, excluding transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Comprehensive loss includes net loss and the change in accumulated other comprehensive loss for the period. |
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Recent accounting pronouncements | Recent accounting pronouncements In July 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330). This ASU simplifies the measurement of inventory by requiring certain inventory to be measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. The amendments in this ASU are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and for interim periods therein. Subsequent measurement is unchanged for inventory measured using LIFO or the retail inventory method. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the guidance related to the Company's anticipated launch of its consumer product in the second quarter of 2016. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The ASU provides for a single comprehensive model for use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance. The accounting standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 with no early adoption permitted. In July 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of this accounting update to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, along with an option to permit early adoption as of the original effective date. The Company is required to adopt the amendments in the ASU using one of two acceptable methods: retrospectively to all prior reporting periods presented, with certain practical expedients permitted; or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially adopting the ASU recognized at the date of initial application. The Company is currently in the process of evaluating the impact of the guidance related to the Company's anticipated launch of its consumer product in the second quarter of 2016. In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-15 Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40). The ASU requires management of public and private companies to evaluate whether there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management’s evaluation should be based on relevant conditions and events that are known and reasonably knowable at the date that the financial statements are issued. If conditions or events raise substantial doubt about an entity’s ability to continue as a going concern, and substantial doubt is not alleviated after consideration of management’s plans, an entity should include a statement in the footnotes indicating that there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. The new standard is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early application is permitted. The Company has concluded, that if this standard had been adopted as of December 31, 2015, substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern does not exist. In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02 Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. ASU 2015-02 changes the analysis that a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities. It is effective for annual reporting periods, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The accounting standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17 Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes. ASU 2015-17 simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes by eliminating the separate classification of deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and noncurrent amounts in the consolidated balance sheet. The amendments in the update require that all deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in the consolidated balance sheet. The amendments in this update are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods therein and may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively to all periods presented. Early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted this standard in the fourth quarter of 2015 on a prospective basis and did not retrospectively adjust the prior period. As a result, all of the Company’s deferred taxes are presented as long-term in the consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2015. The Company did not reclassify current deferred tax assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2014. Adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 Leases. The ASU requires lessees to recognize the assets and liabilities on their balance sheet for the rights and obligations created by most leases and continue to recognize expenses on their income statements over the lease term. It will also require disclosures designed to give financial statement users information on the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted for all entities. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02 on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures. The Company believes that the impact of other recently issued standards that are not yet effective will not have a material effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations upon adoption. I |
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Subsequent events | Subsequent events The Company considers events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but prior to the issuance of the consolidated financial statements for potential recognition or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements. Subsequent events have been evaluated through the date these consolidated financial statements were issued for potential recognition or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements (Note 16). |
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Fair value measurements | Fair value measurements The Company records cash equivalents and marketable securities at fair value. ASC Topic 820 Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures established a fair value hierarchy for those instruments measured at fair value that distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and the Company’s own assumptions (unobservable inputs). The hierarchy consists of three levels: Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 – Quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs which are observable, directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that reflect the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date. |