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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) and include all adjustments necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position for the periods presented.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are comprised of Arcus Biosciences, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, as well as related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Estimates were used to determine the standalone selling price of performance obligations and the timing of revenue recognition, the value of stock-based awards and other issuances, accruals for research and development costs, useful lives of long-lived assets, and uncertain tax positions. Actual results could differ materially from the Company’s estimates.

Risk and Uncertainties

The Company’s future results of operations involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could affect the Company’s future operating results and cause actual results to vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, uncertainty of clinical trial results and achievement of milestones, uncertainty of regulatory approval of the Company’s potential drug candidates, uncertainty of market acceptance of the Company’s product candidates, competition from substitute products and larger companies, securing and protecting proprietary technology, strategic relationships and dependence on key individuals and sole source suppliers.

The Company’s investigational products require approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and comparable foreign regulatory agencies prior to commercial sales in their respective jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that any investigational products will receive the necessary approvals. If the Company does not obtain regulatory approval and does not successfully commercialize any of its investigational products, it would have a materially adverse impact on the Company.

Segments

The Company operates and manages its business as one reportable and operating segment, which is the business of developing and commercializing cancer therapies. The Company’s chief executive officer, who is the chief operating decision maker, reviews financial information on an aggregate basis for purposes of allocating and evaluating financial performance. All long-lived assets are maintained in the United States of America.

Cash Equivalents and Investments

Cash equivalents consist of marketable securities having an original maturity of three months or less at the time of purchase. Short-term investments have maturities of greater than three months and less than twelve months at the time of purchase. Long-term investments have maturities greater than 12 months at the time of purchase. Collectively, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments are considered available-for-sale and are recorded at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss. Realized gains and losses are included in interest and other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. The basis on which the cost of a security sold or amount reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income into earnings is determined using the specific identification method.

Reconciliation of Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash as Reported in Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Restricted cash at December 31, 2020 and 2019 represents cash balances held as security in connection with the Company’s facility lease agreements. The following table provides a reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash within the consolidated balance sheets to the total shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):

 

 

 

December 31, 2020

 

 

December 31, 2019

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

173,415

 

 

$

57,937

 

Restricted cash

 

 

203

 

 

 

203

 

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

 

$

173,618

 

 

$

58,140

 

 

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value accounting is applied for all financial assets and liabilities, including short-term and long-term investments, and non-financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the consolidated financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually). The carrying amount of the Company’s financial instruments, including receivable from a related party, accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities approximate fair value due to their short-term maturities.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments are financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk. The Company invests in money market funds, treasury bills and notes, government bonds, commercial paper and corporate notes. The Company limits its credit risk associated with cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments by placing them with banks and institutions it believes are highly credit worthy and in highly rated investments.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, ranging from one to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the related lease term. Upon retirement or sale, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the consolidated balance sheet and the resulting gain or loss is reflected in the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets, including property and equipment, for impairment whenever events or changes in business circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the assets may not be fully recoverable. An impairment charge would be recorded when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition are less than its carrying amount. Impairment, if any, is assessed using discounted cash flows or other appropriate measures of fair value. The Company did not recognize any impairment charges for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018.

Collaborative Arrangements and Contracts with Customers

The Company assesses whether its collaboration agreements are subject to Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements (ASC 808) based on whether they involve joint operating activities

and whether both parties have active participation in the arrangement and are exposed to significant risks and rewards. To the extent that the arrangement falls within the scope of ASC 808, the Company applies the unit of account guidance under ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606), to identify distinct performance obligations, and then determine whether a customer relationship exists for each distinct performance obligation. If the Company determines a performance obligation within the arrangement is with a customer, it applies the guidance in ASC 606. If a portion of a distinct bundle of goods or services within an arrangement is not with a customer, then the unit of account is not within the scope of ASC 606, and the recognition and measurement of that unit of account shall be based on analogy to authoritative accounting literature or, if there is no appropriate analogy, a reasonable, rational, and consistently applied accounting policy election.

The Company recognizes revenue when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services in a contract for an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. For contracts with customers, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies each performance obligation. The Company only applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that Company will collect the consideration it is entitled to in exchange for the goods or services it transfers to the customer. As part of the accounting for contracts with customers, the Company must develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the standalone selling price of each performance obligation identified in the contract. The Company then allocates the total transaction price to each performance obligation based on the estimated standalone selling prices of each performance obligation. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.

The estimation of the stand-alone selling price may include such estimates as forecasted revenues or costs, development timelines, discount rates, and probabilities of technical and regulatory success. The Company evaluates each performance obligation to determine if they can be satisfied at a point in time or over time, and the Company measures the services delivered to the customer, which are periodically reviewed based on the progress of the related program. The effect of any change made to an estimated input component and, therefore revenue or expense recognized, would be recorded as a change in estimate. In addition, variable consideration (e.g. milestone payments) must be evaluated to determine if it is constrained and, therefore, excluded from the transaction price.

The Company enters into collaborative arrangements that typically include one of more of the following: (i) license fees; (ii) milestone payments related to the achievement of developmental, regulatory, or commercial goals; (iii) royalties on net sales of licensed products; (iv) fees attributable to options to intellectual property; and (v) cost-sharing or research and development (R&D) funding arrangements. When a portion of non‑refundable upfront fees or other payments received are allocated to continuing performance obligations under the terms of a collaborative arrangement, they are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue when (or as) the underlying performance obligation is satisfied. Fees attributable to options are deferred until the option expires or is exercised. The Company classifies contract liabilities as current when it expects to satisfy its performance obligations within one year, and noncurrent when the Company expects to satisfy those performance obligations in greater than one year. When an option is exercised, the performance obligations associated with the option are identified, which will determine the accounting for the transaction price attributable to the option.

As part of the accounting for these arrangements, the Company must develop estimates and assumptions that require judgment to determine the underlying stand-alone selling price for each performance obligation which determines how the transaction price is allocated among the performance obligation. To determine the stand-alone selling price, the Company may consider items such as forecasted revenues, development timelines, discount rates, and probabilities of technical and regulatory success. The Company evaluates each performance obligation to determine if it can be satisfied at a point in time or over time. In addition, variable consideration must be evaluated to determine if it is constrained and, therefore, excluded from the transaction price.

License Fees

If a license to the Company’s intellectual property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in the arrangement, the Company recognizes revenues from non-refundable, upfront fees allocated to the license when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee is able to use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are bundled with other promises, the Company utilizes judgment to assess the nature of the combined performance obligation to determine whether the combined performance obligation is satisfied over

time or at a point in time and, if over time, the appropriate method of measuring progress for purposes of recognizing revenue. The Company evaluates the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjusts the measure of performance and related revenue recognition.

Milestone Payments and Variable Consideration

At the inception of each arrangement that includes milestone payments or variable consideration, the Company evaluates whether the milestones are considered probable of being reached and estimates the amount to be included in the transaction price using the most likely amount method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal would not occur, the associated value is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within the control of the Company or the Company’s collaboration partner, such as regulatory approvals, are generally not considered probable of being achieved until those approvals are received. The transaction price is then allocated to each performance obligation on a relative stand-alone selling price basis, for which the Company recognizes revenue as or when the performance obligations under the contract are satisfied. At the end of each subsequent reporting period, the Company re-evaluates the probability of achievement of such milestones and any related constraint, and if necessary, adjusts its estimate of the overall transaction price. Any such adjustments are recorded on a cumulative catch-up basis, which would affect license, collaboration or other revenues and earnings in the period of adjustment.

Cost-Sharing or R&D Funding Arrangements

Under certain collaborative arrangements, the Company has been reimbursed for a portion of its research and development expenses, including costs of drug supplies. When these R&D services are performed under a reimbursement or cost sharing model with a collaboration partner, the Company records these reimbursements as a reduction of R&D expense in its consolidated statements of operations.

Royalties

For arrangements that include sales-based royalties, including milestone payments based on the level of sales, and for which the license is deemed to be the predominant item to which the royalties relate, the Company recognizes revenue at the later of (i) when the related sales occur, or (ii) when the performance obligation to which some or all of the royalty has been allocated has been satisfied (or partially satisfied). To date, the Company has not recognized any royalty revenue resulting from any of its collaborative arrangements.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses consist primarily of personnel costs for the Company’s research and development employees, costs incurred to third-party service providers for the conduct of research, preclinical and clinical studies, laboratory supplies and equipment maintenance costs, consulting and other related expenses. Also included are payments under collaborative arrangements, including up-front and milestone payments, license and option fees and expense reimbursements to the collaboration partners, as well as non-personnel costs such as professional fees payable to third parties for preclinical and clinical studies and research services, laboratory supplies and equipment maintenance, product licenses, and other consulting costs.

The Company estimates research, preclinical and clinical service organizations, based on services performed, pursuant to contracts with third-party research and development organizations that conduct and manage research, preclinical and clinical activities on its behalf. Most of the Company’s clinical studies are performed by third-party contract research organizations (CROs), and as a result clinical study costs are a significant component of research and development expenses. The Company estimates these expenses based on discussions with internal management personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of services and the contracted fees to be paid for such services. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level of effort varies from the original estimates, the Company will adjust the accrual accordingly. Payments associated with licensing agreements to acquire licenses to develop, use, manufacture and commercialize products that have not reached technological feasibility and do not have alternative future use are expensed as incurred. Payments made to third parties under these arrangements in advance of the performance of the related services by the third parties are recorded as prepaid expenses until the services are rendered.

Leases and Rent Expense

The Company leases laboratory and office space in an office park in Hayward, California under a non-cancelable operating lease with terms that expire from 2025 to 2029, subject to options for the Company to extend the lease term. The Company also leases space in Brisbane, California under a non-cancelable operating lease that is expected to commence in 2021 and extend through 2031. Prior to January 1, 2020, the Company recognized related rent expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Incentives granted under the Company’s facilities lease, including allowances for leasehold improvements and rent holidays, were recognized as reductions to rental expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. Deferred rent consisted of the difference between cash payments and the rent expense recognized.

Subsequent to the adoption of the new leasing standard on January 1, 2020, the Company recognizes a lease asset for its right to use the underlying asset and a lease liability for the corresponding lease obligation. The Company determines whether an arrangement is or contains a lease at contract inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets, other accrued liabilities, and operating lease liabilities, noncurrent in our consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 2020. Operating lease right-of-use assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. In determining the net present value of lease payments, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date. The incremental borrowing rate represents the interest rate the Company would incur at lease commencement to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments on a collateralized basis over the term of a lease. The Company considers a lease term to be the noncancelable period that it has the right to use the underlying asset, including any periods where it is reasonably assured the Company will exercise the option to extend the contract. Periods covered by an option to extend are included in the lease term if the lessor controls the exercise of that option.

The Company elected to not apply the recognition requirements of the new leasing standard to short-term leases with terms of 12 months or less which do not include an option to purchase the underlying asset that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. For short-term leases, lease payments are recognized as operating expenses on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock-based compensation arrangements in accordance with ASC 718, Stock Compensation. Prior to January 1, 2019, equity instruments issued to non-employees were accounted for in accordance with ASC 505-50 Equity Based Payments to Non-Employees. Based on this guidance, awards were recorded at their fair value on the measurement date subject to periodic adjustments as the underlying equity instruments vest. The fair value of options granted to consultants was expensed when vested. On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU No. 2018-07 (Topic 718), Compensation – Stock Compensation, which expanded the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions with non-employees.

Stock-based awards granted include stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs). Accounting standards require the recognition of compensation expense, using a fair value-based method, for costs related to all stock-based payments. The Company’s determination of the fair value of stock options with time-based vesting on the date of grant utilizes the Black-Scholes option-pricing model, and is impacted by the Company’s common stock price as well as other variables including, but not limited to, expected term that options will remain outstanding, expected common stock price volatility over the term of the option awards, risk-free interest rates and expected dividends. Compensation expense associated with restricted stock units is based on the fair value of common stock on the date of the grant.

The fair value of a stock-based award is recognized over the period during which an optionee is required to provide services in exchange for the option award, known as the requisite service period (usually the vesting period) on a straight-line basis. Stock-based compensation expense is recognized based on the fair value determined on the date of grant and is reduced for forfeitures as they occur. Non-employee stock-based compensation expense was not material for all periods presented.

Estimating the fair value of equity-settled awards as of the grant date using valuation models, such as the Black-Scholes option pricing model, is affected by assumptions regarding a number of complex variables. Changes in the assumptions can materially affect the fair value and ultimately how much stock-based compensation expense is recognized. These inputs are subjective and generally require significant analysis and judgment to develop.

Income Taxes

The Company provides for income taxes under the asset and liability method. Current income tax expense or benefit represents the amount of income taxes expected to be payable or refundable for the current year. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial statement reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and net operating loss and credit carryforwards, and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when such items are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax assets are reduced, as necessary, by a valuation allowance when management determines it is more likely than not that some or all of the tax benefits will not be realized.

The Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740-10, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes. The Company assesses all material positions taken in any income tax return, including all significant uncertain positions, in all tax years that are still subject to assessment or challenge by relevant taxing authorities. Assessing an uncertain tax position begins with the initial determination of the position’s sustainability and is measured at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. As of each balance sheet date, unresolved uncertain tax positions must be reassessed, and the Company will determine whether (i) the factors underlying the sustainability assertion have changed and (ii) the amount of the recognized tax benefit is still appropriate. The recognition and measurement of tax benefits requires significant judgment. Judgments concerning the recognition and measurement of a tax benefit might change as new information becomes available.

The Company includes any penalties and interest expense related to income taxes as a component of other expense and interest income, net, as necessary.

On March 18, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response act (FFCR Act), and on March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) were each enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FFCR Act and the CARES Act contain numerous tax-related provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of employer side social security payments, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. On June 29, 2020 California State Assembly Bill 85 (the Trailer Bill) was enacted which suspends the use of California net operating loss (NOL) deductions and limits the use of certain tax credits, including research and development tax credits, for the 2020, 2021, and 2022 tax years.

The FFCR Act, CARES Act and Trailer Bill did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2020; however, the Company continues to examine the impacts the FFCR Act, CARES Act and Trailer Bill may have on its business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.

Comprehensive Loss

Comprehensive loss includes net loss and net unrealized income and losses on available-for-sale securities, which are presented in a single continuous statement. Other comprehensive income (loss) is also disclosed in the consolidated balance sheets and statements of stockholders’ equity in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), and is stated net of related tax effects, if any.

Net Loss per Share

Basic net loss per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without consideration for potentially dilutive securities. Diluted net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted-average number of common shares and potentially dilutive securities outstanding for the period. The Company excludes the weighted-average shares subject to repurchase from its calculation of weighted average of common shares outstanding. For purposes of the diluted net loss per share calculation, outstanding common stock options are considered to be potentially dilutive securities. Because the Company reported a net loss for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, and the inclusion of the potentially dilutive securities would be antidilutive, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for all periods.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

 

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 reduces costs and complexity of applying accounting standards while maintaining the usefulness of the information provided to users of financial statements. While not required to be adopted until 2021 for most calendar year public business entities, early adoption is permitted for any financial statements not yet issued. The Company early adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2020, with an immaterial impact on its financial statements.

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-18 (Topic 808), Collaborative Arrangements. ASU 2018-18 clarifies that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be accounted for as revenue under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, (Topic 606) when the collaborative arrangement participant is a customer in the context of a unit of account and precludes recognizing as revenue consideration received from a collaborative arrangement participant if the participant is not a customer. The Company adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2020, with an immaterial impact on its financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No.2018-13 (Topic 820), Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurement in Topic 820. The Company adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2020 with an immaterial impact on its financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No.2018-15 (Subtopic 350-40), Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software. ASU 2018-15 requires an entity in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract to follow the guidance in Subtopic 350-40 to determine which implementation costs to capitalize as an asset related to internal-use software. The Company adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2020 with an immaterial impact on its financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02 (Topic 842), Leases (ASU 2016-02). ASU 2016-02 requires an entity to recognize assets and liabilities arising from a lease for both financing and operating leases. The ASU will also require new qualitative and quantitative disclosures to help investors and other financial statement users better understand the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-10, Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases and ASU No. 2018-11, Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements, which offers a practical expedient for transitioning at the adoption date.

The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective approach and elected the package of practical expedients permitted under transition guidance, which allowed the Company to carry forward its historical assessments of: 1) whether contracts are or contain leases, 2) lease classification and 3) initial direct costs. The Company did not elect the practical expedient allowing the use-of-hindsight which would require the Company to reassess the lease term of its leases based on all facts and circumstances through the effective date and did not elect the practical expedient pertaining to land easements as this is not applicable to the current contract portfolio. The Company elected the post-transition practical expedient to not separate lease components from nonlease components for all existing lease classes. The Company also elected a policy of not recording leases on its consolidated balance sheets when the leases have a term of 12 months or less and the Company is not reasonably certain to elect an option to purchase the leased asset.

The adoption of this standard resulted in the recognition of a right-of-use (ROU) asset of $5.8 million and lease liabilities of $10.1 million, comprised of $1.2 million and $8.9 million of current and noncurrent liabilities, respectively. The adoption also resulted in the derecognition of the deferred rent balance of $4.3 million as of January 1, 2020. The adoption of the standard had no impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss or to its cash flows from or used in operating, financing, or investing activities on its consolidated statements of cash flows. No cumulative-effect adjustment within accumulated deficit was required to be recorded as a result of adopting this standard.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, which modifies the measurement and recognition of credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments. The ASU updates the guidance for measuring and recording of current expected 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. The ASU also requires that credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities be recorded as an allowance through net income rather than reducing the carrying amount under the current, other-than-temporary-impairment model. The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2020 using the modified retrospective

approach. The Company adopted this ASU as of January 1, 2020 with an immaterial impact on its financial statements.