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SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2013
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS  
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

17. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

        On February 4, 2014, we completed an underwritten public offering of 25,875,000 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $4.00 per share, resulting in net cash proceeds of approximately $96,700,000 after deducting the underwriting discount and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

        On February 27, 2014, we amended the lease agreement for our premises at 149 Commonwealth Drive to extend the lease term from July 2014 through January 2016. Operating lease obligations under the amended lease agreement for the extended lease term include aggregate future minimum payments of $1,382,000.

        On March 12, 2014, we announced that we received notice from the FDA that our IND for imetelstat has been placed on full clinical hold following their review of data related to hepatotoxicity in our then-ongoing clinical studies. A full clinical hold is an order that the FDA issues to a trial sponsor to suspend all ongoing clinical trials and delay all proposed trials. With this clinical hold, any patients in an ongoing Geron-sponsored clinical trial cannot receive any further treatment with imetelstat. Therefore, we have stopped imetelstat treatment in our Phase 2 Geron-sponsored clinical trials in ET and MM. Until the FDA lifts the clinical hold, we are unable to submit any new clinical trial protocols to the FDA under our IND for imetelstat and are unable to initiate any new clinical trials for imetelstat in the United States. This subsequent event does not impact these financial statements. We intend to monitor the impact of this matter on our business and future financial results.

        On March 14, 2014, a purported securities class action lawsuit was commenced in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, naming as defendants us and certain of our officers. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in connection with allegedly false and misleading statements made by us related to our Phase 2 trial of imetelstat in patients with ET or PV. The plaintiff alleges, among other things, that we failed to disclose facts related to the occurrence of persistent low-grade LFT abnormalities observed in our Phase 2 trial of imetelstat in ET/PV patients and the potential risk of chronic liver injury following long-term exposure to imetelstat. The plaintiff seeks damages and an award of reasonable costs and expenses, including attorney's fees.

        It is possible that additional suits will be filed, or allegations received from stockholders, with respect to these same matters and also naming us and/or our officers and directors as defendants. We believe that we have meritorious defenses and intend to defend this lawsuit vigorously. This lawsuit and any other related lawsuits are subject to inherent uncertainties, and the actual defense and disposition costs will depend upon many unknown factors. The outcome of the litigation is necessarily uncertain. We could be forced to expend significant resources in the defense of this and any other related lawsuits and we may not prevail. In addition, we may incur substantial legal fees and costs in connection with the litigation. We currently are not able to estimate the possible cost to us from these matters, as this lawsuit is currently at an early stage, and we cannot be certain how long it may take to resolve these matters or the possible amount of any damages that we may be required to pay. We have not established any reserves for any potential liability relating to this lawsuit. It is possible that we could, in the future, incur judgments or enter into settlements of claims for monetary damages.