DBV Technologies S.A.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 30, 2023

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Part 1, Item 1 of this Report and with our audited financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2022, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 2, 2023, or the Annual Report. This discussion and other parts of this Report contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, such as statements of our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences are discussed in the section of this Report titled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the Annual Report.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on changing the field of immunotherapy by developing a novel technology platform called Viaskin. Our therapeutic approach is based on epicutaneous immunotherapy, or EPITTM, our proprietary method of delivering biologically active compounds to the immune system through intact skin using Viaskin, an epicutaneous patch (i.e., a skin patch). We have generated significant data demonstrating that Viaskin’s mechanism of action is novel and differentiated, Viaskin targets specific antigen-presenting immune cells in the skin, called Langerhans cells, that capture the antigen and migrate to the lymph node in order to activate the immune system without passage of the antigen into the bloodstream, minimizing systemic exposure in the body. We are advancing this unique technology to treat children suffering from food allergies, for whom safety is paramount, since the introduction of the offending allergen into their bloodstream can cause severe or life-threatening allergic reactions, such as anaphylactic shock. We believe Viaskin may offer convenient, self-administered, non-invasive immunotherapy to patients, if approved.

Our most advanced clinical program is Viaskin Peanut, which has been evaluated as a potential therapy for children with peanut allergy in nine clinical trials, including four Phase 2 trials and three completed Phase 3 trials. We recently completed a Phase 3 trial of Viaskin Peanut in children ages one to three with peanut allergy and we also have an ongoing Phase 3 trial of Viaskin Peanut in children ages four to seven with peanut allergy.

On December 23, 2022, the Company announced it plans to initiate a separate, six-month safety study in approximately 275 additional subjects, randomized 3:1 active versus placebo, to supplement the safety data generated by the VITESSE trial, resulting in a safety database of approximately 600 children ages 4 to 7 years treated with Viaskin Peanut (COMFORT Children).

On March 7, 2023, the Company announced screening of the first patient in VITESSE. Screening of the last patient is anticipated in the first half in 2024 and topline results in the first half in 2025.

On April 19, 2023, the Company outlined the regulatory path for Viaskin Peanut in children 1-3 years old after the FDA confirmed that the Company’s Phase 3 EPITOPE study meets the pre-specified criteria for success for the primary endpoint, not requesting any additional efficacy study. The FDA requires additional safety data to augment the safety data collected from EPITOPE in support of a BLA. This new safety study (COMFORT Toddlers) will also generate patch adhesion data and will include updated instructions for use.

On May 10, 2023, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published results that demonstrated epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) with VP was statistically superior to placebo in desensitizing children to peanut exposure by increasing the peanut dose that triggers allergic symptoms. As stated in an accompanying editorial piece, these data are seen as “very good news” for toddlers with peanut allergy, as there are currently no approved treatment options for peanut-allergic children under the age of 4 years. Following this publication, the Company confirmed it is advancing regulatory efforts for VP in toddlers ages 1-3 years old with a confirmed peanut allergy.

On July 31, 2023, the Company announced receipt of feedback from FDA on the two supplemental safety studies, COMFORT Children and COMFORT Toddlers. The COMFORT Toddlers safety study will enroll peanut allergic toddlers ages 1 – 3-years and will support the efficacy results generated from the EPITOPE Phase 3 pivotal study. The COMFORT Children safety study will enroll peanut allergic children ages 4 – 7-years and will support the efficacy results anticipated from the ongoing VITESSE Phase 3 pivotal study. The FDA agreed with a 6-month study duration and a 3:1 randomization (active:placebo) of approximately 400 subjects in the double-blind, placebo-controlled COMFORT Toddlers study. The Company expects both COMFORT studies will assess adhesion using the same tools and measurements that were established in VITESSE.

Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as the revenue, costs and expenses recognized during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

There have been no new policies or significant changes to our critical accounting policies as disclosed in the critical accounting policies described in the Annual Report. Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I,

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required under this item.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Based on its evaluation as of September 30, 2023, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) were effective to provide reasonable assurance that (i) the information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and (ii) such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitation on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures

Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration in the degree of compliance with policies and procedures. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost- effective control system, misstatements due to error of fraud may occur and not be detected.

Our business is subject to risks and events that, if they occur, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations and trading price of our securities. In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report, you should carefully consider the factors described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report. There have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed in the Annual Report.