Company: VRCA
Filing Date: 2025-03-11
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-037172
Chunk: 91

Company: Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-11
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 91
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 not be able to negotiate collaborations on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may have to curtail the development of such product candidate, reduce or delay its development program or one or more of our other development programs, delay its potential commercialization or reduce the scope of any sales or marketing activities, or increase our expenditures and undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our product candidates or bring them to market and generate revenue.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property

If we are unable to obtain or protect intellectual property rights related to any of our product candidates, we may not be able to compete effectively in our market.

We plan to rely upon a combination of patents, trade secret protection, and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual property related to YCANTH (VP-102) and our other product candidates (including VP-315). The issuance, scope, validity, enforceability, strength, and commercial value of patents in the pharmaceutical field involves complex legal and scientific questions and can be uncertain.  Although we currently have several issued United States and foreign patents, other patent applications that we own may fail to result in other issued patents with claims that cover YCANTH (VP-102) and our other product candidates in the United States or in foreign jurisdictions. If this were to occur, early generic competition could be expected against YCANTH (VP-102) and our other product candidates. There may be relevant prior art relating to our patents and patent applications which could invalidate a patent or prevent a patent from issuing based on a pending patent application. In particular, because the API in YCANTH (VP-102) and some of our product candidates have been available and used for many years, it is possible that these products have previously been used in such a manner that such prior usage would affect our ability to obtain patents based on our patent applications. Moreover, because numerous parties have developed and/or commercialized, or are developing, a wide variety of applicator devices for use with topical dermatological medications, it is possible that prior art related to such applicator devices could affect our ability to obtain patent protection for our product applicator device, or that disputes may arise related to whether