Description of Business

MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company committed to developing novel and differentiated cancer therapies. We build our pipeline by acquiring promising cancer agents and creating value in programs through development, strategic partnerships, and out-licensing or commercialization, as appropriate. Our approach to oncology drug development is to evaluate our drug candidates in combinations with standard-of-care therapies to overcome known resistance mechanisms and address clear medical needs to provide improved patient benefit. Our pipeline includes voruciclib, an oral cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) inhibitor, and ME-344, an intravenous small molecule inhibitor of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS).

Recent Events

Cooperation Agreement

On October 31, 2023, we announced our entry into a Cooperation Agreement (Cooperation Agreement) with Anson Funds and Cable Car Capital, which, among other non-financial related items as described within the overview section of Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, provided for a capital return to stockholders in the form of a dividend in the amount of $1.75 per share of common stock, as further discussed below. Additionally, the Cooperation Agreement contemplates a potential second return of capital not to exceed $9.33 million (Potential Second Return of Capital) if authorized by the board of directors (Board) should our ongoing ME-344 Phase 1b trial fail to meet certain defined endpoints or our Board determines not to proceed with a second cohort. The Potential Second Return of Capital may take the form of a dividend or tender offer and is subject to Board approval as well as modification associated with applicable requirements under Delaware law, as detailed in the Cooperation Agreement.

In April 2024, the Company reported that its Board unanimously aligned on a strategy to prioritize clinical development of voruciclib while enabling development of a new ME-344 formulation for Phase 1 study. Additionally, the Company’s Board unanimously determined not to proceed with a the Potential Second Return of Capital under the October 31, 2023, Cooperation Agreement in order to conserve resources and align strategic investment, and thereby extend the Company’s operational runway.

As part of the Cooperation Agreement, Anson and Cable Car withdrew their consent solicitation and agreed to abide by customary standstill provisions. Additionally, we reimbursed Anson and Cable Car’s fees and expenses related to their engagement with us as of the date of the Cooperation Agreement in an amount of $1.1 million, which is recorded within general and administrative expenses in the condensed consolidated statements of operations during the nine months ended March 31, 2024.

Cash Dividend

Liquidity

We have accumulated losses of $369.8 million since inception and expect to incur operating losses and generate negative cash flows from operations for the foreseeable future. As of March 31, 2024, we had $56.6 million in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. We believe that these resources will be sufficient to meet our obligations and fund our liquidity and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months from the issuance of these condensed consolidated financial statements. Our current business operations are focused on continuing the clinical development of our drug candidates. Changes to our research and development plans or other changes affecting our operating expenses may affect actual future use of existing cash resources. Our research and development expenses are expected to increase in the foreseeable future. We cannot determine with certainty costs associated with ongoing and future clinical trials or the regulatory approval process. The duration, costs and timing associated with the development of our product candidates will depend on a variety of factors, including uncertainties associated with the results of our clinical trials.

To date, we have obtained cash and funded our operations primarily through equity financings and license agreements. In order to continue the development of our drug candidates, at some point in the future we expect to pursue one or more capital transactions, whether through the sale of equity securities, debt financing, license agreements or entry into strategic partnerships. There can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to raise additional capital in the future.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, the accompanying financial statements do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) that are necessary for a fair statement of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of MEI Pharma, Inc. and our wholly owned subsidiary, Meadow Merger Sub, Inc. We have eliminated all significant intercompany accounts and transactions in consolidation.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2024 should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto as of and for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 26, 2023 (2023 Annual Report). Interim results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full year. The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date the condensed consolidated financial statements were issued.

Use of Estimates

Segment Reporting

Operating segments are identified as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete financial information is available for evaluation by our chief operating decision-maker (CODM), our Chief Executive Officer, in making decisions regarding resource allocation and assessing performance. The CODM views its operations and manages its business in one operating segment.

Concentrations of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject us to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments. Deposits in our checking and money market accounts are maintained in federally insured financial institutions and are subject to federally insured limits or limits set by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

Short-term Investments

Short-term investments are marketable securities with original maturities greater than three months but less than one year from date of purchase. As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, our short-term investments consisted of $54.2 million and $83.8 million, respectively, in United States government securities. The short-term investments held as of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023 are considered to be held to maturity and are carried at amortized cost. As of March 31, 2024 and June 30, 2023, gross unrealized gains and losses were immaterial.

Dividends

Due to our history of net losses, we have elected to first reduce our additional paid-in capital (APIC) to zero by the amount of dividends/return of capital approved by our Board. Any dividends/return of capital approved by our Board, in excess of our APIC, if any, will be recorded as an adjustment to our accumulated deficit.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues from Customers

In accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), we recognize revenue when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to our customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. For enforceable contracts with our customers, we first identify the distinct performance obligations, or accounting units, within the contract. Performance obligations are commitments in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer.

Payments received under commercial arrangements, such as licensing technology rights, may include non-refundable fees at the inception of the arrangements, milestone payments for specific achievements designated in the agreements, and royalties on the sale of products. At the inception of arrangements that include milestone payments, we use judgment to evaluate whether the milestones are probable of being achieved, and we estimate the amount, if any, to include in the transaction price using the most likely method. If it is probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur, the estimated amount is included in the transaction price. Milestone payments that are not within our or the licensee’s control, such as regulatory approvals, are not included in the transaction price until those approvals are received. At the end of each reporting period, we re-evaluate the probability of achievement of development milestones and any related constraint and, as necessary, we adjust our estimate of the overall transaction price.

We may enter into arrangements that consist of multiple performance obligations. Such arrangements may include any combination of our deliverables. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised deliverables, we apply judgment to determine whether promised deliverables are capable of being distinct and are distinct within the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met, the promised deliverables are accounted for as a combined performance obligation. For arrangements with multiple distinct performance obligations, we allocate variable consideration related to our 50-50 cost share for development services directly to the associated performance obligation and then allocate the remaining consideration among the performance obligations based on their relative stand-alone selling price.

Stand-alone selling price is the price at which we would sell a promised good or service separately to the customer. When not directly observable, we typically estimate the stand-alone selling price for each distinct performance obligation. Variable consideration that relates specifically to our efforts to satisfy specific performance obligations is allocated entirely to those performance obligations. Other components of the transaction price are allocated based on the relative stand-alone selling price, over which management has applied significant judgment. We develop assumptions that require judgment to determine the stand-alone selling price for license-related performance obligations, which may include forecasted revenues, development timelines, reimbursement rates for personnel costs, discount rates and probabilities of technical, regulatory and commercial success. We estimate stand-alone selling price for research and development performance obligations by forecasting the expected costs of satisfying a performance obligation plus an appropriate margin.

In the case of a license that is a distinct performance obligation, we recognize revenue allocated to the license from non-refundable, up-front fees at the point in time when the license is transferred to the licensee and the licensee can use and benefit from the license. For licenses that are bundled with other distinct or combined obligations, we use judgment to assess the nature of the performance obligation to determine whether the 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. If the performance obligation is satisfied over time, we evaluate the measure of progress each reporting period and, if necessary, adjust the measure of performance and related revenue recognition.

The selection of the method to measure progress towards completion requires judgment and is based on the nature of the products or services to be provided. Revenue is recorded proportionally as costs are incurred. We generally use the cost-to-cost measure of progress because it best depicts the transfer of control to the customer which occurs as we incur costs. Under the cost-to-cost measure of progress, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of costs incurred to date to the total estimated costs at completion of the performance obligation (an input method under Topic 606). We use judgment to estimate the total cost expected to complete the research and development performance obligations, which include subcontractors’ costs, labor, materials, other direct costs and an allocation of indirect costs. We evaluate these cost estimates and the progress each reporting period and, as necessary, we adjust the measure of progress and related revenue recognition.

For arrangements that include sales-based or usage-based royalties, we recognize 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, we have not recognized any sales-based or usage-based royalty revenue from license agreements.

In connection with our April 2020 Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (KKC) License, Development and Commercialization Agreement (the KKC Commercialization Agreement) described in Note 7. License Agreements, which agreement was terminated in July 2023,we performed development services related to our 50-50 cost sharing arrangement for which revenue was recognized over time. Additionally, from time to time, we performed services for KKC at their request, the costs of which were fully reimbursed to us. We recorded the reimbursement for such pass-through services as revenue at 100% of reimbursed costs, as control of the additional services for KKC was transferred at the time we incurred such costs. The costs of these services are recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as research and development expense. The cost of these services was recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations as research and development expense.

Contract Balances

Accounts receivables are included in prepaid expenses and other current assets, and contract liabilities are included in deferred revenue and deferred revenue, long-term, in our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Our contract liabilities accounted for under Topic 606 relate to the amount of initial upfront consideration allocated to the development services performance obligations. Contract liabilities are recognized over the duration of the performance obligations based on the costs incurred relative to total expected costs.

As of March 31, 2024, June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022, we had no balances in accounts receivable. Contract balances are as follows (in thousands):

The timing of revenue recognition, invoicing and cash collections results in billed accounts receivable and unbilled receivables (contract assets) and deferred revenue (contract liabilities). We invoice our customers in accordance with agreed-upon contractual terms, typically at periodic intervals or upon achievement of contractual milestones. Invoicing may occur subsequent to revenue recognition, resulting in unbilled receivables. We may receive advance payments from our customers before revenue is recognized, resulting in contract liabilities. The unbilled receivables and deferred revenue reported on the condensed consolidated balance sheets related to the KKC Commercialization Agreement.

Revenues from Collaborators

At contract inception, we assess whether the collaboration arrangements are within the scope of ASC Topic 808, Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808), to determine whether such arrangements involve joint operating activities performed by parties that are both active participants in the activities and exposed to significant risks and rewards dependent on the commercial success of such activities. This assessment is performed based on the responsibilities of all parties in the arrangement. For collaboration arrangements within the scope of Topic 808 that contain multiple units of account, we first determine which units of account within the arrangement are within the scope of Topic 808 and which elements are within the scope of Topic 606. For units of account within collaboration arrangements that are accounted for pursuant to Topic 808, an appropriate recognition method is determined and applied consistently, by analogy to authoritative accounting literature. For elements of collaboration arrangements that are accounted for pursuant to Topic 606, we recognize revenue as discussed above. Consideration received that does not meet the requirements to satisfy Topic 606 revenue recognition criteria is recorded as deferred revenue in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets, classified as either current or long-term deferred revenue based on our best estimate of when such amounts will be recognized.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share is computed using the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, less any shares subject to repurchase or forfeiture. There were no shares of common stock subject to repurchase or forfeiture for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023. Diluted net income (loss) per share is computed based on the sum of the weighted-average number of common shares and potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the period determined using the treasury-stock and if-converted methods.

For purposes of the diluted net income (loss) per share calculation for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, potentially dilutive securities are excluded from the calculation of diluted net income (loss) per share because their weighted-average exercise prices were above our weighted-average share price as of March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively; therefore, basic and diluted net income (loss) per share were the same for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.