Organon & Co. (OGN) 10-Q2022 Q3 Quarterly report

Organon & Co. (“Organon” or the “Company”) is a global health care company formed through a spinoff from Merck & Co., Inc. (“Merck”) to focus on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Organon develops and delivers innovative health solutions through a portfolio of prescription therapies within women's health, biosimilars and established brands (the "Organon Products"). Organon has a portfolio of more than 60 medicines and products across a range of therapeutic areas. The Company sells these products through various channels including drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, government agencies and managed health care providers such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers and other institutions. The Company operates six manufacturing facilities, which are located in Belgium, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Unless otherwise indicated, trademarks appearing in italics throughout this document are trademarks of, or are used under license by, the Organon group of companies.

The Company’s operations include the following product portfolios:

On June 2, 2021, Organon and Merck entered into a Separation and Distribution Agreement (the "Separation and Distribution Agreement"). Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Merck agreed to spin off the Organon Products into Organon, a new, publicly-traded company (the "Separation").

In connection with the Separation, on June 2, 2021, Merck distributed (the "Distribution"), on a pro rata basis, to holders of the outstanding shares of common stock of Merck, par value $0.50 per share (the "Merck Common Stock") on May 17, 2021 (the "Record Date"), all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Organon (the "Common Stock"). Each Merck stockholder was entitled to receive one-tenth of a share of the Common Stock for each share of Merck Common Stock held on the Record Date. Organon is now a standalone publicly-traded company and, on June 3, 2021, regular-way trading of the Common Stock commenced on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "OGN."

The Separation was completed pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement and other agreements with Merck related to the Separation, including, but not limited to a tax matters agreement (the "Tax Matters Agreement" or "TMA"), an employee matters agreement (the "Employee Matters Agreement" or "EMA") and a transition services agreement (the "Transition Service Agreement" or "TSA"). Following the Separation, certain functions continue to be provided by Merck under the TSA or are being performed using the Company’s own resources or third-party service providers. Under the TSA, Merck is providing Organon various services and, similarly, Organon is providing Merck various services. The provision of services under the TSA generally will terminate within 25 months following the spin-off; however, the provision of certain services has been extended to at least 31 months. Additionally, under manufacturing and supply agreements, the Company manufactures certain products for Merck, or its applicable affiliate and Merck manufactures certain products for the Company or its applicable affiliate (see Note 13 for additional details). The Company incurred certain costs in its establishment as a standalone public company and expects to incur ongoing additional costs associated with operating as an independent, publicly-traded company.

The unaudited financial statements for all periods presented, including the historical results of the Company prior to June 2, 2021, are referred to as "Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements," and have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations for reporting on Form 10-Q. Accordingly, certain information and disclosures required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") for complete consolidated financial statements are not included herein. The results of operations of any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations for the full year. In the Company’s opinion, all adjustments necessary for a fair statement of these interim statements have been included and are of a normal and recurring nature. All intercompany transactions and accounts within Organon have been eliminated. These interim statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in Organon’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Prior to the Separation on June 2, 2021, the Company’s historical Consolidated Financial Statements were prepared on a standalone basis and were derived from Merck’s consolidated financial statements and accounting records. The assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses of the Company were reflected in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements on a historical cost basis, as included in the consolidated financial statements of Merck, using the historical accounting policies applied by Merck, following a legal entity approach. For such periods prior to the Separation, certain corporate and shared costs were allocated to the Company based on a specific identification basis or, when specific identification was not practicable, a proportional cost allocation method. Refer to Note 2 of the audited Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company's 2021 Form 10-K for additional details on Organon's basis of presentation during periods prior to the Separation, at Separation and post Separation.

The Company’s historical results prior to the Separation included certain Merck non-U.S. legal entities that were conveyed to Organon in connection with the Separation (collectively, the "Transferred Entities" and each, a "Transferred Entity") and included operations related to other Merck products that were retained by Merck (the "Merck Retained Products"). The Merck Retained Products business of the Transferred Entities was contributed by the Company to Merck and its affiliates and any remaining assets and liabilities were transferred as of June 2, 2021. Accordingly, the historical results of operations of the Merck Retained Products have been reflected as discontinued operations in these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

For periods prior to the Separation, income tax expense in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income was calculated on a separate tax return basis and the Company’s operations were included in the tax returns of certain legal entities established to operate the Organon Products business (the "Organon Entities"), Transferred Entities, or the respective Merck entities of which the Company’s business was a part. As of June 2, 2021, and in connection with the Separation, the Company adjusted its deferred tax balances and computed its related tax provision to reflect operations as a standalone entity. As a standalone entity, the Company files tax returns on its own behalf, and tax balances and effective income tax rates may differ from the amounts reported in the historical periods.

Certain assets and liabilities, including accounts receivables, inventories and trade payables included on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet prior to the Separation, were retained by Merck post-Separation and therefore were recorded through Net investment from Merck & Co., Inc. in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. As part of the Separation, Net investment from Merck & Co., Inc. was reclassified to Common Stock and Accumulated Deficit.

The presentation of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes in conformity with U.S. GAAP require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported, as further described in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from management's estimates and assumptions.

Due to the significant uncertainty that exists relative to the duration and overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our future operating performance, particularly in the short-term, may be subject to volatility. The assessment of certain accounting matters and specifically its effect on the Company's results require consideration of forecasted financial information in the context of the information reasonably available to the Company and the unknown future impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as of September 30, 2022 and through the date of this report.

There were no recently issued accounting standards adopted by the Company during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022. Refer to Note 3 of the audited Consolidated Financial Statements in Organon's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 for standards adopted in 2021.

vintage disclosures. The guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2023, including interim periods. Early adoption is permitted, and the amendment applied prospectively, except for the recognition and remeasurement of troubled debt restructurings. Entities can elect to adopt the guidance on troubled debt restructurings using either a prospective or modified retrospective transition. If an entity elects to apply a modified retrospective transition, it will record a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings in the period of adoption. The Company does not expect the adoption of this guidance to have a material impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Samsung Bioepis is eligible for additional payments associated with pre-specified clinical and regulatory milestones. As of September 30, 2022, potential future regulatory milestone payments of $25 million remain under the agreement.

Summarized information related to this collaboration is as follows:

In July 2022, the Company entered into a research collaboration and license agreement with Cirqle for a novel investigational non-hormonal, on-demand contraceptive candidate. Under the terms of the agreement, Cirqle is responsible for conducting preclinical studies according to the mutually agreed research plan. Organon obtained exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the asset.

For details regarding Organon's 2021 acquisitions and licensing agreements, see Note 5 to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company's 2021 Form 10-K.

The Company has a balance sheet risk management and a net investment hedging program to mitigate against volatility of changes in foreign exchange rates.

The Company uses a balance sheet risk management program to mitigate the exposure of net monetary assets of its subsidiaries that are denominated in a currency other than a subsidiary’s functional currency from the effects of volatility in foreign exchange. In these instances, Organon principally utilizes forward exchange contracts to offset the effects of exchange on exposures denominated in developed country currencies, primarily the euro, Swiss franc and Japanese yen. For exposures in developing country currencies, the Company enters into forward contracts to partially offset the effects of exchange on exposures when it is deemed economical to do so based on a cost-benefit analysis that considers the magnitude of the exposure, the volatility of the exchange rate and the cost of the hedging instrument.

December 31, 2021. The cash flows from these contracts are reported as operating activities in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

The Company measures fair value based on the prices that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value measurements are based on a three-tier hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs for which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

Foreign exchange risk is also managed through the use of economic hedges on foreign currency debt (see Note 7). In each quarter subsequent to the Separation, €1.75 billion in the aggregate of both the euro-denominated term loan (€750 million) and of the 2.875% euro-denominated secured notes (€1.25 billion) has been designated and is effective as an economic hedge of the net investment in euro-denominated subsidiaries.

Foreign currency gains due to spot rate fluctuations on the euro-denominated debt instruments included in foreign currency translation adjustments were as follows:

The Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income include the impact of actual net gains and losses of Organon's derivative financial instruments, as well as the impact of Merck’s derivative financial instruments prior to the Separation allocated to the Company utilizing a proportional allocation method:

Prior to the Separation, Merck managed the impact of foreign exchange rate movements on its affiliates’ earnings, cash flows and fair values of assets and liabilities through operational means and through the use of various financial instruments, including derivative instruments. Merck established revenue hedging and balance sheet risk management programs that the Company participated in to protect against the volatility of future foreign currency cash flows and changes in fair value caused by volatility in exchange rates.

Inventories consisted of:

Other borrowings represent debt assumed in connection with the acquisition of Forendo Pharma in December 2021.

In June 2021, the Company entered into a credit agreement (the “Senior Credit Agreement”) providing for a Term Loan B Facility, consisting of (i) a U.S. Dollar-denominated senior secured “tranche B” term loan in the amount of $3.0 billion due 2028 (ii) a euro-denominated senior secured “tranche B” term loan in the amount of €750 million due 2028; and (iii) a Revolving Credit Facility (“Revolving Credit Facility”), in an aggregate principal amount of up to $1 billion, with a five-year term that matures in 2026.

The interest rate on revolving loans under the Revolving Credit Facility is subject to a step-down based on meeting a leverage ratio target. A commitment fee applies to the unused portion of the Revolving Credit Facility, initially equal to 0.50% and subject to a step-down to 0.375% based on meeting a leverage ratio target. There were no outstanding balances under the Revolving Credit Facility as of September 30, 2022 or December 31, 2021.

Fair value was estimated using inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities that are observable either directly or indirectly for substantially the full term of the asset or liability and would be considered Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy.

The Company made interest payments of $218 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 related to its debt instruments. The average maturity of the Company's long-term debt as of September 30, 2022 is approximately 6.3 years and the weighted-average interest rate on total borrowings as of September 30, 2022 is 4.5%.

On June 6, 2022, the Company made a discretionary prepayment of $100 million on the U.S. Dollar-denominated term loan.

The schedule of principal payments required on long-term debt for the next five years and thereafter is as follows:

The Senior Credit Agreement contains customary financial covenants, including a total leverage ratio covenant, which measures the ratio of (i) consolidated total debt to (ii) consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, and subject to other adjustments, that must meet certain defined limits which are tested on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Senior Credit Agreement contains covenants that limit, among other things, Organon’s ability to prepay, redeem or repurchase its subordinated and junior lien debt, incur additional debt, make acquisitions, merge with other entities, pay dividends or distributions, redeem or repurchase equity interests, and create or become subject to liens. As of September 30, 2022, the Company is in compliance with all financial covenants and no default or event of default has occurred.

Organon is involved in various claims and legal proceedings of a nature considered normal to its business, including product liability, intellectual property, and commercial litigation, as well as certain additional matters including governmental and environmental matters. In the opinion of Organon as of September 30, 2022, it is unlikely that the resolution of these matters will be material to Organon's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Given the nature of the litigation discussed in this note and the complexities involved in these matters, Organon is unable to reasonably estimate a possible loss or range of possible loss for such matters until Organon knows, among other factors, (i) what claims, if any, will survive dispositive motion practice, (ii) the extent of the claims, including the size of any potential class, particularly when damages are not specified or are indeterminate, (iii) how the discovery process will affect the litigation, (iv) the settlement posture of the other parties to the litigation, and (v) any other factors that may have a material effect on the litigation.

Organon records accruals for contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. These accruals are adjusted periodically as assessments change or additional information becomes available. Individually significant contingent losses are accrued when probable and reasonably estimable. Legal defense costs expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency are accrued when probable and reasonably estimable.

Organon's decision to obtain insurance coverage is dependent on market conditions, including cost and availability, existing at the time such decisions are made. Organon has evaluated its risks and has determined that the cost of obtaining product liability insurance outweighs the likely benefits of the coverage that is available and, as such, has no insurance for most product liabilities.

Reference is made below to certain litigation in which Merck, but not Organon, is named as a defendant. Pursuant to the Separation and Distribution Agreement, Organon is required to indemnify Merck for liabilities relating to, arising from, or resulting from such litigation.

Accordingly, as of September 30, 2022, approximately 975 cases were actively pending in the Femur Fracture MDL.

As of September 30, 2022, approximately 2,030 cases alleging Femur Fractures have been filed in New Jersey state court and are pending in Middlesex County. The parties selected an initial group of cases to be reviewed through fact discovery, and Merck has continued to select additional cases to be reviewed.

As of September 30, 2022, approximately 275 cases alleging Femur Fractures have been filed and are pending in California state court. All of the Femur Fracture cases filed in California state court have been coordinated before a single judge in Orange County, California.

Additionally, there are four Femur Fracture cases pending in other state courts.

Discovery is presently stayed in the Femur Fracture MDL and in the state court in California.

In July 2021, Organon received a Civil Investigation Demand ("CID") from the Office of the Attorney General for the State of Washington. The CID requests answers to interrogatories, as well as various documents, regarding certain activities related to adalimumab and adalimumab biosimilars. Organon is cooperating with the government's investigation and has produced information in response to the CID.

From time to time, generic manufacturers of pharmaceutical products file Abbreviated New Drug Applications ("ANDAs") with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") seeking to market generic forms of Organon's products prior to the expiration of relevant patents owned by Organon. To protect its patent rights, Organon may file patent infringement lawsuits against such generic companies. Similar lawsuits defending Organon's patent rights may exist in other countries. Organon intends to vigorously defend its patents, which it believes are valid, against infringement by companies attempting to market products prior to the expiration of such patents. As with any litigation, there can be no assurance of the outcomes, which, if adverse, could result in significantly shortened periods of exclusivity for these products, potential payment of damages and legal fees, and, with respect to products acquired through acquisitions, potentially significant intangible asset impairment charges.

There are various other pending legal proceedings involving Organon, principally product liability and intellectual property lawsuits. While it is not feasible to predict the outcome of such proceedings, in the opinion of Organon as of September 30, 2022, either the likelihood of loss is remote or any reasonably possible loss associated with the resolution of such proceedings is not expected to be material to Organon's financial condition, results of operations or cash flows either individually or in the aggregate.

Legal defense costs expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency are accrued when probable and reasonably estimable. Some of the significant factors considered in the review of these legal defense reserves are as follows: the actual costs incurred by Organon; the development of Organon's legal defense strategy and structure in light of the scope of its litigation; the number of cases being brought against Organon; and the costs and outcomes of completed trials and the most current information regarding anticipated timing, progression, and related costs of pre-trial activities and trials in the associated litigation. The legal defense reserve as of September 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021 was $15 million and $9 million, respectively, and represented Organon's best estimate of the minimum amount of defense costs to be incurred in connection with its outstanding litigation; however, events such as additional trials and other events that could arise in the course of its litigation could affect the ultimate amount of legal defense costs to be incurred by Organon. Organon will continue to monitor its legal defense costs and review the adequacy of the associated reserves and may determine to increase the reserves at any time in the future if, based upon the factors set forth, it believes it would be appropriate to do so.

The Company grants stock option awards, performance share units ("PSUs") and restricted share units ("RSUs") pursuant to its 2021 Incentive Stock Plan.

Employee stock options are granted to purchase shares of Company stock at the fair market value at the time of grant. Generally, stock options have a contractual term of ten years and vest one-third each year over a three-year period, subject to limited exceptions.

RSUs are stock awards that are granted to employees and entitle the holder to shares of common stock as the awards vest. RSU awards generally vest one-third each year over a three-year period. The fair value of the stock option and RSU awards is determined and fixed on the grant date based on the Company’s stock price.

The terms of the Company's PSU awards allow the recipients of such awards to earn a variable number of common shares based on the cumulative results of specified performance factors. The Company has PSU awards based on the following performance factors:

For FCF and TSR awards, the Company recognizes compensation costs ratably over the performance period. The PSU Awards will generally vest at the end of the three year performance period, however, the number of shares delivered will vary based upon the attained level of performance. For PSUs with a performance-based FCF goal, stock-based compensation expense is recognized based on the probability of the achievement of the financial performance metric for the respective vesting period and is assessed at each reporting date. For PSUs with a market-based relative TSR goal, stock-based compensation expense is recognized based on the estimated fair value of the award at the grant date regardless of the actual number of shares earned. PSU awards generally vest after three years.

For RSUs and PSUs, dividends declared during the vesting period are payable to the employees only upon vesting. RSU and PSU distributions will be in shares of Company stock after the end of the vesting or performance period, subject to the terms applicable to such awards.

Stock-based compensation expense incurred by the Company was as follows:

The Company used the Black-Scholes model to determine the fair value of the stock options as of the grant date using the following assumptions:

A summary of the equity award transactions for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 are as follows:

The following table summarizes information about equity awards outstanding that are vested and expected to vest and equity awards outstanding that are exercisable as of September 30, 2022:

The amount of unrecognized compensation costs as of September 30, 2022 was $145 million, which will be recognized in operating expense ratably over the weighted average vesting period of 2.08 years.

The effective income tax rates were 19.6% and 17.1% for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and 20.0% and 11.2% for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. These effective income tax rates reflect the beneficial impact of foreign earnings, offset by the impact of U.S. inclusions under the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income regime. The effective income tax rate for the first nine months of 2021 reflects the beneficial impact of foreign earnings, a $70 million tax benefit relating to a portion of the non-U.S. step-up of tax basis as well as the income tax benefit recognized in connection with the conclusion of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examination of Merck’s 2015-2016 U.S. federal income tax returns. As a result, the Company reflected an allocation from Merck of $18 million representing the Company's portion of the payment made to the IRS in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company's portion of reserves for unrecognized tax benefits for the years under examination exceeded the allocated adjustments relating to this examination period and therefore the Company included a $29 million net tax benefit also included in the nine months ended September 30, 2021. This net benefit reflects reductions in reserves for unrecognized tax benefits and other related liabilities for tax positions relating to the years that were under examination.

On August 16, 2022, the U.S. enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Provisions of the bill that relate to tax include the minimum tax on book income, a 1% excise tax on stock buybacks and certain tax incentives to promote clean energy. There are no impacts of the legislation to the third quarter 2022 results. The Company is currently assessing future impacts of this recently enacted legislation.

The Company’s operations include the following product portfolios, which constitute one operating segment engaged in developing and delivering innovative health solutions through its portfolio of prescription therapies within women’s health, biosimilars and established brands.

Revenues of the Company’s products were as follows: