Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc Debt Disclosure
Note 9. Debt
On October 30, 2019, the Company entered into a Credit and Security Agreement, dated as of October 30, 2019 (the “Closing Date”) by and among the Company, MidCap Financial Trust, as a lender, Silicon Valley Bank, as a lender, the other lenders party thereto from time to time and MidCap Financial Trust, as administrative agent and collateral agent (“Agent”), (the “Term Loan Credit Agreement”), which provides for a $50.0 million term loan facility. The Term Loan Credit Agreement provides for (i) on the Closing Date, $10.0 million aggregate principal amount of term loans, (ii) at the Company’s option, until December 31, 2020, an additional $20.0 million term loan facility subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including clinical milestone achievement, and (iii) at the Company’s option, until September 30, 2021, an additional $20.0 million term loan facility subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including clinical milestone achievement, (collectively, the “Term Loans”). The Company intends to use any proceeds of the Term Loans for general corporate purposes.
The Term Loans are subject to an origination fee of 0.25% for each funded tranche under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and bear interest at an annual rate based on prime rate plus 2.91%, subject to a prime rate floor of 4.94%. The Company will make interest-only payments on the Term Loans for 24 months, followed by 24 months of principal and interest payments. At the Company’s option, the Company may prepay the outstanding principal balance of the Term Loans in whole or in part, subject to a prepayment premium of 3.0% of any amount prepaid if the prepayment occurs through and including the first anniversary of the closing date, 2.0% of the amount prepaid if the prepayment occurs after the first anniversary of the closing date through and including the second anniversary of the closing date, and 1.0% of any amount prepaid after the second anniversary of the closing date and prior to October 1, 2023. An additional fee of 2.85% of the amount of Term Loans advanced by the Lenders will be due upon prepayment or repayment of the Term Loans.
The Term Loan Credit Agreement requires the Company to maintain cash and cash equivalents of at least 35% of the outstanding Term Loans at all times and is secured by a perfected security interest in all of the Company's assets except for intellectual property and certain other customary excluded property pursuant to the terms of the Term Loan Credit Agreement. The Term Loan Credit Agreement contains other covenants that limit the Company’s ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to perform certain actions, including obligations to not pay dividends and to maintain unrestricted cash balances above certain threshold, non-occurrence of material adverse change, non-occurrence of change of control and other customary affirmative and negative covenants. The violation of any provision of covenants will result in default for the Company. The Term Loan Credit Agreement includes a clause which allows lenders to accelerate repayment upon the occurrence of certain events of default. In June 2020, the Company prepaid its outstanding $10.0 million balance on the term loan as well as $0.6 million for related prepayment and exit fees. Accordingly, the company accelerated amortization of $0.1 million related to capitalized and unamortized debt issuance costs, which is included as part of the $0.6 million loss on early repayment of debt. The Company did not exercise its option to borrow the $20.0 million second tranche of Term Loans, which expired on December 31, 2020, and therefore has no outstanding balance as of December 31, 2020 related to the Term Loan Credit Agreement. As of December 31, 2020, the Company was in compliance with the debt covenants, no event of default occurred and the probability of occurrence of event of default was considered remote.
The Company’s long-term debt balance was as follows for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):
Annual | Balance at | Balance at | ||||||
Interest Rate | December 31, 2020 | December 31, 2019 | ||||||
Term loan (maturity date October 1, 2023) | 7.85% | $ | — | $ | 10,000 | |||
Debt issuance costs, net of amortization |
| — |
| (222) | ||||
Accrued final payment fees | — | 16 | ||||||
Long-term debt, net | $ | — | $ | 9,794 | ||||
The effective interest rate on long-term debt was 9.85% and 9.81% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Mar 10, 2021 | Showing above |
| 2019 | Mar 10, 2020 | |
About Debt Disclosures
Debt disclosures detail a company's borrowing structure — the types of instruments, interest rates, maturity schedule, and covenant restrictions that define its financial obligations and flexibility. This section is essential for assessing refinancing risk, interest rate exposure, and the margin of safety against financial distress.
Key signals: the maturity schedule reveals concentration risk — large maturities within 1-2 years during tight credit markets can force dilutive refinancing or asset sales. Compare the fair value of debt against carrying amount to gauge whether the market views the company's credit risk differently than the balance sheet suggests. Watch covenant compliance disclosures for tightening cushions, especially leverage and interest coverage ratios. Variable-rate debt exposure quantifies sensitivity to interest rate changes. Secured versus unsecured mix affects recovery rates and future borrowing capacity. Compare net debt-to-EBITDA against industry peers and covenant limits to assess financial health.