v3.26.1
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies  
Use of Estimates

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and expenses as of and during the reporting period. The Company bases estimates and assumptions on historical experience when available and on various factors that it believes to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company assesses estimates on an ongoing basis; however, actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Significant estimates and assumptions reflected within these consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, prepaid and accrued research and development expenses, including those related to contract research organizations (CROs), contract development manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), and other third-party vendors, and the valuation of the Company’s common stock prior to the Merger, stock-based awards, and the fair value of Convertible Notes (as defined in Note 4, Fair Value Measurements), which converted to common stock upon close of the Merger. Changes in estimates are recorded in the period in which they become known.

Concentration of Credit Risk and of Significant Suppliers

Concentration of Credit Risk and of Significant Suppliers

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents represent potential concentrations of credit risk. The Company deposits its cash and cash equivalents in financial institutions in amounts that may exceed federally insured limits, has not experienced any losses on such accounts and does not believe it is exposed to any unusual credit risk beyond the normal credit risk associated with commercial banking relationships.

The following table presents information about the Company’s significant supplier:

For the Year Ended

 

December 31, 

As of December 31, 

 

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

 

 

% of operating expenses

 

% of accounts payable

Vendor A

 

36

%  

62

%  

84

%  

43

%

For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, no additional suppliers accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s operating expenses or accounts payable. The Company’s preclinical studies and clinical trials and testing could be adversely affected by a significant interruption in the supply chain from its significant supplier.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments, with an original maturity of three months or less, to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents include amounts held in money market funds in the amount of $20.0 million and $31.3 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

The Company recorded interest income on its cash equivalents of $0.7 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 on its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Short-term Investments

Short-term Investments

The Company invests excess cash in short-term investments with high credit ratings. These securities consist primarily of U.S. Treasury Notes that are classified as “available-for-sale.” The Company classifies any investments as short-term if the maturity date is less than or equal to one year from the balance sheet date or as long-term if the maturity date is in excess of one year from the balance sheet date.

The Company’s short-term investments are carried at fair value, with the unrealized gains and losses reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in stockholders’ equity (deficit). Realized gains and losses and declines in fair value due to credit-related factors are based on the specific identification method and are included within the non-operating section of the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss, as needed. The Company recorded interest income on short-term investments, inclusive of accretion of its net discounts on its short-term investments, of $0.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, which is classified as interest income in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. There were no short-term investments for the year ended December 31, 2024.

At each balance sheet date, the Company assesses available-for-sale debt securities in an unrealized loss position to determine whether the unrealized loss or any potential credit losses should be recognized within the non-operating section of the consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss. The Company evaluates whether it intends to sell, or it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell, the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. The credit-related portion of unrealized losses, and any subsequent improvements, are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss accordingly, as needed. The portion that is not credit-related is treated in accordance with other unrealized losses as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in stockholders’ equity (deficit). There have been no impairment or credit losses recognized for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.

Deferred Offering Costs

Deferred Offering Costs

The Company capitalizes certain legal, professional accounting and other third-party fees that are directly associated with in-process equity financings as deferred offering costs until such financings are consummated. After consummation of the equity financing, these costs are recorded as a reduction of the proceeds from the offering, either as a reduction of the carrying value of the preferred stock or in stockholders’ equity (deficit) as a reduction of additional paid-in-capital generated as a result of the offering. Should any planned equity financing be abandoned, the deferred offering costs will be expensed immediately as a charge to operating expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company recorded deferred offering costs of $2.8 million as of December 31, 2024. With the addition of the Company’s deferred costs incurred in 2025 prior to the Merger closing, a total of $4.1 million in deferred offering costs were reclassified as a reduction of additional paid-in-capital upon the close of the Merger.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements

Certain assets and liabilities of the Company are carried at fair value under GAAP. Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value must maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

Financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value are to be classified and disclosed in one of the following three levels of the fair value hierarchy, of which the first two are considered observable and the last is considered unobservable:

Level 1 — Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 — Observable inputs (other than Level 1 quoted prices), such as quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar assets or liabilities, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 — Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity that are significant to determining the fair value of the assets or liabilities, including pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies and similar techniques.

The Company’s cash equivalents are carried at fair value in Level 1, determined according to the fair value hierarchy described above (refer to Note 4, Fair Value Measurements). The carrying values of the Company’s prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments. The Company’s Convertible Notes were carried at fair value prior to their conversion in April 2025, determined according to level 3 inputs in the fair value hierarchy described above. Refer to Note 4, Fair Value Measurements for further information around the fair value of the Convertible Notes.

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

The Company records property and equipment at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation and amortization expense is recognized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of each asset, as follows:

  ​ ​ ​

Estimated Useful Life

Computer equipment

 

3 years

Office equipment

 

5 years

Leasehold improvements

 

Shorter of remaining lease term or estimated useful life

Estimated useful lives are periodically assessed to determine if changes are appropriate. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the lesser of the lease term or its estimated useful life. Lease terms are based upon the initial lease agreement and do not consider potential renewals or extensions until such time that the renewals or extensions are contracted. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs that do not improve or extend the life of the respective assets are expensed as incurred. When assets are retired or otherwise disposed of, the cost of these assets and related accumulated depreciation or amortization are eliminated from the consolidated balance sheets and any resulting gains or losses are included in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the period of disposal.

Depreciation and amortization expense related to property and equipment was less than $0.1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.

Intangible Assets

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets consist of licenses for exclusive use of patent rights owned by a third party, which are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated periods of benefit, generally the remaining life of the underlying licensed patents.

The Company reviews intangible assets for impairment whenever conditions exist that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable, such as an economic downturn in the market or a change in the assessment of future operations. No impairment was recorded for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.

Refer to Note 14, License Agreements, for further detail on the Company’s licenses.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

The Company evaluates its long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Factors that the Company considers in deciding when to perform an impairment review include significant underperformance of the business in relation to expectations, significant negative industry or economic trends and significant changes or planned changes in the use of the assets. If an impairment review is performed to evaluate a long-lived asset group for recoverability, the Company compares forecasts of undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use and eventual disposition of the long-lived asset group to its carrying value. An impairment loss would be recognized when estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of an asset group are less than its carrying amount. The impairment loss would be based on the excess of the carrying value of the impaired asset group over its fair value. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company did not record any impairment losses on long-lived assets.

Operating Leases

Operating Leases

The Company determines whether an arrangement is or contains a lease, as defined by Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (or ASC 842), at contract inception by evaluating whether the arrangement conveys the right to use an identified asset and whether the Company obtains substantially all of the economic benefits from and has the ability to direct the use of the asset. If an arrangement is determined to be or contain a lease, the lease is assessed for classification as either an operating or finance lease at the lease commencement date, defined as the date on which the leased asset is made available for use by the Company, based on the economic characteristics of the lease.

ASC 842 includes certain practical expedients that can be elected for new leases that are executed after the adoption of the new requirements. The Company elected the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components. The Company also

elected to apply the short-term lease recognition exemption which eliminates the requirement to present on the consolidated balance sheets leases with a term of 12 months or less. These two practical expedients were elected for all classes of underlying assets.

At the lease commencement date, the Company recognizes a lease liability and a right-of-use (ROU) asset representing its right to use the underlying asset over the lease term. The initial measurement of the lease liability is calculated as the present value of the future lease payments in the contract and the ROU asset is measured as the lease liability plus initial direct costs and prepaid lease payments, less lease incentives granted by the lessor. The subsequent measurement of a lease is dependent on whether the lease is classified as an operating lease or a finance lease. Operating lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

The Company’s lease requires other payments such as costs related to taxes, insurance, maintenance, and other expenses. These costs are generally variable in nature and based on the actual costs incurred and required by the lease. As the Company has elected to not separate lease and non-lease components for all classes of underlying assets, all variable costs associated with the lease are expensed in the period incurred and presented and disclosed as variable lease costs. The Company’s lease agreement does not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive financial covenants.

ASC 842 requires that a lessee use the rate implicit in the lease when measuring the lease liability and ROU asset. If the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, the Company is permitted to use its incremental borrowing rate, which is defined as the rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term an amount equal to the lease payments in a similar economic environment. Since the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate when measuring its leases. The incremental borrowing rate is calculated by considering the Company’s credit standing, the lease term and other quantitative and qualitative factors.

Most leases include options to renew and, or, terminate the lease, which can impact the lease term. The exercise of these options is at the Company’s discretion. Periods covered by an option to extend a lease are not included in the lease term as the Company is not reasonably certain it will exercise this option. Additionally, periods covered by an option to terminate the lease are included in the lease term as it is reasonably certain that the Company will not exercise this option.

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock

Redeemable Convertible Preferred Stock

Legacy Tvardi previously issued Series A preferred stock and Series B preferred stock in 2018 and 2021, respectively (collectively, the Preferred Stock). As of December 31, 2024, Legacy Tvardi had authorized the issuance of 29,723,540 shares of Preferred Stock, par value of $0.001 per share, of which 9,499,999 were designated Series A preferred stock and 20,223,541 were designated Series B preferred stock. As of December 31, 2024, Legacy Tvardi had 3,963,910 shares of Preferred Stock outstanding, with an aggregate carrying value of $85,503 and an aggregate liquidation preference of $85,902. The outstanding shares of Preferred Stock as of December 31, 2024 reflect the retroactive application of the Exchange Ratio as discussed in Note 3, Merger Agreement.

Prior to the Merger, the holders of Preferred Stock had certain liquidation rights in the event of a liquidation event or a deemed liquidation event that, in certain situations, were not solely within the control of Legacy Tvardi and called for the redemption of the then outstanding Preferred Stock. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2024, the Preferred Stock was classified as temporary equity on the accompanying consolidated balance sheet. As the Preferred Stock was converted to common stock in accordance with the Merger Agreement in April 2025, there was no Preferred Stock remaining as of December 31, 2025. See Note 3, Merger Agreement, for further information.

Refer to Note 9, Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit), for further information regarding the authorized preferred stock, pursuant to Cara’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, which was assumed by the Company in connection with the Merger Agreement in April 2025.

Convertible Notes

Convertible Notes

At issuance in December 2024, Legacy Tvardi performed an analysis of all terms and features of the Convertible Notes (as defined in Note 4, Fair Value Measurements) and elected the fair value option to account for the Convertible Notes to simplify the accounting for the identified embedded derivatives. The Convertible Notes were remeasured at fair value at each balance sheet date until conversion under the Merger Agreement in April 2025. Changes to the fair value of the Convertible Notes were recorded in other income (expense), net in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024. The Company also elected the option of combining interest expense and the change in fair value as a single line item within the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. Refer to Note 4, Fair Value Measurements, for further detail regarding the valuation and conversion of the Convertible Notes.

Segment Information

Segment Information

Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate discrete information is available for evaluation by the chief operating decision maker (CODM) in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s CODM, its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, view the Company’s operations as a single operating segment, which is the business of discovering and developing novel orally bioavailable, small molecule therapies across a broad range of diseases driven by STAT3 with high unmet need.

All of the Company’s long-lived assets are held in the United States.

Refer to Note 16, Segment Reporting, for additional disclosures related to segment information.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses include wages, associated employee benefits, and stock-based compensation expense of employees engaged in research, amortization of licensed intangible assets, external costs of third-party vendors that conduct research and development and manufacturing activities on behalf of the Company, and other operational costs related to the Company’s research and development activities.

Prepaid and Accrued Research and Development Expenses

Prepaid and Accrued Research and Development Expenses

The Company recognizes research and development expense and records accruals for estimated costs of research and development activities conducted by third-party service providers, which include CROs that conduct research, preclinical studies and clinical trials on the Company’s behalf, including in connection with the Company’s research and development arrangement, and CDMOs that manufacture the Company’s product candidate for use in preclinical studies and clinical trials. The majority of the Company’s service providers invoice in arrears for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advanced payments. The Company makes estimates of its accrued expenses and includes these costs in accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and within research and development expense in the consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss based on facts and circumstances known to the Company at that time. The prepayments and accruals underlying these types of costs are a significant component of the Company’s research and development expenses.

The Company accrues for these costs based on factors such as estimates of the amount of work completed through discussions with internal personnel and external service providers as to the progress or stage of completion of the services and in accordance with agreements established with its third-party service providers for such services. The Company makes significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrued research and development liabilities balance at each reporting period. As actual costs become known, the Company adjusts its accrued estimates. To date, there have been no material adjustments to the Company’s estimates of accrued research and development expenses. The Company records advance payments to service providers as prepaid expenses and other current assets, which are expensed as the contracted services are performed. If the actual timing of the performance of services varies from the estimate, or the Company receives any change orders from its third-party providers, then the Company adjusts the amount of the accrued expense or the prepaid expense accordingly.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries and benefits, including stock-based compensation expense, for employees and consultants in operating and finance functions and directors, as applicable; professional fees for legal, accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services; travel expenses; and facility-related expenses, which include expenses for rent and maintenance of facilities and other operating costs. The Company expenses all general and administrative expenses as incurred.

Patent Costs

Patent Costs

All patent-related costs incurred in connection with filing and prosecuting patent applications are expensed as incurred due to the uncertainty about the recoverability of the expenditure. Amounts incurred are classified as general and administrative expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Stock-based Compensation

Stock-based Compensation

The Company measures all stock-based awards granted to employees, officers, directors, consultants, and advisors based on the fair value on the date of the grant, and recognizes the resulting fair value over the requisite service period. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of stock options granted. The Company has elected to recognize stock-based compensation expense for service-based stock options with graded vesting on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur. The Company classifies stock-based compensation expense in its consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss in the same manner in which the award recipient’s payroll costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified.

The Company measures stock-based compensation costs for employees and non-employees at the grant date based on the estimated fair value of the award, which is reviewed periodically, and recognizes compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the vesting period which approximates the requisite service period. Compensation expense is recognized with an offsetting credit to additional paid-in capital.

Net Loss Per Share

Net Loss Per Share

Prior to the close of the Merger, as further described in Note 3, Merger Agreement, the Company calculated net loss per share using the two-class method required for participating securities. The Company’s redeemable convertible preferred stock was considered participating as the holders were entitled to receive dividends in preference and priority to the holders of common stock. The two-class method determines net loss per share for each class of common and participating securities according to dividends declared or accumulated and participation rights in undistributed earnings. The two-class method requires income available to common stockholders for the period to be allocated between common and participating securities based upon their respective rights to receive dividends as if all income for the period has been distributed. There was no allocation required under the two-class method during periods of loss prior to the Merger since the participating securities did not have a contractual obligation to share in the losses of the Company. Upon close of the Merger in April 2025, the Company’s redeemable convertible preferred stock converted into shares of the Company’s common stock, and as such, there were no remaining participating securities as of December 31, 2025.

Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is computed by dividing the net loss attributed to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period, excluding potentially dilutive common shares. Diluted net loss per share is computed by: (i) adjusting net loss attributable to common stockholders to (a) reallocate undistributed earnings based on the potential impact of dilutive securities and (b) reverse any current period change in fair value of convertible debt securities and add back any related interest expense (in accordance with the if-converted method) and (ii) dividing the diluted net loss attributable to common stockholders by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period, including potential dilutive shares of common stock.

In periods in which the Company reports a net loss available to common stockholders, diluted net loss per share available to common stockholders is generally the same as basic net loss per share available to common stockholders, since dilutive common shares are not assumed to have been issued as their effect is anti-dilutive. However, in periods where the Company has a change in fair value of convertible debt securities, any numerator and denominator adjustments, as described above, are applied accordingly.

As such, although the Company had a net loss for the year ended December 31, 2025, diluted earnings per share was computed by dividing net loss attributable to common stockholders, as adjusted by removing the $7.8 million net gain on the fair value

remeasurement of its Convertible Notes and adding back the $0.7 million of interest expense, by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding, adjusted to give effect to potentially dilutive elements.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes

The Company provides for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax reporting bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using enacted tax rates and laws that are expected to be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon future earnings, the timing and amount of which are uncertain. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company assesses the likelihood that its deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income and, to the extent it believes, based upon the weight of available evidence, that it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized, a valuation allowance is established through a charge to income tax expense. Potential for recovery of deferred tax assets is evaluated by estimating the future taxable profits expected and considering prudent and feasible tax planning strategies.

The Company utilizes a two-step approach to recognize and measure uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon tax authority examination, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as the change in equity of a business enterprise during a period from transactions and other events and circumstances from nonowner sources, including unrealized gains and losses on short-term investments held as available-for-sale. For the year ended December 31, 2025, comprehensive loss includes net loss and a net unrealized gain on short-term investments. There was no difference between net loss and comprehensive loss for the year ended December 31, 2024.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements And Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures (or ASU 2023-09), which focuses on the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 requires a public business entity (PBE) to disclose, on an annual basis, a tabular rate reconciliation using both percentages and currency amounts, broken out into specified categories with certain reconciling items further broken out by nature and jurisdiction to the extent those items exceed a specified threshold. In addition, all entities are required to disclose income taxes paid, net of refunds received disaggregated by federal, state/local, and foreign and by jurisdiction if the amount is at least 5% of total income tax payments, net of refunds received. For PBEs, the new standard is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. For entities other than PBEs, the requirements will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2025. An entity may apply the amendments in this ASU prospectively by providing the revised disclosures for the period ending December 31, 2025 and continuing to provide the pre-ASU disclosures for the prior periods, or may apply the amendments retrospectively by providing the revised disclosures for all periods presented. As of December 31, 2025, the Company adopted this new ASU retrospectively and it only impacts the Company’s income tax disclosures with no impact to its operations, cash flows, or financial position.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement — Reporting Comprehensive Income — Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (or ASU 2024-03). The amendments in ASU 2024-03 address investor requests for more detailed expense information and require additional disaggregated disclosures in the notes to financial statements for certain categories of expenses that are included in the statements of operations. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the provisions of this guidance and the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements and disclosures.