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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Inovio incurred a net loss of $36.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014. Inovio had working capital of $84.9 million and an accumulated deficit of $331.9 million as of December 31, 2014. The Company’s ability to continue its operations is dependent upon its ability to obtain additional capital in the future and achieve profitable operations. The Company expects to continue to rely on outside sources of financing to meet its capital needs and the Company may never achieve positive cash flow. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the specific amounts and classifications of assets and liabilities, which might be necessary should Inovio be unable to continue in business. Inovio’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014 have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future. The Company has evaluated subsequent events after the balance sheet date through the date it issued these financial statements.

Consolidation

These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its subsidiaries. In conjunction with the acquisition in June 2009 of VGX Pharmaceuticals (the “Merger”), the Company acquired a majority interest in VGX Animal Health and certain shares in GeneOne Life Sciences (formerly VGX International, Inc.) (“GeneOne”) (a publicly-traded company in South Korea). The Company consolidates Genetronics, Inc., VGX Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiary VGX Animal Health and records a non-controlling interest for the 9% of VGX Animal Health it does not own as of December 31, 2014 and 2013. The Company's investment in GeneOne, which is recorded as investment in affiliated entity within the consolidated balance sheets is accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value recorded on the consolidated statements of operations within gain (loss) on investment in affiliated entity. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated upon consolidation.

Variable Interest Entities

In June 2009, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that requires companies to perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether a variable interest in another entity represents a controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity. A controlling financial interest in a variable interest entity is characterized by having both the power to direct the most significant activities of the entity and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of the entity. This guidance also requires on-going reassessments of variable interests based on changes in facts and circumstances. This guidance became effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2009. The Company adopted the provisions of the guidance in the first quarter of 2010 and determined that none of the entities with which the Company currently conducts business and collaborations are variable interest entities, except VGXI (a wholly-owned subsidiary of GeneOne) and Plumbline Life Sciences (see Note 15). The Company determined that they are not the primary beneficiary as they do not have voting control or other forms of control over the operations and decision making and therefore are not required to consolidate VGXI or Plumbline Life Sciences. The Company continues to assess its variable interests and has determined that no significant changes have occurred as of December 31, 2014.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles requires the Company to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Inovio bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. On an ongoing basis, the Company reviews its estimates to ensure that these estimates appropriately reflect changes in the business or as new information becomes available.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, and short-term investments. The Company limits its exposure to credit loss by placing its cash and investments with high credit quality financial institutions. Additionally, the Company has established guidelines regarding diversification of its investments and their maturities which are designed to maintain principal and maximize liquidity. The Company had contracts with customers which represented more than 10% of total revenues for all of the years presented as discussed in Note 6.

Fair value of Financial Instruments

The Company’s financial instruments consist principally of cash equivalents, short-term investments, investment in affiliated entity and common stock warrants. The carrying amounts of cash equivalents approximate the related fair values due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. Investments consist of available-for-sale securities that are reported at fair value with the related unrealized gains and losses included in accumulated other comprehensive loss, a component of consolidated stockholders’ equity. The Company’s investment in affiliated entity is accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value recorded on the consolidated statements of operations within gain (loss) from investment in affiliated entity. The estimated fair value of the common stock warrants is determined by using the Black-Scholes pricing model as of December 31, 2014, as discussed in Note 5.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents are considered by the Company to be highly liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase. Cash and cash equivalents include certain money market accounts at December 31, 2014 and 2013.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash at December 31, 2013 consisted of a certificate of deposit with a term of 90 days which was pledged as collateral with a financial institution. The certificate of deposit has been classified as held-to-maturity and is accounted for at amortized cost which approximates fair value. The certificate of deposit and accrued interest automatically renewed at each maturity date until the agreement

Investments

The Company defines investments as income yielding securities that can be readily converted into cash. Investments include mutual funds and United States corporate debt securities at December 31, 2014 and mutual funds, and municipal bonds at December 31, 2013.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are recorded at invoiced amounts and do not bear interest. Inovio performs ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. Credit is extended to customers as deemed necessary and generally does not require collateral. Management believes that the risk of loss is significantly reduced due to the quality and financial position of our customers.

Fixed Assets

Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the assets, generally three to five years. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the remaining term of the related leases or the estimated economic useful lives of the improvements. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

Long-Lived Assets

All long-lived assets are reviewed for impairment in value when changes in circumstances dictate, based upon undiscounted future operating cash flows, and appropriate losses are recognized and reflected in current earnings, to the extent the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated fair value determined by the use of appraisals, discounted cash flow analyses or comparable fair values of similar assets.

Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess of acquisition cost over the fair value of the net assets of acquired businesses. Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives ranging from 5 to 18 years. Acquired intangible assets are continuously being developed for the future economic viability contemplated at the time of acquisition. The Company is concurrently conducting pre-clinical, Phase I, and Phase II trials using the acquired intangibles, and has entered into certain significant licensing agreements for use of these acquired intangibles.

Historically the Company has recorded patents at cost and amortized these costs using the straight-line method over the expected useful lives of the patents or 17 years, whichever is less. Patent cost consists of the consideration paid for patents and related legal costs. Effective June 1, 2009, in connection with the acquisition of VGX, all new patent costs are being expensed as incurred. Patent cost capitalized as of June 1, 2009 will continue to be amortized over the expected life of the patent. License costs are recorded based on the fair value of consideration paid and amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the expected useful life of the underlying patents or the term of the related license agreement to the extent the license has an alternative future use. As of December 31, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s intangible assets resulting from the acquisition of VGX and Inovio AS, and additional intangibles including previously capitalized patent costs and license costs, net of accumulated amortization, totaled $4.8 million and $5.7 million, respectively.

The determination of the value of such intangible assets requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company assesses potential impairments to intangible assets when there is evidence that events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recovered. The Company’s judgments regarding the existence of impairment indicators and future cash flows related to intangible assets are based on operational performance of our acquired businesses, market conditions and other factors. If impairment is indicated, the Company will reduce the carrying value of the intangible asset to fair value. While current and historical operating and cash flow losses are potential indicators of impairment, the Company believes the future cash flows to be received from its intangible assets will exceed the intangible assets’ carrying value, and accordingly, the Company has not recognized any impairment losses through December 31, 2014.

Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually at November 30, or more frequently if an event occurs indicating the potential for impairment. During its goodwill impairment review, the Company may assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, including goodwill. The qualitative factors include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, and the overall financial performance of the Company. If, after assessing the totality of these qualitative factors, the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then no additional assessment is deemed necessary. Otherwise, the Company proceeds to perform the two-step test for goodwill impairment. The first step involves comparing the estimated fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value, including goodwill. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company performs the second step of the goodwill impairment test to determine the amount of loss, which involves comparing the implied fair value of the goodwill to the carrying value of the goodwill. The Company may also elect to bypass the qualitative assessment in a period and elect to proceed to perform the first step of the goodwill impairment test. The Company performed its annual assessment for goodwill impairment as of November 30, 2014, identifying no impairment.

Although there are inherent uncertainties in this assessment process, the estimates and assumptions the Company is using are consistent with its internal planning. If these estimates or their related assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to record an impairment charge on all or a portion of our goodwill and intangible assets. Furthermore, the Company cannot predict the occurrence of future impairment triggering events nor the impact such events might have on its reported asset values. Future events could cause the Company to conclude that impairment indicators exist and that goodwill or other intangible assets associated with its acquired businesses are impaired. Any resulting impairment loss could have an adverse impact on the Company’s results of operations. See Note 8 for further discussion of the Company’s goodwill and intangible assets.

Income Taxes

The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities along with net operating loss and tax credit carry forwards. The Company records a valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets to reduce the net carrying value to an amount that it believes is more likely than not to be realized. When the Company establishes or reduces the valuation allowance against its deferred tax assets, its provision for income taxes will increase or decrease, respectively, in the period such determination is made.

Revenue Recognition

Grant revenue

Inovio receives non-refundable grants under available government programs. Government grants towards current expenditures are recorded as revenue when there is reasonable assurance that we have complied with all conditions necessary to receive the grants, collectability is reasonably assured, and as the expenditures are incurred.

License fee and milestone revenue

Inovio has adopted a strategy of co-developing or licensing its gene delivery technology for specific genes or specific medical indications. Accordingly, the Company has entered into collaborative research and development agreements and has received funding for pre-clinical research and clinical trials. Prior to the adoption of the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2009-13, Revenue Recognition (Topic 605): Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements, the Company analyzed its multiple element arrangements to determine whether the identified deliverables could be accounted for individually as separate units of accounting. The delivered item(s) were considered a separate unit of accounting if all of the following criteria were met: (1) the delivered item(s) has value to the customer on a standalone basis; (2) there is objective and reliable evidence of the fair value of the undelivered item(s); and (3) if the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the delivered item, delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s) is considered probable and substantially in our control. If these criteria were not met, the deliverable was combined with other deliverables in the arrangement and accounted for as a combined unit of accounting.

For new collaborative agreements or material modifications of existing collaborative agreements entered into after December 31, 2010, Inovio follows the provisions of ASU No. 2009-13. In order to account for the multiple-element arrangements, the Company identifies the deliverables included within the agreement and evaluates which deliverables represent separable units of accounting. Analyzing the arrangement to identify deliverables requires the use of judgment, and each deliverable may be an obligation to deliver services, a right or license to use an asset, or another performance obligation. A delivered item is considered a separate unit of accounting when the delivered item has value to the collaborator on a standalone basis based on the consideration of the relevant facts and circumstances for each arrangement.

Arrangement consideration is allocated at the inception of the agreement to all identified units of accounting based on their relative selling price. The relative selling price for each deliverable is determined using vendor specific objective evidence (“VSOE”), of selling price or third-party evidence of selling price if VSOE does not exist. If neither VSOE nor third-party evidence of selling price exists, we use our best estimate of the selling price for the deliverable. The amount of allocable arrangement consideration is limited to amounts that are fixed or determinable. The consideration received is allocated among the separate units of accounting, and the applicable revenue recognition criteria are applied to each of the separate units. Changes in the allocation of the sales price between delivered and undelivered elements can impact revenue recognition but do not change the total revenue recognized under any agreement.

Upfront license fee payments are recognized upon delivery of the license if facts and circumstances dictate that the license has standalone value from the undelivered items, the relative selling price allocation of the license is equal to or exceeds the upfront license fee, persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, our price to the collaborator is fixed or determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured. Upfront license fee payments are deferred if facts and circumstances dictate that the license does not have standalone value. The determination of the length of the period over which to defer revenue is subject to judgment and estimation and can have an impact on the amount of revenue recognized in a given period.

Effective January 1, 2011, the Company adopted on a prospective basis the Milestone Method of ASU No. 2010-17. Under the Milestone Method, the Company will recognize consideration that is contingent upon the achievement of a milestone in its entirety as revenue in the period in which the milestone is achieved only if the milestone is substantive in its entirety. A milestone is considered substantive when it meets all of the following criteria:


1.	The consideration is commensurate with either the entity's performance to achieve the milestone or the enhancement of the value of the delivered item(s) as a result of a specific outcome resulting from the entity's performance to achieve the milestone,


2.	The consideration relates solely to past performance, and


3.	The consideration is reasonable relative to all of the deliverables and payment terms within the arrangement.

A milestone is defined as an event (i) that can only be achieved based in whole or in part on either the entity's performance or on the occurrence of a specific outcome resulting from the entity's performance, (ii) for which there is substantive uncertainty at the date the arrangement is entered into that the event will be achieved and (iii) that would result in additional payments being due to the Company.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist of expenses incurred in performing research and development activities including salaries and benefits, facilities and other overhead expenses, clinical trials, contract services and other outside expenses. Research and development expenses are charged to operations as they are incurred.

Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss for the year by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted loss per share is calculated in accordance with the treasury stock method and reflects the potential dilution that would occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted to common stock. The calculation of diluted loss per share requires that, to the extent the average market price of the underlying shares for the reporting period exceeds the exercise price of the warrants and the presumed exercise of such securities are dilutive to loss per share for the period, an adjustment to net loss used in the calculation is required to remove the change in fair value of the warrants from the numerator for the period. Likewise, an adjustment to the denominator is required to reflect the related dilutive shares, if any, under the treasury stock method.

Leases

Leases are classified as either capital or operating leases. Leases which transfer substantially all of the benefits and risks incidental to the ownership of assets are accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and incurrence of an obligation at the inception of the lease. All other leases are accounted for as operating leases. Inovio’s Plymouth Meeting, PA headquarters, Blue Bell, PA and San Diego, CA facility leases, which have escalating payments, are expensed on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. The allowance provided by the lessor for leasehold improvements are considered tenant incentives and are amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease. These leases represent the primary expense and commitment as indicated in Note 11 “Commitments”. Other leases exist for office machinery, such as copiers, wherein lease expense is recorded as incurred.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company recognizes compensation expense for all share-based awards made to employees, directors, and non-employees. Inovio estimates the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes option pricing model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of traded options, which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of assumptions, including the expected stock price volatility and expected option life. Inovio measures the fair value of employee and director awards at the date of grant. For non-employee awards, Inovio measures the fair value at each reporting period. All option grants are amortized over the requisite service period of the awards on a straight-line basis. Expected volatility is based on historical volatility. The expected life of options granted is based on historical expected life. The risk-free interest rate is based on the United States Treasury yield in effect at the time of grant with maturities appropriate for the expected term of the stock option. The forfeiture rate is based on historical data and Inovio records stock-based compensation expense only for those awards that are expected to vest. The dividend yield is based on the fact that no dividends have been paid on common stock historically, and none are currently expected to be paid.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

The below recent pronouncements may have a significant effect on the Company's financial statements. Recent pronouncements that are not anticipated to have an impact on or are unrelated to the Company's financial condition, results of operations, or related disclosures are not discussed.