UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(Mark One)
For
the fiscal year ended
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Commission
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(Formerly Mateon Therapeutics, Inc.)
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As of April 11, 2024, the aggregate number of outstanding shares of common stock of the registrant was .
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report” or “Report”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. We generally identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “would,” “intend,” “target,” “aim,” “project,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “seek,” “indicate,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar words, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future, such as our estimates regarding anticipated operating income or losses, future performance, future revenues and projected expense, including that to fund our clinical and other development programs; our liquidity and our expectations regarding our needs for and ability to raise additional capital; our ability to continue as a going concern; our ability to select and capitalize on commercially desirable product opportunities as a result of limited financial resources; our ability to manage our expenses effectively and raise the funds needed to continue our business; our ability to retain the services of our current or future executive officers, directors and principal consultants; the competitive nature of our industry and the possibility that our products or product candidates may become obsolete or may not generate revenues as expected or at all; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our existing products and any future products we may develop; the development of and the process of commercializing AI/Blockchain and other technologies for supporting the development of OT- 101 and Artemisinin for COVID-19, OT-101, including development of OT-101, Artemisinin, OXi4503, CA4P and our 2021 in-licensing of apomorphine; the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical and clinical trials, research and development programs; regulatory and legislative developments in the United States and foreign countries; the timing, costs and other limitations involved in obtaining regulatory approval for any product; the further preclinical or clinical development and commercialization of our product candidates; the entering into any corporate transactions to develop our products through partnerships, joint ventures or other corporate transactions; our ability to make a proposed initial public offering between us and our joint-venture partners for the joint venture, statements about future plans related to the operations of the JV, taking the JV into an initial public offering or the success thereof: building and the success of our nanoparticle platform and the related success of launching the platform, the success of the launch of Pet2DAO, a corporation with a DAO infrastructure, the success of Pet2DAO and the plans surrounding the pet and animal health, the ability for the Company to register the tokens of Pet2DAO, the actual filing of a registration statement and approval of the tokens as registrable securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) through a registration statement, the ability of the tokens to be tradable or any value such tokens may have if they become tradable; our ability to obtain and maintain orphan drug exclusivity for some of our product candidates; the potential benefits of our product candidates over other therapies; our ability to enter into and maintain any collaboration with respect to product candidates; our ability to continue to develop or commercialize our products or product candidates in the event any license agreements in place with third parties expire or are terminated; the performance and conduct of third parties, including our third-party manufacturers and third party service providers used in our clinical trials; our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our products and operate our business without infringing upon the intellectual property rights of others; the potential liability exposure related to our products and our insurance coverage for such exposure; our ability to form alliances with other third parties to develop the products in our pipeline through partnerships, joint ventures, mergers or acquisitions; the successful development of our sales and marketing capabilities; the size and growth of the potential markets for our products and our ability to serve those markets; the rate and degree of market acceptance of any future products; the volatility of the price of our common stock; the ability to achieve secondary trading of our stock in certain states; the dilutive effects of potential future equity issuances; our expectation that no dividends will be declared on our common stock in the foreseeable future; our ability to maintain an effective system of internal controls; the payment and reimbursement methods used by private or governmental third-party payers; our ability to retain adequate staffing levels; unfavorable global economic conditions; unfavorable global epidemic and pandemic conditions; a failure of our internal computer systems or those of our contractors and consultants; potential misconduct or other improper activities by our employees, contractors or consultants; the ability of our business continuity and disaster recovery plans to protect us in the event of a natural disaster; and other factors discussed elsewhere in this document or any document incorporated by reference herein or therein.
The forward-looking statements contained in this document are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve several risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these “forward-looking statements.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. The sections captioned “Risk Factors” as well as other sections in this document or incorporated by reference into this document discuss some of the factors that could contribute to these differences.
The forward-looking statements made in this document relate only to events known as of the date on which the statements are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
This Annual Report also contains market data related to our business and industry. These market data include projections that are based on a number of assumptions. While we believe these assumptions to be reasonable and sound as of the date of this Annual Report, if these assumptions turn out to be incorrect, actual results may materially differ from the projections based on these assumptions. As a result, the markets for our product candidates may not grow at the rates projected by these data, or at all. The failure of these markets to grow at these projected rates may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and the market price of our common stock.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Company Background
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. (f/k/a Mateon Therapeutics, Inc.) (“Oncotelic”), was formed in the State of New York in 1988 as OXiGENE, Inc., was reincorporated in the State of Delaware in 1992, and changed its name to Mateon Therapeutics, Inc. in 2016, and Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. in November 2020. Oncotelic conducts business activities through Oncotelic and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Oncotelic, Inc., a Delaware corporation, PointR Data, Inc. (“PointR”), a Delaware corporation, Pet2DAO, Inc., a Delaware and EdgePoint AI, Inc. (“Edgepoint”), a Delaware Corporation for which there are non-controlling interests, (Oncotelic, Oncotelic Inc., PointR, Pet2DAO and Edgepoint are collectively called the “Company” or “We”). The Company is currently developing OT-101 for various cancers and COVID-19 through its joint venture, GMP Biotechnology Limited (“GMP Bio”), with Dragon Overseas Capital, Limited (“Dragon”), Artemisinin for COVID-19 and AI technologies for clinical development and manufacturing. The Company has acquired apomorphine for Parkinson’s Disease, erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction. In addition, the Company is evaluating the further development of its product candidates OXi4503 as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes and CA4P in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma. The Company is also planning to address the animal health industry through Pet2DAO. Our principal corporate office is in the United States at 29397 Agoura Road, Suite 107, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 (telephone: 650-635-7000). Our internet address is www.oncotelic.com.
Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation
For information on the amendments to the Certificate of Incorporation, refer to our 2021 or 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K previously filed with the SEC.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing drugs for the treatment of orphan oncology indications, developing antisense and small molecule injectable drugs for the treatment of cancer. After the acquisition of Mateon Therapeutics, Inc through a reverse merger in 2019, we realigned the company pipeline to focus on rare pediatric cancers. The United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has granted us Rare Pediatric Designations (“RPD”) for pediatric Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (“DIPG”) for OT-101, which was transferred to our joint venture as part of the joint venture agreement (see “JV” below), pediatric melanoma for CAP4 and acute myeloid leukemia (“AML”) for Oxi4503. The strategy of the Company aims to capitalize on a voucher program in the United States (“US”). By focusing on capitalizing on the RPD we anticipate: 1) reducing the cost of clinical development by way of a smaller and faster clinical trial, 2) acceleration of the approval process and final approval, 3) obtaining regulatory/ marketing exclusivity for up to 12 years as a biologic, and 4) obtaining vouchers worth a significantly large monetary value upon regulatory approval, which can be upwards of several million dollars. Approval in the US could allow for approval in the rest of the world (“ROW”) using the US dossier. Phase 3 clinical trials for approval in adult indications could be conducted following the positive interim read of the pediatric trials. This approach maximizes return on investment for the shareholders.
Concurrently we also explore opportunities to create value for shareholders by forming strategic alliances and/or licensing our product portfolio. In this connection, in March 2022, the Company entered into a joint venture (“JV”) with Dragon, affiliates of Golden Mountain Partners, to form GMP Biotechnology, Limited (“GMP Bio”). GMP Bio and the Company are also looking to take the JV into an initial public offering (“IPO”) of the JV and which is anticipated to be a liquidity event for Company, especially if the IPO is successful. While we believe that the IPO can be completed and would be successful, we cannot provide assurance for either of the events to occur; or if they occur, then they would be successful.
We believe we are well positioned as a biotech company with our drug candidate OT-101 through our JV- targeting high value TGF-β2 for various cancers and COVID-19, PointR artificial intelligence (“AI”) for clinical trials, research and development, Edgepoint for developing technologies for manufacturing and for developing technologies for supporting our COVID-19 programs, our vascular disruptor proven safe in more than 500 patients capable of causing massive antigen release which would stimulate immune response against the cancerous tumor and apomorphine, which we in-licensed in 2021, for developing against Parkinson’s Disease (“PD”), erectile disfunction (“ED”) and female sexual disfunction (“FSD”).
We also plan to develop OT-101, through our JV, an antisense against TGF-β2 – for the treatment of various viruses, which would include the severe acute respiratory syndrome (“SARS”) and the coronavirus (“COVID-19”), on its own and in conjunction with other compounds. Viral replication cannot occur without TGF-β; and TGF-β surge and a cytokine storm cannot occur without TGF-β. A Phase 2 trial was completed for OT-101 in South America. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study intended to evaluate the safety and efficacy of OT- 101 in adult patients hospitalized with positive COVID-19 and pneumonia. Based on the final results of the trial, the trial was planned to be expanded into a Phase 3 trial; however with the impact of COVID-19 reducing in the past year, the Company will be re-evaluating this treatment for further development upon the occurrence or recurrence of the COVID-19 or any similar virus. We were conducting an observational study, looking at OT-101 and long COVID- 19, in conjunction with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”); however, BARDA discontinued that program with the Company.
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In addition, during 2020 and 2021, the Company was developing Artemisinin as a potential therapy for the virus causing COVID-19 (“SARS-CoV-2”). Again with the impact of COVID-19 reducing over the past year or so as well as not being able to obtain any regulatory approvals for the selling and distribution of Artemisinin, we have put on hold any further development of Artemisinin, till we have another virus. For more information on Artemisinin, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 2023. We will focus on any future development on Artemisinin against other respiratory viruses with unmet needs when the circumstances arise.
In September 2021, Oncotelic entered into an exclusive License Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Autotelic, Inc. (“Autotelic”), pursuant to which Autotelic granted Oncotelic the exclusive right and license to certain Autotelic Patents for AL-101 - an intranasal apomorphine asset with clear 505(b)2 pathway to approval for PD as well unique mechanism of action for treatment of ED and FSD. For more information on AL-101, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 2023.
We currently have eight primary drug and AI technology programs we are seeking to advance, presently or in the future:
| ● | Intranasal drug and delivery system for intra-nasal Apomorphine for the treatment of PD, ED and FSD. | |
| ● | CA4P- a vascular disrupting agent (“VDA”) - in combination with Ipilimumab for the treatment of solid tumors with focus on melanoma in adult and pediatric melanoma. A RPD has been granted to the Company by the FDA for pediatric melanoma. | |
| ● | Oxi4503- a second generation VDA - for the treatment of liquid tumors with focus on childhood leukemia. A RPD has been granted to the Company by the FDA for AML. | |
| ● | OT-101 - an antisense against TGF-β2 –for the treatment of various cancers. This is being advanced through our JV. | |
| ● | OT-101 - an antisense against TGF-β2 –for the treatment of various viruses, including SARS and the current COVID-19, on its own and in conjunction with other compounds. This is being advanced through our JV. | |
| ● | Artemisinin – a natural derivative from an Asian herb Artemisia Annua - Artemisinin has shown to be highly potent at inhibiting the ability of various viruses to multiply. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time. | |
| ● | Backoffice support using PointR fabric cluster computing grids for blockchain/AI for pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical trials and monitoring; and PointR AI for drug development through various stages of development. At this time, this technology is being evaluated for being upgraded for future uses. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. | |
| ● | Developing AI based technologies to enhance the development and commercialization of support technologies. Further, as part of the JV Agreement, the JV has acquired a non-exclusive license for the AI platform developed by PointR/EdgePoint for implementation in a planned CDMO. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. |
In November 2022, the Company formed a Decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) entity, Pet2DAO, Inc. (“Pet2DAO”), as a wholly owned subsidiary. A DAO is an emerging form of legal structure, that has no central governing body, and whose members share a common goal to act in the best interest of the entity. Pet2DAO is a DAO technology company, integrating the strong governance of traditional corporations with the innovative DAO architecture. The Company will look to engage stakeholders, to build value through the DAO, while maintaining the rigor of traditional corporations, including governance, compliance, and accountability through a team of veterans in public companies with innovators in AI, blockchain and Web3. Pet2DAO will be looking to develop products for the animal health space. The Company will initially issue regular tokens and non-fungible tokens (“NFT” and cumulatively “Tokens”) of Pet2DAO, called PDAO, to its employees, shareholders and key opinion leaders (“KOLs’) and use the Tokens to propose and vote on various animal health related programs. In the future, the Company will evaluate and plans to register these tokens with the SEC to make such Tokens freely tradable.
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Our products, including our JV products, under development
AL-101: PD/ ED/FSD
Oncotelic acquired AL-101 for the intranasal delivery of apomorphine for the treatment of PD. Over 60,000 new patients being diagnosed with PD in the United States and currently there are over 1 million patients in the US and expected to increase to over 1.2 million by 2030. In addition, approximately 10 million suffer from this disease globally. https://www.parkinson.org/Understanding-Parkinsons/Statistics. AL-101 is also being developed for ED. ED is the most prevalent male sexual disorder globally. The percentages of men affected by ED are as follows: 14.3- 70% of men aged 60 years, 6.7-48% of men aged 70 years, and 38% of men aged 80 years (Geerkens MJM et al. (2019). Eur Urol Focus. pii: S2405-4569(19)30079-3). However, with the increasing administration of PDE5 inhibitors in clinical practice, it was found that approximately 30-35% of ED patients are treatment failures (McMahon CN et al. (2006). BMJ, 332: 589-92). AL-101 is designed to target treatment failure ED patients who do not respond to PDE5 inhibitors. Through similar mechanism of action, AL-101 is being developed for FSD. FSD is a prevalent problem, afflicting approximately 40% of women and there are few treatment options. FSD is more typical as women age and is a progressive and widespread condition. (Allahdadi, KJ et al. (2009) Cardiovascular & hematological agents in medicinal chemistry, 7(4), 260-269). There is no available drug for the treatment of FSD. In June 2019, the FDA approved Vyleesi (bremelanotide) to treat acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (“HSDD”) in premenopausal women. This is the only available drug treatment. Vyleesi has essentially replaced the only other drug for HSDD, however, it has a long list of drug-drug interactions, including commonly used antidepressants, such as fluoxetine and sertraline. In addition, it has a black box warning regarding its use with alcohol, a combination that has been associated with hypotension and syncopal episodes. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective therapy against FSD and HSDD.
CA4P as an Immuno-Oncology Agent
Radiation therapy, recognized for its potent cytotoxic effect on cancer cells by inducing direct DNA damage, can sometimes elicit a systemic antitumoral response. Irradiation releases a plethora of neoantigens and pro- inflammatory cytokines, acting like an in-situ vaccine, resulting in tumor regression within the primary site, but may also occasionally result in regression of distant secondary lesions. This regression of distant cancer metastases when the primary tumor is irradiated is defined as the abscopal effect. Yet, an abscopal effect with radiotherapy alone occurs infrequently, signifying that the antitumor immunity caused by radiation is not sufficient to abolish the tumor and its metastases nor able to prevent the metastatic process or the immunosuppressing effect the cancer exhibits on the host’s systemic macroenvironment. Recently, several studies have confirmed the synergistic antitumoral immunity caused by the combination of radiation with immunotherapy, which has demonstrated a durable abscopal effect in patients with advanced malignancies. Postow, et al, Golden, et al, Hinicker, et al and others have all described early findings of a reproducible abscopal effect when combining irradiation with Ipilimumab and/or Nivolumab.
Similarly, CA4P causes rapid and widespread tumor cell necrosis. A number of laboratories have shown that the type of tumor cell death induced by ischemic necrosis not only controls the presence or absence of specific tumor antigens, but also can result in immunological responses ranging from immunosuppression to anti-tumor immunity. The terms “immunogenicity of cell death” or “immunogenic cell death” (ICD) is often used by scientists to describe the ability of dead/dying cells (especially of tumor cells) to mount antigen-specific and particularly CD8 + T-cell- mediated adaptive immune responses and not simply lead to innate inflammation. CD8 + T-cells play a significant role in tumor protection and development of this type of immunity. A modernized concept has emerged which defines immunogenic cell death in general because of mutual or consequent processes including endoplasmic reticulum stress release of “find-me” signals (e.g., ATP), exposure of “eat-me” signals (e.g., calreticulin, phosphatidylserine) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs [HMGB1, F-actin]). These molecular changes might occur in the cells undergoing necrotic death. These and other signals appear to be relevant to the potential for CA4P to increase immunogenicity following induction of ischemic necrosis.
Preclinical studies in which CA4P was combined with an anti-CTLA4 antibody using an EMT-6 mammary tumor model showed that 7 out of 8 mice receiving a combination of CA4P and an anti-CTLA4 antibody experienced complete remission of their tumors, compared to only 1 of 8 in the CA4P monotherapy arm and 2 of 8 in the anti- CTLA4 antibody monotherapy.
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Three of four follow-up preclinical studies confirmed that CA4P combined with immuno-oncology agents could delay tumor growth. Follow-up studies were conducted in a CT26-32 colon cancer model, a larger tumor EMT- 6 mammary cancer model, and a C3H mammary cancer model. Studies in a CT-26-32 colon cancer animal model using CA4P combined with anti-CTLA4 antibodies demonstrated a 77% reduction in tumor size compared to immuno- oncology agents alone, and an 89% reduction in tumor size compared to control. This large tumor model also showed a survival benefit for the animals receiving combination therapy, with all animals in the combination therapy group surviving to the end of the study, compared to no animals surviving on the control and only half of the animals surviving that received immuno-oncology agents alone.
Additional analyses of changes induced within tumors following combination therapy have shown that CA4P increases the immunogenic effect of checkpoint inhibitors when used alone as monotherapy. Tumor-fighting white blood cell counts, T-cells and cytotoxic T-cells compared to immuno-oncology agents alone. Tumor necrosis with the combination of CA4P and immuno-oncology agents is nearly double the necrosis with only immuno-oncology agents (63.9% compared to 32.8%, control = 25.8%).
The overall data from all these studies provides evidence that CA4P may enhance the activity of immuno- oncology agents for the treatment of cancer, including anti-CTLA4 antibodies. Furthermore, CA4P has clinical activity in melanoma in early clinical testing and repeated demonstration of CA4P mediated necrotic tumor cell death across 17 completed clinical trials and >500 patients. During various phase 1 studies, we found that CA4P treatment resulted in significant disease control among patients with solid tumors who progressed on standard therapies. CA4P treatment resulted in 2 Stable Disease (SD) of 5 melanoma patients treated. The combination of CA4P with carboplatin and paclitaxel was well tolerated in the majority of patients with adequate premedication and had antitumor activity in patients who were heavily pretreated. Patients with advanced cancer refractory to standard therapy were treated with CA4P as a 10-min infusion, 20 h before carboplatin, paclitaxel, or paclitaxel, followed by carboplatin. Responses were seen in 10 of 46 (22%) patients with ovarian, esophageal, small-cell lung cancer, and melanoma. One Partial Response (PR) was observed of 6 melanoma patients treated follow progressing during first-line trial therapy with dacarbazine and sorafenib. In melanoma animal model- B16-F10 murine melanoma experimental tumors- seventy- four hours after drug administration, a decrease in the number of tumor blood vessels was apparent and necrotic areas within tumors were visible. Building on the single agent activity of CA4P, we are expecting that combination of CA4P with Ipilimumab or other immune-oncology drug would result in improved tumor control for these patients above the 2 PR out of 17 patients treated with Ipilimumab alone which supported the approval of Ipilimumab in pediatric melanoma.
CA4P: Pediatric Melanoma
Until the recent approval of ipilimumab as the first immunotherapy agent approved for children, metastatic or nonresectable pediatric melanoma did not have any FDA-approved therapies available. As for adult melanoma patients, the mainstay of care is surgical excision. Studies also show that children treated for melanoma should be closely monitored as they are at increased risk of recurrence later in life. However, there is only very limited data on the efficacy of systemic therapy in children and adolescents with advanced melanoma and new effective therapies are urgently needed. Several phase I/II trials have been designed to evaluate therapies for pediatric cancer patients that included subsets of patients with advanced melanoma.
Ipilimumab was evaluated in a phase I clinical study in children with unresectable stage IIIC or IV melanoma and in a pediatric phase II trial (NCT01696045) that included children aged 12 years or older with previously treated or untreated, unresectable stage III or IV malignant melanoma. Of the 17 melanoma patients older than 12 years treated with ipilimumab across both studies, two experienced objective responses. Immune-related adverse events included pancreatitis, pneumonitis, endocrinopathies, colitis, and transaminitis, with dose-limiting toxicities observed at 5 mg/kg. No grade 2 or higher immune-related toxicities were identified at doses of 3 mg/kg or less. Based upon the results of these studies and evidence from studies in adult patients, in July 2017, the FDA approved ipilimumab for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma in children aged 12 years and older.
It is expected that combination of CA4P with Ipilimumab or other immune-oncology drugs would result in improved tumor control for these patients above the 2 PR out of 17 patients treated with ipilimumab.
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The FDA has granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for CA4P/ Fosbretabulin tromethamine for the treatment of stage IIB–IV melanoma due to genetic mutations that disproportionately affect pediatric patients as a drug. Preclinical studies in which CA4P was combined with an anti-CTLA4 antibody using an EMT-6 mammary tumor model showed that 7 out of 8 mice receiving a combination of CA4P and an anti-CTLA4 antibody experienced complete remission of their tumors, compared to only 1 of 8 in the CA4P monotherapy arm and 2 of 8 in the anti- CTLA4 antibody monotherapy. This application is based on observed CA4P activity in melanoma in early clinical testing. During various phase 1 studies, we found that CA4P treatment resulted in significant disease control among patients with solid tumors who progressed on standard therapies. CA4P treatment resulted in 2 Stable Disease (SD) of 5 melanoma patients treated. One Partial Response (PR) was observed of 6 melanoma patients treated follow progressing during first-line trial therapy with dacarbazine and sorafenib. Building on the single agent activity of CA4P, we are expecting that combination of CA4P with Ipilimumab or other immune-oncology drug would result in improved tumor control for the target pediatric population above the 2 PR out of 17 patients treated with Ipilimumab alone which supported the approval of Ipilimumab in pediatric melanoma.
OXi4503 for Acute Myeloid Leukemia
OXi4503 (combretastatin A1-diphsphate; CA1P) is a novel investigational VDA that has been shown to have a significant in vitro cytotoxic as well as chemo-sensitizing activity against human AML cells. OXi4503 also exhibited in vivo anti-leukemic activity in xenografted mice with human AML.
OXi4503 employs a new, broader strategy against AML than currently exists for standard chemotherapy, as it provides a dual mechanism of action involving both anti-vascular effects and direct cytotoxicity to AML cells. Vascular and/or Bone marrow endothelial cells (“ECs”) appear to provide a protective effect for AML cells, keeping them dormant within the bone marrow. VDAs may target these ECs and reverse their chemo protective effect, providing a novel approach to the treatment of AML which may otherwise be resistant to other chemotherapeutic therapies. Preclinical data indicate that OXi4503 alone and in combination with traditional AML treatments such as cytarabine may provide significant benefit in eliminating AML cells. Results from two completed Phase I clinical trials demonstrated the clinical impact potential of OXi4503 against relapsed AML when it is alone or in combination with the standard chemotherapy drug cytarabine (“ARA-C”) can induce complete remissions in relapsed AML patients. Notably, OXi4503 showed single agent activity in a clinical Phase I trial and resulted in complete remission of a relapsed AML patient. Sustained complete remissions were also achieved in relapsed AML patients who were treated with OXi4503 in combination with ARA-C.
OXi4503 has received orphan designation for AML in both the United States (Designation No. 12-3824) and the European Union (Designation No. EU/3/15/1587 - EMA/OD/144/15). In 2017, the FDA granted fast-track designation to OXi4503 for the treatment of relapsed/refractory AML. Oxi4503 met the qualifying criteria for the Fast Track designation since AML is a serious and life-threatening condition, and a large unmet medical need exists for additional treatment strategies for this disease.
The Investigator-Sponsored trial (IST) UF OXi4503 AML MDS Ph 1 (UF4503), “A Phase 1 Clinical Trial of OXi4503 for Relapsed and Refractory AML and Myelodysplastic Syndromes (“MDS”) was designed to evaluate the safety profile and the maximum tolerated dose (“I”) as well as a recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of OXi4503 in patients with recurrent/refractory (R/R) AML and MDS (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01085656) (14, 50). The clinical single agent activity of OXi4503 was also assessed within the confines of a Phase 1 clinical trial setting. A total of 18 patients enrolled in the study from February 2011 to January 2016. The patients were predominantly male (78%) and the median age was 62.5 years. Of the 15 patients with AML, 4 (27%) had primary refractory AML, 2 (13%) were in first relapse, and 9 (60%) had refractory AML beyond CR1.
Eight patients (44%) completed at least one cycle of CA1P and were evaluable for efficacy assessments. Of the eight patients evaluable, one achieved morphologic remission with incomplete blood count recovery (“CRi”) after 1 cycle but came off study in cycle 2 due to fungal pneumonia. Three patients had stable disease after at least one cycle of CA1P. Three patients experienced progressive disease after 1 cycle of CA1P and were withdrawn from the study.
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The Phase 1 dose-escalation combination of the Company sponsored study OX1222 (NCT02576301) was a Phase 1b dose escalation study of OXi4503 as a single agent and in combination with Cytarabine with subsequent combination Phase 2 cohorts for subjects with relapsed/refractory (R/R) AML and MDS. 29 subjects were treated with OXi4503 in combination with Cytarabine.
Of these 29 patients, one was evaluable for safety analysis, but no EFS/OS data or response data were available for activity evaluations. Of the 28 patients evaluable for EFS/OS outcome analyses, 26 had AML and 2 had MDS. For the 26 AML patients, there were 4 CRs. The CR responses were associated with prolonged overall survival substantially better the median OS time: One patient who became eligible for allogeneic PBSCT remains alive, free- of-leukemia at 720+ days. The overall survival times were 434 days, 521 days, 535 days, and 720 days, respectively. The median OS time for the 4 patients who achieved a CR/CRi was 528 (95% CI: 434 - NA) days which was significantly better than the median OS time of 113 (95% CI: 77 - 172) days for the remaining 22 AML patients who did not achieve a CR (Log Rank = 11.8, P-value = 0.0006).
Three of the 4 CR/CRis were achieved in 1st relapse patients while one patient with CRi had failed 5 previous regimens, including 7:3, HiDAC, and PBSCT. Patients who achieved a CR/CRi went on to receive other treatments after receiving 4-6 cycles of OXi4503. The median OS for all 26 AML patients who received therapy was 119 (95% CI: 87 - 232) days. Patients who had rapidly progressive disease or developed toxicity could not get as many OXi4503 doses as patients who responded to their treatment favorably. The median OS time for 18 patients receiving 1-3 doses Of OXi4503 was 82 (95% CI: 66 - 135) days and these patients exhibited a worse survival outcome compared to 9 patients receiving 4-6 doses which was recorded at 434 (95% CI: 191 - NA) days (Log Rank = 12.3, P-value = 0.0004).
OXi4503: Pediatric AML
Pediatric AML is most common during the first 2 years of life and during the teenage years. In the United States, about 730 people under age 20 are diagnosed with AML each year. The number of deaths was 0.6 per 100,000 children per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2012-2016 cases.
Compared with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (“ALL”), the outlook for pediatric AML patients is far worse. Even though pediatric AML cases are far fewer than pediatric ALL, the mortality rate is about the same, illustrating that AML is a devastating disease and the need for continuing research to identify effective treatments for these children. The prognosis for AML in children remains relatively poor, with a 5-year survival rate of 64% compared with 90% in ALL.
Patients with poor-risk cytogenetics include those that lack any favorable changes and harbor any of the following cytogenetic abnormalities: monosomy 7, monosomy 5, deletion of 5q, abnormalities of 3q, t(6;9) (p23;q34), and complex karyotype which is defined as three or more cytogenetic abnormalities. Children and adolescents harboring these unfavorable features have survival of less than 50 percent, and in many cases less than 20 percent.
The standard of care for management of pediatric AML involves predominantly induction therapy intended to put the patient into remission and consolidation chemotherapy designed to eradicate leukemia cells that may have escaped front line induction therapy. Whereas >80% of pediatric AML patients will achieve remission, only about half will remain disease-free for an appreciable period of time. Approximately 30 percent of children with AML will experience relapse and only one third of them become long-term survivors after salvage therapy. Although cure rates for children and adolescents with AML have improved, outcomes for pediatric AML patients with adverse prognostic biologic features (e.g., high risk genetic mutations or chromosomal abnormalities) and refractory or relapsed disease who failed or did not respond to their initial standard induction chemotherapy remains poor and limited treatment options are available for these patients. Novel therapies for these high-risk patients are urgently needed. OXi4503 shows clinical potential and promise for this indication based on the proof-of-concept data obtained from nonclinical and clinical studies.
The FDA has granted a RPD for OXi4503 for the treatment of pediatric AML.
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Development through our JV:
OT-101: An Antisense Against TGF-β2
The pharmaceutical development of OT-101 is being advanced through our JV. This is being reported here for informational purposes only.
Trabedersen (AP12009, OT-101) is a novel antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (“ODN”) developed by Oncotelic Inc. for the treatment of patients with pancreatic carcinoma, malignant melanoma, colorectal carcinoma, high-grade glioma (“HGG”), and other transforming growth factor beta 2 (“TGF-β2”) overexpressing malignancies (e.g., prostate carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, etc.). Trabedersen is a synthetic 18-mer phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide (“S- ODN”) complementary to the messenger ribonucleic acid (“mRNA”) of the human TGF-β2 gene.
TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine with a key role in promoting tumor growth and progression including cell proliferation, cell migration, and angiogenesis. Above all, TGF-β is a highly potent immunosuppressive molecule. Inhibition of TGF-β overexpression in tumor tissue represents a novel multimodal treatment principle leading to the reduction of tumor growth, inhibition of metastasis, and restoration of host antitumor immune responses. Despite its recognized pivotal role in cancer, therapeutics targeting TGF-β have not been successful and many have failed due to toxicity issues possibly due to inhibition of TGF-β1 essential functions. The high level of homology between the various TGF-β isoforms is making it impossible to create mAb or small molecule inhibitor without TGF-β1 cross- inhibition. Therefore, Oncotelic Inc. chose to target TGF-β2 only using OT-101 antisense approach. The sequence of OT-101 can only target TGF-β2 and does not have any impact on other TGF-β isotypes. However, suppression of TGF-β2 directly by OT-101 would also result in suppression of TGF-β2 indirectly, but not TGF-β3.
Trabedersen is believed to reverse TGF-β’s immunosuppressive effects, rendering the tumor visible to a patient’s immune system and resulting in priming and specific activation of the patient’s anti-tumor immune response. OT-101 has completed multiple clinical trials with promising outcomes. OT-101, is being developed as a broad- spectrum anti-cancer drug that can also be used in combination with other standard cancer therapies to establish an effective multi-modality treatment strategy for difficult-to-treat cancers. Oncotelic plans to initiate phase 3 clinical trials for OT-101 in both high-grade glioma and pancreatic cancer. During phase 2 clinical trials in pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancers (Study P001) and in high-grade gliomas (Study G004), meaningful single agent activity with meaningful tumor reduction was observed, and OT-101 exhibited a favorable safety profile. Both partial and complete responses have been observed in the G004 Phase 2 clinical trial of OT-101 as a single agent in patients with aggressive brain tumors.
Oncotelic Inc.’s, and now the JV’s, self-immunization protocol (SIP©) is based on the novel and proprietary sequential treatment of cancers with OT-101 (antisense against TGF-β2) and chemotherapies. Proper Sequencing of treatments is key to optimal immunotherapy. Leveraging from its in-depth knowledge of TGF-β immunotherapy, Oncotelic Inc. ordered the various treatments in the following sequence: (1) expand immune reserve through IL-2 treatment or infusion of immune cells; (2) prime immune response with TGF-β inhibitor OT-101; (3) boost immune response with chemotherapy; and (4) revitalize the exhausted of immune response with checkpoint inhibitors. This sequential treatment strategy is aimed at achieving effective self-immunization against a patients’ own cancer, resulting in robust therapeutic immune response and consequently better control of the cancer and improved survival. Prolonged states of being cancer-free have been observed in some patients with the most aggressive forms of cancer, raising a renewed hope for a potential cure. The use of OT-101 lifts the suppression of the patient’s immune cells around the cancer tissue, providing the foundation for an effective initial priming, which is critical for a successful immune response. The subsequent chemotherapy results in the release of neoantigens that result in a robust boost of the immune response. This process is termed Xenogenization process and can be: (1) hypermutation by temozolomide in the treatment of brain cancer, (2) immunogenic cell death by taxanes and 5FU in pancreatic cancer, or (3) necrotic cell death by VDA (vascular disrupting agent) in melanoma and MDS. Additionally, the Company believes that a rational combination of the Oncotelic Inc. SIP platform with immune-modulatory drugs like interleukin 2 (IL-2) and/or immune checkpoint inhibitors has the potential to help achieve sustained and robust immune responses in patients with the most difficult-to-treat forms of cancer. The combinations with IL-2 and NK are already partnered with external corporate partners. The Company entered into a JV with Dragon Overseas Capital Limited (“Dragon Overseas”) and GMP Biotechnology Limited (“GMP Bio”), affiliates of GMP on March 31, 2022. GMP Bio and the Company will focus to further expand the development of OT-101 for various oncology indications like pancreatic cancer, melanomas, gliomas etc. as also for viral infections like COVID-19. This path is being evaluated as a monotherapy, as well as combination therapies in conjunction with other drugs like checkpoint inhibitors.
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Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is associated with the poorest prognosis of gastrointestinal cancers and is expected to become the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the USA by 2030. Pancreatic cancer is traditionally considered to be an immune-resistant disease. There is a lack of effector T cells, an abundance of myeloid-derived suppressor T cells, and a dearth of key immune effector and regulatory cells. This may be part of the reason why single-agent checkpoint inhibitors are not as effective in comparison to other diseases. Here is where breaking immune tolerance by inhibiting TGF-β with OT-101 will have a significant impact.
The P001 trial was an open-label, multicenter dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of OT-101 (TGF-β2-specific Phosphorothioate Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotide) in adult patients with advanced tumors known to overproduce TGF- β2, which are not or no longer amenable to established therapies. The primary objective of the study was to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and the dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) of two cycles of trabedersen administered intravenously (i.v.) on a 7-days-on/7-days-off or 4-days-on/10-days-off schedule. Secondary objectives included were: (1) determining the safety and tolerability of OT-101 administered intravenously at weekly intervals for four days every other week; (2) assessing the plasma pharmacokinetic profile of OT-101 administered intravenously at weekly intervals and for four days every other week; (3) establishing a suitable determination method and to assess the urine pharmacokinetic profile of OT-101 administered intravenously for four days every other week; (4) determining the effect of OT-101 administered intravenously at weekly intervals and for four days every other week on TGF-β2 plasma concentration levels; and (5) Assessing the potential antitumor activity of OT-101 administered intravenously at weekly intervals and for four days every other week, as assessed by the effect on tumor size and tumor markers.
Of the 61 patients treated, 37 had advanced treatment failure pancreas cancer, a very difficult-to-treat cancer with an overall survival rate that is measured in months even with the best available chemotherapy regimens. Globally, over 400,000 people die of pancreatic cancer each year. MTD was not reached for the 4-days-on/10-days-off schedule, which became the schedule adopted for the phase 2 expansion phase of the trial. Disease control (complete response (CR)), partial response (PR) or stable disease (SD)) was achieved in 19 of 35 evaluable pancreas cancer patients (54%). Among liver mets only patients, there are exceptional single-agent activity and survival. Patient 1006 was pushed to complete response (CR) and survived as far out as 77 mos. This patient failed multiple lines of therapies: (1) surgery: Whipple’s procedure, (2) 1st line: 5-FU/LV, Dose 425 mg/m2, (3) 2nd line: 5-FU/LV, Dose 2600 mg/m2/24hr, (4) 3rd line: Gemcitabine, Dose 1000 mg/m2/week, and (5) went on to OT-101with liver mets and complete response. Patient 1022 was pushed to stable disease (“SD”) with overall survival of 40 months. This patient had also failed multiple lines of therapies: (1) surgery: Whipple’s procedure, (2) 1st line: radiation therapy (50 Gy), (3) 2nd line: 5FU, and (4) went on to OT-101 with liver mets and SD.
OT-101 treatment more than doubled the ratio of patients being able to go onto subsequent chemotherapy versus not being able, and consistent with the expected immunization boost coming from Xenogenization with subsequent chemotherapies (taxanes and 5FU/Cisplatin) as discussed for SIP, those with subsequent chemotherapy exhibited increased mOS and more than doubled their 1-year survival. Patients treated with the non-SIP agent did not exhibit these properties.
Gliomas
Brain tumors in the United States are rare and only accounted for 2% of all adult cancers. However, the rate of brain tumors has been on the rise for the last 30 years. The more common and most malignant form of brain tumors – glioblastoma (“GBM”) has more than doubled from 2.4 to 5.0 per 100,000. In the face of this increase, treatment remained essentially unchanged during the last decade. And despite aggressive surgery followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy, GBM has the worst five–year survival rates among all human cancers, with an average survival from diagnosis of only about 1 year and less than 5% of the patient survived after 5 years. On top of it all, GBM will recur or regrow in most patients. Treatment of recurring a high-grade GBM that has recurred does not always improve survival compared with hospice care alone and deciding when to stop treating the cancer and entering into hospice care is frequently recommended when the patient is unlikely to live longer than six months.
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GBM resilience and persistence is in stark contrast with the recent excitement in oncology where Immuno Oncology (“IO”) agents have shown promise to be curative by driving the immune cells to attack the tumors. Though extraordinarily effective against the growing number of tumors, IOs have been ineffective against GBM. GBM is generally considered immunologically “cold” with few immune effector cells needed for successful immunotherapy. The overexpression of transforming growth factor-beta 2 (“TGF-β2”) is associated with poor prognosis of tumors and plays a key role in malignant progression of various tumors including GBM by inducing proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. Oncotelic Inc. is developing a novel TGF-β2 antisense agent OT-101 as immunotherapy against GBM.
G004 is a multinational, multicenter, open-label, randomized, active-controlled, parallel-group study in adult patients with either recurrent or refractory AA (WHO grade III) or recurrent or refractory GBM (WHO grade IV). There were 3 treatment groups: (1) 10 µM Trabedersen, (2) 80 µM Trabedersen, and (3) standard chemotherapy (mostly temozolomide). Tumor control rate at 6 months was the primary endpoint. Response assessment included the tumor control rate and the overall response rate, which were assessed at 6, 12, and 14 months by central MRI reading. The tumor control rate was defined as the percentage of patients with either CR, PR, or SD and the overall response rate was defined as percentage of patients with either CR or PR. An independent blinded central MRI reading was performed to obtain a standardized response assessment for the efficacy analysis. Central reading was performed by 2 independent neuroradiologists with an additional adjudicator deciding in case of conflicting opinions.
All patients had previous tumor surgery, almost all patients had previous radiation therapy, and more than half of the patients had received previous chemotherapy. A total of 134 patients, 89 patients in the OT-101 test group and 45 patients in the standard chemotherapy control group were assessed. The findings of a randomized Phase II study further confirmed the feasibility of intratumoral application of OT-101 via convection enhanced delivery (CED) for up to 6 months and showed that it results in early disease control at 6 months at a rate comparable to that achieved with temozolomide. OT-101 was administered to 89 R/R high-grade glioma (HGG) (Anaplastic Astrocytoma/AA:27; Glioblastoma multiforme/GBM: 62) patients with an intratumoral catheter using a convection enhanced delivery (CED) system. 77 patients (Efficacy population; GBM: 51; AA: 26) received at least the intended minimum number of 4 OT-101 treatment cycles. Response determinations were based on central review of MRI scans according to McDonald criteria. Standard statistical methods were applied for the analysis of data. Nineteen patients had a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) following a slow but robust size reduction of their target lesions. In addition, 7 patients had stable disease (SD) lasting ≥6 months. For the combined group of 26 AA/GBM patients with favorable responses, the median PFS was >3 years and OS was >3.5 years (16, 17). Hence, OT-101 administered intratumorally exhibits clinically meaningful single-agent activity and induces durable CR/PR/SD in R/R HGG patients. These results provided the proof of concept that targeting TGFβ2 with intratumoral OT-101 therapy can result in a favorable survival outcome for R/R HGG patients (AA, WHO grade 3 and GBM, WHO Grade 4).
OT-101: Pediatric DIPG
DIPG, the second most common malignant pediatric brain tumor, has a dismal outcome with available standard treatment modalities. No significant therapeutic advances have been accomplished in the treatment of this poor prognosis brain tumor and the average overall survival has remained <1 year with a 2-year survival rate of <10%. In solid tumors, the expression level of the TGFβ has been identified as a significant contributor to disease progression and poor prognosis as well as resistance to standard therapy and metastasis. In particular, TGFβ has been implicated in treatment resistance to targeted therapeutics, chemotherapy as well as immune-oncology drugs. Importantly, TGFβ restrains anti-tumor immunity by restricting cytotoxic T-cell infiltration, recruiting regulatory T-cells, and inhibiting the maturation as well as function of natural killer (“NK”) cells. Amplified activity of the TGFβ-Smad signaling pathway enhances tumor growth, invasion, as well as angiogenesis and has been implicated in the malignant phenotype and poor prognosis of high-grade gliomas in adults. Therefore, TGF-β has emerged as an attractive target for the therapeutic intervention of high-grade gliomas.
We performed a meta-analysis of TGFβ2 gene expression in primary tumor specimens from 29 pediatric DIPG patients in the publicly available archived datasets. Our data provided unprecedented evidence that TGFβ2 is expressed at high levels in pediatric DIPG. Three TGFβ2 probe sets exhibited 1.8-2.5-fold increased levels of expression in DIPG patients. Our meta-analysis provided new evidence that TGFβ2 gene and its interactome are expressed in pediatric DIPG at significantly higher levels than in normal tissues or low-grade gliomas. Hence, TGFβ2 is an attractive molecular target for immunotherapy of pediatric DIPG.
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The US FDA granted the Company a RPD for pediatric DIPG, which was transferred to the JV as part of the JV Agreement. The Company is likely to receive 50% of the value of the RPD, upto a maximum of $50 million, upon the RPD being sold to a third party should the JV decide to do so.
OT-101 for Treatments of Corona Viruses
When COVID-19 emerged in China, the Company and GMP collaborated to develop drug candidates for COVID-19. Oncotelic Inc. and GMP entered into a research and services agreement (the “GMP Agreement”) in February 2020 memorializing their collaborative efforts to develop and test COVID-19 antisense therapeutics. In March 2020, Oncotelic reported the anti-viral activity of OT-101 – its lead drug candidate currently in phase 3 testing in pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma. In an in vitro antiviral testing performed by an independent laboratory, OT- 101 showed that it was highly active against COVID-19. Further, in March 2020, the Company, Oncotelic Inc. and GMP entered into a supplement to the Agreement (the “Supplement”) to confirm the inclusion of OT-101 within the scope of the GMP Agreement, pending positive confirmatory testing against COVID-19. For more information on OT-101 for the treatment of Corona Viruses, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 2023.
A Phase 2 study for COVID-19 was completed for OT-101 in South America, that can expand into a Phase 3 trial in the event there is a resurgence in COVID-19. Based on the final results of the trial, the trial was planned to be expanded into a Phase 3 trial; however with the impact of COVID-19 reducing in the past year, the Company will be re-evaluating this treatment for further development upon the occurrence or recurrence of the COVID-19 or any similar virus. We were conducting an observational study, looking at OT-101 and long COVID-19, in conjunction with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”); however, BARDA discontinued that program with the Company.
Artemisinin for Treatment of COVID-19
Artemisinin derived from Chinese herb Artemisia annua L. (Sweet wormwood) has been used medicinally to treat fevers for centuries in China. Like other potential COVID-19 therapeutic agents such as Hydrochloroquine and Remdesivir, the efficacy of Artemisinin remains to be tested in well controlled and sufficiently powered clinical trials.
We discovered that Artemisinin was highly potent at inhibiting the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to multiply while also having an excellent safety index. The Company’s’ test results during an in vitro study at Utah State University showed Artemisinin having an EC50 of 0.45 ug/ml, and a Safety Index of 140. Artemisinin has the potential to target multiple viral threats, including COVID-19, by suppressing both viral replication and clinical symptoms that arise from viral infection. The availability of Artemisinin as a pre-existing dietary supplement may allow it to be deployed in many countries, including developing countries where the healthcare system can easily be overwhelmed. Its safety was clearly superior to chloroquine and remdesivir. The Company’s ARTI-19 trial in India was conducted by Windlas, the Company’s business partner in India, as part of the Company’s effort at deploying ArtiShieldTM across India, and a variation of that in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Based on the final results of the trial, the trial was planned to be expanded into a Phase 3 trial; however with the impact of COVID-19 reducing in the past year, the Company will be re-evaluating this treatment for further development upon the occurrence or recurrence of the COVID-19 or any similar virus.
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AI/Blockchain: PointR/EdgePoint
PointR, an acquisition made in November of 2019, develops, and deploys high performance cluster computers and artificial intelligence (“AI”) technologies for inference processing of a camera-grid that are interconnected to create 360-degree vision-grid to track men and materials indoors. The scope was expanded to include the entire life cycle of a drug: discovery, clinical trials, and manufacturing. These grids provide real-time, localized decision- making, harvesting complex data from structured and unstructured sources. Originally intended to be used exclusively for operator tracking in manufacturing, the AI was broadened to automate surveillance and inspections in processing lines. In addition, AI is being targeted to provide support for clinical trials and pre-clinical research. The deployment of this supercomputing grid enables data capture and insight extraction in real time in blocks which are chained into blockchain ledger records serving as immutable transactions for stakeholders such as regulatory agencies, caretakers, insurers, payers, and manufacturers. The vision grid can integrate and fuse data from any type of sensors or collection devices. For example, the platform is a network of activity detection cameras and proximity beacons functionalized with AI algorithms to monitor, evaluate, and archive real time visual data as a series of metadata entries in a Blockchain ledger. At this time, this technology is being evaluated for being upgraded for future uses. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. For more information on AI/Blockchain, refer to our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April, 14, 2023.
Manufacturing AI Deployment:
Leveraging its partnerships with industry leaders, the AI team plans to combine its own AI technology with industry standard Blockchain to transform drug manufacturing. The combined system has the potential to automatically record individual key steps in cGMP manufacturing operations including the flow of people, raw materials, and operations in trusted perpetual blockchain ledgers that are indisputable. This has the potential to create much more efficient GMP manufacturing operations while simultaneously improving reliability and data security. The Company is in discussions with our JV partners for designing a nanoparticle manufacturing plant to produce its own as well as 3rd party products. The use of AI and machine learning will streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and create immutable audit records for regulators while reducing labor overhead and source of human errors. At this time, this technology is being evaluated for being upgraded for future uses. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. For more information on AI/Blockchain, refer to our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April, 14, 2023.
Taking Retail AI to Drug Manufacturing
Using its Amazon-Go-like cashier-less AI proprietary technology, EdgePoint intends to address the human element in the drug manufacturing industry. Its TrustPoint product is designed to track men and materials with a camera grid and commit each transaction to a series of immutable blockchain records that are irrefutable permanent record of men and materials. The addition of blockchain technology enables manufacturers to conduct audits in a reliable and streamlined manner in a trustworthy system. This automation of manual verification eliminates wasted and indeterministic human cycles. The product is a novel and potentially disruptive application of AI neural networks and blockchain to ensure compliance with drug sponsors and the FDA while ensuring a return on investment (“ROI”) for manufacturers by slashing labor costs. At this time, this technology is being evaluated for being upgraded for future uses. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. For more information on AI/Blockchain, refer to our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April, 14, 2023.
Market
Human labor costs represent the most expensive element in drug manufacturing. In the $70.0 billion CDMO (contract development manufacturing operations) industry, personnel costs of $30 billion are ripe for computer automation. Until now, computer technologies like MRP and ERP created more problems than resolved. The labor problem is compounded by the cost of personnel onboarding and turnover. It takes 6-9 months to train a quality control employee only to lose them to a competitor. At this time, this technology is being evaluated for being upgraded for future uses. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. For more information on AI/Blockchain, refer to our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April, 14, 2023.
Go-to-Market:
The Company’s go-to-market plan is to execute a proof-of-concept project, possibly through a planned CDMO by the JV. As part of the JV Agreement, the JV has acquired a non-exclusive license for the AI platform developed by PointR/EdgePoint for implementation in a planned CDMO. At this time, this technology is being evaluated for being upgraded for future uses. This will be advanced through our JV at an appropriate time, as our JV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the technology. For more information on AI/Blockchain, refer to our 2002 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April, 14, 2023.
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Our Strategy and Development Plan
We have been operating with significant capital constraints since the reverse merger between the Company and Oncotelic Inc, and for this time period we have been seeking to secure sufficient funding to continue our operations while we simultaneously seek to advance our all our investigational drugs for the treatment of cancer, coronaviruses, AI technology and more recently for PD, ED and FSD. Subject to our ability to secure additional capital, we would seek to further develop our product candidates. However, our inability to access capital historically has and may significantly impair our ability to develop these compounds. If we are able to advance any or all of our drug candidates, we would seek to develop them till commercialization, however, there is no guarantee that we would be able to fully develop our products, obtain regulatory approvals and successfully commercialize them.
We continue to discuss collaboration opportunities with other biopharmaceutical companies, although to date have not secured any agreements with companies that are willing to purchase the products from us or license the development and commercialization rights. We intend to continue to seek a partner to acquire the marketing rights to our product candidates and to finance further clinical studies and will seek to complete a transaction if we are able to reach mutual agreement on terms. In this connection, in March 2022, the Company entered into a JV with Dragon to form GMP Bio. Both entities are affiliates of GMP. GMP Bio and the Company will work together to further the development of OT-101, wherein the Company would provide the technology and technical expertise and GMP Bio would fund the development expenses.
In addition to entering into a transaction that would provide funding for the further development of our product candidates, other elements of our development strategy would currently include:
| ● | Initiating clinical trials of OT-101 in various cancers through our JV: We have yet to initiate any trials, but we are evaluating conducting such trials in the US as well as other countries like China in conjunction with GMP Bio. We are looking to conduct such trials in combination with other drugs like checkpoint inhibitors. We have filed the protocols for some of the trials being planned and we hope to be able to get acceptance from the FDA and be able to initiate the trials shortly thereafter. | |
| ● | Conducting follow up clinical trials of OT-101 for COVID-19 or any similar viruses upon resurgence or occurrence of such viruses. | |
| ● | Conducting follow up clinical trials of Artemisinin for COVID-19 or any similar viruses upon resurgence or occurrence of such viruses. | |
| ● | Initiating a clinical trial of CA4P in combination with an immuno-oncology agent or seek any collaboration for the development of CA4P. | |
| ● | Continuing to evaluate OXi4503 in a clinical trial or seek any collaboration for the development of OXi4503. | |
| ● | Ramping up the apomorphine development program and initiating noninferiority trial comparing AL-101 against subcutaneous apomorphine for the treatment of PD. We are also considering ramping up the apomorphine development programs for ED and FSD/HSDD. The development of these products is subject to the Company being able to raise funding to support the development activities or being able to partner with a third party to co-develop or even any type of a transaction that permits the Company to capitalize on the assets. | |
| ● | The Company formed Pet2DAO, as a wholly owned subsidiary. Pet2DAO is a DAO technology company, integrating the strong governance of traditional corporations with the innovative DAO architecture looking to engage stakeholders, to build value through the DAO, while maintaining the rigor of traditional corporations, including governance, compliance, and accountability through a team of veterans in public companies with innovators in AI, blockchain and Web3. Pet2DAO will initially be looking to develop products for the animal health space. |
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REGULATORY MATTERS
Government Regulation and Product Approval
Government authorities in the United States and other countries extensively regulate, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, labeling, packaging, storage, record-keeping, promotion, advertising, distribution, marketing and export and import of products such as those we are developing. Our drug candidates must be approved by the FDA through the New Drug Application (“NDA”), process before they may be legally marketed in the United States.
U.S. Drug Development Process
In the United States, the FDA regulates drugs under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), and implementing regulations. The process of obtaining regulatory approvals and the subsequent compliance with appropriate federal, state, local, and foreign statutes and regulations require the expenditure of substantial time and financial resources. Failure to comply with the applicable United States requirements at any time during the product development process, approval process or after approval, may subject an applicant to administrative or judicial sanctions. These sanctions could include the FDA’s refusal to review or approve pending applications, withdrawal of an approval, a clinical hold, warning letters, product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution injunctions, fines, refusal of government contracts, restitution, disgorgement, or civil or criminal penalties. Any agency or judicial enforcement action could have a material adverse effect on us. The process required by the FDA before a drug may be marketed in the United States generally involves the following:
| ● | completion of preclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies according to Good Laboratory Practices (“GLP”) or other applicable regulations; | |
| ● | submission to the FDA of an Investigational New Drug Application, or IND, which must be first approved by the FDA before human clinical trials may begin; | |
| ● | performance of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials according to Good Clinical Practices (“GCP”) to establish the safety and efficacy of the proposed drug for its intended use; | |
| ● | submission to the FDA of an NDA; | |
| ● | satisfactory completion of an FDA inspection of the manufacturing facility or facilities at which the drug is produced to assess compliance with current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, to assure that the facilities, methods and controls are adequate to preserve the drug’s identity, strength, quality and purity; | |
| ● | satisfactory completion of FDA inspections of clinical sites and GLP toxicology studies; and | |
| ● | FDA review and approval of the NDA. |
The testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals for our product candidates will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.
Once a pharmaceutical candidate is identified for development, it enters the preclinical testing stage. Preclinical tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, toxicity, and formulation, as well as animal studies. An IND sponsor must submit the results of the preclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical data, to the FDA as part of the IND. The sponsor will also include a protocol detailing, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety, and the effectiveness criteria to be evaluated, if the first phase lends itself to an efficacy evaluation. Preclinical testing continues even after the IND is submitted. The IND becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, places the clinical trial on a clinical hold. In such a case, the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before the clinical trial can begin. Clinical holds also may be imposed by the FDA at any time before or during clinical trials due to safety concerns or non-compliance.
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All clinical trials must be conducted under the supervision of qualified investigators in accordance with GCP regulations. These regulations include the requirement that all research subjects provide informed consent. Further, an institutional review board, or IRB, must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at any institution. An IRB considers, among other things, whether the risks to individuals participating in the trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated benefits. The IRB also approves the information regarding the trial and the consent form that must be provided to each trial subject or his or her legal representative and must monitor the clinical trial until completed.
Each new clinical protocol must be submitted to the IND for FDA review, and to the IRBs for approval. Protocols detail, among other things, the objectives of the clinical trial, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria, and the parameters to be used to monitor subject safety and efficacy in Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials.
Human clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases that may overlap or be combined:
| ● | Phase 1: The drug is initially introduced into human subjects and tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution, and excretion. | |
| ● | Phase 2: Involves clinical trials in a limited patient population to identify possible adverse effects and safety risks, to evaluate preliminary efficacy of the product for specific targeted diseases and to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage. | |
| ● | Phase 3: Clinical trials are undertaken to further evaluate dosage, clinical efficacy, and safety in an expanded patient population. These studies are intended to establish the overall risk-benefit ratio of the product and provide, if appropriate, an adequate basis for product labeling. |
Progress reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted at least annually to the FDA. IND Safety Reports must be submitted to the FDA, IRBs and the investigators for (a) any suspected adverse reaction that is both serious and unexpected; (b) any findings from epidemiological studies, pooled analysis of multiple trials, or clinical trials (other than those already reported in (a)); (c) any findings from animal or in vitro testing, whether or not conducted by the sponsor, that suggest a significant risk in humans exposed to the drug, such as reports of mutagenicity, teratogenicity, or carcinogenicity or reports of significant organ toxicity at or near the expected human exposure; and (d) any clinically important increase in the rate of a serious suspected adverse reaction over that listed in the protocol or investigator brochure. Phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3 testing may not be completed successfully within any specified period, if at all. The FDA or the sponsor may suspend a clinical trial at any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk. Similarly, an IRB can suspend or terminate approval of a clinical trial at its institution if the clinical trial is not being conducted in accordance with the IRB’s requirements or if the drug has been associated with unexpected serious harm to patients.
Concurrent with clinical trials, companies usually complete additional animal studies and must also develop additional information about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the drug and finalize a process for manufacturing the product in commercial quantities in accordance with cGMP requirements. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality batches of the product candidate and, among other things, the manufacturer must develop methods for testing the identity, strength, quality and purity of the final drug. Additionally, appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product candidate does not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life.
U.S. Review and Approval Processes
The results of product development, preclinical studies and clinical trials, along with descriptions of the manufacturing process, analytical tests conducted on the chemistry of the drug, proposed labeling, and other relevant information are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA requesting approval to market the product. The submission of an NDA is subject to the payment of user fees; a waiver of such fees may be obtained under certain limited circumstances, which may include orphan drug status and the first NDA application for a company.
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In addition, under the Pediatric Research Equity Act, or PREA, an NDA or supplement to an NDA must contain data to assess the safety and effectiveness of the drug for the claimed indications in all relevant pediatric subpopulations and to support dosing and administration for each pediatric subpopulation for which the drug is safe and effective. The FDA may grant deferrals for submission of data or full or partial waivers. Unless otherwise required by regulation, PREA does not apply to any drug for an indication for which orphan designation has been granted.
The FDA reviews all NDAs submitted to ensure that they are sufficiently complete for substantive review before it accepts them for filing. The FDA may request additional information rather than accept an NDA for filing. In this event, the NDA must be resubmitted with the additional information. The resubmitted application also is subject to review before the FDA accepts it for filing. Once the submission is accepted for filing, the FDA begins an in-depth substantive review. The FDA also may refer the NDA to an advisory committee for review, evaluation, and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it generally follows such recommendations. The approval process is lengthy and difficult, and the FDA may refuse to approve an NDA at its discretion, or the FDA may require additional clinical or other data and information. Even if such additional data and information are submitted, the FDA may ultimately decide that the NDA does not satisfy its criteria for approval. Data obtained from clinical trials is not always conclusive, and the FDA may interpret data differently than we or others may interpret the same data. The FDA may issue a complete response letter, which may require additional clinical or other data or impose other conditions that must be met in order to obtain approval of the NDA. The FDA reviews an NDA to determine, among other things, whether a product is safe and effective for its intended use and whether its manufacturing is cGMP- compliant to assure and preserve the product’s identity, strength, quality, and purity. Before approving an NDA, the FDA will generally inspect the facility or facilities where the product is manufactured. The FDA will also generally inspect selected clinical sites that participated in the clinical studies and may inspect the testing facilities that performed the GLP toxicology studies cited in the NDA.
NDAs receive either standard or priority review. A drug representing a significant improvement in treatment, prevention or diagnosis of disease may receive priority review. In addition, products studied for their safety and effectiveness in treating serious or life-threatening illnesses and that provide meaningful therapeutic benefit over existing treatments may receive accelerated approval and may be approved on the basis of adequate and well- controlled clinical trials establishing that the drug product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on the basis of an effect on a clinical endpoint other than survival or irreversible morbidity. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval perform adequate and well-controlled post-marketing clinical trials. Priority review and accelerated approval do not change the standards for approval but may expedite the approval process.
If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be limited to specific diseases or patient subpopulations and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product. In addition, approval by the FDA may include a requirement for phase 4 testing, which involves clinical trials designed to further assess a drug’s safety and effectiveness, and the FDA may require testing and surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products which have been commercialized.
Orphan Drug Designation
Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may grant orphan drug designation to a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. After the FDA grants orphan drug designation, the identity of the therapeutic agent and its potential orphan use are disclosed publicly by the FDA. Orphan drug designation does not convey any advantage in or shorten the duration of the regulatory review and approval process.
If a product that has orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first FDA approval for the disease for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to orphan product exclusivity, which means that the FDA may not approve any other applications to market the same drug for the same indication for seven years, except in very limited circumstances.
In the European Union and Japan, orphan drug exclusivity regulations provide for 10 years of market exclusivity.
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CA4P has been awarded orphan drug status by the FDA for the treatment of anaplastic, medullary, Stage IV papillary and Stage IV follicular thyroid cancers, ovarian cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and glioma. OXi4503 has been awarded orphan drug status by the FDA for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia. CA4P has been awarded orphan drug status by the FDA for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and glioblastoma.
CA4P has also been awarded orphan drug status by the European Commission in the European Union for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer, ovarian cancer and neuroendocrine tumors. OXi4503 has been awarded orphan drug status by the European Commission in the European Union for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia. OT-101 has been awarded orphan drug status by the European Commission in the European Union for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and glioblastoma.
Rare Pediatric Disease Designation
The FDA grants rare pediatric disease designation for diseases with serious or life-threatening manifestations that primarily affect people aged from birth to 18 years, and that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Under the FDA’s Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher program, a sponsor who receives an approval of a new drug application or biologics license application for a product for the prevention or treatment of a rare pediatric disease may be eligible for a voucher, which can be redeemed to obtain priority review for any subsequent marketing application and may be sold or transferred. Such vouchers can be valued at several millions of dollars, sometimes in excess of $100 million.
The FDA granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for OT-101/Trabedersen for the treatment of DIPG as a drug for a rare pediatric disease.
The FDA granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for CA4P/ Fosbretabulin tromethamine for the treatment of stage IIB–IV melanoma due to genetic mutations that disproportionately affect pediatric patients as a drug.
The FDA granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for Oxi4503 for the treatment of AML as a drug for a rare pediatric disease.
Expedited Review and Approval
The FDA has various programs, including Fast Track, priority review, accelerated approval and breakthrough therapy, which are intended to expedite or simplify the process for reviewing drugs, and/or provide for approval on the basis of surrogate endpoints. Even if a drug qualifies for one or more of these programs, the FDA may subsequently decide the drug no longer meets the conditions for qualification or the FDA may not shorten the review or approval time period. Generally, drugs that may be eligible for these programs are those for serious or life-threatening conditions, those with the potential to address unmet medical needs, and those that offer meaningful benefits over existing treatments. Fast Track designation applies to the combination of the product and the specific indication for which it is being studied. Although Fast Track and priority review do not affect the standards for approval, the FDA will attempt to facilitate early and frequent meetings with a sponsor of a Fast-Track designated drug and expedite review of the application for a drug designated for priority review. Drugs that receive an accelerated approval may be approved on the basis of adequate and well-controlled clinical trials establishing that the drug product has an effect on a surrogate endpoint that is reasonably likely to predict clinical benefit or on the basis of an effect on a clinical endpoint other than survival or irreversible morbidity. As a condition of approval, the FDA may require that a sponsor of a drug receiving accelerated approval perform post-marketing clinical trials.
OXi4503 has been awarded Fast Track designation for the treatment of AML.
Foreign Regulation
In addition to regulations in the United States, we are subject to a variety of foreign regulations governing clinical trials and if any of our product candidates are approved, we will be subject to additional regulations regarding commercial sales and distribution. Whether or not we obtain FDA approval to test a product candidate in the United States, we must obtain approval by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries before we can commence testing any product candidate in those countries. Likewise, whether we obtain FDA approval to market a product, we must obtain approval by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries before we can commence marketing of any product candidate in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product licensing, pricing and reimbursement vary greatly from country to country.
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Under European Union regulatory systems, a company may submit marketing authorization applications, or MAAs, either under a centralized or decentralized procedure. The centralized procedure, which is compulsory for medicines produced by biotechnology, or those medicines intended to treat AIDS, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders or diabetes and optional for those medicines which are highly innovative, provides for the grant of a single marketing authorization that is valid for all European Union member states. The decentralized procedure provides for mutual recognition of national approval decisions. Under this procedure, the holder of a national marketing authorization may apply to the remaining member states. Within 90 days of receiving the applications and assessments report, each member state must decide whether to recognize approval. If a member state does not recognize the marketing authorization, the disputed points are eventually referred to the European Commission, whose decision is binding on all member states.
As in the United States, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, may grant orphan drug status for specific indications if the request is made before an MAA is submitted. The EMA considers an orphan medicinal product to be one that affects less than five of every 10,000 people in the European Union. A company whose application for orphan drug designation in the European Union is approved is eligible to receive, among other benefits, regulatory assistance in preparing the marketing application, protocol assistance and reduced application fees. Orphan drugs in the European Union receive up to ten years of market exclusivity for the approved indication.
Reimbursement
Sales of any of our product candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which the costs of the products will be covered by third-party payors, including government health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, commercial health insurers and managed care organizations. These third-party payors are increasingly challenging the prices charged for health care products and services. The U.S. government, state legislatures and foreign governments have shown significant interest in implementing cost-containment programs, including price controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. The adoption or application of price controls and cost-containment measures could limit our revenue. If third-party payors do not consider our products to be cost-effective, they may not pay for our products even if we receive approval, or their level of payment may not be sufficient to allow us to sell our products on a profitable basis.
The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, or the MMA, imposes requirements for the distribution and pricing of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Under Part D (the Medicare prescription drug benefit), Medicare beneficiaries may enroll in prescription drug plans offered by private entities that provide coverage of outpatient prescription drugs not covered under Medicare Part B. Part D prescription drug plan sponsors are not required to pay for all covered Part D drugs. Each drug plan can develop its own drug formulary that identifies which drugs it will cover and at what tier or level. Federal regulations require Part D prescription drug formularies to include drugs within each therapeutic category and class of covered Part D drugs, although not necessarily all the drugs in each category or class.
In general, government payment for some of the costs of prescription drugs may increase demand for products for which we receive marketing approval. However, any negotiated prices for our products covered by a Part D prescription drug plan will likely be lower than the prices we might otherwise obtain. Moreover, while the MMA applies only to drug benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, private payors often follow Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own payment rates. Any reduction in payment that results from the MMA or other Medicare regulations may result in a similar reduction in payments from non-governmental payors.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “Affordable Care Act” or “ACA”) mandated prescription drug coverage as one of ten essential health benefits that most health plans must offer, requiring coverage of at least one drug in every category and class. The ACA increased in the number of individuals covered by insurance and as a result commercial insurers and government programs have increased their emphasis on cost controls to reduce overall spending. A number of federal government leaders have expressed their intentions to repeal and replace the ACA. If full or partial repeal is enacted, many if not all the provisions of the ACA may no longer apply to prescription drugs. As a result, we expect that there will continue to be uncertainty regarding drug product pricing, reimbursement and other factors impacting the revenue we may receive if our product candidates are ultimately approved, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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In addition, in some foreign countries, the proposed pricing for a drug must be approved before it may be lawfully marketed. The requirements governing drug pricing vary widely from country to country. For example, the European Union provides options for its member states to restrict the range of medicinal products for which their national health insurance systems provide reimbursement and to control the prices of medicinal products for human use. A member state may approve a specific price for the medicinal product, or it may instead adopt a system of direct or indirect controls on the profitability of the company placing the medicinal product on the market. There can be no assurance that any country that has price controls or reimbursement limitations for pharmaceutical products will allow favorable reimbursement and pricing arrangements for any of our products. Historically, products launched in the European Union do not follow price structures of the United States and tend to be significantly lower.
PATENTS AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS
We actively seek to protect the proprietary technology that we consider important to our business, including chemical species, compositions and forms, their methods of use and processes for their manufacture, as well as modified forms of naturally-expressed receptors, in the United States and other jurisdictions internationally that we consider key pharmaceutical markets. We also rely upon trade secrets and contracts to protect our proprietary information.
As of April 11, 2024, we were the exclusive licensee, sole assignee or co-assignee of fifteen granted U.S. patents, one pending U.S. patent application, and granted patents and/or pending applications in several other major markets, including the European Union, Canada and Japan. Our policy is to file U.S. and foreign patent applications to protect technology, inventions and improvements to inventions that are commercially important to the development of our business. There can be no assurance that any of these patent applications will result in the grant of a patent either in the United States or elsewhere, or that any patents granted will be valid and enforceable or will provide a competitive advantage or will afford protection against competitors with similar technologies. We also intend to rely upon trade secret rights to protect other technologies that may be used to discover and validate targets and that may be used to identify and develop novel drugs. We seek protection, in part, through confidentiality and proprietary information agreements.
We consider the following U.S. patents and applications owned by or exclusively licensed to us to be particularly important to the protection of our most advanced product candidates.
| Product Candidate | Patent Scope | Patent Expiration | ||
| CA4P | Use of VDAs to Enhance Immunomodulating Therapies Against Tumors | August 2036 | ||
| OXi4503 | Method for Treating Myeloid Neoplasm by Administering OXi4503 | November 2028 | ||
| OT-101 – through our JV | Combination of A Chemotherapeutic Agent and An Inhibitor of the TGF-β System | July 2030 to | ||
| Combination Therapy for Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer | February 2036 | |||
| Compositions and Methods for Treating Cancer | February 2036 |
In addition to these patents, for some of our product candidates, we have patents and/or applications that cover a particular form or composition, use for a particular indication, use as part of combination therapy or method of preparation or use, as well as other pending patent applications. These issued patents, including any patents that issue from pending applications, could provide additional or a longer period of protection. We also have patent applications pending that seek equivalent or substantially comparable protection for our product candidates in jurisdictions internationally that we consider key pharmaceutical markets.
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The patent expiration dates referenced above do not reflect any potential patent term extension that we may receive under the federal Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, known as the Hatch- Waxman Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act generally permits a patent extension term of up to five years as compensation for patent term lost during the FDA regulatory review process. Patent extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond a total of 14 years. The patent term restoration period is generally one-half of the time between the effective date of an investigational new drug application, or IND, and the submission date of a new drug application, or NDA, plus the time between the submission date and approval date of an NDA. Only one patent applicable to an approved drug is eligible for the extension, and the extension must be applied for prior to expiration of the patent. The United States Patent and Trademark Office, in consultation with the FDA, reviews and approves applications for patent term extension.
As previously noted, the FDA and European Union have granted CA4P and OXi4503 orphan drug status for certain indications. We are also pursuing, and may continue to in the future to pursue, orphan drug status for other product candidates and indications. Our ability to obtain and maintain the exclusivity for our products and product candidates by virtue of their orphan drug status is an important part of our intellectual property strategy. Also as previously noted, we are emphasizing Rare Pediatric Designation to leverage on the regulatory exclusivity and voucher program associated with these designations.
COMPETITION
The industry in which we are engaged is characterized by rapidly evolving technology and intense competition. Our competitors include, among others, major pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, nearly all of which have financial, technical, and marketing resources significantly greater than ours. In addition, many of the small companies in our industry have also formed collaborative relationships with large, established companies to support research, development and commercialization of products that may be competitive with ours. Academic institutions, governmental agencies and other public and private research organizations are also conducting research activities and patenting new technologies in our line of business and any of these entities may commercialize products that may be competitive with ours.
We expect that, if any of our products gain regulatory approval for sale, they will compete primarily on the basis of product efficacy, safety, patient convenience, reliability, price and patent protection. Our competitive position will also depend on our ability to attract and retain qualified scientific and other personnel, develop effective proprietary products, and implement joint ventures or other alliances with large pharmaceutical companies in order to jointly market and manufacture our products.
EMPLOYEES
We had twenty-two full-time employees and consultants as of December 31, 2023; however, all the employees were compensated through the Company till February 2022. Subsequently, the employees were compensated by the JV. We rely on external consultants or outsource nearly all our research, development, preclinical testing, and clinical trial activity, although we maintain managerial and quality control over our clinical trials. We also rely on external consultants for various administrative tasks that are required for a public company. We expect to continue to rely on external service providers and to maintain a small number of executives and other employees. Our relations with our employees are good and we do not have any unions for the Company.
COSTS OF COMPLIANCE WITH ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS
We have not incurred any costs associated with compliance with environmental regulations, nor do we anticipate any future costs associated with environmental compliance; however, no assurances can be given that we will not incur such costs in the future.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as the other information in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and the related notes thereto and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding whether to invest in our common stock. The occurrence of any of the events or developments described below could harm our business, financial condition, operating results, and growth prospects. In such an event, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose part or all of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations.
RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
If we are unable to obtain additional funding, we may be forced to cease operations.
We have experienced net losses every year since inception. In April 2019, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Oncotelic Inc. for developing investigational drugs for the treatment of orphan oncology indications. The Company completed the Merger and Oncotelic Inc. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. The Merger was treated as a recapitalization and reverse acquisition for financial accounting purposes. Oncotelic was considered the acquirer for accounting purposes, and the Company’s historical financial statements before the Merger have been replaced with the historical financial statements of Oncotelic Inc. prior to the Merger in the financial statements and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The Company, as of December 31, 2023, had an accumulated deficit of approximately $33.5 million, including a net loss of approximately $7.9 million in 2023. We have no source of product revenue and do not expect to receive any product revenue in the near future, except if we generate product revenues from Artemisinin in countries around the globe other than India and which at the current time is not anticipated. We may generate revenues from services rendered in the future, but we cannot expect that to be of a regular and of a recurring nature. If we remain in business, we expect to incur additional operating losses over the next several years, principally as a result of our plans to continue clinical trials for our investigational drugs. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately $0.2 million in cash and current liabilities of approximately $16.5 million, of which $1.3 million pertains to Mateon’s liabilities prior to the Merger and $2.6 million of contingent liabilities, incurred upon our merger with PointR Data, Inc. in November 2019, that would be issuable in shares of common stock of the Company to the PointR shareholders upon satisfaction of certain conditions. Based on our planned operations, we expect our cash to only support our operations for a short period of time. Therefore, we will need to secure near-term funding, or we will be forced to curtail or terminate operations. Because we do not currently have a guaranteed source of capital that will sustain operations for at least the next twelve months, Management has determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
The principal source of our capital to date has been the proceeds from the sale of equity and debt, a substantial portion of which has been provided by officers and certain insiders. If we are unable to access additional funds in the near term, whether through the sale of additional equity, debt or another means, we may not be able to continue in business. We also may not be able to continue the development of our investigational drugs. Any additional equity or debt financing, if available to us, may not be available on favorable terms and would most likely be dilutive to stockholders. Any debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants and also be dilutive to current stockholders. If we obtain funds through collaborative or licensing arrangements, we may be required to relinquish rights to some of our technologies or product candidates on terms that are not favorable to us. Our ability to access capital when needed is not assured.
In their audit report with regard to our Financial Statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, we, as well as our independent registered public accountants, have expressed an opinion that substantial doubt exists as to whether we can continue as a going concern. Because we have limited cash resources, we believe that it will be necessary for us to either raise additional capital in the near term or to enter into a license or other agreement with a larger pharmaceutical company. If we do not succeed in doing so, we may be required to suspend or cease our business, which would likely materially harm the value of our common stock.
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Due in part to our limited financial resources, we may fail to select or capitalize on the most scientifically, clinically or commercially promising or profitable indications or therapeutic areas for our product candidates, and we may be unable to pursue and complete the clinical trials that we would like to pursue and complete.
We have limited financial and technical resources to determine the indications on which we should focus the development efforts for our product candidates. Due to our limited available financial resources, we have curtailed clinical development programs and activities that might otherwise have led to more rapid progress of our product candidates through the regulatory and development processes. We currently have insufficient financial resources to complete any additional drug development work.
If we are able to raise funds and continue developing investigational drugs for cancer, we may make incorrect determinations with regard to the indications and clinical trials on which to focus the available resources that we do have. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that we will be able to retain adequate staffing levels to run our operations and/or to accomplish all the objectives that we otherwise would seek to accomplish. The decisions to allocate our research, management and financial resources toward particular indications or therapeutic areas for our product candidates may not lead to the development of viable commercial products and may divert resources from better opportunities. Similarly, our decisions to delay or terminate drug development programs may also cause us to miss valuable opportunities. In addition, from time to time, we may in-license or otherwise acquire product candidates to supplement our internal development activities. Those activities may use resources that otherwise would have been devoted to our internal programs, and with research and development programs there is no way to assure that the outcome of any trials or other activities will be positive, whether the program was internally generated or in-licensed.
We may encounter difficulties in expanding our operations successfully if and when we evolve from a company that is primarily involved in clinical development to a company that is also involved in commercialization.
As we advance our product candidates through later stages of clinical trials, we will need to expand our development, regulatory, manufacturing, marketing and sales capabilities or contract with third parties to provide these capabilities for us. As our operations expand, we expect that we will need to manage additional relationships with such third parties, as well as additional collaborators, distributors, marketers, and suppliers.
Maintaining third party relationships for these purposes will impose significant added responsibilities on members of our management and other personnel. We must be able to manage our development efforts effectively, manage our participation in the clinical trials in which our product candidates are involved effectively, and improve our managerial, development, operational and finance systems, all of which may impose a strain on our administrative and operational infrastructure.
If, following any approval of our product candidates, we enter into arrangements with third parties to perform sales, marketing or distribution services, any product revenues that we receive, or the profitability of these product revenues to us, are likely to be lower than if we were to market and sell any products that we develop ourselves. In addition, we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our products or in doing so on terms that are favorable to us. We likely will have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively. If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing our products.
If we were to submit an NDA for our drug candidates in the United States or a marketing application in the EU, we would need to undertake commercial scale manufacturing activities at significant expense to us in order to proceed with the application for approval for commercialization. We or our external vendors may encounter technical difficulties that preclude us from successfully manufacturing the required registration and validation batches of active pharmaceutical ingredient, or API, and/or drug product and we may be unable to recover any financial losses associated with the manufacturing activities. Further, our research or product development efforts may not be successfully completed, any compounds currently under development by us may not be successfully developed into drugs, any potential products may not receive regulatory approval on a timely basis, if at all, and competitors may develop and bring to market products or technologies that render our potential products obsolete. If any of these problems occur, our business would be materially and adversely affected.
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We may not be able to partner with other pharmaceutical companies or even form any types of alliances with third parties.
As we plan to advance our product candidates through later stages of clinical trials but with lack of adequate capital resources, we will need to form alliances or enter into partnerships with other pharmaceutical companies or even other third parties. We cannot assure you that we would be able to do so at terms beneficial to the Company or at all.
We may not be able to successfully set up an IPO with third parties.
As we plan to advance our product candidates through later stages of clinical trials but with lack of adequate capital resources, we will need to form alliances or enter into partnerships with other pharmaceutical companies or even other third parties and create shareholder value, including through IPOs. We cannot assure you that we would be able to do so at terms beneficial to the Company or at all. While the Company has formed a joint venture with Dragon Overseas and GMP Bio, and plans on taking that through an IPO, there can be no assurances that such IPO will be made or will be successful.
We have no manufacturing capacity and have relied on, and expect to continue to rely on, third-party manufacturers to produce our product candidates.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for the production of clinical or commercial quantities of our product candidates or any of the compounds that we are testing in our preclinical programs, and we lack the resources and the capabilities to do so. As a result, we currently rely, and we expect to rely for the foreseeable future, on third-party manufacturers to supply our product candidates. Reliance on third-party manufacturers entails risks to which we would not be subject if we manufactured our product candidates or products ourselves, including:
| ● | reliance on third-parties for manufacturing process development, regulatory compliance and quality assurance; | |
| ● | limitations on supply availability resulting from capacity and scheduling constraints of third-parties; | |
| ● | the possible breach of manufacturing agreements by third-parties because of factors beyond our control; and | |
| ● | the possible termination or non-renewal of the manufacturing agreements by the third-party, at a time that is costly or inconvenient to us. |
If we do not maintain our developed important manufacturing relationships, we may fail to find replacement manufacturers or develop our own manufacturing capabilities, which could delay or impair our ability to obtain regulatory approval for our products and substantially increase our costs or deplete profit margins, if any. If we do find replacement manufacturers, we may not be able to enter into agreements with them on terms and conditions favorable to us, and there could be a substantial delay before new facilities could be qualified and registered with the FDA, EMA and other foreign regulatory authorities.
The FDA, EMA and other foreign regulatory authorities require manufacturers to register manufacturing facilities. The FDA and corresponding foreign regulators also inspect these facilities to confirm compliance with current good manufacturing practices, or cGMPs. Contract manufacturers may face manufacturing or quality control problems causing drug substance production and shipment delays or a situation where the contractor may not be able to maintain compliance with the applicable cGMP requirements. Any failure to comply with cGMP requirements or other FDA, EMA and comparable foreign regulatory requirements could adversely affect our clinical research activities and our ability to develop our product candidates and market our products after approval.
Our current and anticipated future dependence upon others for the manufacture of our product candidates may adversely affect our ability to develop our product candidates, our ability to commercialize any products that receive regulatory approval and our potential future profit margins on these products.
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Our product candidates have not completed clinical trials and may never demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in order to do so.
Our product candidates are in the clinical stage of development. In order to achieve profitable operations, we alone or in collaboration with others, must successfully develop, manufacture, introduce and market our products. The time frame necessary to achieve market success for any individual product is long and uncertain. The products currently under development by us may require significant additional research and development and additional preclinical and clinical testing prior to application for commercial use. A number of companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after showing promising results in early or later-stage studies or clinical trials. Although we have obtained some favorable results to date in preclinical studies and clinical trials of certain of our potential products, such results may not be indicative of results that will ultimately be obtained in or throughout such clinical trials, and clinical trials may not show any of our products to be safe or capable of producing a desired result. Additionally, we may encounter problems in our clinical trials that may cause us to delay, suspend or terminate those clinical trials.
Adverse events observed to date and associated with CA4P and OXi4503 have generally been found to be manageable for drugs treating the indications for which we are developing our product candidates. However, we will be required to continue to test and evaluate the safety of our product candidates in additional clinical trials, and to demonstrate their safety to the satisfaction of appropriate regulatory agencies, as a condition to receipt of any regulatory approvals. In clinical trials to date, transient hypertension believed to be associated with CA4P and OXi4503 has been effectively managed through pre-treatment with anti-hypertensive medication. We cannot assure you, however, that we will be able to make the necessary demonstrations of safety to allow us to receive regulatory approval for our product candidates in any indication.
We only have a limited number of employees to manage and operate our business.
We had twenty-two full-time employees and consultants as of December 31, 2023; however, all the employees were compensated through the Company through January 2022. Subsequently, the employees were compensated by the JV. We rely on external consultants or outsource nearly all our research, development, preclinical testing, and clinical trial activity, although we maintain managerial and quality control over our clinical trials. We expect to continue to rely on external service providers and to maintain a small number of executives and other employees. Our limited financial resources require us to manage and operate our business in a highly efficient manner. We cannot assure you that we will be able to retain adequate staffing levels to run our operations and/or to accomplish all the objectives that we otherwise would seek to accomplish.
We depend on our executive officers and principal consultants and the loss of their services could materially harm our business.
We believe that our success depends, and will likely continue to depend, upon our ability to retain the services of our current executive officers, particularly our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Business Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Regulatory Officer and Chief Financial Officer, our principal consultants, and others. This increases the risk that we may not be able to retain their services. The loss of the services of any of these individuals could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition to these key service providers, we have established relationships with universities, hospitals and research institutions, which have historically provided, and continue to provide, us with access to research laboratories, clinical trials, facilities and patients. Additionally, we believe that we may, at any time and from time to time, materially depend on the services of consultants and other unaffiliated third parties. We cannot assure you that consultants and other unaffiliated third parties will provide the level of service to us that we require in order to achieve our business objectives.
Our industry is highly competitive, and our product candidates may become obsolete.
We are engaged in a rapidly evolving field. Competition from other pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and research and academic institutions is intense and likely to increase. Many of those companies and institutions have substantially greater financial, technical, and human resources than we do. Many of those companies and institutions also have substantially greater experience in developing products, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approval and in manufacturing and marketing pharmaceutical products. Our competitors may succeed in obtaining regulatory approval for their products more rapidly than we do. Competitors have developed or are in the process of developing technologies that are, or in the future may be, the basis for competitive products. Some of these competitive products may have an entirely different approach or means of accomplishing the desired therapeutic effect than products being developed by us. Our competitors may succeed in developing products that are more effective and/or cost competitive than those we are developing, or that would render our product candidates less competitive or even obsolete. In addition, one or more of our competitors may achieve product commercialization or patent protection earlier than we do, which could materially adversely affect us.
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If clinical trials or regulatory approval processes for our product candidates are prolonged, delayed or suspended, we may be unable to out-license or commercialize our product candidates on a timely basis, which would require us to incur additional costs and delay or prevent our receipt of any proceeds from potential license agreements or product sales.
We cannot predict whether we will encounter problems with any of our completed, ongoing or planned clinical trials that will cause us or any regulatory authority to delay or suspend those clinical trials or delay or invalidate the analysis of data derived from them. A number of events, including any of the following, could delay the completion of our other ongoing and planned clinical trials and negatively impact our ability to obtain regulatory approval for, and to market and sell, a particular product candidate:
| ● | conditions imposed on us by the FDA, EMA or another foreign regulatory authority regarding the scope or design of our clinical trials; | |
| ● | delays in obtaining, or our inability to obtain, required approvals from institutional review boards or other reviewing entities at clinical sites selected for participation in our clinical trials; | |
| ● | insufficient supply of our product candidates or other materials necessary to conduct and complete our clinical trials; | |
| ● | slow enrollment and retention rate of subjects in clinical trials; | |
| ● | any compliance audits and pre-approval inspections by the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities; | |
| ● | negative or inconclusive results from clinical trials, or results that are inconsistent with earlier results; | |
| ● | serious and unexpected drug-related side effects; and | |
| ● | failure of our third-party contractors to comply with regulatory requirements or otherwise meet their contractual obligations to us. |
Commercialization or licensure of our product candidates may be delayed or prevented by the imposition of additional conditions on our clinical trials by the FDA, EMA or another foreign regulatory authority or the requirement of additional supportive clinical trials by the FDA, EMA, or another foreign regulatory authority. In addition, clinical trials require sufficient patient enrollment, which is a function of many factors, including the size of the patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the availability of effective treatments for the relevant disease, the conduct of other clinical trials that compete for the same patients as our clinical trials, and the eligibility criteria for our clinical trials. Our failure to enroll patients in our clinical trials could delay the completion of the clinical trial beyond our expectations, or it could prevent us from being able to complete the clinical trial. In addition, the FDA and EMA could require us to conduct clinical trials with a larger number of subjects than we have projected for any of our product candidates. We may not be able to enroll a sufficient number of patients in a timely or cost-effective manner. Furthermore, enrolled patients may drop out of our clinical trials, which could impair the validity or statistical significance of the clinical trials.
We do not know whether our clinical trials will begin as planned, will need to be restructured, or will be completed on schedule, if at all. Delays in our clinical trials will result in increased development costs for our product candidates, and our financial resources may be insufficient to fund any incremental costs. In addition, if our clinical trials are delayed, our competitors may be able to bring products to market before we do, and the commercial viability of our product candidates could be limited.
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If physicians and patients do not accept our future products or if the market for indications for which any product candidate is approved is smaller than expected, we may be unable to generate significant revenue, if any.
Even if any of our product candidates obtain regulatory approval, they may not gain market acceptance among physicians, patients, and third-party payers. Physicians may decide not to prescribe our drugs for a variety of reasons including:
| ● | timing of market introduction of competitive products; | |
| ● | demonstration of clinical safety and efficacy compared to other products; | |
| ● | cost-effectiveness; | |
| ● | limited or no coverage by third-party payers; | |
| ● | convenience and ease of administration; | |
| ● | prevalence and severity of adverse side effects; | |
| ● | restrictions in the label of the drug; | |
| ● | other potential advantages of alternative treatment methods; and | |
| ● | ineffective marketing and distribution support of our products. |
If any of our product candidates is approved, but fails to achieve market acceptance, we may not be able to generate significant revenue and our business would suffer.
The uncertainty associated with pharmaceutical reimbursement and related matters may adversely affect our business.
Market acceptance and sales of any one or more of our product candidates that we develop will depend on reimbursement policies and may be affected by future healthcare reform measures in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions. Government authorities and third-party payers, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which drugs they will cover and establish payment levels. We cannot be certain that reimbursement will be available for any product candidates that we develop. Also, we cannot be certain that reimbursement policies will not reduce the demand for, or the price paid for, our products. If reimbursement is not available or is available on a limited basis, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product candidates that we develop.
In the United States, the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, also called the Medicare Modernization Act, or MMA, changed the way Medicare covers and pays for pharmaceutical products. The legislation established Medicare Part D, which expanded Medicare coverage for outpatient prescription drug purchases by the elderly but provided authority for limiting the number of drugs that will be covered in any therapeutic class. The MMA also introduced a new reimbursement methodology based on average sales prices for physician-administered drugs.
The United States and several foreign jurisdictions are considering, or have already enacted, a number of legislative and regulatory proposals to change the healthcare system in ways that could affect our ability to sell our products profitably. Among policy makers and payers in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access to healthcare. In the United States, the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative initiatives. We expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of any products that we develop due to the trend toward managed healthcare, the increasing influence of health maintenance organizations and additional legislative proposals.
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In March 2010, the Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, or collectively, ACA, became law in the U.S. The goal of ACA is to reduce the cost of health care and substantially change the way health care is financed by both government and private insurers. While we cannot predict what impact on federal reimbursement policies this legislation will have in general or on our business specifically, the ACA may result in downward pressure on pharmaceutical reimbursement, which could negatively affect market acceptance of, and the price we may charge for, any products we develop that receive regulatory approval.
More recently, a past U.S. presidential administration had made statements suggesting plans to seek repeal of all or portions of the ACA. There could be uncertainty regarding the impact that a future Presidential administration may have on matters governed by the ACA, if any, and any regulatory or legislative changes will likely take time to unfold. These changes could have an impact on coverage and reimbursement for healthcare items and services covered by plans that were authorized by the ACA. However, we cannot predict the ultimate content, timing or effect of any healthcare reform legislation or the impact of potential legislation on us. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our products.
Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures.
Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our third-party CROs and other contractors and consultants are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Furthermore, we have little or no control over the security measures and computer systems of our third-party CROs and other contractors and consultants. While we have not experienced any material system failure, accident, or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations, it could result in a material disruption of our programs. For example, the loss of clinical trial data for our product candidates could result in delays in our marketing approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a loss of or damage to our data or applications or other data or applications relating to our technology or product candidates, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liabilities and the further development of our product candidates could be delayed.
REGULATORY AND LEGAL RISK FACTORS
If we are unable to obtain required regulatory approvals, we will be unable to market and sell our product candidates.
Our product candidates are subject to extensive governmental regulations relating to development, clinical trials, manufacturing, oversight of clinical investigators, recordkeeping, and commercialization. Rigorous preclinical testing and clinical trials and an extensive regulatory review and approval process are required to be successfully completed in the United States, in the European Union and in many other foreign jurisdictions before a new drug can be sold. Satisfaction of these and other regulatory requirements is costly, time consuming, uncertain, and subject to unanticipated delays. The time required to obtain approval by the FDA or the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, is unpredictable and often takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials.
In connection with the clinical development of our product candidates, we face risks that:
| ● | our product candidates may not prove to be safe and efficacious; | |
| ● | patients may die or suffer serious adverse effects for reasons that may or may not be related to the product candidate being tested; | |
| ● | we fail to maintain adequate records of observations and data from our clinical trials, to establish and maintain sufficient procedures to oversee, collect data from, and manage clinical trials, or to monitor clinical trial sites and investigators to the satisfaction of the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory agencies; |
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| ● | we may not have sufficient financial resources to complete the clinical trials that would be necessary to obtain regulatory approvals; | |
| ● | the results of later-phase clinical trials may not confirm the results of earlier clinical trials; and | |
| ● | the results from clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical significance or clinical benefit-to-risk ratio required by the FDA, EMA, or other regulatory agencies for marketing approval. |
Only a small percentage of product candidates for which clinical trials are initiated are the subject of NDAs and even fewer receive approval for commercialization. Furthermore, even if we do receive regulatory approval to market a product candidate, any such approval may be subject to limitations such as those on the indicated uses for which we may market the product.
If we or the third parties on which we rely for the conduct of our clinical trials and results do not perform our clinical trial activities in accordance with good clinical practices and related regulatory requirements, we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval for or commercialize our product candidates.
We currently use independent clinical investigators in all our clinical trials and, in many cases, also utilize contract research organizations, or CROs, and other third-party service providers to conduct and/or oversee the clinical trials of our product candidates and expect to continue to do so for the foreseeable future. We rely heavily on these parties for successful execution of our clinical trials. Nonetheless, we are responsible for confirming that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the FDA’s requirements and our general investigational plan and protocol. Currently, we have clinical trial activities involving CA4P and OXi4503 being conducted by clinical investigators who are independent of us, but with whom we have agreements for them to provide the results of their clinical trials to us. In order for us to rely on data from these ongoing clinical trials in support of a New Drug Application, or NDA, for approval of any of our product candidates by the FDA or similar types of marketing applications that are required by other regulatory authorities, the independent investigators are required to comply with applicable good clinical practice requirements.
The FDA and corresponding foreign regulatory authorities require us and our clinical investigators to comply with regulations and standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, or GCPs, for conducting and recording and reporting the results of clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the trial participants are adequately protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. Third parties may not complete activities on schedule or may not conduct our clinical trials in accordance with regulatory requirements or the respective trial plans and protocols. The failure of these third parties to carry out their obligations could delay or prevent the development, approval and commercialization of our product candidates or result in enforcement action against us.
We have taken and continue to take steps to strengthen our procedures and practices, but we cannot assure you that the FDA will be satisfied with our procedures or that the FDA will not issue warning letters or take other enforcement action against us in the future. The steps we take to strengthen our procedures and conduct future clinical trials necessary for approval will be time-consuming and expensive.
The use of our products may result in product liability exposure, and it is uncertain whether our insurance coverage will be sufficient to cover all claims.
The use of our product candidates in clinical trials may expose us to liability claims in the event such product candidates cause death, injury or disease, or result in adverse effects. We may be exposed to liability claims even if our product did not cause death, injury or diseases, but is merely presumed or alleged to have caused any of these. If our product candidates are ever commercially approved, the commercial use of these products may also expose us to similar liability claims. Any of these claims could be made by health care institutions, contract laboratories, patients or others using such products. Although we have obtained liability insurance coverage for our ongoing clinical trials, this coverage may not be in amounts sufficient to protect us from any product liability claims or product recalls which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and prospects. Further, adverse product and similar liability claims could negatively impact our ability to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals for our technology and product candidates under development.
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We have been granted orphan drug status for certain of our product candidates and may seek orphan drug status for additional indications for those product candidates or for additional product candidates. We may be unsuccessful in maintaining orphan drug exclusivity for our product candidates and may be unsuccessful in our efforts to seek orphan drug status and orphan drug exclusivity.
Regulatory authorities in some jurisdictions, including the United States and the European Union, may designate drugs for relatively small patient populations as orphan drugs. Under the Orphan Drug Act, the FDA may designate a product as an orphan drug if it is a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally defined as a disease with a patient population of fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. Our lead product candidate, OXi4503, has been awarded orphan drug status by the FDA and the European Commission for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia. Our other product candidate, CA4P, has been awarded orphan drug status by the FDA for the treatment of anaplastic, medullary, Stage IV papillary and Stage IV follicular thyroid cancers, ovarian cancer, neuroendocrine tumors and glioma. CA4P has also been awarded orphan drug status by the European Commission in the European Union for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer, ovarian cancer and neuroendocrine tumors.
Generally, if a product with an orphan drug designation subsequently receives the first marketing approval for the indication for which it has such designation, the product is entitled to a period of marketing exclusivity, which precludes the EMA or the FDA from approving another marketing application for the same drug for the same indication during the period of exclusivity. The applicable period is seven years in the United States and ten years in the European Union. The European exclusivity period can be reduced to six years if a drug no longer meets the criteria for orphan drug designation or if the drug is sufficiently profitable so that market exclusivity is no longer justified. Orphan drug exclusivity may be lost if the FDA or the EMA determines that the request for designation was materially defective, if the manufacturer is unable to assure sufficient quantity of the drug to meet the needs of patients with the rare disease or condition.
Even if we obtain orphan drug exclusivity for a product candidate or additional product candidates, that exclusivity may not effectively protect the product candidate from competition because different drugs can be approved for the same condition. Even after an orphan drug is approved, the FDA can subsequently approve a different drug for the same condition if the FDA concludes that the later drug is clinically superior in that it is shown to be safer, more effective or makes a major contribution to patient care.
Our product candidates will remain subject to ongoing regulatory review even if they receive marketing approval, and if we fail to comply with continuing regulations, we could lose these approvals and the sale of any approved commercial products could be suspended.
Even if we receive regulatory approval to market a particular product candidate, the manufacturing, labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion, and record keeping related to the product will remain subject to extensive regulatory requirements. If we fail to comply with the regulatory requirements of the FDA, EMA and other applicable domestic and foreign regulatory authorities or previously unknown problems with any approved product, manufacturer, or manufacturing process are discovered, we could be subject to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions, including:
| ● | restrictions on the products, manufacturers, or manufacturing processes; | |
| ● | warning letters; | |
| ● | civil or criminal penalties; | |
| ● | fines; | |
| ● | injunctions; |
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| ● | product seizures or detentions; | |
| ● | pressure to initiate voluntary product recalls; | |
| ● | suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals; and | |
| ● | refusal to approve pending applications for marketing approval of new products or supplements to approved applications. |
Our employees, principal investigators, CROs and consultants may engage in misconduct or other improper activities, including non-compliance with regulatory standards and requirements and insider trading.
We are exposed to the risk that our employees, principal investigators, CROs and consultants may engage in fraudulent conduct or other illegal activity. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless and/or negligent conduct or disclosure of unauthorized activities to us that violate the regulations of the FDA and other regulatory authorities, including those laws requiring the reporting of true, complete, and accurate information to such authorities; healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations in the United States and abroad; or laws that require the reporting of financial information or data accurately. In particular, sales, marketing and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, misconduct, kickbacks, self-dealing and other abusive practices. Activities subject to these laws also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials or creating fraudulent data in our preclinical studies or clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and cause serious harm to our reputation.
We have a code of conduct applicable to all of our employees, but it is not always possible to identify and deter misconduct by employees and other third parties, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with these laws or regulations. Additionally, we are subject to the risk that a person could allege such fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a significant impact on our business, including the imposition of civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, monetary fines, possible exclusion from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs, contractual damages, reputational harm, diminished profits and future earnings, and curtailment of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our results of operations.
RISKS RELATED TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
We depend extensively on the patents and proprietary technology we license from others, and we must maintain these licenses in order to preserve our business.
We have licensed rights to CA4P, OXi4503 and other programs from third parties. If our license agreements terminate or expire, we may lose the licensed rights to our product candidates, including CA4P and OXi4503, and we may not be able to continue to develop them or, if they are approved, we may not be able to market or commercialize them.
We depend on license agreements with third-parties for certain intellectual property rights relating to our product candidates, including patent rights. Currently, we have licensed certain patent rights from Arizona State University, or ASU, and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company for CA4P and OXi4503 and from Baylor University for other programs. In general, our license agreements require us to make payments and satisfy performance obligations in order to keep these agreements in effect and retain our rights under them. These payment obligations can include upfront fees, maintenance fees, milestones, royalties, patent prosecution expense, and other fees. These performance obligations typically include diligence obligations. If we fail to pay, be diligent or otherwise perform as required under our license agreements, we could lose the rights under the patents and other intellectual property rights covered by the agreements. While we are not currently aware of any dispute with any licensors under our material agreements with them, if disputes arise under any of our in-licenses, including our in-licenses from ASU, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and Baylor University, we could lose our rights under these agreements. Any such dispute may not be resolvable on favorable terms, or at all. Whether or not any disputes of this kind are favorably resolved, our management’s time and attention and our other resources could be consumed by the need to attend to and seek to resolve these disputes and our business could be harmed by the emergence of such a dispute.
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If we lose our rights under these agreements, we may not be able to conduct any further activities with the product candidate or program that the license covered. If this were to happen, we might not be able to develop our product candidates further, or following regulatory approval, if any, we might be prohibited from marketing or commercializing them. In particular, patents previously licensed to us, such as the patents we previously licensed from Angiogene, might after termination be used to stop us from conducting activities in the patents’ respective fields.
We depend on patents and proprietary technology in the course of our business, and we must protect those assets in order to preserve our business.
Although we expect to seek patent protection for any compounds we discover and/or for any specific use we discover for new or previously known compounds, any or all of them may not be subject to effective patent protection. Further, the development of regimens for the administration of pharmaceuticals, which generally involve specifications for the frequency, timing and amount of dosages, has been, and we believe, may continue to be, important to our effort, although those processes, as such, may not be patentable. In addition, the issued patents may be declared invalid, or our competitors may find ways to avoid the claims in the patents. Further, our lack of access to adequate capital may cause us to curtail payment of fees necessary to maintain patents that we otherwise would seek to maintain, and we may make incorrect decisions regarding which patents to keep and which to abandon.
Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to obtain and maintain patents, protect our trade secrets and operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We are the exclusive licensee, sole assignee, or co- assignee on a number of granted United States patents, pending United States patent applications, and granted patents and/or pending applications in several other major markets, including the European Union, Canada and Japan. The patent position of pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms like us is generally highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions, resulting in both an apparent inconsistency regarding the breadth of claims allowed in United States patents and general uncertainty as to their legal interpretation and enforceability. Accordingly, patent applications assigned or exclusively licensed to us may not result in patents being issued, any issued patents assigned or exclusively licensed to us may not provide us with competitive protection or may be challenged by others, and the current or future granted patents of others may have an adverse effect on our ability to do business and achieve profitability. Moreover, because some of the basic research relating to one or more of our patent applications and/or patents were performed at various universities and/or funded by grants, one or more of these universities, employees of such universities and/or grantors could assert that they have certain rights in such research and any resulting products. Further, others may independently develop similar products, may duplicate our products, or may design around our patent rights. In addition, as a result of the assertion of rights by a third-party or otherwise, we may be required to obtain licenses to patents or other proprietary rights of others in or outside of the United States. Any licenses required under any such patents or proprietary rights may not be made available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we do not obtain such licenses, we could encounter delays in product market introductions while our attempts to design around such patents or could find that the development, manufacture, or sale of products requiring such licenses is foreclosed. In addition, we could incur substantial costs in defending ourselves in suits brought against us or in connection with patents to which we hold licenses or in bringing suit to protect our own patents against infringement.
We require employees and the institutions that perform our preclinical and clinical trials to enter into confidentiality agreements with us. Those agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to a party to any such agreement during the course of the relationship with us be kept confidential and not be disclosed to third-parties, except in specific circumstances. Any such agreement may not provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets or other confidential information in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of such information.
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RISKS RELATED TO OUR STOCK AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES
The price of our common stock is volatile and is likely to continue to fluctuate due to reasons beyond our control; a limited public trading market may cause volatility in the price of our common stock.
The market price of our common stock has been, and likely will continue to be, highly volatile. Factors, including our financial results or our competitors’ financial results, clinical trial and research development announcements and government regulatory action affecting our potential products in both the United States and foreign countries, have had, and may continue to have, a significant effect on our results of operations and on the market price of our common stock. We cannot assure you that an investment in our common stock will not fluctuate significantly. One or more of these factors could significantly harm our business and cause a decline in the price of our common stock in the public market. Substantially all of the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and warrants have been registered or are likely to be registered for resale or are available for sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act and may be sold from time to time. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 248 million shares of common stock underlying currently outstanding convertible debt, warrants and options. Sales of any of these shares on the market, as well as future sales of our common stock by existing stockholders, or the perception that sales may occur at any time, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB Market. The quotation of our common stock on the OTCQB Market does not assure that a meaningful, consistent, and liquid trading market currently exists, and in recent years such market has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have particularly affected the market prices of many smaller companies like us. Our common stock is subject to this volatility. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock, or the perception that such sales might occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock and our stock price may decline substantially in a short time and our stockholders could suffer losses or be unable to liquidate their holdings.
The price of our common stock may be volatile and fluctuate substantially, which could result in substantial losses for purchasers of our common stock.
Our stock price may be volatile. The stock market in general and the market for smaller specialty pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology, in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies or the quality of the underlying assets. As a result of this volatility, you may not be able to sell your common stock at or above the price you paid for such shares. The market price for our common stock may be influenced by many factors, including but not limited to:
| ● | reduction in stock price could indicate impairment of the goodwill and intangible assets; | |
| ● | market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors; | |
| ● | general economic, industry, and market conditions; and | |
| ● | the other factors described in this “Risk Factors” section. |
We will require additional capital funding, the receipt of which may impair the value of our common stock.
Our future capital requirements depend on many factors, including our research, development, sales, and marketing activities. We will need to raise additional capital through public or private equity or debt offerings or through arrangements with strategic partners or other sources in order to continue to develop our product candidates. There can be no assurance that additional capital will be available when needed or on terms satisfactory to us, if at all. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our shareholders may experience substantial dilution and the new equity securities may have greater rights, preferences, or privileges than our existing common stock.
Our common stock is currently subject to the “Penny Stock” Rules of the SEC and the trading market in our securities is limited, which makes transactions in our stock cumbersome and may reduce the value of an investment in our stock.
As of December 31, 2023, we had net assets of $22.9 million and our common stock had a market price per share of less than $5.00. As a result, transactions in our common stock are subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules. The designation of our common stock as a “penny stock” likely limits the liquidity of our common stock. Prices for penny stocks are often not available to buyers and sellers and the market may be very limited. Penny stocks are among the riskiest equity investments. Broker-dealers who sell penny stocks must provide purchasers of these stocks with a standardized risk-disclosure document prepared by the SEC. The document provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks involved in investing in the penny stock market. A broker must also provide purchasers with bid and offer quotations and information regarding broker and salesperson compensation and make a written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and obtain the purchaser’s written agreement to the purchase. Many brokers choose not to participate in penny stock transactions. Because of the penny stock rules, there may be less trading activity in penny stocks. Because shares of our common stock are currently subject to these penny stock rules, your ability to trade or dispose of shares of our common stock may be adversely affected.
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We may not be able to achieve secondary trading of our stock in certain states because our common stock is no longer nationally traded, which could subject our stockholders to significant restrictions and costs.
Our common stock is not currently eligible for trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market or on a national securities exchange. Therefore, our common stock is subject to the securities laws of the various states and jurisdictions of the United States in addition to federal securities law. While we may register our common stock or qualify for exemptions for our common stock in one of more states, if we fail to do so the investors in those states where we have not taken such steps may not be allowed to purchase our stock or those who presently hold our stock may not be able to resell their shares without substantial effort and expense. These restrictions and potential costs could be significant burdens on our stockholders.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results. As a result, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which could harm our business and the trading price of our stock.
Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports. If we cannot maintain effective controls and reliable financial reports, our business and operating results could be harmed. For example, our small size and limited staffing levels do not allow for segregation of duties that exist at larger companies. We have conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023, based on the criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework). Based on that evaluation, our management concluded that our internal controls over financial reporting were not effective as of December 31, 2023. While we continue to work on remedying our weaknesses and maintaining effective internal controls over financial reporting; however, there can be no assurance that a material weakness will not occur in the future, or our material weaknesses would be rectified. Any failure to implement and maintain controls over our financial reporting or difficulties encountered in the implementation of improvements in our controls could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Any failure to maintain our internal controls over financial reporting or to address identified weaknesses in the future, if they were to occur, could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative impact on the trading price of our stock.
Issuance of additional equity securities may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
We were authorized to issue up to 750,000,000 shares of our common stock. As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 399.2 million shares of common stock issued and outstanding, including approximately 1 million shares of common stock to be issued. As of December 31, 2023, we also had approximately 62 million warrants outstanding, approximately 24 million options and approximately 162 million shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of convertible notes.
To the extent that additional shares of common stock are issued, or options and warrants are exercised, holders of our common stock will experience dilution. In addition, in the event of any future issuances of equity securities or securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock, holders of our common stock may experience dilution.
Our Board of Directors is authorized to issue preferred stock without any action on the part of our stockholders. Our Board of Directors also has the power, without stockholder approval, to set the terms of any such preferred stock that may be issued, including voting rights, conversion rights, dividend rights, preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends or if we liquidate, dissolve, or wind up our business and other terms. If we issue preferred stock in the future that has preference over our common stock with respect to the payment of dividends or upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or if we issue preferred stock with voting rights that dilute the voting power of our common stock, the market price of our common stock could decrease. Any provision permitting the conversion of any such preferred stock into our common stock could result in significant dilution to the holders of our common stock.
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We also consider from time-to-time various strategic alternatives that could involve issuances of additional common or preferred stock, including but not limited to acquisitions and business combinations.
We have no plans to pay dividends on our common stock, and you may not receive funds without selling your common stock.
We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock, nor do we expect to pay any cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain any future earnings, if any, to finance our operations and growth and, potentially, for future stock repurchases and, therefore, we have no plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock. Any future determination to pay cash dividends on our common stock will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will be dependent on our earnings, financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, any contractual restrictions, and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.
Accordingly, you may have to sell some or all of your common stock in order to generate cash from your investment in the Company. You may not receive a gain on your investment when you sell our common stock and may lose the entire amount of your investment.
The Company will require additional capital funding, the receipt of which may impair the value of our Common Stock and EdgePoint’s Common Stock.
Our future capital requirements and EdgePoint’s future capital requirements depend on many factors, including our research, development, sales, and marketing activities as well as the development of EdgePoint’s business. We and EdgePoint will need to raise additional capital through public or private equity or debt offerings or through arrangements with strategic partners or other sources in order to continue to develop our product candidates. There can be no assurance that additional capital will be available when needed or on terms satisfactory to us or EdgePoint, if at all. To the extent we and/or EdgePoint raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our shareholders and EdgePoint’s shareholders may experience substantial dilution and the new equity securities may have greater rights, preferences, or privileges than our existing Common Stock and EdgePoint’s Common Stock and the Securities contemplated to be issued as described in this Confidential Offering Memorandum.
GENERAL RISK FACTORS
Unfavorable global epidemic or pandemic conditions could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our operations and the financial results of our operations could be adversely affected by general conditions in the global economy and in the global financial markets. Global financial concerns have caused, and may continue to cause, extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets. A severe or prolonged economic downturn could result in a variety of risks to our business, including our ability to raise additional capital when needed on acceptable terms, if at all. We cannot currently anticipate all the ways in which the current economic climate and financial market conditions could adversely impact our business.
Our business may suffer from the severity or longevity of the COVID-19 Global Outbreak.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has become less effective, the after effects of the pandemic continue impacting countries, communities, supply chains and markets, as well as the global financial markets. To date, COVID-19 has not had a material impact on the Company, other than as set forth above. However, the Company cannot predict whether COVID-19, or any other global pandemic, will have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations due to understaffing, disruptions in government spending, among other factors.
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A material amount of our assets represents intangible assets, and our net income would be reduced if our intangible assets became impaired.
As of December 31, 2023, our gross intangible assets and goodwill from our 2019 PointR acquisition represented approximately $1.1 million and approximately $6 million, respectively; and the fair value of our investment in our JV was approximately $22.7 million, representing approximately 99% of our total assets. Goodwill is generated in our acquisitions when the cost of an acquisition exceeds the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets we acquire. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are subject to an impairment analysis at least annually based on fair value. Intangible assets relate primarily to in-process research and development (IPR&D) and patents acquired by us as part of our acquisitions of other companies and are subject to an impairment analysis whenever events or changes in circumstances exist that indicate that the carrying value of the intangible asset might not be recoverable. If market and economic conditions or business performance deteriorate, the likelihood that we would record an impairment charge would increase, which impairment charge could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and operating results. As the market capitalization of our Company was adversely impacted due to a reduction in the stock price of our Common Stock, during the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded an impairment of approximately $6.1 million on the goodwill representing the difference in net assets over the fair value of the Company, based on our market capitalization.
We, or the third parties upon whom we depend, may be adversely affected by earthquakes or other natural disasters and our business continuity and disaster recovery plans may not adequately protect us from a serious disaster.
Earthquakes or other natural disasters could severely disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects. If a natural disaster, power outage or other event occurred that prevented us from using all or a significant portion of our headquarters, that damaged critical infrastructure, such as the manufacturing facilities of our third-party contract manufacturers, or that otherwise disrupted operations, it may be difficult or, in certain cases, impossible for us to continue our business for a substantial period of time. The disaster recovery and business continuity plan we have in place may prove inadequate in the event of a serious disaster or similar event. We may incur substantial expenses as a result of the limited nature of our disaster recovery and business continuity plans, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We have formed a DAO company to operate with a DAO infrastructure within the rigor of a corporation.
In November 2022, the Company formed a DAO entity, Pet2DAO Inc., as a wholly owned subsidiary. Pet2DAO is a DAO technology company, integrating the strong governance of traditional corporations with the innovative DAO architecture. The Company will look to engage stakeholders, to build value through the DAO, while maintaining the rigor of traditional corporations, including governance, compliance, and accountability through a team of veterans in public companies with innovators in AI, blockchain and Web3. Pet2DAO will initially be looking to develop products for the animal health space. The Company will initially issue regular tokens and NFTs of Pet2DAO called PDAO to its employees, shareholders and KOLs and use the Tokens to propose and vote on various animal health related programs. In the future, the Company will evaluate and plan to register these tokens with the SEC to make such Tokens freely tradable at a future point in time. The Company cannot predict the outcome of Pet2DAO as an entity, how investors will look at this new development, especially with what is happening in the crypto currency environment, the success of the tokens, whether we will be able to register the tokens as securities or the success to make these tokens freely tradable. Any failure of a DAO could cause investors of the Company to discontinue to be invested in the Company, and which could have a negative impact on the trading price of our stock.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our office is located in Agoura Hills, California, where we lease about 2,000 square feet of general office space. The lease for this office is on a month-to-month basis. We consider our office space to be adequate for our current needs. We believe that other suitable office space would be available if we moved to a different location upon the expiration of our current lease.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time, we may become involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. Historically, the outcome of all such legal proceedings has not, in the aggregate, had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Other than as set forth below, there is no additional material pending or threatened legal proceedings at this time.
One of the Company’s ex-employees has made a breach of employment contract claim against the Company. The Company and its legal counsel are evaluating the validity of the claim, as the Company believes that such claim has limited merits and is hopeful to attain a positive outcome for such claim. Since the Company and its legal counsel are still evaluating the claim, we are unable to quantify the amount such claim would be settled at, if at all settled.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The Company’s common stock trades on the OTCQB market, operated by OTC Markets, under the symbol “OTLC”.
Holders
As of April 11, 2024, there were 79 stockholders of record of the 399,683,858 outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock.
Dividends
The Company has not declared or paid any cash dividends on its common stock since its inception in 1988 and does not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. The Company presently intends to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of its business.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
Information relating to compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance is presented in Part III, Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Unregistered Sales of Securities
No unregistered securities were issued during the fiscal year that were not previously reported in a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Current Report on Form 8-K.
ITEM 6. RESERVED
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Annual Report” or “Report”) includes a number of forward-looking statements that reflect management’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. Forward- looking statements are projections in respect of future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of us and members of our management team, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. For a more detailed discussion on our forward-looking statements, kindly refer to “Forward Looking Statements” prior to Item 1: Part I: Business contained in this Annual Report.
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Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, or performance. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. Some of these risks are included in the section entitled “Risk Factors” set forth in this Annual Report and in other reports that we file with the SEC. The occurrence of any of these risks, or others of which we are currently unaware, may cause our company’s actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks include, by way of example and without limitation:
| ● | our ability to successfully commercialize our products and services on a large enough scale to generate profitable operations; | |
| ● | our ability to maintain and develop relationships with customers and suppliers; | |
| ● | our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses or new products, or to realize anticipated synergies in connection with acquisitions of businesses or products; | |
| ● | expectations concerning our ability to raise additional funding and to continue as a going concern; | |
| ● | our ability to successfully implement our business plan; | |
| ● | our ability to successfully operate GMP Biotechnology Limited (“GMP Bio”), our joint venture with Dragon Overseas Limited (“Dragon”), to develop our product portfolio, or to have a successful IPO for GMP Bio as planned; | |
| ● | our ability to avoid, or to adequately address any intellectual property claims brought by third parties; and | |
| ● | the anticipated impact of any changes in industry regulation. | |
| ● | building and the success of our nanoparticle platform and the related success of launching the platform | |
| ● | the success of the launch of a company with a DAO infrastructure, the success of the entity and the plans surrounding the pet and animal health, the ability for the Company to register the tokens of Pet2Dao, the actual filing of a registration statement and approval of the tokens as registrable securities with the SEC through a registration statement, the ability of the tokens to be tradable or any value such tokens may have if they become tradable. |
Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in this Annual Report and in our other reports filed with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in the future operating results over time except as required by law. We believe that our assumptions are based upon reasonable data derived from and known about our business and operations. No assurances are made that the actual results of operations or the results of our future activities will not differ materially from our assumptions.
Corporate History
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. (“Oncotelic”), was formed in the State of New York in 1988 as OXiGENE, Inc., was reincorporated in the State of Delaware in 1992, and changed its name to Mateon Therapeutics, Inc. in 2016, and Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. in November 2020. Oncotelic conducts business activities through Oncotelic and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Oncotelic, Inc., a Delaware corporation, PointR Data, Inc. (“PointR”), a Delaware corporation, Pet2DAO Inc., a Delaware corporation and EdgePoint AI, Inc. (“Edgepoint”), a Delaware Corporation for which there are non-controlling interests, (Oncotelic, Oncotelic Inc., PointR, Pet2DAO and Edgepoint are collectively called the “Company” or “We”). The Company completed a reverse merger with Oncotelic Inc in April 2019, a merger with PointR in November 2019 and formed a subsidiary Edgepoint in February 2020. For more information on these mergers, 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 2023 or our 2022 Annual Report on form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 20, 2023.
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Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation
In March 2021, the Company received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority on its notice of corporate action to change the name of the Company from Mateon Therapeutics, Inc. to Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc, and the Company’s ticker symbol has changed from “MATN” to “OTLC”.
In January 2021, the Company filed an additional amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation, as amended (the “Charter Amendment”), with the Secretary of State for the State of Delaware, which Charter Amendment went effective immediately upon acceptance by the Secretary of State for the State of Delaware. The Charter Amendment increased the number of authorized shares of Common Stock from 150,000,000 shares to 750,000,000 shares.
In addition, the Company registered an additional total of 20,000,000 shares of its Common Stock, which may be issued pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”). As such, the total number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock available for issuance under the 2015 plan is 27,250,000.
Company Overview
We are a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing drugs for the treatment of cancer. Our goal is to advance our drug candidates into late-stage pivotal clinical trials and either sell marketing rights to a larger pharmaceutical company or seek FDA approval ourselves.
The Company is currently developing OT-101, through its joint venture (“JV”) with Dragon Overseas Capital Limited (“Dragon”) and GMP Biotechnology Limited (“GMP Bio”), both affiliates of Golden Mountain Partners (“GMP”), for various cancers and COVID-19, Artemisinin for COVID-19 and AI technologies for clinical development and manufacturing. The Company is also independently planning to develop OT-101 for certain animal health indications and contemplating using crypto currencies for that platform. The Company has acquired apomorphine for Parkinson’s Disease, erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction. In addition, the Company is evaluating the further development of its product candidates OXi4503 as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes and CA4P in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma.
In 2020, the Company had entered into an agreement and supplemental agreement with GMP for a total of $1.2 million to render services for the development of OT-101 for COVID-19 and such amount was recorded as revenue upon completion of all performance obligations under the agreement. The Company secured various financings from GMP between 2020 and early 2022. For information on the GMP financings, please refer to GMP Note purchase agreements and unsecured notes below.
For more information on the GMP debt financing and the JV, refer to Notes 5 and 6 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
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In November 2022, the Company formed a Decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) entity, Pet2DAO, Inc. (“Pet2DAO”), as a wholly owned subsidiary. A DAO is an emerging form of legal structure, that has no central governing body, and whose members share a common goal to act in the best interest of the entity. Pet2DAO is a DAO technology company, integrating the strong governance of traditional corporations with the innovative DAO architecture. The Company will look to engage stakeholders, to build value through the DAO, while maintaining the rigor of traditional corporations, including governance, compliance, and accountability through a team of veterans in public companies with innovators in AI, blockchain and Web3. Pet2DAO will initially be looking to develop products for the animal health space. The Company will initially issue regular tokens and non-fungible tokens (“NFT” and cumulatively “Tokens”) of Pet2DAO called PDAO to its employees, shareholders, and key opinion leaders (“KOLs’) and use the Tokens to propose and vote on various animal health related programs. In the future, the Company will evaluate and plan to register these tokens with the SEC to make such Tokens freely tradable at a future point in time.
Since April 2019, we have been operating under significant capital constraints, which has curtailed our ability to achieve meaningful progress in either of the Company’s two clinical programs – one of which is developing OXi4503 as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes and the other of which is developing CA4P in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma. We believe that the merger of Oncotelic and Oncotelic Inc. creates a combined company that has potential to generate shareholder value through a promising pipeline of next generation immunotherapies targeting several significant cancer markets where there is a lack of therapeutic options and lack of an effective immunotherapy protocol.
Forever Prosperity, LLC (assigned by GMP) Note purchase agreements and unsecured notes
In June 2020, the Company secured $2 million in debt financing, evidenced by a one-year convertible note (the “GMP Note”) from GMP, to conduct a clinical trial evaluating OT-101 against COVID-19 bearing 2% annual interest, and is personally guaranteed by Dr. Vuong Trieu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The GMP Note is convertible into the Company’s Common Stock upon the GMP Note’s maturity of the GMP Note, at the Company’s Common Stock price on the date of conversion with no discount. GMP has waived the default in the maturity of the GMP Note and as such there is no event of default and also agreed to extend the date of maturity of the GMP Note to December 31, 2024. GMP does not have the option to convert prior to the GMP Note’s maturity. Such financing will be utilized solely to fund the clinical trial. The Company’s liability under GMP Note commenced to accrue when GMP first began to pay for services related to the clinical trial to our third-party clinical research organization, up to a maximum of $2 million. GMP has been invoiced by the clinical research organization for the full $2 million as of December 31, 2023, and as such the Company has recognized the liability as a convertible debt.
In September 2021, the Company secured a further $1.5 million in debt financing, evidenced by a one-year convertible note (the “GMP Note 2”) from GMP, to fund the same clinical trial evaluating OT-101 against COVID- 19 bearing 2% annual interest. The GMP Note is convertible into the Company’s Common Stock upon the GMP Note 2’s maturity one year from the date of the GMP Note 2, at the Company’s Common Stock price on the date of conversion with no discount. GMP has waived the default in the maturity of the GMP Note and as such there is no event of default and also agreed to extend the date of maturity of the GMP Note to December 31, 2024. GMP does not have the option to convert prior to the GMP Note 2’s maturity at the end of one year. Such financing was to be utilized solely to fund the clinical trial. GMP was invoiced by the clinical research organization for $1.5 million. To this date, GMP has paid the clinical trial organization $1.0 million.
In October 2021, the Company entered into an Unsecured Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (the “October Purchase Agreement”) with GMP, pursuant to which the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $0.5 million (the “October 2021 Note”), which October 2021 Note is convertible into shares of the Company’s Common Stock. GMP has waived the default in the maturity of the GMP Note and as such there is no event of default and also agreed to extend the date of maturity of the GMP Note to December 31, 2024.
In January 2022, the Company entered into an Unsecured Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (the “January Purchase Agreement”) with GMP, pursuant to which the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $0.5 million (the “January 2022 Note”), which January 2022 Note is convertible into shares of the Company’s Common Stock. GMP agreed to extend the date of maturity of the January 2022 Note to December 31, 2024.
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Cumulatively, the GMP Note, GMP Note 2, October 2021 Note and the January 2022 Notes are referred to as the “GMP Notes”. The GMP Notes carry an interest rate of 2% per annum and mature on the earlier of (a) the one- year anniversary of the date of the Purchase Agreement, or (b) the acceleration of the maturity by GMP upon occurrence of an Event of Default (as defined below). All Notes contain a voluntary conversion mechanism whereby GMP may convert the outstanding principal and accrued interest under the terms of all the GMP Notes into shares of Common Stock (the “Conversion Shares”), at the consolidated closing bid price of the Company’s Common Stock on the applicable OTC Market as of the date the Company receives a Notice of Conversion from GMP. Prepayment of the GMP Notes may be made at any time by payment of the outstanding principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest. The October Note contains customary events of default (each an “Event of Default”). If an Event of Default occurs, at GMP’s election, the outstanding principal amount of the GMP Notes, plus accrued but unpaid interest, will become immediately due and payable in cash. The October Purchase Agreement requires the Company to use of the proceeds received under the October 2021 Note to support the clinical development of OT-101, including payroll and has been made in continuation of the relationship between the Company and GMP. Subsequently, GMP has assigned all the Notes to Forever Prosperity, LLC, an affiliated company of GMP and GMP Bio.
For more information on the Forever Prosperity, LLC (GMP) debt financing, refer to Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Joint Venture
In March 2022, the Company entered into (i) a joint venture (the “JV”) agreement with Dragon and GMP Bio, both affiliates of GMP, (and the Company, Dragon and GMP Bio are collectively called the “Parties”) (the “JVA”), (ii) a license agreement for rights to OT-101 (the “US License Agreement”) for the territory within the United States of America (the “US”) with Sapu Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of GMP Bio and (iii) a license agreement for rights to OT-101 for the rest of the world with GMP Bio (the “Ex-US Rights Agreement”, and the US License Agreement and the Ex-US License Agreement are collectively called the “Agreements”). For more information on the JV, JVA, and Agreements, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
As of the effective date of the formation of the JV, the combined enterprise value of GMP Bio was approximately $50.4 million, comprising of the fair value of the Company’s investment in GMP Bio of approximately $22.7 million and the total original capital contributions by Dragon Overseas of approximately $27.6 million. As of December 31, 2023, the JV had approximately $23 million in assets, not including GMP Bio’s capital subscriptions of approximately $18 million; recorded approximately $2.6 million in liabilities and incurred approximately $4.8 million and approximately $4.1 million in operational expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. While GMP’s fiscal year commences on April 1 and ends on March 31, the Company has reported the operational expenses for the same fiscal period as the Company. The Company elected the fair value option under subsection of Section 825-10-15 to account for its equity-method investment as the Company believes that it the most appropriate method to properly value the Company and record a change in value when and upon conducting a fair value assessment. GMP Bio conducted a fair value valuation study of the entity as of December 31, 2023. Based on the results of the valuation study and the 45% ownership of the Company in GMP Bio, the Company reported a change in fair value of the Company. As such, the Company reported a change in fair value of the investment in GMP Bio of approximately $13,000 as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2022, the Company did not believe the fair value of the JV has changed during the year ended December 31, 2022 and hence had not recorded a change in fair value.
For information on the various notes from GMP, refer to Note 5 – GMP Notes of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements below.
New Private Placement with JH Darbie
In July 2023, the Company completed entering into subscription agreements with certain accredited investors (“Subscription Agreement”), whereby the Company issued a total of 40 units (“Units”), with each Unit consisting of (i) one convertible promissory note issued by the Company (the “Note”), convertible into up to 250,000 shares of 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“the Company’s Common Stock”), at a conversion price of $0.10 per Company’s Common Stock; and (iii) 250,000 warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase an equivalent number of shares of Company Common Stock at $0.12 per share (the “Financing”). The Company converted the debt of 15 accredited investors, equal to 42 units of PPM-1, into the current Subscription Agreements, which resulted in $0 gross proceeds and conversion of $1.0 million of old debt into new debt to the Company. These conversions were for the prior private placement by JH Darbie (See Note 7 of these Notes to Unaudited Financial Statement). Placement agent fees of $150,000 were paid to JH Darbie & Co., Inc. (“JH Darbie). JH Darbie and the Company are parties to a placement agent agreement, dated March 10, 2023 (“Agreement”) pursuant to which DH Darbie has the right to sell a minimum of 10 Units and a maximum of 200 Units on a best efforts basis.
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Further, in October 2023, the Company entered into a series of subscription agreements with 27 accredited investors which resulted in a conversion of a gross amount of $1.05 million, consisting of 42 units, under the prior JH Darbie Financing into new debt to the Company. This conversion constituted to be Tranche 3 of the July 2023 PPM and the terms and conditions of such conversion are the same as that of the first 2 Tranches.
For more information on the prior JH Darbie Financing, review Note 7 of this Annual Report.
License Agreement with Autotelic, Inc.
On September 30, 2021, Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an exclusive License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Autotelic, Inc. (“Autotelic”), pursuant to which Autotelic granted Oncotelic the exclusive right and license to certain Autotelic Patents (as defined in the Agreement) and Autotelic Know-How (as defined in the License Agreement) and a right of first refusal to acquire at least a majority of the outstanding capital stock of Autotelic. For more information on the License Agreement, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
August 2021 Notes
In August 2021, the Company entered into Note Purchase Agreements with Autotelic, the Company’s CFO, and certain other accredited investors. Under the terms of the Note Purchase Agreements, the Company issued an aggregate of $698,500 (the “Principal Amount”) in debt in the form of unsecured convertible promissory notes (collectively, the “August 2021 Notes”). For more information on the August 2021 Notes, refer to Note 5 of the current Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
November / December 2021 and March 2022 Financing
In November / December 2021, the Company entered into securities purchase agreement with five institutional investors, whereby the Company issued five convertible notes in the aggregate principal amount of $1,250,000 convertible into shares of common stock of the Company. The convertible notes carry a twelve (12%) percent coupon and a default coupon of 16% and mature at the earliest of one year from issuance or upon event of default. Investors has the right at any time following issuance date to convert all or any part of the outstanding and unpaid amount of the note into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price established at a fixed rate of $0.07. The Company granted a total number of 9,615,385 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company Common Stock at a strike price of $0.13 up to five years after issuance. The Placement agent was also granted a total of 961,540 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company Common Stock at a strike price of $0.13 up to five years after issuance, as part of a finder’s fee agreement.
Further, in March 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Fourth Man, pursuant to which the Company issued convertible promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $0.25 million, convertible into shares of common stock of the Company. The convertible notes carry a twelve (12%) percent coupon and a default coupon of 16% and mature at the earliest of one year from issuance or upon event of default. As of December 31, 2023, this note was in default. The investors have the right at any time following issuance date to convert all or any part of the outstanding and unpaid amount of the note into the Company’s Common Stock at a conversion price established at a fixed rate of $0.10. The Company granted a total number of 1,250,000 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company common shares at a strike price of $0.20 up to five years after issuance. The Placement agent was also granted a total of 125,000 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company Common Stock at a strike price of $0.20 up to five years after issuance, as part of a finder’s fee agreement.
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During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company converted the balance of approximately $243,000 of Blue Lake November-December 2021 convertible note, inclusive of accrued interest, into 3,466,583 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, which fully retired the convertible note as of December 31, 2023. Further, during the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company fully converted the balance of Fourth Man convertible note of approximately $127,000 into 1,820,395 shares of the Company’s common stock, which fully retired the convertible note as of December 31, 2023.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company converted the Mast Hill convertible note into 4,025,000 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, which fully retired the convertible note during the second fiscal quarter of 2022.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company repaid the Talos Victory and First Fire convertible notes with the proceeds from the May 2022 Mast Hill convertible note.
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company converted $68,250 of Blue Lake note and $30,000 of accrued interest into 1,428,571 shares of Common Stock and converted $190,000 of the Fourth Man note into 2,764,286 shares of common stock.
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company converted $88,000 in principal and $52,000 in accrued interest, of Fourth Man March 2022 note, into 2,050,000 shares of common stock. The note includes a default amount calculated at 125% of the unpaid principal and accrued interest. As the Company failed to repay the note at the original maturity date, the Company accrued an additional $70,000 resulting from this default feature.
For more information on the November-December 2021 and March 2022 Financing, refer to Note 5 of current Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
May 2022 Note
In May 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with one institutional investor, whereby the Company issued one convertible note in the aggregate principal amount of $0.6 million, convertible into shares of common stock of the Company (“May 2022 Mast Note”). The convertible notes carry a twelve (12%) percent coupon and a default coupon of 16% and mature at the earliest of one year from issuance or upon event of default. Investor has the right at any time following issuance date to convert all or any part of the outstanding and unpaid amount of the note into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price established at a fixed rate of $0.10. The Company granted a total number of 3,025,000 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of Company common shares at a strike price of $0.20 up to five years after issuance. The Placement agent was also granted a total of 302,500 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company Common Stock at a strike price of $0.20 up to five years after issuance, as part of a finder’s fee agreement. A portion of the proceeds were used to retire some of the November/December 2021 notes. As of December 31, 2023, this note is in technical default due to cross default provision contained in November / December 2021 Notes.
For more information on the May 2022 Financing, refer to Note 5 of current Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
June 2022 Note
In June 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with one institutional investor, whereby the Company issued one convertible note in the aggregate principal amount of $335,000 convertible into shares of common stock of the Company (“June 2022 Blue Lake Note”). The convertible notes carry a twelve (12%) percent coupon and a default coupon of 16% and mature at the earliest of one year from issuance or upon event of default. The investor has the right at any time following issuance date to convert all or any part of the outstanding and unpaid amount of the note into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price established at a fixed rate of $0.10. The Company granted a total number of 837,500 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company common shares at a strike price of $0.20 up to five years after issuance. The Placement agent was also granted a total of 83,750 warrants convertible into an equivalent number of the Company Common Stock at a strike price of $0.20 up to five years after issuance, as part of a finder’s fee agreement. A portion of the proceeds were used to retire some of the November/December 2021 notes. As of December 31, 2023, this note is in technical default due to cross default provision contained in November / December 2021 Notes. However, the Company has not received notification of default from the lender.
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Short-term loans
In May 2021, Autotelic provided an additional short-term funding of $250,000 to the Company, which was converted into the August 2021 Notes. Autotelic provided an additional $120,000 short term loan to the company during the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023 Autotelic provided $1.4 million in various short-term loans to the Company. As such, $1.5 million was outstanding and payable to Autotelic at December 31, 2023.
The Company’s CFO was owed approximately $25,000 at December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the company’s CFO provided additional short-term advance of $10,000. As such, approximately $35,000 was outstanding from the Company’s CFO at December 31, 2023.
In December 2023, the Company received $50,000 from the company’s CEO. As such, $50,000 was outstanding to the Company’s CEO at December 31, 2023.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company received approximately $630,000 primarily from two bridge investors, of which $373,500 was converted into the August 2021 Notes, and $20,000 was repaid. During the year ended December 31, 2023, an additional $35,000 was repaid to one of the bridge investors. Approximately $210,000 was outstanding as short-term advances from bridge investors as of December 31, 2023.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“US GAAP”) requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported revenues and expense during the reporting periods. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances at the time we make such estimates. Actual results and outcomes may differ materially from our estimates, judgments, and assumptions. We periodically review our estimates considering changes in circumstances, facts, and experience. The effects of material revisions in estimates are reflected in the financial statements prospectively from the date of the change in estimate. Our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.
We define our critical accounting policies as those accounting principles that require us to make subjective estimates and judgments about matters that are uncertain and are likely to have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations, as well as the specific manner in which we apply those principles. We believe the critical accounting policies used in the preparation of our financial statements that require significant estimates and judgments are the following:
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Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets, including definite-lived intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. The recoverability of these assets is determined by comparing the forecasted undiscounted net cash flows of the operation to which the assets relate to the carrying amount. If the operation is determined to be unable to recover the carrying amount of its assets, then these assets are written down first, followed by other long-lived assets of the operation to fair value. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets.
Intangible Assets
The Company records its intangible assets at cost in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. The Company reviews the intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis or if events or changes in circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that they are impaired. These events could include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, a decline in operating performance, competition, sale, or disposition of a significant portion of the business, or other factors.
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of acquired business over the estimated fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least once annually, at the reporting unit level or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The goodwill impairment test is applied by performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of the reporting unit. If, on the basis of qualitative factors, it is considered not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, further testing of goodwill for impairment would not be required. Otherwise, goodwill impairment is tested using a two-step approach.
The first step involves comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount. If the fair value of the reporting unit is determined to be greater than its carrying amount, there is no impairment. If the reporting unit’s carrying amount is determined to be greater than the fair value, the second step must be completed to measure the amount of impairment, if any. The second step involves calculating the implied fair value of goodwill by deducting the fair value of all tangible and intangible assets, excluding goodwill, of the reporting unit from the fair value of the reporting unit as determined in step one. The implied fair value of the goodwill in this step is compared to the carrying value of goodwill. If the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than the carrying value of the goodwill, an impairment loss equivalent to the difference is recorded.
Convertible Instruments
The Company evaluates and accounts for conversion options embedded in its convertible instruments in accordance with ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”.
ASC 815 generally provides three criteria that, if met, require companies to bifurcate conversion options from their host instruments and account for them as free standing derivative financial instruments. These three criteria include circumstances in which (a) the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative instrument are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract, (b) the hybrid instrument that embodies both the embedded derivative instrument and the host contract is not re-measured at fair value under otherwise applicable generally accepted accounting principles with changes in fair value reported in earnings as they occur, and (c) a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded derivative instrument would be considered a derivative instrument. Professional standards also provide an exception to this rule when the host instrument is deemed to be conventional as defined under professional standards.
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The Company accounts for convertible instruments (when it has determined that the embedded conversion options should not be bifurcated from their host instruments) in accordance with ASC 470-20 “Debt – Debt with Conversion and Other Options.” Accordingly, the Company records, when necessary, discounts to convertible notes for the intrinsic value of conversion options embedded in debt instruments based upon the differences between the fair value of the underlying common stock at the commitment date of the note transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the note. Original issue discounts under these arrangements are amortized over the term of the related debt to their earliest date of redemption. The Company also records, when necessary, deemed dividends for the intrinsic value of conversion options embedded in preferred shares based upon the differences between the fair value of the underlying common stock at the commitment date of the note transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the note.
ASC 815-40 “Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity” provides that, among other things, generally, if an event is not within the entity’s control could or require net cash settlement, then the contract shall be classified as an asset or a liability.
Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to the Company’s Common Stock
We have generally issued derivative financial instruments, such as warrants, in connection with our equity offerings. We evaluate the terms of these derivative financial instruments in order to determine their accounting treatment in our financial statements. Key considerations include whether the financial instruments are freestanding and whether they contain conditional obligations. If the warrants are freestanding, do not contain conditional obligations and meet other classification criteria, we account for the warrants as an equity instrument. However, if the warrants contain conditional obligations, then we account for the warrants as a liability until the conditional obligations are met or are no longer relevant. Because no established market prices exist for the warrants that we issue in connection with our equity offerings, we must estimate the fair value of the warrants, which is as inherently subjective as it is for stock options, and for similar reasons as noted in the stock-based compensation section above. For financial instruments which are accounted for as a liability, we report any changes in their estimated fair values as gains or losses in our Consolidated Statement of Income.
Variable Interest Entity (VIE) Accounting
We evaluate our ownership, contractual relationships and other interests in entities to determine the nature and extent of the interests, whether such interests are variable interests and whether the entities are VIEs in accordance with ASC 810, Consolidations. These evaluations can be complex and involve Management judgment as well as the use of estimates and assumptions based on available historical information, among other factors. Based on these evaluations, if the Company determines that it is the primary beneficiary of a VIE, the entity is consolidated into the financial statements.
Investments - Equity Method
The Company accounts for equity method investments at cost, adjusted for the Company’s share of the investee’s earnings or losses, which are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company periodically reviews the investments for other than temporary declines in fair value below cost and more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable.
The Investment in GMP Bio represents the investment into equity securities for which the Company elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825-10-15 and subsequent fair value changes in the GMP Bio shares are included in the result from continuing operations. Refer to Note 6 of these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Joint Venture agreement
We have equity interest in unconsolidated arrangement that is primarily engaged in the business of drug discovery, development, and commercialization, including but not limited to development and commercialization of TGF-beta therapeutics as well as establishing and operating contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) facilities and capabilities. The Company first reviewed the arrangement to determine if it meets the definition of an accounting joint venture pursuant to ASC 323-10-20. In order to meet the definition of a joint venture, the arrangement must have all of the following characteristics, (i) the arrangement is organized within a separate legal entity, (ii) the entity is under the joint control of the venturers, (iii) the venturers must be able to exercise joint control through their equity investments, (iv) the qualitative characteristics of the entity, including its purpose and design must be consistent with the definition of a joint venture
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We consolidate arrangements that are considered to be VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary. We analyze our investments in joint ventures to determine if the joint venture is considered a VIE and would require consolidation. We (i) evaluate the sufficiency of the total equity investment at risk, (ii) review the voting rights and decision-making authority of the equity investment holders as a group and whether there are limited partners (or similar owning entities) that lack substantive participating or kick out rights, guaranteed returns, protection against losses, or capping of residual returns within the group and (iii) establish whether activities within the venture are on behalf of an investor with disproportionately few voting rights in making this VIE determination.
To the extent that we own interests in a VIE and we (i) have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) have the obligation or rights to absorb losses or receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE, then we would be determined to be the primary beneficiary and would consolidate the VIE. To the extent that we own interests in a VIE, then at each reporting period, we re-assess our conclusions as to which, if any, party within the VIE is considered the primary beneficiary.
To the extent that our arrangements do not qualify as VIEs, they are consolidated if we control them through majority ownership interests or if we are the managing entity (general partner or managing member) and our partner does not have substantive participating rights. Control is further demonstrated by our ability to unilaterally make significant operating decisions, refinance debt, and sell the assets of the joint venture without the consent of the non- managing entity and the inability of the non-managing entity to remove us from our role as the managing entity.
We use the equity method of accounting for those arrangements where we exercise significant influence but do not have control. Under the equity method of accounting, our investment in each arrangement is included on our consolidated balance sheet; however, the assets and liabilities of the joint ventures for which we use the equity method are not included on our consolidated balance sheet.
When we sell or contribute properties to unconsolidated arrangements and retain a non-controlling ownership interest in such assets, we recognize the difference between the consideration received and the carrying amount of the asset sold or contributed when its derecognition criteria are met. The equity method investment we retain in such partial sale transactions is noncash consideration and is measured at fair value. As a result, the accounting for a partial sale will result in the recognition of a full gain or loss.
When circumstances indicate there may have been a reduction in the value of an equity investment, we evaluate whether the loss in value is other than temporary. If we conclude it is other than temporary, we recognize an impairment charge to reflect the equity investment at fair value.
The Company elected the fair value option under the fair value option Subsection of Section 825-10-15 to account for its equity-method investment.
Research and Development Expense
Research and development expense consists of costs we incur for the development of our investigational drugs and, to a lesser extent, for preclinical research activities. Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development expense include clinical trial costs, salaries, and benefits of employees, including associated stock-based compensation, payments to clinical investigators, drug manufacturing costs, laboratory supplies and facility costs. Clinical trial costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses, and these can be difficult to accurately estimate. Included in clinical trial costs are fees paid to other entities that conduct certain research and development activities on our behalf, such as clinical research organizations, or CROs. We estimate clinical trial expense based on the services performed pursuant to contracts with research institutions such as CROs and the actual clinical investigators. These estimates are based on actual time and expenses incurred by the CRO and the clinical investigators. Also included in clinical trial expense are costs based on the level of patient enrollment into the clinical trial and the actual services performed under the related clinical trial agreement. Changes in clinical trial assumptions, such as the length of time estimated to enroll all patients, rate of screening failures, patient drop-out rates, number and nature of adverse event reports and the total number of patients enrolled can impact the average and expected cost per patient and the overall cost of the clinical trial. Based on patient enrollment reports and services provided, we may periodically adjust estimates for the clinical trial costs. If we do not identify costs that we have begun to incur or if we underestimate or overestimate the level of services performed, the length of time for these services or the costs of these services, our actual expenses could differ from our estimates.
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Share-Based Compensation
We record the estimated fair value of all share-based payments issued to employees and other service providers. Our share-based payments consist primarily of stock options. The valuation of stock options is an inherently subjective process, since market values are not available for any stock options in our equity securities. Market values are also not available on long-term, non-transferable stock options in other equity securities. With no market values on options to trade in our common stock and no comparable market values on any long-term non-transferable stock options, the process of valuing our stock options is even more uncertain and subjective. Accordingly, we use a Black-Scholes option pricing model to derive an estimated fair value of the stock options which we issue. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires certain input assumptions, including the expected term of the options and the expected volatility of our common stock. Changes in these assumptions could have a material impact on the estimated fair value that we record for share-based payments that we issue. We determine the term of the options based on the simplified method, which averages the vesting period and the contractual life of the stock option. We determine the expected volatility based on the historical volatility of our common stock over a period commensurate with the option’s expected term. The Black-Scholes option pricing model also requires assumptions for risk-free interest rates and the expected dividend yield of our common stock, but we feel that these values are more objective and note that changes in these values do not have a significant impact on the estimated value of the options when compared to the volatility and term assumptions.
We are also required to estimate the level of award forfeitures expected to occur and record compensation expense only for those awards that are ultimately expected to vest. Accordingly, we perform a historical analysis of option awards that are forfeited prior to vesting, and record total stock option expense that reflects this estimated forfeiture rate.
Results of Operations
Years Ended December 31, 2023, and 2022.
A comparison of the Company’s operating results for the year ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively, is as follows.
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | Variance | ||||||||||
| Service revenue | 70,000 | - | 70,000 | |||||||||
| Total revenue | 70,000 | - | 70,000 | |||||||||
| Operating expense: | ||||||||||||
| Research and development | $ | 61,143 | $ | 756,910 | $ | (695,767 | ) | |||||
| General and administrative | 573,726 | 4,853,664 | (4,279,938 | ) | ||||||||
| Goodwill impairment | 6,083,146 | 4,111,079 | 1,972,067 | |||||||||
| Total operating expense | 6,718,015 | 9,721,653 | (3,003,638 | ) | ||||||||
| Income (loss) from operations | (6,648,015 | ) | (9,721,653 | ) | 3,073,638 | |||||||
| Interest expense, net | (1,044,786 | ) | (2,971,046 | ) | 1,926,260 | |||||||
| Reimbursement for expenses – related party | 72,246 | 533,485 | (461,239 | ) | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of investment in GMP Bio | 12,706 | - | 12,706 | |||||||||
| Change in the value of derivatives on debt | (225,074 | ) | 142,150 | (367,224 | ) | |||||||
| Loss on debt conversion | (373,142 | ) | (257,810 | ) | (115,332 | ) | ||||||
| Gain on derecognition of non-financial asset | - | 16,951,477 | (16,951,477 | ) | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) before controlling interests | $ | (8,206,065 | ) | $ | 4,676,603 | $ | (12,882,668 | ) | ||||
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Net Loss
We recorded a net loss of approximately $8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to a net income of approximately $4.7 million for same period in 2022. The higher loss of approximately $12.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the same period of 2022 was primarily due to recording of higher impairment to goodwill in 2023 by approximately $2 million, a lower non-cash gain of $16.9 million in connection with derecognition of non-financial asset related to the JV, lower reimbursement for expenses from a related party of approximately $0.5 million, approximately $0.1 million of a higher loss recorded on conversion of debt, higher change in value of derivatives on debt by approximately $0.4 million, offset by lower operational expenses of approximately $3.0 million, and lower interest expense by approximately $2.0 million.
Service Revenue
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded service revenue of $70,000 as received from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for certain services related to our work on their long COVID research. As BARDA has terminated the service contract, we do not expect to record any further revenues under the contract. No similar revenues were recorded during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Research and Development Expense
Research and Development (“R&D”) expense decreased by approximately $0.7 million, to approximately $0.06 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to approximately $0.76 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The reduction in the R&D activities cost is primarily due to reduced clinical trial costs of $0.14 million for the trials for OT-101 and Artemisinin, decreased compensation cost of approximately $0.5 million and $0.03 million for lower operational costs as these costs have been borne by our JV.
Now that we have formed a joint venture with GMP Bio, whereby we are able to transfer the responsibility of our drug development program to the JV, we expect to increase research and development activities related to apomorphine, including the initiation of new clinical trials for our other oncology indications as well continuing or expanding on the trials and development of AI based tools and applications for OT-101 and Artemisinin for COVID- 19 and other epidemics, and therefore believe that research and development expense may increase in the future, subject to our continuing ability to secure sufficient funding to continue planned operations.
General and Administrative Expense
General and administrative (“G&A”) expense decreased by approximately $4.3 million, to approximately $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to approximately $4.9 million for the same period of 2022. The decrease in G&A expenses was primarily due to the decrease of approximately $3.8 million of non-cash stock-compensation expenses, lower compensation costs of approximately $0.4 million, lower operational cost of approximately $0.1 million, offset by higher legal and professional costs of approximately $0.1 million.
Now that we have formed a joint venture with GMP Bio, we may be able to transfer the responsibility of some or most of our G&A expenses to the joint venture, we may see an increase in G&A expenses, subject to our continuing ability to secure sufficient funding to continue planned operations.
Goodwill Impairment
We recorded a goodwill impairment of approximately $6.1 million on the approximately $16.2 million goodwill, which we recorded upon our acquisition of PointR, for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to impairment of $4.1 million recorded during the same period in 2022.
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During the second and fourth quarters of 2022, we concluded that the steep decline of our stock price, the market capitalization of our Company, and the general economic conditions, which adversely impacted the majority of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, were indicative of a potential impairment of our goodwill. While we evaluated and concluded that the AI technologies related to the PointR acquisition are not adversely impacted, and the Company continues to develop other AI technologies, the significant reduction of our market capitalization required us to record an impairment on the goodwill to the extent of the difference between the net assets of the Company over the fair value based on the market capitalization.
Interest Expense
We recorded interest expense, including amortization of debt costs, of approximately $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, in connection with debt raised from the various convertible notes and a private placement memorandum as compared to $3.0 million on convertible notes and a portion of the private placement memorandum for the same period of 2022.
Reimbursement of expenses
The Company was reimbursed approximately $0.1 million, by Autotelic Inc. a related party, during the year ended December 31, 2023 for expenses incurred by the Company on behalf of our JV, compared to reimbursement of approximately $0.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Change in fair value of investment in GMP Bio
We recorded a change in fair value of our investment in GMP Bio of approximately $13,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023, based on a third-party fair valuation of GMP Bio in accordance with US GAAP.
Change in value of derivatives
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a loss of $0.2 million due to the change in value of derivatives on the notes issued to our CEO and the bridge investors. Correspondingly, during the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a gain of $0.1 million due to the change in value of derivatives on the notes issued to our CEO and the bridge investors.
Loss on Conversion of Debt
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a loss on conversion of debt of approximately $0.4 million related to the difference in fair value to the price at which the debt was converted. We had recorded a similar loss of $0.3 million in 2022.
Gain on Derecognition of Non-financial Asset
We did not record any gain related to non financial asset transfer for the year ended December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a gain of approximately $16.9 million on the sale of our non- financial asset upon the transfer of OT-101 as our capital contribution for the JV. We adopted the fair value measurements under the equity method and the gain was net of the fair value of the asset of approximately $22.6 million as reduced by the removal of the value of the intangibles of approximately $0.8 million for OT-101 and the value of the goodwill of $4.9 million recorded at the time of the 2019 Merger with Oncotelic Inc.
Liquidity, Financial Condition and Capital Resources ($s in ‘000’s)
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Cash, including restricted cash | $ | 190 | $ | 261 | ||||
| Working capital | (16,233 | ) | (16,620 | ) | ||||
| Stockholders’ Equity | 11,611 | 19,193 | ||||||
The Company has experienced net losses every year since inception and as of December 31, 2023, had an accumulated deficit of approximately $33.5 million, including approximately $6.1 million goodwill impairment recorded during the year 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $0.2 million in cash and current liabilities of approximately $16.5 million, of which approximately $1.3 million are net assumed liabilities of the Company as part of the Oncotelic Inc. reverse merger, $4.5 million of debt related to debt for conducting clinical trials for OT-101 from GMP and $2.6 million is contingent liability to issue common shares of the Company to PointR shareholders upon achievement of certain milestones. Management expects to incur significantly lower costs losses, especially due to the transfer of costs over to the JV, especially in connection with the development of OT-10, in the foreseeable future but also recognizes the need to raise capital to remain viable. The Company’s limited capital resources, history of recurring losses and uncertainties as to whether the Company’s operations will become profitable raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained in this report do not include any adjustments related to the recoverability of assets or classifications of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.
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The principal source of the Company’s working capital deficit to date has been the issuance of convertible notes, a substantial part of which has been provided by officers and certain insiders, and sale of equity under the EPA with Peak One. The Company will need to raise additional capital in order to fund its operations and continue development of product candidates. The Company is evaluating the options to further the development of the Company’s product candidates, AL-101, Artemisinin for COVID-19, developing AI technologies to support the COVID-19 therapies; in addition to evaluating the development pathway of its product candidates; OXi4503 and/or CA4P. The Company is also independently planning to develop OT-101 for certain animal health indications and contemplating using crypto currencies for that platform.
The Company anticipates raising substantial additional capital through the sale of equity securities and/or debt, but no new financing arrangements are in place at this time.
If the Company is unable to access additional funds when needed, it may not be able to continue the development of these investigational drugs and the Company could be required to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of its development programs and operations. Any additional equity financing, if available, would be dilutive to the current stockholders and may not be available on favorable terms. Additional debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants and could also be dilutive. The Company’s ability to access capital is not assured and, if access is not achieved on a timely basis, would materially harm the Company’s financial condition, the value of its common stock and its business prospects.
Cash Flows ($s in ‘000s)
| Year ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (1,321 | ) | $ | (1,453 | ) | ||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 1,250 | 1,125 | ||||||
| Increase/ (decrease) in cash | $ | (71 | ) | $ | (327 | ) | ||
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This was due to the net loss of approximately $8.2 million, primarily reduced by approximately $0.2 million due to a change in fair value of derivatives, approximately $6.1 million of goodwill impairment, approximately $0.3 million of amortization of debt and finance discounts, approximately $0.4 million of loss on conversion of debt and increased by approximately $0.1 million due to changes in operating assets and liabilities.
Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $1.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. This was due to the net income of approximately $4.7 million, primarily reduced by approximately $17 million due to a non-cash gain recorded upon the derecognition of our non-financial assets and approximately $0.1 million due to a change in fair value of derivatives, and primarily increased by approximately $4.1 million of goodwill impairment, approximately $2.0 million of amortization of debt and finance discounts, approximately $2.9 million of non-cash stock based expense on issuance of warrants, approximately $0.9 million of stock compensation, approximately $0.3 million of loss on conversion of debt and approximately $0.8 million due to changes in operating assets and liabilities.
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Financing Activities
For the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $1.3 million. Net cash provided was due to approximately $1.4 million raised through short term loans and repayments of approximately $0.1 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $1.1 million. Net cash provided was due to approximately $0.2 million raised from sale of common stock under the equity purchase agreement with Peak One and approximately $1.0 million raised through issuance of convertible debt.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Effects of Inflation
We do not believe that inflation has had a material impact on our business, revenues or operating results during the periods presented.
Contractual Obligations
Our current drug development programs are based on a series of compounds called combretastatins, which we have exclusively licensed from Arizona State University, or ASU. If our current drug candidates are approved, we will be required to pay low to mid-single-digit royalties on future net sales of products associated with the ASU patent rights until these patent rights expire.
We also have an exclusive license from Bristol-Myers Squibb, or BMS, for certain patent rights to particular combretastatins, including CA4P. If CA4P is approved, we will be required to pay low-single-digit royalties on future net sales of products associated with the BMS patent rights until these patent rights expire.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Our cash is maintained in U.S. dollar accounts. We have adopted a policy for the cash that we hold, and also for any cash equivalents and investments that we may hold, the primary objective of which is to preserve principal, while also maintaining liquidity to meet our operating needs and maximize yields to the extent possible. Although our investments can be subject to credit risk, we follow procedures to limit the amount of credit exposure in any single issue, issuer or type of investment. Our investments are also subject to interest rate risk and would be likely to decrease in value if market interest rates increase. However, due to the generally conservative nature of our investments and relatively short duration, we believe that interest rate risk is mitigated.
Although we may, from time-to-time, manufacture drugs and conduct preclinical or clinical trials outside of the United States, we believe our exposure to foreign currency risk to be immaterial.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
See Item 15 for a list of our Financial Statements and Schedules and any supplementary financial information filed as part of this Annual Report.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None
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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. In designing disclosure controls and procedures, our management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible disclosure controls and procedures. The design of any disclosure controls and procedures also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance of achieving the desired control objectives.
As required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and our Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) conducted an evaluation as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15I and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based on that evaluation, our CEO and our CFO each concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are not effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act, (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and our CFO, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management conducted an assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 based on the framework established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, management has determined that the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023 was not effective as a result of certain material weaknesses.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
The ineffectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting was due to the following material weaknesses which are observed in many small companies with a small number of accounting and financial reporting staff:
| ● | Lack of formal policies and procedures; |
| ● | Lack of adequate independent directors on the Company’s board of directors and committees to oversee financial reporting responsibilities; |
| ● | Inadequate or lack of segregation of duties; |
| ● | Lack of dedicated resources and experienced personnel to design and implement internal control procedures to support financial reporting objectives; |
| ● | Lack of risk assessment procedures on internal controls to detect financial reporting risks on a timely manner. |
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Management’s Plan to Remediate the Material Weaknesses
Management continues to plan implementing and continues to implement measures designed to ensure that control deficiencies contributing to the material weakness are remediated, such that these controls are designed, implemented, and operating effectively. The implementation and remediation measures are planned subject to the availability of financial and therefore human resources. The remediation actions planned include:
| ● | Continue to search for, evaluate and recruit qualified independent outside directors; |
| ● | Once independent directors are on Board, to augment or replace the non-independent directors to the Audit Committee and other committees. |
| ● | Identify gaps in our skills base and the expertise of our staff required to meet the financial reporting requirements of a public company; and |
| ● | Continue to develop policies and procedures on internal control over financial reporting and monitor the effectiveness of operations on existing controls and procedures. |
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
During the year ended December 31, 2023, we continued to work on our planned implementation and remediation actions which are all intended to strengthen our overall control environment, within the limited resources available to us. We have made some progress in our planned remediation efforts, and we expect the Company to complete its planned execution of internal controls over financial reporting depending on the availability of resources.
We are committed to maintaining a strong internal control environment and believe that these remediation efforts will represent significant improvements in our control environment. Our management will continue to monitor and evaluate the relevance of our risk-based approach and the effectiveness of our internal controls and procedures over financial reporting on an ongoing basis and is committed to taking further action and implementing additional enhancements or improvements, as necessary and as funds allow.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The following table sets forth certain information about our current directors and executive officers followed by individual biographies of the directors and executive officers of the Company, including their business experience and other relevant information as of December 31, 2023.
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Vuong Trieu, Ph. D. | 59 | Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| Amit Shah | 57 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
| Saran Saund | 66 | Chief Business Officer | ||
| Anthony E. Maida III | 71 | Chief Medical Officer – Translation Medicine & Director | ||
| Steven W. King | 59 | Director and Consultant | ||
| Seymour Fein, M.D. | 75 | Chief Regulatory Officer and Chief Medical Officer (Consultant) |
Vuong Trieu, Ph.D. was the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oncotelic Inc., having served in such capacity since 2014, and now serves as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Dr. Trieu has been involved in drug discovery, development, and commercialization for over 25 years, including his contributions as co-inventor of Abraxane®. He previously served as Executive Chairman and Interim CEO of Marina Biotech, Inc. from 2016 to 2018. Marina Biotech was a developer of tkRNA for the treatment of FAP/CRC (Familial adenomatous polyposis/ Colorectal Cancer). Prior to that, he also served as President and CEO of IgDraSol, Inc.— a developer of a 2nd generation Abraxane—beginning in 2012 until its acquisition by Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. in 2013. He served as Chief Scientific Officer for Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. and a member of that company’s board of directors from 2013 until 2014. Previously, Dr. Trieu was Senior Director of Pharmacology/Biology at Abraxis Bioscience/Celgene, where he led the preclinical, clinical and PK/biomarker development of Abraxane, and was the co-inventor of the intellectual property covering Abraxane. Earlier in his career, Dr. Trieu held positions at Genetic Therapy/Sandoz (leading the adenoviral gene therapy program against atherosclerosis), Applied Molecular Evolution (AME)/Lily (leading the expression, purification, and preclinical testing of mAb therapeutics) and Parker Hughes Institute (Director of Cardiovascular Biology program that evaluated a series of small molecules and biologics against preclinical models of atherosclerosis, dyslipidemia, stroke, ALS, and restenosis). Dr. Trieu holds a PhD in Microbiology, BS in Microbiology and Botany. He is a member of ENDO, ASCO, AACR, and many other professional organizations. Dr. Trieu is published widely in oncology, cardiovascular, and drug development.
Dr. Trieu has over 100 patent applications and 39 issued U.S. patents.
The Board believes that Dr. Trieu’s extensive experience as an executive at various biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies as well as his service on private and public company boards qualifies him to serve on the Board.
Amit Shah was appointed as our Chief Financial Officer effective in July 2019. Mr. Shah has served as a senior financial officer for a number of life science companies, including Chief Financial Officer at Marina Biotech, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company from 2017 to 2018; Vice President of Finance & Accounting Insightra Medical Inc. from 2014 to 2015, Acting Chief Financial Officer of Insightra Medical Inc. in 2015; VP Finance and Acting Chief Financial Officer at IgDraSol Inc. in 2013; Corporate Controller & Director of Finance at ISTA Pharmaceuticals from 2010 to 2012; Corporate Controller at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals from 2007 to 2010: and as Controller / Senior Manager Internal Audits at Caraco Pharmaceuticals Laboratories from 2000 to 2007. In addition to his work with life sciences companies, Mr. Shah served as the Chief Financial Officer at Eagle Business Performance Services, a management consulting and business advisory firm from end of 2018 through March 2019 and as a consultant and ultimately Senior Director of Finance – ERP, at Young’s Market Company from 2015 to 2017. Mr. Shah received a Bachelor’s of Commerce degree from the University of Mumbai, and is an Associate Chartered Accountant from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mr. Shah is also an inactive CPA from Colorado, USA.
Saran Saund has served as the Chief Business Officer of the Company since November 2019. Prior to that, he was the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of PointR Data Inc. from 2016 to 2019 where the revenue generating startup developed an innovative AI for cashier-less automated retail stores. From 2013 to 2016 Saran Saund served as managing partner of Astralync LLC that specialized in open source AI frameworks and developed an industry consortium. Previously, Saran Saund held positions as General Manager, founder and CEO at various companies, including Cambridge Silicon Radio (acquired by Qualcomm), Marvell Semiconductors Inc., and PicoMobile Inc (acquired by Marvell). Mr. Saund received his MSc. Tech in Computer Science from BITS Pilani (India) and MS Computer Science from Penn State University.
Anthony E. Maida III, Ph.D., M.A., M.B.A. was appointed to the Board in May 2020. Dr, Maida was also appointed as a consultant Chief Medical Officer of the Company in April 2020. Dr. Maida has been involved in the clinical development of immunotherapy for over 27 years in various executive management positions. Since June 2010 till June 2020, Dr. Maida served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Research for Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc., a cancer vaccine company focused on therapy for patients with glioblastoma multiforme and prostate cancer. From June 2009 through June 2010, Dr. Maida served as Vice President of Clinical Research and General Manager, Oncology, Worldwide for PharmaNet, Inc., a clinical research organization. From 1997 through 2010, Dr. Maida served as Chairman, Founder and Director of BioConsul Drug Development Corporation and Principal of Anthony Maida Consulting International, advising pharmaceutical and investment firms, in the clinical development of therapeutic products and product/company acquisitions. From 1992 to September of 1999, Dr. Maida was President and Chief Executive Officer of Jenner Biotherapies, Inc., an immunotherapy company. Dr. Maida is currently a member of the board of directors and audit chair of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Vitality Biopharma, Inc. (OTCQB: VBIO) and was formerly a member of the board of directors and audit chair of OncoSec Medical Inc. (OTCQB: ONCS). Dr. Maida holds a B.A. in Biology and History, an M.B.A., an M.A. in Toxicology and a Ph.D. in Immunology. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Society of Neuro-Oncology, the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer and the American Chemical Society.
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The Board believes that Dr. Maida is qualified to serve on the Board and as the consultant Chief Medical Officer due to his extensive experience as an executive at various biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies as well as his service on private and public company boards.
Steven W. King was appointed to the Board in May 2020. He previously served as the CEO of Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its wholly owned biomanufacturing subsidiary Avid Bioservices, Inc., during which time the company advanced its lead compound through Phase 3 development, while growing revenues to over $55 million. Prior to joining Peregrine, Mr. King was employed at Vascular Targeting Technologies, Inc., which was acquired by Peregrine in 1997. Mr. King served in a variety of executive roles at Peregrine, including Director of Research and Development from 1997 to 2000; Vice President Technology and Product Development from 2000 to 2002; Chief Operating Officer from 2002 to 2003; and Chief Executive Officer from 2003 to 2017. Mr. King served on the board of directors of Peregrine from 2003 until 2017. Mr. King previously worked at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is co-inventor on over 40 U.S. and foreign patents and patent applications in the vascular targeting agent field. Mr. King received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Texas Tech University in Cell and Molecular Biology. The Board believes Mr. King is qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive scientific understanding of technologies in development and expertise in developing and manufacturing biologics, combined with the perspective and experience he brings from having previously served on the boards of public companies.
Seymour Fein, M.D. was appointed to in May 2022 as the Company’s Consulting Chief Regulatory Officer. Dr. Fein has been managing partner of the clinical and regulatory consulting organization, CNF Pharma, LLC for the last 20 years and in that capacity has worked closely with numerous new drug reviewing divisions at the FDA including the divisions of oncologic drug products. Dr. Fein’s professional activities have been focused on drug development research for over 35 years. He has been extensively involved in the successful development of numerous drugs, biologics and medical devices during this time leading to FDA approvals for over 20 drugs (NDAs, sNDAs, BLAs) and devices (PMAs). Dr. Fein began his career at Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. as a senior research physician and was responsible for a clinical development program that led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of recombinant interferon-alpha for cancer treatment. Dr. Fein was also the medical director of Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals (U.S.) where he was responsible for therapeutic areas including gastroenterology, oncology, and cardiology. He later served as medical director for Rorer Group (now part of Sanofi) and Ohmeda (now part of Baxter). Dr. Fein founded and has been managing partner of a clinical and regulatory consulting organization and has worked closely with the numerous new drug review divisions at the FDA including the divisions of oncologic drug products. Dr. Fein has successfully overseen entrepreneurial drug development leading to the FDA approval of two orphan drug products in the field of gastroenterology and the first drug approved for the treatment of nocturia in the field of urology. Dr. Fein received his B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.D. degree with honors from New York Medical College. He completed a three-year residency in internal medicine at Dartmouth and a three-year fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at Harvard Medical School, where he served as an instructor of medicine during his final fellowship year. Dr. Fein is board-certified in both oncology and internal medicine.
The Board had three standing committees, which consisted of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (collectively, the “Committees”), We have discontinued all the Committees since July 2021 and since that date, the full Board serves in lieu of all Committees. Once we engage new directors to the Board, we will restart the Committees, and the members will serve on these committees until their resignation or as otherwise determined by our Board.
Audit Committee
For the year ended December 2023, the full Board acted in lieu of an Audit Committee. The full Board met four times during the year ended December 31, 2023 in lieu of the Audit Committee.
Our Audit Committee had the authority to retain and terminate the services of our independent registered public accounting firm, reviews our annual financial statements, considers matters relating to accounting policy and internal controls, and reviews the scope of our annual audits. Such functions are currently being managed by our full Board.
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The Board had adopted a charter for the Audit Committee, which is to be reviewed and reassessed annually by the Audit Committee. Due to a lack of the Committee, such review and evaluation has not been done. A copy of the Audit Committee’s written charter is publicly available on our website at www.oncotelic.com.
Compensation Committee
For the year ended December 2023, the full Board acted in lieu of Compensation Committee. The full Board did not meet during the year ended December 31, 2023, since there were no compensation-based decisions to be made considering all the employees of the Company being paid by the JV.
The Compensation Committee’s responsibilities include making recommendations to the Board regarding the compensation philosophy and compensation guidelines for our executives, the role and performance of our executive officers, and appropriate compensation levels for our CEO, which are determined without the CEO present, and other executives based on a comparative review of compensation practices of similarly situated businesses. The Compensation Committee also makes recommendations to the Board regarding the design and implementation of our compensation plans and the establishment of criteria and the approval of performance results relative to our incentive plans. Our Compensation Committee also administers our 2005 Stock Plan, our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan and our 2017 Equity Incentive Plan. Currently, none of the members of the Compensation Committee qualifies as independent under the definition promulgated by The NASDAQ Stock Market and qualifies as a “Non-Employee Director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act.
The Compensation Committee shall review and assess the three main components of each named executive officer’s compensation: base salary, incentive compensation, and equity compensation. Adjustments to base salary are generally only made when there has been a change in the scope of the responsibilities of the named executive officer or when, based on a review of the base salary component of executive officers in companies of a similar size and stage of development, the Compensation Committee members believe that an adjustment is warranted in order to remain competitive. The executive management of the Company determines and agrees with the Compensation Committee on its corporate goals and objectives for the ensuing year. At the end of each year, the attainment of each objective is assessed and incentive awards may be made to each executive based on his or her contribution to achieving the objectives. Awards are made based on either provision of an executive’s employment agreement, or an assessment of each executive’s equity compensation position relative to the Company’s other executives.
The Compensation Committee also typically reviews our director compensation on at least an annual basis. The Compensation Committee has the authority to directly retain the services of independent consultants and other experts to assist in fulfilling its responsibilities. Currently there are no independent compensation consultants retained by the Company.
Nominating and Governance Committee
For the year ended December 2023, the Company had no Nominating and Governance Committee. The full Board acted in lieu of the Nominating and Governance Compensation Committee. The full Board did not meet during the year ended December 31, 2023, since there were no nominating or governance based decisions to be made.
The Nominating and Governance Committee’s responsibilities include making recommendations to the full Board as to the size and composition of the Board and making recommendations as to particular nominees to the Board. All members of the Nominating and Governance Committee qualify as independent under the definition promulgated by The NASDAQ Stock Market.
Board Attendance at Board of Directors, Committee and Stockholder Meetings
Our Board met 4 times, which included in lieu of the Audit Committee, approved certain corporate actions by unanimous written consents three times during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Each of our directors serving during fiscal 2023 attended all the meetings of the Board and in lieu of the Committees of the Board upon which such director served and that were held during the year ended December 31, 2023.
Although we do not have a formal policy regarding attendance by members of the Board at our annual meeting of stockholders, directors are encouraged to attend.
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Board Leadership Structure
Our Board has the discretion to determine whether to separate or combine the roles of Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Trieu has served in both roles since his appointment to the Board after the reverse merger with Oncotelic and our Board continues to believe that his combined role is most advantageous to the Company and its stockholders. Dr. Trieu possesses in-depth knowledge of the issues, opportunities and risks facing us, our business and our industry and is best positioned to fulfill the Board Chair’s responsibility to develop meeting agendas that focus the Board’s time and attention on critical matters and to facilitate constructive dialogue among Board members on strategic issues.
In addition to Dr. Trieu’s leadership, the Board maintains effective independent oversight through a number of governance practices, including, open and direct communication with management, input on meeting agendas, and regular executive sessions.
Risk Oversight
Our Board oversees a company-wide approach to risk management, determines the appropriate risk level for us generally, and assesses the specific risks faced by us to reviews the steps taken by management to mitigate those risks. Although our Board has ultimate oversight responsibility for the risk management process, its committees oversee risk in certain specified areas.
Specifically, our Compensation Committee is responsible for overseeing the management of risks relating to our executive compensation plans and arrangements, and the incentives created by the compensation awards it administers and our Audit Committee oversees management of enterprise risks and financial risks, as well as potential conflicts of interests. The Board will be responsible for overseeing the management of risks associated with the independence of our Board.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers, except Dr. Trieu, served as a member of the Board or Compensation Committee, or other committee serving an equivalent function, of any entity that has an executive officer and who serves on our Board or Compensation Committee since 2019. After the merger of the Company with Oncotelic Inc., our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Trieu has been identified and is a control person of Autotelic, Inc.
Also, Mr. Steven King, was the CEO of Edgepoint Inc., an AI company that is a non-controlling interest subsidiary of the Company. Dr. Maida is currently consulting as the Chief Medical Officer – Translation Medicine with the Company in regards to its planned trials for OT-101 for our oncology indications.
Corporate Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Corporate Code of Conduct and Ethics (the “Code of Conduct”) that applies to all of our employees, including our CEO and CFO. The text of the Code of Conduct has been filed as an exhibit to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, and is posted on our website at www.oncotelic.com. Disclosure regarding any amendments to, or waivers from provisions of the code of conduct and ethics that apply to our directors and principal executive and financial officers will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K within four business days following the date of the amendment or waiver.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors, executive officers and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock to file with the SEC and us initial reports of beneficial ownership and reports of changes in beneficial ownership of our common stock and other equity securities. For these purposes, the term “other equity securities” would include options granted under the Company’s 2005 Stock Plan (the “2005 Stock Plan”), the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) and the Company’s 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”). To our knowledge, based solely on a review of the forms and written representations received by us from our Section 16 reporting persons, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to the reporting persons were properly and timely satisfied.
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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Summary Compensation Table
The following table provides information regarding the compensation paid during the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022 to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer and certain of our other executive officers, who are collectively referred to as “named executive officers” elsewhere in this Annual Report.
| Name and Principal Position | Year | Salary | Bonus $ | Stock Awards | All Other Compensation $ | Total $ | ||||||||||||||||
| Vuong Trieu, Ph. D. | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | 2022 | 38,003 | 53,832 | 37,500 | 129,335 | |||||||||||||||||
| Anthony E. Maida III, Ph. D., M.D. MBA | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Medical Officer (May 2020) Consultant | 2022 | — | — | 53,832 | 75,000 | 128,832 | ||||||||||||||||
| Saran Saund | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Business Officer | 2022 | 19.531 | — | 58,832 | 15,898 | 89,261 | ||||||||||||||||
| Amit Shah | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Financial Officer | 2022 | 27,105 | — | 58,832 | 13,333 | 94,270 | ||||||||||||||||
(1) Includes cost of healthcare benefits paid by the Company. Effective February 1, 2022, the cash compensation and benefits for all the Officers, except Dr. Maida who was compensated till March 2022, has been borne by the JV. As the JV financials are not consolidated into those of the Company, the Company has not included such compensation in this table. In the future, and assuming the continuation of the cash compensation and benefits continue to be borne by the JV, the Company will not report such compensation information as part of the Company’s Executive Compensation.
(2) During the 2022 fiscal year, the Company granted 1 million stock awards to each of Dr. Trieu, Dr. Maida, Mr Saund and Mr. Shah. The Company recorded stock-based compensation as the fair value of the awards using a Black Scholes valuation model using the following input values
| Expected Term | 1 year | |||
| Expected volatility | 95.5 | % | ||
| Risk-free interest rates | 3.12 | % | ||
| Dividend yields | 0.00 | % |
The values of stock option grants shown in the table represent the full estimated Black-Scholes option value at the grant date, pursuant to compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. The Black-Scholes valuation for the options and stock awards for Messrs. Trieu, Maida, Saund and Shah were estimated based on the date on which the options and awards were granted to the officers. However, the stock option grants in the table vest over one to ten years, and the values shown do not take into account subsequent increases or decreases in actual value to the recipient. See the Narrative Disclosure below for information regarding the number of shares granted to each of the named executive officers.
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Narrative Disclosure to Summary Compensation Table
Vuong Trieu, Ph. D., Saran Saund and Amit Shah
Commencing in August 2019, the Company entered into Employment Agreements and incentive compensation arrangements with each of its executive officers. The Employment Agreements provide for annual base salaries for each year of the term, subject to review and adjustment by the Board or the Compensation Committee from time to time. Each Employment Agreement provides that the executive shall be eligible for an annual discretionary cash bonus expressed as a percentage the executive’s base salary, subject to their achievement of performance targets and goals established by the Board or the Compensation Committee. Mr. Saund was appointed as an Executive Officer in November 2019 after the PointR merger. Dr. Maida was appointed as our consultant Chief Medical Officer – Translation Medicine in May 2020 and does not have an Employment Agreement. Each of the executive officers entered into the Company’s standard form of indemnification agreement.
Dr. Fein was appointed as the Chief Regulatory Officer in May 2022. Further, Dr. Fein was appointed as Chief Medical Officer in February 2023.
The initial base salaries and discretionary cash bonus amounts had been set for the executives as follows:
| Executive | Title | Initial Base Salary | Discretionary Bonus (% of Base) | |||||||
| Vuong Trieu | Chief Executive Officer | $ | 450,000 | 50 | % | |||||
| Amit Shah | Chief Financial Officer | $ | 320,000 | 40 | % | |||||
| Saran Saund | Chief Business Officer | $ | 230,000 | 40 | % | |||||
| Anthony E. Maida III(1) | Chief Medical Officer | $ | 180,000 | NA | ||||||
| (1) | Dr. Maida is a consultant to the Company and currently does not have an Employment Agreement. |
For more information on the executive compensations to the Executive Officers, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 2023.
The Company did not grant any increases in cash compensation to any of its Executive Officers, other than Mr. Saund whose compensation was increased to $320,000 in 2023, since the initial employment agreement due to the financial condition of the Company. Further, as disclosed previously, our JV has paid the cash compensation to our employees since the first quarter of 2023. In lieu of the financial condition, the Company granted stock awards to the executives, including all other employees, during the year ended December 31,2022 as under:
December 31, 2022
| Executive | Title | Stock Options | ||||
| Vuong Trieu | Chief Executive Officer | 1,000,000 | ||||
| Amit Shah | Chief Financial Officer | 1,000,000 | ||||
| Saran Saund | Chief Business Officer | 1,000,000 | ||||
| Anthony E. Maida III | Consulting Chief Medical Officer | 1,000,000 | ||||
20% of the stock option awards vested immediately and 80% were to vest upon achievement of certain performance milestones by the Officers. The Company has not completed its evaluation of whether such milestones have been met or not as of the date of this Report. However, for the purposes of this Report and compensatory tables, the stock compensation expense has been reported as though such awards have been earned by the Officers.
The stock-based compensation on the issuance the stock options has been reported under Summary Compensation Table above.
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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End
The following table shows all outstanding grants of stock options as of December 31, 2023 to each of the executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table. The table below reflects the options and restricted shares that are issuable to Messrs. Trieu, Maida, Saund and Shah.
| Option Awards | ||||||||||||||||
| Name | Type | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable | Option Exercise Price | Option Expiration Date | |||||||||||
| Vuong Trieu, Ph. D. (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Executive Officer & President- 2022 | ISO | 200,000 | 800,000 | 0.10 | 7/22/2032 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | ISO | 360,000 | — | 0.1398 | 7/8/2031 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | ISO | 200,000 | — | 0.1626 | 9/3/2031 | |||||||||||
| Saran Saund (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Business Officer- 2022 | ISO | 200,000 | 800,000 | 0.10 | 7/22/2032 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | ISO | 675,000 | — | 0.1398 | 7/8/2031 | |||||||||||
| 2021 | ISO | 100,000 | — | 0.1626 | 9/3/2031 | |||||||||||
| Anthony Maida (1) 2022 | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Medical Officer – Consultant- 2022 | ISO | 200,000 | 800,000 | $ | 0.10 | 7/22/2032 | ||||||||||
| 2021 | NQSO | 400,000 | — | $ | 0.1398 | 7/8/2031 | ||||||||||
| 2021 | NQSO | 400,000 | — | $ | 0.1626 | 9/3/2031 | ||||||||||
| Amit Shah (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Financial Officer- 2022 | ISO | 200,000 | 800,000 | $ | 0.10 | 7/22/2031 | ||||||||||
| 2021 | ISO | 400,000 | — | $ | 0.1626 | 7/8/2031 | ||||||||||
| (1) | The stock awards have been approved by the board. The stock compensation thereon has been computed and expensed when granted and reported in the Summary Compensation Table. |
Pension Benefits
We do not have any qualified or non-qualified defined benefit plans.
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Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
We do not have any non-qualified defined contribution plans or other deferred compensation plans.
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change-In-Control
We have entered into certain agreements and maintain certain plans that may require us to make certain payments and/or provide certain benefits to Dr. Trieu, Mr. Saund and Mr. Shah in the event of a termination of their employment or a change of control of the Company. The following table summarizes the potential payments to Dr. Trieu; and Messrs. Saund and Shah assuming that one of the described termination events occurs. The table assumes that the event occurred on December 31, 2023, the last day of our fiscal year and that each of the named officers were eligible to earn the full initial base compensation. On the final trading day of our fiscal year the closing price of our common stock on OTCQB Market was $0.04 per share.
The Employment Agreements each have a term that continues until terminated by the Company or the executive. In the event that the Company terminates an executive for “Cause”, or an executive voluntarily resigns his employment, on termination the executive will be entitled to receive all accrued and unpaid base salary, any accrued and unused paid time off, and reimbursement of outstanding business expenses. If the Employment Agreements are terminated by the Company without “Cause” or the executive resigns for “Good Reason” (each as defined in the Employment Agreement) then the executive will be entitled to additional severance benefits including: (a) a lump sum payment equal to 12 months’ of the executive’s then current base salary (18 months in the case of Dr. Trieu); (b) accelerated vesting of all outstanding stock options and incentive compensation awards, and (c) insurance benefits or COBRA coverage for 12 months (18 months in the case of Dr. Trieu) in addition to payment of accrued and unpaid personal time.
Vuong N. Trieu, Ph. D.
| Executive Benefits and Payments Upon Termination | Termination within 12 months Following Change in Control | Voluntary Termination by Executive or Death | Involuntary Not for Cause Termination or Termination by Executive with Good Reason | For Cause Termination | Disability | |||||||||||||||
| Base Salary | $ | 675,000 | $ | — | $ | 675,000 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Annual Bonus (50% of Base Salary) | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | N/A | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year | |||||||||||||||
| Acceleration of Vesting of Equity | 100 | % | 0 | % | 100 | % | 0 | % | 0 | % | ||||||||||
| Stock Options: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Stock Option | 1,998,255 | — | 1,998,255 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Value upon Termination* | $ | 79,930 | $ | — | $ | 79,930 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Vested Stock / Received: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Shares | 1,198,255 | — | 1,198,255 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Value upon Termination* | $ | 47,930 | $ | — | $ | 47,930 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Relocation Reimbursement | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Deferred Compensation Payout | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Post-Term Health Care | Up to 18 months | N/A | Up to 18 months | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| $ | 18,964 | $ | — | $ | 18,964 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Excise Tax Gross Up | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
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Saran Saund
| Executive Benefits and Payments Upon Termination | Termination within 12 months Following Change in Control | Voluntary Termination by Executive or Death | Involuntary Not for Cause Termination or Termination by Executive with Good Reason | For Cause Termination | Disability | |||||||||||||||
| Base Salary | $ | 320,000 | $ | — | $ | 320,000 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Annual Bonus (40% of Base Salary) | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | N/A | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | |||||||||||||||
Acceleration of Vesting of Equity | 100 | % | 0 | % | 100 | % | 0 | % | 0 | % | ||||||||||
| Stock Options: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Stock Options (1) | 1,993,798 | — | 1,993,798 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Value upon Termination* | $ | 79,752 | $ | — | $ | 79,752 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Vested Stock Received: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Shares (1) | 1,193,798 | — | 1,193,798 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Value upon Termination* | $ | 49,752 | $ | — | $ | 49,752 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Relocation Reimbursement | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Deferred Compensation Payout | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Post-Term Health Care | Up to 12 months | N/A | Up to 12 months | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| $ | 5,671 | $ | — | $ | 5,671 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Excise Tax Gross Up | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
Amit Shah
| Executive Benefits and Payments Upon Termination | Termination within 12 months Following Change in Control | Voluntary Termination by Executive or Death | Involuntary Not for Cause Termination or Termination by Executive with Good Reason | For Cause Termination | Disability | |||||||||||||||
| Base Salary | $ | 320,000 | $ | — | $ | 320,000 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Annual Bonus (50% of Base Salary) | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | N/A | Executive entitled to Annual Bonus related to most recently completed calendar year if earned and not already paid | |||||||||||||||
| Acceleration of Vesting of Equity | 100 | % | 0 | % | 100 | % | 0 | % | 0 | % | ||||||||||
| Stock Options: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Stock Options (1) | 1,997,093 | — | 1,997,093 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Value upon Termination* | $ | 79,884 | $ | — | $ | 79,884 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Vested Stock Received: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Number of Shares (1) | 1,197,093 | — | 1,197,093 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Value upon Termination* | $ | 47,884 | $ | — | $ | 47,884 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
| Relocation Reimbursement | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Deferred Compensation Payout | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| Post-Term Health Care | Up to 12 months | N/A | Up to 12 months | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
| $ | 11,208 | $ | — | $ | 11,208 | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Excise Tax Gross Up | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||||||
*Based on the stock price of the Company as of December 31, 2023, of $0.04 and assuming the number of shares granted are vested and earned. Assuming that the JV would be responsible for the cash compensation and the health benefits that any of the executive officers named above, that cost may not be paid for by the Company Dr. Maida is a consultant Chief Medical Officer – Translation Medicine and is not subject to potential payments upon termination or change-in-control, and as such his information has not been compiled for this table.
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The information set forth above is described in more detail in the Narrative Disclosure to the Summary Compensation Table.
As defined in the employment agreements, a “Change in Control” means the following during the employment term:
| (1) | any “Person” (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes the “Beneficial Owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under said Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than fifty percent of the total voting power represented by the Company’s then outstanding voting securities (excluding for this purpose any such voting securities held by the Company or its affiliates or by any employee benefit plan of the Company) pursuant to a transaction or a series of related transactions which the Board of Directors does not approve; or |
| (2) | a merger or consolidation of the Company whether or not approved by the Board of Directors, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or the parent of such corporation) at least fifty percent of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company or such surviving entity or parent of such corporation, as the case may be, outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or |
| (3) | the stockholders of the Company approve an agreement for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of its assets; or |
| (4) | a change in the composition of the Board of Directors, as a result of which fewer than a majority of the directors are Incumbent Directors, and provided in each such case the Change in Control also meets the requirements of a “Change in Control Event” within the meaning of Section 409A(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code and Treasury Regulation Section 1.409A-3(i)(5). “Incumbent Directors” mean the directors who either (A) are directors of the Company as of the date of this Agreement, or (B) are elected, or nominated for election, to the Board of Directors with the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the Incumbent Directors at the time of such election or nomination (but shall not include an individual whose election or nomination is in connection with an actual or threatened proxy contest relating to the election of directors to the Company). |
In each such case the Change of Control must also meet the requirements of a “Change of Control Event” within the meaning of Section 409(a)(2)(A)(v) of the Code.
Each of Drs. Trieu, Saund and Mr. Shah will be entitled to certain benefits as described in the table above if his employment is terminated by the Company for reasons other than cause or by him with good reason. “Cause,” as defined in the employment agreements, means:
| (1) | Substantial failure to perform any of his duties or to follow reasonable, lawful directions of the Board or any officer to whom the party reports; |
| (2) | willful misconduct or willful malfeasance in connection with his employment; |
| (3) | commission of, conviction of, or plea of nolo contendere to, any crime constituting a felony under the laws of the United States or any state thereof, or any other crime involving moral turpitude; |
| (4) | material breach of any provision of the employment agreement, the By-laws or any other written agreement with the Company; |
| (5) | engaging in misconduct that causes significant injury to the Company, financial or otherwise, or to its reputation; or |
| (6) | any act, omission or circumstance constituting cause under the law governing the employment agreement. |
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“Good Reason,” as defined in the employment agreements, means the Company:
| (1) | materially reduces the officer’s title or responsibilities; |
| (2) | relocates its headquarters more than sixty (60) miles from their current location (unless the relocation results in the headquarters being closer to the officer’s residence); |
| (3) | materially reduces the officer’s base salary; or |
| (4) | breaches a material term of the officer’s employment agreement. |
Good Reason must also meet the requirements for a good reason termination in accordance with Code Section 409A, and any successor statute, regulation and guidance thereto.
Director Compensation
For the year ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, one of the non-employee directors was paid the following in cash and stock awards
| Fees Earned or Paid in | ||||||||||||
| Cash(1) | Option Awards(2) | Total | ||||||||||
| Steven King – 2021/22 | $ | - | $ | 86,065 | $ | 86,065 | ||||||
For 2021/22, Mr. King was compensated in stock for his services to the Board. Drs. Trieu and Maida were granted stock options as Board members but have been reported in the Summary Compensation Table above.
We granted Mr. King 500,000 options for his services through the end of fiscal year 2022. Although the initial terms of the options, when granted, provide that they vest one year subsequent to grant, pursuant to rules of the SEC the fair market value for the options granted represents the full value at the grant date only and the values do not take into account subsequent increases or decreases in actual value to the recipient. See also our discussion of stock- based compensation under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates” in the Form 10-K.
The grant date fair values of stock option grants shown in the table represent the full estimated Black-Scholes option value at the grant date, pursuant to compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. The Company recorded stock- based compensation as the fair value of the awards using a Black Scholes valuation model using the following input values.
| Expected Term | 2.18 to 2.28 years | |||
| Expected volatility | 129.9 to 131.40% | |||
| Risk-free interest rates | 0.22 to 0.27% | |||
| Dividend yields | 0.00 | % |
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The following is a description of the standard compensation arrangements under which our non-employee directors have been compensated for their service as directors, including as members of the various Committees of our Board.
Fees. In October 2016, the Board amended and restated its director compensation policy. For more details on the Fees, kindly refer to our form 2020 Annual Report on 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2021. However, since the departure of Mr. Diamond, we have discontinued cash compensations for the independent Board Members or Committee members.
The Board intends to re-evaluate compensation, including non-employee director compensation, following the reconstitution of its Compensation Committee.
Equity Grants.
In October 2016, the Board amended and restated its director compensation policy.
The Board intends to re-evaluate compensation, including non-employee director compensation, following the reconstitution of its Compensation Committee. For more information on our prior policy, please refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
The following table sets forth information, as of April 12, 2024, regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock by:
| ● | each of our directors and our director nominees; | |
| ● | each of our executive officers; | |
| ● | our directors and executive officers as a group; and | |
| ● | each person known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of our common stock. |
The address for each beneficial owner listed is c/o Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. 29397 Agoura Road, Suite 107, Agoura Hills, California, 91301. Each of the stockholders listed has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned by the stockholder, subject to community property laws where applicable.
In accordance with applicable SEC rules, the number of shares reflected as beneficially owned by each entity, person, director or executive officer is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Under those rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any shares that the individual has the right to acquire within 60 days after the Record Date through the exercise of any stock option, warrants or other rights.
We have computed the percentage of shares beneficially owned on the basis of 399,683,858 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of April 12, 2024. Shares of our Common Stock that a person has the right to acquire within 60 days after the Record Date through other means, such as a stock option or warrant, are deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of the person holding such rights, but are not deemed outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person (other than the percentage ownership of all directors and executive officers as a group).
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| Name of Beneficial Owner | Common
Stock Beneficially Owned | Percentage
of Common Stock | ||||||
| Directors and Officers: | ||||||||
| Vuong Trieu | 123,997,191 | (1) | 31.0 | % | ||||
| Steven W. King | 4,188,059 | (2) | 1.1 | % | ||||
| Anthony E. Maida III | 3,137,314 | (3) | 0.8 | % | ||||
| Amit Shah | 2,584,871 | (4) | 0.7 | % | ||||
| Saran Saund | 18,347,759 | (5) | 4.7 | % | ||||
| All officers and directors as a group (6 persons) | 152,255,194 | (6) | 38.1 | % | ||||
| Beneficial owners of more than 5% | ||||||||
| Vuong Trieu | 123,997,191 | (1) | 31.3 | % | ||||
| Balaji Bhakta | 43,575,256 | (7) | 11.1 | % | ||||
| Larn Hwang | 25,714,323 | (8) | 6.4 | % | ||||
| Chao Hsiao | 22,406,942 | (9) | 5.6 | % | ||||
* < 1%
| (1) | Includes: (a) 92,044,217 shares owned directly and beneficially by the reporting person; 3,922,218 shares of common shares issuable upon conversion of debt, 1,738,953 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options and 1,250,000 shares of common shares issuable upon exercise of warrants; (b) 16,780,384 shares registered in the name of Autotelic, Inc., and 1,388,889 shares issuable upon conversion of debt, and (c) 6,872,529 shares registered in the name of Dr. Trieu’s spouse. Dr. Trieu is the Chief Executive Officer of Autotelic, Inc. and in that capacity has the sole authority to control the voting and the disposition of Common Stock and Preferred Stock owned by Autotelic, Inc. Dr. Trieu disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares held by Autotelic, Inc., except to the extent of his beneficial interest therein. |
| (2) | Shares held in the name of Artius Bioconsulting, LLC, consists of (i) 3,330,647 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 857,412 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options granted to Mr. King. |
| (3) | Consists of (i) 1,137,314 shares of Common Stock and (ii) 2,000,000 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options. |
| (4) | Consists of (i) 358,837 shares of Common Stock, (ii) 527,778 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of debt and (iii) 1,698,256 shares of common stock upon exercise of options. |
| (5) | Consists of (i) 16,456,480 shares of Common Stock, and (ii) 1,891,279 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options. |
| (6) | Consists of (i) 136,980,409 shares of Common Stock, (ii) 5,838,885 shares issuable upon conversion of debt, (iii) 8,185,900 shares issuable upon exercise of options and (iv) 1,250,000 shares issuable upon exercise of warrants. |
| (7) | Consists of (i) 41,630,811 shares of Common Stock, (ii) (iii) 694,445 shares of common stock upon conversion of debt and 1,250,000 upon conversion of warrants. |
| (8) | Consists of (i) 23,455,990 shares of Common Stock, (ii) 1,208,333 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of debt and (iii) 1,050,000 shares of common stock upon exercise of options. |
| (9) | Consists of (i) 17,073,604 shares of Common Stock, (ii) 3,744,449 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of debt, (iii) 1,200,000 shares of common stock upon exercise of options, and (iv) 388,889 shares issuable upon exercise of PPM debt and warrants. |
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Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table provides certain aggregate information with respect to all of the Company’s equity compensation plans in effect as of December 31, 2023.
| Plan Category | Number of Securities to be Issued Upon Exercise of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights | Weighted- Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options | Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans (Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a)) | |||||||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 24,042,620 | $ | 0.22 | 3,205,021 | ||||||||
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | 1,650,000 | 0.30 | 350,000 | |||||||||
| Total | 25,692,620 | $ | 0.23 | 3,555,021 | ||||||||
In August 2020, the shareholders of the Company approved the expansion of the number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants, restricted stock units and warrants by 20 million. The amendment to the 2015 Plan was completed in March 2021 and as such the pool under the 2015 Plan is now 27,250,000.
Brief Description of equity compensation plan not approved by security holders
In January 2017, the Board of Directors adopted and approved the 2017 Plan. The 2017 Plan allows the Company, under the direction of the Compensation Committee, to make grants of stock options, restricted and unrestricted stock awards, and other stock-based awards to employees, consultants and directors. The purpose of these awards is to attract and retain key individuals, further align employee and stockholder interests, and provide additional incentive for them to promote our success. The 2017 Plan provides for the issuance of up to 2,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. Any stock options granted under the 2017 Plan must be non-qualified stock options, which are not intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue code. Options generally vest over a period of time, may not be exercised unless they are vested, and no option may be exercised after the end of the term set forth in the award agreement.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Our Audit Committee reviews and approves in advance all related person transactions.
Our Board of Directors has reviewed the materiality of any relationship that each of our directors has with the Company, either directly or indirectly. Based upon this review, our Board has determined that none of the directors, qualify as “independent directors” as defined under the OTC Market Rules for U.S. Companies.
Master Service Agreement with Autotelic Inc.
In October 2015, Oncotelic Inc. entered into a Master Service Agreement (the “MSA”) with Autotelic Inc. (“Autotelic”), a related party that is partly owned by Dr. Trieu. Dr. Trieu, a related party, is a control person in Autotelic. Autotelic currently owns less than 10% of the Company. The MSA stated that Autotelic will provide business functions and services to the Company and allowed Autotelic to charge the Company for these expenses paid on its behalf. The MSA includes personnel costs allocated based on amount of time incurred and other services such as consultant fees, clinical studies, conferences and other operating expenses incurred on behalf of the Company. The MSA requires a 90-day written termination notice in the event either party requires to terminate such services.
Expenses related to the MSA were approximately $12,000 and $60,000 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company owed Autotelic, Inc. approximately $0.3 million at December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 respectively.
License Agreement with Autotelic Inc.
In September 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive License Agreement with Autotelic. For more information on the exclusive license Agreement with Autotelic, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with SEC on April 15, 2022.
Notes Payable and Short-Term Loan – Related Party
In April 2019, the Company issued a convertible note to Dr. Trieu totaling $164,444, including OID of $16,444, receiving net proceeds of $148,000, which was used by the Company for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Company issued a Fall 2019 Note to Dr. Trieu in the principal amount of $250,000. Dr. Trieu also offset certain amounts due to him in the amount of $35,000 and was converted into the Fall 2019 debt. During the year ended December 31, 2023, Dr. Trieu provided additional short-term funding of $50,000 to the Company. During the year ended December 31, 2020, Dr. Trieu purchased a total of 5 Units under the private placement for a gross total of $250,000.
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In May 2021, Autotelic provided an additional short-term funding of $250,000 to the Company, which was converted into the August 2021 Notes. Autotelic provided an additional $120,000 short-term loan to the Company during the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, Autotelic has provided $1.4 million in short term advances to the Company. As such, approximately $1.5 million was outstanding and payable to Autotelic at December 31, 2023.
Artius Consulting Agreement
On March 9, 2020, the Company and Artius Bioconsulting, LLC (“Artius”), for which Mr. King is the Managing Member, entered into an amendment to the Consulting Agreement dated December 1, 2018, under which Artius agreed to serve as a consultant to the Company for services related to the Company’s business from time to time, effective December 1, 2019 (the “Effective Date”) (the “Artius Agreement”). For more information on this Agreement, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
No expense was recorded during the year ended December 31, 2023, or 2022, respectively, related to this Agreement.
Maida Consulting Agreement
Effective May 5, 2020, the Company and Dr. Maida entered into an independent consulting agreement, commencing April 1, 2020 (the “Maida Agreement”), under which Dr. Maida will assist the Company in providing medical expertise and advice from time to time in the design, conduct and oversight of the Company’s existing and future clinical trials. For more information on this Agreement, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
The Company recorded an expense of $0 and $75,000 during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, related to this Agreement. Effective April 1, 2022, Dr Maida’s compensation is being borne by the JVA with GMP Bio.
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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The following table presents fees for professional audit services rendered by our independent public accounting firm, Rose Snyder and Jacobs, LLP (“RSJ”) for the audit for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, and other services rendered during that period.
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Audit fees (1) | $ | 104,600 | $ | 102,000 | ||||
| Audit-related fees | — | — | ||||||
| Tax fees | — | — | ||||||
| All other fees | — | — | ||||||
| $ | 104,600 | $ | 102,000 | |||||
| (1) | Audit fees consisted of audit work performed on the audit of the annual financial statements, review of quarterly financial statements, as well as work that generally only the independent registered public accounting firm can reasonably be expected to provide, such as the provision of consents in connection with the filing of registration statements and statutory audits.
We had been invoiced $104,600 by RSJ in connection with the reviews for the quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023 and September 30, 2023; and for the year ended December 31, 2023.
We had been invoiced $102,000 by RSJ in connection with the reviews for the quarters ended March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022 and September 30, 2022 and annual audit for the year ended December 31, 2022. |
Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible
Non-audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consistent with SEC policies regarding auditor independence, the Audit Committee has responsibility for appointing, setting compensation, and overseeing the work of the independent registered public accounting firm. In recognition of this responsibility, the Audit Committee has established a policy to pre-approve all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm.
Prior to engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm for the next year’s audit, management will submit an aggregate of services expected to be rendered during that year for each of four categories of services to the Audit Committee for approval.
| 1. | Audit services include audit work performed in the preparation and audit of the annual financial statements, review of quarterly financial statements, as well as work that generally only the independent auditor can reasonably be expected to provide, such as the provision of consents and comfort letters in connection with the filing of registration statements. |
| 2. | Audit-related services are for assurance and related services that are traditionally performed by the independent auditor, including due diligence related to mergers and acquisitions, employee benefit plan audits, and special procedures required to meet certain regulatory requirements. |
| 3. | Tax services consist principally of assistance with tax compliance and reporting, as well as certain tax planning consultations. |
| 4. | Other Fees are those associated with services not captured in the other categories. The Company generally does not request such services from the independent auditor. |
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Prior to engagement, the Audit Committee pre-approves these services by category of service. The fees are budgeted, and the Audit Committee requires the independent registered public accounting firm and management to report actual fees versus the budget periodically throughout the year by category of service. During the year, circumstances may arise when it may become necessary to engage the independent registered public accounting firm for additional services not contemplated in the original pre-approval. In those instances, the Audit Committee requires specific pre-approval before engaging the independent registered public accounting firm.
The Audit Committee may delegate pre-approval authority to one or more of its members. The member to whom such authority is delegated must report, for informational purposes only, any pre-approval decisions to the Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.
In the absence of an Audit Committee, the responsibilities of the Audit Committee are fulfilled by the Board of Directors of the Company. As such, for the year ended December 31, 2023, the Board of Directors approved the appointment and services of RSJ.
PART IV
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
| (a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. |
| (1) | Financial Statements |
See financial statements listed in the accompanying “Index to Financial Statements” covered by the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
| (2) | Financial Statement Schedule |
No schedules are submitted because they are not applicable, not required or because the information is included in the Financial Statements as Notes to Financial Statements.
| (3) | Exhibits |
The exhibits below may not be a complete list of exhibits as the relevance of the exhibits may have made them redundant over a period of time.
| Incorporated by Reference | ||||||||||
| Exhibit Number | Description | Form | Filing Date | Exhibit Number | Filed Herewith | |||||
| 2.1 | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April 17, 2019, by and among the Company, Oncotelic and Oncotelic Acquisition Corporation. | 8-K | 4/18/2019 | 2.1 | ||||||
| 2.2 | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April 17, 2019, by and among the Company, Oncotelic and Oncotelic Acquisition Corporation. | 8-K | 4/25/2019 | 2.1 | ||||||
| 2.3 | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 17, 2019, by and among the Company, PointR and Paris Acquisition Corporation. | 8-K | 8/21/2019 | 2.1 | ||||||
| 2.4 | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 17, 2019, by and among the Company, PointR Data, Inc. and Paris Acquisition Corp. | 8-K | 11/12/2019 | 2.1 | ||||||
| 69 |
| 70 |
| 71 |
| 72 |
| 73 |
| 74 |
| 75 |
| * | Confidential treatment has been granted for portions of this Exhibit. Redacted portions filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
| + | Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement. |
| 76 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. | ||
| (Formerly Mateon Therapeutics, Inc.) | ||
| /s/ VUONG TRIEU | ||
| By: | VUONG TRIEU, PH. D. | |
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
Date: April 12, 2024
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date | ||
| /s/ VUONG TRIEU | President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of | April 12, 2024 | ||
| Vuong Trieu, Ph. D. | the Board and Director (Principal executive officer) | |||
| /s/ AMIT SHAH | Chief Financial Officer (Principal financial and | April 12, 2024 | ||
| Amit Shah | accounting officer) | |||
| /s/ STEVEN KING | Director | April 12, 2024 | ||
| Steven King | ||||
| /s/ ANTHONY MAIDA | Director | April 12, 2024 | ||
| Anthony Maida, M.D., Ph. D. |
| 77 |
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc.
Index to Financial Statements
The following financial statements of Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc.:
| F-1 |
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. and Subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2023, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Uncertainty
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has suffered recurring losses from operations and has an accumulated deficit and a working capital deficiency that raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding these matters are also described in Note 1. The consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matters
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
| F-2 |
Convertible Debt Accounting
Description of the Matter
As described in Notes 5, 7 and 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company entered into various capital raising transactions whereby it issued convertible debt with other instruments, including warrants and shares of common stock.
We identified the accounting for the issuance of these convertible notes as a critical audit matter. Accounting for the issuance of convertible debt was complex due to the evaluation of the terms of the agreements as well as the inherent estimation uncertainty in the Company’s valuation of the beneficial conversion feature, note agreements and warrants. The Company allocated the proceeds among the freestanding financial instruments that were issued in the respective transactions using the relative fair value method, which affects the determination of each financial instruments’ initial carrying amount. The Company utilized the relative fair value method as none of the freestanding financial instruments issued as part of the transactions are measured at fair value. Under the relative fair value method, the Company made separate estimates of the fair value of each freestanding financial instrument and then allocated the proceeds in proportion to those fair value amounts.
How We Addressed the Matter in our Audit
The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:
| ● | Obtaining an understanding of the Company’s process to account for the issuance of convertible notes, warrants and shares of common stock | |
| ● | Reviewing the underlying agreements associated with these transactions | |
| ● | Reviewing the Company’s position papers addressing the accounting for these transactions and assessing the appropriateness of the positions | |
| ● | Testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used in the assessment of relative fair values |
Evaluation of Goodwill for Impairment
Description of the Matter
As discussed in Note 2 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements, reporting unit goodwill is tested for impairment at least annually or when events or circumstances indicate the fair value of a reporting unit may be below its carrying value. This analysis involves comparing events and circumstances such as general macroeconomic conditions, conditions specific to the industry and market and whether there has been sustained declines in share price. These fair value estimates are sensitive to significant assumptions and judgments, such as projections of operating expenditures, discount rates, and future economic conditions.
The Company has experienced a sustained decrease in its share price, and as of December 31, 2023, the Company’s market capitalization and uncertain economic conditions, which adversely impacted the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, were indicative of an impairment. Pursuant to current accounting guidance, management performed a quantitative analysis and concluded that goodwill was impaired and the Company cumulatively recorded impairment charges of approximately $6.1 million during the course of the year ended December 31, 2023. At December 31, 2023, the Company’s goodwill balance was approximately $6 million.
Auditing management’s annual impairment tests for goodwill was complex because of the significant judgement required to evaluate the management assumptions described above used to determine the fair value of the reporting units.
| F-3 |
How We Addressed the Matter in our Audit
Our audit procedures related to the evaluation of goodwill for impairment included the following, among others:
| a. | We considered the design and operating effectiveness of certain controls over the Company’s annual impairment assessments of intangible assets and goodwill. We considered the material weaknesses related to management’s internal controls in determining the nature, timing and extent of the audit tests applied in our audit. |
| b. | We evaluated managements significant accounting policies related to the impairment of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for reasonableness. |
| c. | We evaluated management’s assessment of qualitative factors relating to the goodwill valuation by reviewing information regarding economic growth forecast, industry outlook, and business environment, as well as accumulating our understanding of the Company’s reporting unit’s performance. |
| d. | With respect to the Company’s valuation of its sole reporting unit: |
| 1. | We assessed the qualifications and competence of management | |
| 2. | We evaluated the methodologies used to determine the fair value of the Company’s reporting unit | |
| 3. | We reperformed management’s quantitative analysis to assess the impact of goodwill impairment |
| e. | We assessed the adequacy of the Company’s disclosures regarding impairment assessments included in Note 2 and Note 3. |
| We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021. |
| April 12, 2024 |
| F-4 |
ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash | $ | $ | ||||||
| Restricted cash | ||||||||
| Accounts receivable | ||||||||
| Prepaid & other current assets | ||||||||
| Total current assets | ||||||||
| In process R&D | ||||||||
| Goodwill, net | ||||||||
| Investment in GMP Bio at fair value | ||||||||
| Total assets | $ | $ | ||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accounts payable - related party | ||||||||
| Contingent consideration | ||||||||
| Derivative liability on notes | ||||||||
| Convertible and short-term debt, net of costs | ||||||||
| Convertible debt and short-term debt - related party, net of costs | ||||||||
| Total current liabilities | ||||||||
| Convertible long-term debt, net of costs | ||||||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 13) | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||
| Common stock, $ par value; shares authorized; and issued and outstanding, respectively | ||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
| Non-controlling interests | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | ||||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-5 |
ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
| For the Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Service Revenue | $ | $ | ||||||
| Total Revenue | ||||||||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||||
| Research and development | $ | $ | ||||||
| General and administrative | ||||||||
| Goodwill impairment (See note 2 and 3) | ||||||||
| Total operating expenses | ||||||||
| Loss from operations | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Other income (expense): | ||||||||
| Interest expense, net | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Change in fair value on investment in GMP Bio | ||||||||
| Reimbursement for expenses - related party | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative on debt | ( | ) | ||||||
| Loss on debt extinguishment | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Gain on derecognition of non-financial asset | ||||||||
| Total other income (expense) | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net income (loss) before non-controlling interests | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net loss attributable to non-controlling interests | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net income (loss) attributable to Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| Basic net loss per share attributable to common stock | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| Basic weighted average common stock outstanding | ||||||||
| Diluted net loss per share attributable to common stock | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| Diluted weighted average common stock outstanding | ||||||||
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-6 |
ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2023
| Preferred
Stock | Common
Stock | Additional | Accumulated | Non controlling | Stockholders’ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Interests | Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2023 | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adoption of ASU 2020-06 | - | - | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common shares issued in connection with debt conversion | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued with convertible notes | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Loss | - | - | ( | ) | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $ | ( | ) | ( | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-7 |
ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022
| Preferred Stock | Common Stock | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Non controlling | Stockholders’ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Interests | Equity | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | $ | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common shares issued upon cashless exercise of warrants | - | $ | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common shares issued for cash | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stock compensation expense | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued in connection with note extension | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Beneficial Conversion Feature on convertible debt | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrants issued in connection with debt issuance | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contribution from shareholder for payment of liabilities | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common shares issued in connection with debt conversion | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Income | - | - | ( | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( | ) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-8 |
ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the Twelve Months Ended December 31, | ||||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||
| Net income (loss) | $ | ( | ) | $ | ||||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: | ||||||||
| Gain on derecognition of non-financial asset | ( | ) | ||||||
| Goodwill impairment | ||||||||
| Amortization of debt discount and deferred finance costs | ||||||||
| Amortization of intangible assets | ||||||||
| Change in fair value on investment in GMP Bio | ( | ) | ||||||
| Loss on debt conversion | ||||||||
| Warrants issued in connection with private placement | ||||||||
| Write off of accounts receivable | ||||||||
| Stock compensation expense | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative | ( | ) | ||||||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses | ( | ) | ||||||
| Accounts payable to related party | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash flows from financing activities: | ||||||||
| Proceeds from / (repayment to) private placement | ( | ) | ||||||
| Proceeds from sales of common stock | ||||||||
| Proceeds from short term debt | ||||||||
| Proceeds from convertible debt, net of repayment | ||||||||
| Repaid to others | ( | ) | ||||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | ||||||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Cash and restricted cash - beginning of period | ||||||||
| Cash and restricted cash - end of period | $ | $ | ||||||
| Supplemental cash flow information: | ||||||||
| Cash paid for: | ||||||||
| Interest paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Income taxes paid | $ | $ | ||||||
| Non-cash investing and financing activities: | ||||||||
| Warrants issued in connection with private placement & debt | $ | $ | ||||||
| Beneficial Conversion Feature on convertible debt and restricted common shares | $ | $ | ||||||
| Common shares issued upon partial conversion of debt | $ | $ | ||||||
| Common shares issued in lieu of services | $ | $ | ||||||
| Non-cash cost upon sale of common stock | $ | $ | ||||||
| Contribution from shareholder for payment of liabilities | $ | $ | ||||||
The accompanying footnotes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
| F-9 |
ONCOTELIC THERAPEUTICS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 – DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Description of Business
Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. (“Oncotelic”), was formed in the State of New York in 1988 as OXiGENE, Inc., was reincorporated in the State of Delaware in 1992, and changed its name to Mateon Therapeutics, Inc. in 2016, and Oncotelic Therapeutics, Inc. in November 2020. Oncotelic conducts business activities through Oncotelic and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Oncotelic, Inc., a Delaware corporation, PointR Data, Inc. (“PointR”), a Delaware corporation; Pet2DAO, Inc (“Pet2DAO”) and EdgePoint AI, Inc. (“Edgepoint”), a Delaware Corporation for which there are non-controlling interests, (Oncotelic, Oncotelic Inc., PointR, Pet2DAO and Edgepoint are collectively called the “Company” or “We”). The Company completed a reverse merger with Oncotelic Inc in April 2019, a merger with PointR in November 2019 and formed a subsidiary Edgepoint in February 2020. For more information on these mergers, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 2023 or our 2022 Annual Report on form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 20, 2023.
The Company is currently developing OT-101, through its joint venture (“JV”) with Dragon Overseas Capital Limited (“Dragon”) and GMP Biotechnology Limited (“GMP Bio”), both affiliates of Golden Mountain Partners (“GMP”), for various cancers and COVID-19, Artemisinin for COVID-19 and AI technologies for clinical development and manufacturing. The Company is also independently planning to develop OT-101 for certain animal health indications and contemplating using crypto currencies for that platform. The Company has acquired apomorphine for Parkinson’s Disease, erectile dysfunction and female sexual dysfunction. In addition, the Company is evaluating the further development of its product candidates OXi4503 as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes and CA4P in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma.
The
Company is primarily a cancer immunotherapy company dedicated to the development of first in class self-immunization protocol (“SIP™”)
candidates for difficult to treat cancers. The Company’s proprietary SIP™ candidates are expected to offer advantages over
other immunotherapies because they do not require extraction of the tumor or isolation of the antigens, and they have the potential for
broad-spectrum applicability for multiple cancer types. The Company’s proprietary product candidates have shown promising clinical
activity in phase 2 trials for the treatment of gliomas and pancreatic cancers. The Company aims to translate its unique insights, which
span more than three decades of original work using RNA therapeutics, into the deployment of antisense as a RNA therapeutic for diseases
which are caused by TGF-β overexpression, starting with cancer and expanding to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (“DMD”)
and others. OT-101, is being developed as a broad-spectrum anti-cancer drug that can also be used in combination with other standard
cancer therapies to establish an effective multi-modality treatment strategy for difficult-to-treat cancers. The JV plans to initiate
phase 2 and 3 clinical trials for OT-101 in both high-grade glioma and pancreatic cancer, and any other indications that may evolve,
for human pharmaceutical needs. The JV will also be sponsoring many investigator-initiated studies for OT-101 for other oncology indications.
The Company is evaluating the further development of its product candidates OXi4503 as a treatment for acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic
syndromes and CA4P in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma. The JV is also developing
OT-101 for the various epidemics and pandemics, similar to the current corona virus (“COVID-19”) pandemic. In this
connection, the Company entered into an agreement and supplemental agreement with GMP for a total of $
| F-10 |
In November 2022, the Company formed a Decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) entity, Pet2DAO, Inc. (“Pet2DAO”), as a wholly owned subsidiary. A DAO is an emerging form of legal structure, that has no central governing body, and whose members share a common goal to act in the best interest of the entity. Pet2DAO is a DAO technology company, integrating the strong governance of traditional corporations with the innovative DAO architecture. The Company will look to engage stakeholders, to build value through the DAO, while maintaining the rigor of traditional corporations, including governance, compliance, and accountability through a team of veterans in public companies with innovators in AI, blockchain and Web3. Pet2DAO will initially be looking to develop products for the animal health space. The Company will initially issue regular tokens and non-fungible tokens (“NFT” and cumulatively “Tokens”) of Pet2DAO called PDAO to its employees, shareholders, and key opinion leaders (“KOLs’) and use the Tokens to propose and vote on various animal health related programs. In the future, the Company will evaluate and plan to register these tokens with the SEC to make such Tokens freely tradable at a future point in time.
Fundraising
Private Placement 2 & JH Darbie Financing
In
July 2023, the Company entered into a series of subscription agreements with 15 accredited investors which resulted in a conversion of
a gross amount of $
J.H. Darbie Financing Notes & Issuance of Oncotelic Warrants
In
February 2022, the Company and 99 out of 100 of the Investors agreed to extend the maturity date of the notes connected to the Units
from March 31, 2022 to March 31, 2023. In addition, the Company issued approximately
Equity Purchase Agreement
In
May 2021, the Company entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement (the “EPL”) and Registration Rights Agreement (the
“Registration Rights Agreement”) with Peak One Opportunity Fund, L.P. (“Peak One”), pursuant to
which the Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to direct Peak One to purchase up to $
August 2021 Notes
In
August 2021, the Company issued Note Purchase Agreements with Autotelic Inc., the Company’s Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”),
and certain other accredited investors. Under the terms of the Note Purchase Agreements, the Company issued an aggregate of $
November/December 2021 and March 2022 Notes
In
November / December 2021, the Company entered into various Securities Purchase Agreements with Talos Victory Fund, LLC (the (“Talos”),
Mast Hill Fund, LP (“Mast”), FirstFire Global Opportunities Fund, LLC (“FirstFire”), Blue Lake Partners, LLC
(“Blue Lake”) and Fourth Man, LLC (“Fourth Man”), pursuant to which the Company issued convertible promissory
notes in the aggregate principal amount of $
| F-11 |
In
March 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Fourth Man, pursuant to which the Company issued convertible
promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $
For more information on the debt financing of the Company, refer to Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
May 2022 Note
In
May 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Mast, pursuant to which the Company issued convertible promissory
notes in the aggregate principal amount of $
June 2022 Note
In
June 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Blue Lake, pursuant to which the Company issued convertible
promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $
Forever Prosperity (previously GMP) Note purchase agreements and unsecured notes
In August 2021 the Company, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”), and GMP executed a letter of intent and a non-binding term sheet (the “Term Sheet”), which Term Sheet included certain binding terms relating to a standstill agreement and the issuance of a convertible promissory note (as more fully described below).
Between
June 2020 and January 2022, the Company entered into various purchase agreements and promissory notes with GMP, cumulatively totaling
$
For more information on the GMP debt financing, refer to Note 5 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Joint Venture with GMP Bio
In March 2022, the Company formalized a joint venture (“JV”) with Dragon Overseas Capital Limited (“Dragon”) and GMP Biotechnology Limited (“GMP Bio”), both affiliates of GMP. Although no assurances can be given, the Company and GMP currently intend to conduct an initial public offering of the JV, at a future date, on either the Hong Kong Exchange or other stock exchange.
| F-12 |
For more information on the JV, refer to Note 6 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Pet2DAO
In November 2022, the Company formed a Decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) entity, Pet2DAO LLC (“Pet2DAO”), as a wholly owned subsidiary. A DAO is an emerging form of legal structure, that has no central governing body, and whose members share a common goal to act in the best interest of the entity. Pet2DAO is a DAO technology company, integrating the strong governance of traditional corporations with the innovative DAO architecture. The Company will look to engage stakeholders, to build value through the DAO, while maintaining the rigor of traditional corporations, including governance, compliance, and accountability through a team of veterans in public companies with innovators in AI, blockchain and Web3. Pet2DAO will initially be looking to develop products for the animal health space. The Company will initially issue regular tokens and non-fungible tokens (“NFT” and cumulatively “Tokens”) of Pet2DAO called PDAO to its employees, shareholders and key opinion leaders (“KOLs’) and use the Tokens to propose and vote on various animal health related programs. In the future, the Company will evaluate and plan to register these tokens with the SEC to make such Tokens freely tradable at a future point in time.
Licensing Agreement with Autotelic Inc.
In
September 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive License Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Autotelic, Inc. (“Autotelic”),
pursuant to which Autotelic granted the Company, among other things: (i) the exclusive right and license to certain Autotelic Patents
(as defined in the Agreement) and Autotelic Know-How (as defined in the Agreement); and (ii) a right of first refusal to acquire at least
a majority of the outstanding capital stock of Autotelic prior to Autotelic entering into any transaction that is a financing collaboration,
distribution revenues, earn-outs, sales, out-licensing, purchases, debt, royalties, merger acquisition, change of control, transfer of
cash or non-cash assets, disposition of capital stock by way of tender or exchange offer, partnership or any other joint or collaborative
venture, research collaboration, material transfer, sponsored research or similar transaction or agreements. In exchange for the rights
granted to Oncotelic, Autotelic will be entitled to earn the milestone payments of up to $
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Oncotelic, PointR and Edgepoint for which there are non-controlling interests. Intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission including Form 10-K and Regulation S-X.
Liquidity and Going Concern
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The
Company has incurred net losses of approximately $
| F-13 |
The Company’s long-term plans include continued development of its current pipeline of products, in addition to continue the development of OT-101 which is exclusively out-licensed to the JV and the JV will be responsible for the funding required to support the development in entirety, to generate sufficient revenues, through either technology transfer or product sales, or raise additional financing to cover its anticipated expenses. Until the Company is able to generate sufficient revenues from its current pipeline, the Company plans on funding its operations through the sale of equity and/or the issuance of debt, combined with or without warrants or other equity instruments.
The
Company raised approximately $
Although no assurances can be given as to the Company’s ability to deliver on its revenue plans, or that unforeseen expenses may arise, management believes that the potential equity and debt financing or other potential financing will provide the necessary funding for the Company to continue as a going concern. Also, management cannot guarantee any potential debt or equity financing will be available on favorable terms or at all. As such, management does not believe the Company has sufficient cash for 12 months from the date of this report. If adequate funds are not available on acceptable terms, or at all, the Company will need to curtail operations, or cease operations completely.
NOTE 2 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, equity-based transactions and disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements and revenues and expense during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.
The Company believes the following critical accounting policies affect its more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of the financial statements. Significant estimates include the valuation of goodwill and intangible assets for impairment, deferred tax asset and valuation allowance, and fair value of financial instruments.
Cash
As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, the Company held all its cash in banks in the United States of America. The Company considers investments in highly liquid instruments with a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Restricted cash consists of certificates of deposits held at banks as collateral for various purposes.
Debt issuance Costs and Debt discount
Issuance costs are specific incremental costs that are (1) paid to third parties and (2) directly attributable to the issuance of a debt or equity instrument. The issuance costs attributable to the initial sale of the instrument are offset against the associated proceeds in the determination of the instrument’s initial net carrying amount.
Debt issuance costs and debt discounts are being amortized over the lives of the related financings on a basis that approximates the effective interest method. Costs and discounts are presented as a reduction of the related debt in the accompanying balance sheets if related to the issuance of debt or presented as a reduction of additional paid in capital if related to the issuance of an equity instrument. The Company applies the relative fair value to allocate the issuance costs among freestanding instruments that form part of the same transaction.
| F-14 |
If the Company amends the terms of its convertible notes, the Company reviews and applies the guidance per ASC 470-60 Troubled debt restructurings and ASC 470-50 Debt-Modifications and Extinguishments, evaluates and concludes whether the terms of the agreements were or were not substantially different as of a particular reporting date and accounts the transaction as a debt modification or a troubled debt restructuring.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The carrying value of cash, accounts payable and accrued expense approximate their fair values based on the short-term maturity of these instruments. As defined in ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” fair value is the price 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 (exit price). The Company utilizes market data or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk and the risks inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique. These inputs can be readily observable, market corroborated, or generally unobservable. ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (level 3 measurement). This fair value measurement framework applies at both initial and subsequent measurement.
The three levels of the fair value hierarchy defined by ASC 820 are as follows:
| ● | Level 1 – Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date. Active markets are those in which transactions for the asset or liability occur in sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis. Level 1 primarily consists of financial instruments such as exchange-traded derivatives, marketable securities and listed equities. |
| ● | Level 2 – Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, which are either directly or indirectly observable as of the reported date. Level 2 includes those financial instruments that are valued using models or other valuation methodologies. These models are primarily industry-standard models that consider various assumptions, including quoted forward prices for commodities, time value, volatility factors and current market and contractual prices for the underlying instruments, as well as other relevant economic measures. Substantially all of these assumptions are observable in the marketplace throughout the full term of the instrument, can be derived from observable data or are supported by observable levels at which transactions are executed in the marketplace. Instruments in this category generally include non- exchange-traded derivatives such as commodity swaps, interest rate swaps, options and collars. |
| ● | Level 3 – Pricing inputs include significant inputs that are generally less observable from objective sources. These inputs may be used with internally developed methodologies that result in management’s best estimate of fair value. |
The Company did not have any Level 1 or Level 2 assets and liabilities at December 31, 2023 and 2022.
Investment in equity securities
The following table summarizes the cumulative gross unrealized gains and losses and fair values for long- term investments accounted for at fair value under the fair value option, with the unrealized gains and losses reported within earnings on the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operation as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
| Initial Book Value | Cumulative Gross Unrealized Gains | Cumulative Gross Unrealized Losses | Fair Value | |||||||||||||
| December 31, 2023 | ||||||||||||||||
| Investment in GMP Bio (equity securities) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| F-15 |
| Initial Book Value | Cumulative
Gross Unrealized Gains | Cumulative
Gross Unrealized Losses | Fair Value | |||||||||||||
| December 31, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||
| Investment in GMP Bio (equity securities) | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
| Total | $ | $ | $ | $ | ||||||||||||
The table below sets forth a summary of the recording of the initial value of the long-term value of investment in equity securities of GMP Bio, based on a third-party valuation report, and changes in the fair value of such equity securities, if such change occurs, as a Level 3 fair value as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
| Contribution at cost basis | ||||||||
| Gain on derecognition of non-financial asset | ||||||||
| Change in fair value | ||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
Derivative Liability
The Company has certain derivative liabilities associated with its 2019 bridge financing Convertible Notes (see Note 5), consisted of conversion feature derivatives at December 31, 2023 and 2022, are Level 3 fair value measurements.
The table below sets forth a summary of the changes in the fair value of the Company’s derivative liabilities classified as Level 3 as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
| December 31, 2023 Conversion Feature | December 31, 2022 Conversion Feature | |||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
| New derivative liability | ||||||||
| Reclassification to additional paid in capital from conversion of debt to common stock | ||||||||
| Change in fair value | ( | ) | ||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
At December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, the Company estimated the fair value of the conversion feature derivatives embedded in the convertible debentures based on assumptions used in the Black-Scholes valuation model. The key valuation assumptions used consists, in part, of the price of the Company’s Common Stock, a risk-free interest rate based on the yield of a Treasury note and expected volatility of the Company’s Common Stock all as of the measurement dates. The Company used the following assumptions to estimate fair value of the derivatives as of December 31, 2023 and 2022:
| December
31, 2023 | December
31, | |||||||
| Risk free interest | ||||||||
| Market price of share | $ - | $ - | ||||||
| Life of instrument in years | ||||||||
| Volatility | % | % | ||||||
| Dividend yield | % | % | ||||||
| F-16 |
When the Company changes its valuation inputs for measuring financial liabilities at fair value, either due to changes in current market conditions or other factors, it may need to transfer those liabilities to another level in the hierarchy based on the new inputs used. The Company recognizes these transfers at the end of the reporting period that the transfers occur. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no transfers of financial assets or financial liabilities between the hierarchy levels.
The
$
Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted- average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per share includes the effect of Common Stock equivalents (notes convertible into Common Stock, stock options and warrants) when, under either the treasury or if-converted method, such inclusion in the computation would be dilutive. During the year ended December 31, 2023, no equivalent shares of the Common Stock were included as the Company had incurred losses during this period and addition of such stock equivalents in the computation would have been anti-dilutive. Approximately 73 million equivalent shares of Common Stock had been included in the computation of the dilutive income per share for the year ended December 31, 2022.
| December 31, 2022 | ||||
| Basic weighted average common stock outstanding | ||||
| Add: Dilutive common stock equivalents | ||||
| Stock options outstanding | ||||
| Warrants outstanding | ||||
| Convertible debt, convertible into common stock | ||||
| Diluted weighted average common stock outstanding | ||||
The Company applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation—Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”), which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all stock-based awards made to employees and non-employees, including employee stock options, in the statements of operations.
For stock options issued, the Company estimates the grant date fair value of each option using the Black- Scholes option pricing model. The use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires management to make assumptions with respect to the expected term of the option, the expected volatility of the Common Stock consistent with the expected life of the option, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yields of the Common Stock. For awards subject to service-based vesting conditions, including those with a graded vesting schedule, the Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense equal to the grant date fair value of stock options on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting term. Forfeitures are recorded as they are incurred as opposed to being estimated at the time of grant and revised.
For warrants issued in connection with fund raising activities, the Company estimates the grant date fair value of each warrant using the Black-Scholes pricing model. The use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires management to make assumptions with respect to the expected term of the warrant, the expected volatility of the Common Stock consistent with the expected life of the warrant, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend yields of the Common Stock. If the warrants are issued upon termination or cancellation of prior issued warrants, then the Company estimates the grant date fair value of the new warrants using the Black-Scholes pricing model and evaluates whether the new warrants are deemed as equity instruments or liability instruments. If the warrants are deemed to be equity instruments, the Company records stock compensation expense and an addition to additional paid in capital. If however, the warrants are deemed to be liability instruments, then the fair value is treated as a deemed dividend and credited to additional paid in capital.
| F-17 |
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets, including definite-lived intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these assets is determined by comparing the forecasted undiscounted net cash flows of the operation to which the assets relate to the carrying amount. If the operation is determined to be unable to recover the carrying amount of its assets, then these assets are written down first, followed by other long-lived assets of the operation to fair value. Fair value is determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, depending on the nature of the assets. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, there were no impairment losses recognized for long- lived assets.
Intangible Assets
The
Company records its intangible assets at cost in accordance with ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. The Company reviews
the intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis or if events or changes in circumstances indicate it is more likely than not
that they are impaired. These events could include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, a decline in operating
performance, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business, or other factors. If the review indicates the
impairment, an impairment loss would be recorded for the difference of the value recorded and the new value. For the years ended December
31, 2023 and 2022, there were
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of acquired business over the estimated fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment at least once annually, at the reporting unit level or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. The goodwill impairment test is applied by performing a qualitative assessment before calculating the fair value of the reporting unit. If, on the basis of qualitative factors, it is considered not more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than the carrying amount, further testing of goodwill for impairment would not be required. Otherwise, goodwill impairment is tested using a two-step approach.
The
first step involves comparing the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying amount. The Company has always operated as a single
unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit is determined to be greater than its carrying amount, there is no impairment. If the reporting
unit’s carrying amount is determined to be greater than the fair value, the second step must be completed to measure the amount
of impairment, if any. The second step involves calculating the implied fair value of goodwill by deducting the fair value of all tangible
and intangible assets, excluding goodwill, of the reporting unit from the fair value of the reporting unit as determined in step one.
The implied fair value of the goodwill in this step is compared to the carrying value of goodwill. If the implied fair value of the goodwill
is less than the carrying value of the goodwill, an impairment loss equivalent to the difference is recorded. When we sell or contribute
properties to unconsolidated arrangements and retain a non-controlling ownership interest in such assets, we recognize the difference
between the consideration received and the carrying amount of the asset sold or contributed. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and
2022, we recorded an impairment loss of approximately $
Derivative Financial Instruments Indexed to the Company’s Common Stock
We have generally issued derivative financial instruments, such as warrants, in connection with our equity offerings. We evaluate the terms of these derivative financial instruments in order to determine their accounting treatment in our financial statements. Key considerations include whether the financial instruments are freestanding and whether they contain conditional obligations. If the warrants are freestanding, do not contain conditional obligations and meet other classification criteria, we account for the warrants as an equity instrument. However, if the warrants contain conditional obligations, then we account for the warrants as a liability until the conditional obligations are met or are no longer relevant. Because no established market prices exist for the warrants that we issue in connection with our equity offerings, we must estimate the fair value of the warrants based on the price of our Common Stock as of December 31 each year, which is as inherently subjective as it is for stock options, and for similar reasons as noted in the stock-based compensation section above. For financial instruments which are accounted for as a liability, we report any changes in their estimated fair values as gains or losses in our Consolidated Statement of Income.
| F-18 |
Convertible Instruments
The Company evaluates and accounts for conversion options embedded in its convertible instruments in accordance with ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”.
ASC 815 generally provides three criteria that, if met, require companies to bifurcate conversion options from their host instruments and account for them as free-standing derivative financial instruments. These three criteria include circumstances in which (a) the economic characteristics and risks of the embedded derivative instrument are not clearly and closely related to the economic characteristics and risks of the host contract, (b) the hybrid instrument that embodies both the embedded derivative instrument and the host contract is not re-measured at fair value under otherwise applicable generally accepted accounting principles with changes in fair value reported in earnings as they occur, and (c) a separate instrument with the same terms as the embedded derivative instrument would be considered a derivative instrument. Professional standards also provide an exception to this rule when the host instrument is deemed to be conventional as defined under professional standards as “The Meaning of Conventional Convertible Debt Instrument.”
The Company accounts for convertible instruments (when it has determined that the embedded conversion options should not be bifurcated from their host instruments) in accordance with ASC 470-20 “Debt – Debt with Conversion and Other Options.” Accordingly, the Company records, when necessary, discounts to convertible notes for the intrinsic value of conversion options embedded in debt instruments based upon the differences between the fair value of the underlying Common Stock at the commitment date of the note transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the note. Original issue discounts (“OID”) under these arrangements are amortized over the term of the related debt to their earliest date of redemption. The Company also records, when necessary, deemed dividends for the intrinsic value of conversion options embedded in preferred shares based upon the differences between the fair value of the underlying Common Stock at the commitment date of the note transaction and the effective conversion price embedded in the note.
ASC 815-40 “Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity” provides that, among other things, generally, if an event occurs that is not within the entity’s control could or would require net cash settlement, then the contract shall be classified as an asset or a liability.
Variable Interest Entity (VIE) Accounting
The
Company evaluates its ownership, contractual relationships and other interests in entities to determine the nature and extent of the
interests, whether such interests are variable interests and whether the entities are VIEs in accordance with ASC 810, Consolidations.
These evaluations can be complex and involve Management judgment as well as the use of estimates and assumptions based on available historical
information, among other factors. Based on these evaluations, if the Company determines that it is the primary beneficiary of a VIE,
the entity is consolidated into the financial statements. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company identified EdgePoint to be the Company’s
sole VIE. At December 31, 2023, and 2022, the Company’s ownership percentage of EdgePoint was
| F-19 |
Investments - Equity Method
The Company accounts for equity method investments at cost, adjusted for the Company’s share of the investee’s earnings or losses, which are reflected in the consolidated statements of operations. The Company periodically reviews the investments for other than temporary declines in fair value below cost and more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. The Investment in GMP Bio represents the investment into equity securities for which the Company elected the fair value option pursuant to ASC 825-10-15 and subsequent fair value changes in the GMP Bio shares shall be included in the result from other income. Refer to Note 6 to these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Joint Venture agreement
We have equity interest in unconsolidated arrangement that is primarily engaged in the business of drug discovery, development, and commercialization, including but not limited to development and commercialization of TGF-beta therapeutics as well as establishing and operating contract development and manufacturing organization (“CDMO”) facilities and capabilities. The Company first reviews the arrangement to determine if it meets the definition of an accounting joint venture pursuant to ASC 323-10-20. In order to meet the definition of a joint venture, the arrangement must have all of the following characteristics, (i) the arrangement is organized within a separate legal entity, (ii) the entity is under the joint control of the venturers, (iii) the venturers must be able to exercise joint control through their equity investments, (iv) the qualitative characteristics of the entity, including its purpose and design must be consistent with the definition of a joint venture.
We consolidate arrangements that are considered to be VIEs where we are the primary beneficiary. We analyze our investments in joint ventures to determine if the joint venture is considered a VIE and would require consolidation. We (i) evaluate the sufficiency of the total equity investment at risk, (ii) review the voting rights and decision-making authority of the equity investment holders as a group and whether there are limited partners (or similar owning entities) that lack substantive participating or kick out rights, guaranteed returns, protection against losses, or capping of residual returns within the group and (iii) establish whether activities within the venture are on behalf of an investor with disproportionately few voting rights in making this VIE determination.
To the extent that we own interests in a VIE and we (i) have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of the VIE and (ii) have the obligation or rights to absorb losses or receive benefits that could potentially be significant to the VIE, then we would be determined to be the primary beneficiary and would consolidate the VIE. To the extent that we own interests in a VIE, then at each reporting period, we re-assess our conclusions as to which, if any, party within the VIE is considered the primary beneficiary.
To the extent that our arrangements do not qualify as VIEs, they are consolidated if we control them through majority ownership interests or if we are the managing entity (general partner or managing member) and our partner does not have substantive participating rights. Control is further demonstrated by our ability to unilaterally make significant operating decisions, refinance debt, and sell the assets of the joint venture without the consent of the non- managing entity and the inability of the non-managing entity to remove us from our role as the managing entity.
We use the equity method of accounting for those arrangements where we exercise significant influence but do not have control. Under the equity method of accounting, our investment in each arrangement is included on our consolidated balance sheet; however, the assets and liabilities of the joint ventures for which we use the equity method are not included on our consolidated balance sheet.
When we sell or contribute properties to unconsolidated arrangements and retain a non-controlling ownership interest in such assets, we recognize the difference between the consideration received and the carrying amount of the asset sold or contributed when its derecognition criteria are met. The equity method investment we retain in such partial sale transactions is noncash consideration and is measured at fair value. As a result, the accounting for a partial sale will result in the recognition of a full gain or loss.
When circumstances indicate there may have been a reduction in the value of an equity investment, we evaluate whether the loss in value is other than temporary. If we conclude it is other than temporary, we recognize an impairment charge to reflect the equity investment at fair value.
The Company elected the fair value option under the fair value option Subsection of Section 825-10-15 to account for its equity-method investment as the Company believes that the fair value option is most appropriate for a company in the biotechnology industry, The fair value option is more appropriate for companies that are involved in extensive and usually very expensive research and development efforts, which are not appropriately reflected in the market value or reflective of the true value of the development activities of the Company.
| F-20 |
Embedded debt costs in convertible debt instruments
In August 2020, the FASB issued “ASU 2020-06, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)” (“ASU 2020-06”) which simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments. The guidance removes certain accounting models which separate the embedded conversion features from the host contract for convertible instruments. Either a modified retrospective method of transition or a fully retrospective method of transition was permissible for the adoption of this standard. Update No. 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption was permitted no earlier than the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2020. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2023 and has removed the effects of any embedded conversion features from certain of our convertible instruments as of that date.
Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers.
Under ASC 606, the Company recognizes revenue when its customers obtain control of the promised good or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. The Company applies the following five-step process: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligation(s) in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligation(s) in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation.
At contract inception, once the contract is determined to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company identifies the performance obligation(s) in the contract by assessing whether the goods or services promised within each contract are distinct. The Company then recognizes revenue for the amount of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.
The Company does not anticipate generating revenues from rendering services to other third party customers for the development of certain drug products and/or in connection with certain out-licensing agreements, at least in the near future. In the case of services rendered for development of the drugs, revenue is recognized upon the achievement of the performance obligations or over time on a straight-line basis over the extended service period. In the case of out-licensing contracts, the Company records revenues either (i) upon achievement of certain pre-defined milestones when there is no obligation of the Company achieve any performance obligations in connection with the said pre-defined milestones, or (ii) upon achievement of the performance obligations if the milestones require the Company to provide the performance obligations.
The Company may occasionally collect advance payments from customers toward commitments to provide services or performance obligations, in which case the advance payment is recorded as a liability until the obligations are fulfilled and revenue is recognized.
| F-21 |
Research & Development Costs
In accordance with ASC 730-10-25 “Research and Development”, research and development costs are charged to expense as and when incurred.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In
August 2020, the FASB issued “ASU 2020-06, Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470- 20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts
in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40)” (“ASU 2020-06”) which simplifies the accounting for convertible
instruments. The guidance removes certain accounting models which separate the embedded conversion features from the host contract for
convertible instruments. Either a modified retrospective method of transition or a fully retrospective method of transition was permissible
for the adoption of this standard. Update No. 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim
periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption was permitted no earlier than the fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2020.The
Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2023 and as of December 31, 2023, the Company recorded approximately $
All other newly issued but not yet effective accounting pronouncements have been deemed to be not applicable or immaterial to the Company.
NOTE 3 – ACQUISITIONS, GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill from 2019 Reverse Merger with Oncotelic and Merger with PointR
The Company completed the reverse merger with Oncotelic Inc. (“Merger”) in April 2019. The Company completed the merger with PointR Data Inc (“PointR Merger”) in November 2019. For more details on the two mergers, refer to our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 filed by the Company on April 15, 2021.
The
Oncotelic merger gave rise to Goodwill of approximately $
Further,
we added goodwill of $
We have one operating segment and reporting unit. Accordingly, our review of goodwill impairment indicators was performed at the entity-wide level. In performing our annual impairment assessment, we determined if we should qualitatively assess whether it was more likely than not the fair value of goodwill was less than its carrying amount (the qualitative impairment test). The factors we considered in the assessment included our market capitalization, general macroeconomic conditions, conditions specific to the industry and market and whether there had been sustained declines in our share price. If we concluded, it was more likely than not, the fair value of the reporting unit was less than its carrying amount, or elected not to use the qualitative impairment test, a quantitative impairment test would be performed.
We
used our market capitalization as an indicator of fair value. While we believe the fair value measurement need not be based solely on
the quoted market price of an individual share of our Common Stock, and that we also could consider the impact of a control premium in
measuring the fair value of its reporting unit. In the absence of any other valuation metrics, the Company believed using a control premium
utilized would not be appropriate under the current circumstances. We also considered some other market comparables, trends in our stock
price as well as the industry over a period of two successive quarters and prospective quarter to evaluate whether the fair value of
our reporting unit was greater than our carrying amount. As such, we performed a quantitative impairment assessment of goodwill for our
single reporting unit at the end of 2023 and 2022, due to a sustained decline in our market capitalization and an increase in negative
economic outlook for biotech markets. We estimated and reconciled the fair value of our reporting unit utilizing our market capitalization
based on the stock price of our Common Stock as of December 31, 2023 and 2022. Before completing our goodwill impairment test, we first
tested our indefinite-lived intangible asset then our remaining long-lived assets for impairment. We concluded our indefinite-lived intangible
assets were not impaired. Based on the market capitalization, we further concluded the fair value of our single reporting unit was less
than its carrying value and therefore recognized an impairment charge of approximately $
| F-22 |
A summary of our goodwill as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 is shown below:
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
| Less: Derecognition upon recording of gain on non-financial asset | ( | ) | ||||||
| Less: Goodwill impairment due to market capitalization | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Balance at December 31, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
In general, the goodwill is tested on an annual impairment date of December 31, unless we observe any further deterioration in our market capitalization, in which case we may, depending on the materiality of the impairment, record an impairment at the end of other reporting periods, as we have done during the course of the year ended December 31, 2023.
Assignment and Assumption Agreement with Autotelic, Inc.
In
April 2018, Oncotelic Inc. entered into an Assignment and Assumption Agreement (the “Assignment Agreement”) with Autotelic
Inc., an affiliate company, and Autotelic LLC, an affiliate company, pursuant to which Oncotelic acquired the rights to all intellectual
property (“IP”) related to a patented product. As consideration for the Assignment Agreement, Oncotelic Inc. issued
shares of its Common Stock for a value of $
In-Process Research & Development (“IPR&D”) Summary
The
IPR&D assets were acquired in the PointR Merger during the year ended December 31, 2019. Since January 2021, the Company has determined
that the IPR&D should be reported as an indefinitely lived asset and therefore will evaluate, on an annual basis, for any impairment
on the IPR&D and will record an impairment if identified. The balance of IPR&D as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022
was $
NOTE 4 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES
Accounts payable and accrued expense consists of the following amounts:
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | $ | ||||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Accounts payable – related party | $ | $ | ||||||
| F-23 |
NOTE 5 – CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES, NOTES AND OTHER DEBT
As of December 31, 2023, special purchase agreements (SPAs) with convertible debentures and notes, net of debt discount and including accrued interest, if any, consist of the following amounts:
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Current Debt | ||||||||
| Convertible debentures | ||||||||
| 10% Convertible note payable, due April 23, 2022 – Bridge Investor | $ | $ | ||||||
| 10% Convertible note payable, due April 23, 2022 – Related Party | ||||||||
| 10% Convertible note payable, due August 6, 2022 – Bridge Investor | ||||||||
| Fall 2019 Notes | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note payable – Stephen Boesch | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note payable – Related Party | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note payable – Dr. Sanjay Jha (Through his family trust) | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note payable – CEO & CFO – Related Parties | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note payable – Bridge Investors | ||||||||
| August 2021 Convertible Notes | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note – Autotelic Inc– Related Party | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note – Bridge investors | ||||||||
| 5% Convertible note – CFO – Related Party | ||||||||
| JH Darbie PPM Debt | ||||||||
| 16% Convertible Notes – Non-related parties | ||||||||
| 16% Convertible Notes – CEO – Related Party | ||||||||
| November/December 2021 & March 2022 Notes | ||||||||
| 16% Convertible Notes – Accredited Investors | ||||||||
| Debt for Clinical Trials – Forever Prosperity ( Formerly GMP) | ||||||||
| 2% Convertible Notes – Forever Prosperity | ||||||||
| May and June 2022 Note | ||||||||
| 16% Convertible Notes – Accredited Investors | ||||||||
| Other Debt | ||||||||
| Short term debt – Bridge investors | ||||||||
| Short term debt from CFO – Related Party | ||||||||
| Short term debt – Autotelic Inc. – Related Party | ||||||||
| Short Term Debt from CEO – Related Party | ||||||||
| Total of short term convertible debentures & notes and other debt | $ | |||||||
| F-24 |
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Long Term Debt | ||||||||
| JH Darbie PPM 2 Debt | ||||||||
| 16% Convertible Notes - Non-related parties | ||||||||
| 16% Convertible Notes – CEO – Related Party | ||||||||
Convertible Debentures
As
of December 31, 2023, the Company had a derivative liability of approximately $
Bridge Financing
Notes with Officer and Bridge Investor
In
April 2019, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Bridge SPA”) with our CEO (the “Trieu
Note”) and a Bridge Investor with a commitment to purchase convertible notes in the aggregate of $
The
issuance of the Trieu Note resulted in a discount from the beneficial conversion feature totaling $
In April 2019, pursuant to the Bridge SPA the Company entered into Convertible Note Tranche #1 (“Tranche #1”) with the Bridge Investor. For more information on Tranche #1, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
The issuance of the note resulted in a discount from the beneficial conversion feature totaling $. Total amortization of the OID and discount totaled $ and approximately $ for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Total unamortized discount on this note was approximately $ as of December 31, 2023, and 2022.
In August 2019, pursuant to the Bridge SPA the Company entered into Convertible Note Tranche #2 (“Tranche #2”) with the Bridge Investor. For more information on Tranche #2, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
The issuance of the note resulted in a discount from the beneficial conversion feature totaling $. Total amortization of the OID and discount totaled $ and approximately $ for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Total unamortized discount on this note was $ as of December 31, 2023, and 2022.
Fall 2019 Debt Financing
In
December 2019, the Company closed its Fall 2019 Debt Financing, raising an additional $
| F-25 |
There
was no activity during the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.The total unamortized principal amount of the Fall 2019 Notes was $
All
the Fall 2019 Notes provided for interest at the rate of
Further,
the Company recorded interest expense of approximately $
Forever Prosperity (Formerly GMP) Notes
In
June 2020, the Company secured $
In
September 2021, the Company secured a further $
| F-26 |
In
October 2021, the Company entered into an Unsecured Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (the “October Purchase Agreement”)
with GMP, pursuant to which the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $
In
January 2022, the Company entered into an Unsecured Convertible Note Purchase Agreement (the “January Purchase Agreement”)
with GMP, pursuant to which the Company issued a convertible promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $
Cumulatively,
the GMP Note, GMP Note 2, October 2021 Note and the January 2022 Notes are referred to as the “GMP Notes”. The GMP
Notes carry an interest rate of
The
total principal outstanding on all the GMP notes, inclusive of accrued interest, was approximately $
During
the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company incurred approximately $
August 2021 Notes
In
August 2021, the Company entered into Note Purchase Agreements with Autotelic - a related party, our CFO – a related party, and
certain accredited investors (the “August 2021 investors”), whereby the Company issued four convertible notes in the aggregate
principal amount of $
| F-27 |
As of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the August 2021 convertible notes, inclusive of accrued interest, consist of the following amounts:
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Autotelic Related party convertible note, 5% coupon December 2023 | $ | $ | ||||||
| CFO Related party convertible note, 5% coupon December 2023 | ||||||||
| Accredited investors convertible note, 5% coupon December 2023 | ||||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||
During
the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 the Company recognized approximately $
At
December 31, 2023, and 2022, accrued interests on these convertible notes totaled approximately $
The
outstanding balance on the note for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $
November / December 2021 and March 2022 Financing
In
November / December 2021, the Company entered into securities purchase agreement with five institutional investors, whereby the Company
issued five convertible notes in the aggregate principal amount of $
Further,
in March 2022, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement with Fourth Man, pursuant to which the Company issued convertible
promissory note in the aggregate principal amount of $
During
the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company converted the balance of approximately $
| F-28 |
During
the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company converted the Mast Hill convertible note into shares of the Company’s Common
Stock, which fully retired the convertible note during the second fiscal quarter of 2022. Such conversion resulted in a loss from debt
conversion of approximately $
During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company repaid the Talos Victory and First Fire convertible notes with the proceeds from the May 2022 Mast Hill convertible note.
During
the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company converted $
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Blue Lake Partners LLC Convertible note, 12% coupon, December 2021, inclusive of accrued interest | ||||||||
| Fourth Man LLC Convertible note, 12% coupon December 2021, inclusive of accrued interest | ||||||||
| Convertible notes, net of discounts | $ | |||||||
The
Company recognized approximately $
Accrued
interest was approximately $
The
Company recognized approximately $
The
Company recorded an initial debt discount of approximately $
The
note included a default amount of $
| F-29 |
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Fourth Man Convertible note, 16% coupon March 2023 inclusive of accrued interest and default provision | $ | $ | ||||||
| Unamortized debt discount | ( | ) | ||||||
| Convertible notes, net | $ | |||||||
The
March 2022 Fourth Man Financing principal balance was approximately $
During
the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company converted $
As
of December 31, 2023, the balance includes the remaining principal of $
.
The Company incurred approximately $
The
Company recognized approximately $
As
of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, the balance of the unamortized debt discount was $
As
of December 31, 2023, the Fourth Man note was in technical default as the Company failed to repay the principal at the maturity date.
However, the Company has not received notification of default from the lender. The default provision requires the accrual of a default
penalty of
May 2022 Mast Financing
In
May 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with one institutional investor, whereby the Company issued one convertible
note in the aggregate principal amount of $
| F-30 |
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Mast Hill Convertible note, 16% coupon May 2023, inclusive of accrued interest and penalty | $ | $ | ||||||
| Convertible notes, gross | $ | $ | ||||||
| Less Debt discount recorded | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Amortization debt discount, net or reversal of original and unamortized BCF | ||||||||
| Convertible notes, net | $ | $ | ||||||
The
Mast Hill Note of $
Accrued
interest was approximately $
The
Company recognized approximately $
Effective
January 1, 2023, the Company adopted ASU 2020-06, which resulted in the reversal of the original BCF amount to additional paid in capital
for approximately $
June 2022 Blue Lake Financing
In
June 2022, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with one institutional investor, whereby the Company issued one convertible
note in the aggregate principal amount of $
| F-31 |
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Blue Lake Convertible note, 12% coupon June 2023, inclusive of accrued interest | $ | $ | ||||||
| Convertible notes, gross | $ | $ | ||||||
| Less Debt discount recorded | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Amortization debt discount, net or reversal of original and unamortized BCF | ||||||||
| Convertible notes, net | $ | $ | ||||||
The
Company recognized approximately $
The
Company recognized approximately $
The
Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2023, which resulted in the reversal of the original BCF amount to additional paid in
capital of approximately $
As
of December 31, 2023, these notes are in default. However, the Company has not received notification of default from the lender. The
Company has recorded an estimated default penalty of approximately $
Other short-term advances
As of December 31, 2023, other short-term advances consist of the following amounts obtained from various employees and related parties:
| Other Advances | December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | ||||||
| Short term advance from CFO – Related Party | $ | $ | ||||||
| Short term advance from CEO – Related Party | ||||||||
| Short term advances – bridge investors & others | ||||||||
| Short term advances – Autotelic Inc. – Related Party | ||||||||
| $ | $ | |||||||
The
Company’s CFO was owed approximately $
During
the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company received approximately $
In December 2023, the Company received $
In
May 2021, Autotelic provided an additional short-term funding of approximately $
| F-32 |
NOTE 6 - JOINT VENTURE WITH GMP BIO AND AFFILIATES, EQUITY METHOD INVESTMENT
On March 31, 2022, the Company entered into (i) a joint venture (the “JV”) agreement with Dragon and GMP Bio, both affiliates of GMP, (and the Company, Dragon and GMP Bio are collectively called the “Parties”) (the “JVA”), (ii) a license agreement for rights to OT-101 (the “US License Agreement”) for the territory within the United States of America (the “US”) with Sapu Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of GMP Bio and (iii) a license agreement for rights to OT-101 for the rest of the world with GMP Bio (the “Ex-US Rights Agreement”, and the US License Agreement and the Ex-US License Agreement are collectively called the “Agreements”). For more information on the JV, JVA, and Agreements, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
As
of the effective date of the formation of the JV, the combined enterprise value of GMP Bio was approximately $
| December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
| Add: change in fair value of investment in GMP Bio | ||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2023 and 2022 | $ | $ | ||||||
For information on the various notes from GMP, refer to Note 5 – GMP Notes of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements above.
NOTE 7 - PRIVATE PLACEMENT (PPM-1) AND JH DARBIE FINANCING
During
the period from July 2020 to March 2021, the Company entered into subscription agreements with certain accredited investors pursuant
to the JH Darbie Financing, whereby the Company issued and sold a total of 100 Units, for total gross proceeds of approximately $
| ■ | shares of Edgepoint Common Stock for a price of $ per share of Edgepoint Common Stock. | |
| ■ | One
convertible promissory note, convertible into up to shares of Edgepoint Common Stock, at a conversion price of $ | |
| ■ |
In
July and October 2023, The Company converted the debt of fourty two (42) accredited investors from the JH Darbie Financing (now referred
to as “PPM-1”) into the new subscription agreements under the new financing (“PPM-2”- See Note
8 below), which resulted in conversion of $
As of December 31, 2023, and 2022, funds received under the JH Darbie Financing, net of debt discounts, consist of the following amounts:
December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
Convertible promissory notes | ||||||||
| Subscription agreements - accredited
investors | $ | $ | ||||||
| Subscription agreements – related party | ||||||||
| Total convertible promissory notes | $ | $ | ||||||
| F-33 |
The
Company incurred approximately $
Concurrently
with the sale of the Units, JH Darbie was granted, for nominal consideration, a warrant, exercisable over a five-year period, to purchase
The terms of convertible notes are summarized as follows:
| ■ | Term: Through March 31, 2023. | |
| ■ | Coupon:
| |
| ■ | Convertible at the option of the holder at any time in the Company’s Common Stock or Edgepoint Common Stock. | |
| ■ | The
conversion price is initially set at $ |
For more information on the private placement, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
In
February 2022, the Company and all except one of the Investors agreed to extend the maturity date of the Notes from March 31, 2022, to
March 31, 2023. In consideration for the extension of the Notes, the Company issued to the Investors an aggregate of
The
Company recognized amortization expense related to the debt discount and debt issuance costs of approximately $
NOTE 8 – PRIVATE PLACEMENT -2 (PPM-2) AND JH DARBIE FUNDING
In July and October 2023, the Company entered into a series of subscription agreements with certain accredited investors (the “financing”) whereby the Company issued and converted a total ofUnits, with each Unit consisting of:
| ● | One
|
| ● | warrants to purchase an equivalent number of shares of the Company’s common stock at a strike price of $ per share (“Oncotelic warrant”). |
The
Company converted the debt of fifteen (15) accredited investors from the previous PPM (“PPM -1”- See Note 7 above)
into the current subscription agreements under the PPM-2, which resulted in conversion of $
| F-34 |
In connection with the consummation of Tranche 1, 2 and 3 of the July 2023 PPM, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement granting certain registration rights with respect to the shares of the Company’s Common Stock issued in connection with the financing, as well as the shares of the Company’s Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The issuance of the Units is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), in reliance on the exemptions provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as provided in Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated thereunder. The shares of common stock and warrants and any shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, have not been registered under the Securities Act or any other applicable securities laws, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
As of December 31, 2023, and December 31, 2022, debt recorded under PPM-2, net of debt discounts and including accrued interest, consist of the following amounts:
December 31, 2023 | December 31, 2022 | |||||||
Convertible promissory notes | ||||||||
| Subscription
agreements - accredited investors | $ | $ | ||||||
| Total convertible promissory,
net of discounts | $ | $ | ||||||
The
Company incurred approximately $
The terms of convertible notes are summarized as follows:
| ● | Term: through December 31, 2025 | |
| ● | Coupon:
| |
| ● | Convertible at the option of the holder at any time into the Company’s common stock | |
| ● | Conversion
price is set at $ |
| F-35 |
Management
reviewed the guidance per ASC 470-60 Troubled debt restructurings and ASC 470-50 Debt- Modifications and Extinguishments and
concluded that the terms of the agreements were substantially different and, accounted for the transaction as a debt extinguishment.
The transaction resulted in a loss from debt extinguishment of approximately $
| Expected Term | ||||
| Expected volatility | % | |||
| Risk-free interest rates | % | |||
| Dividend | % |
The
Company recorded an initial debt discount of approximately $
During
the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company incurred approximately $
The Company converted the remaining 12 unit holders under the PPM-1 into the PPM-2 in January 2024. The terms and conditions of the conversions are the same as the July and October 2023 conversions.
NOTE 9 - RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Master Service Agreement with Autotelic Inc.
In
October 2015, Oncotelic Inc. entered into a Master Service Agreement (the “MSA”) with Autotelic Inc. (“Autotelic”),
a related party that is partly owned by Dr. Trieu. Dr. Trieu, a related party, is a control person in Autotelic. Autotelic currently
owns less than
Expenses
related to the MSA were approximately $
License Agreement with Autotelic Inc.
In September 2021, the Company entered into an exclusive License Agreement with Autotelic. For more information on the exclusive license Agreement with Autotelic, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with SEC on April 15, 2022.
Notes Payable and Short-Term Loan – Related Party
In
April 2019, the Company issued a convertible note to Dr. Trieu totaling $
| F-36 |
In
May 2021, Autotelic provided an additional short-term funding of $
Artius Consulting Agreement
On March 9, 2020, the Company and Artius Bioconsulting, LLC (“Artius”), for which Mr. King is the Managing Member, entered into an amendment to the Consulting Agreement dated December 1, 2018, under which Artius agreed to serve as a consultant to the Company for services related to the Company’s business from time to time, effective December 1, 2019 (the “Effective Date”) (the “Artius Agreement”). For more information on this Agreement, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
Maida Consulting Agreement
Effective May 5, 2020, the Company and Dr. Maida entered into an independent consulting agreement, commencing April 1, 2020 (the “Maida Agreement”), under which Dr. Maida will assist the Company in providing medical expertise and advice from time to time in the design, conduct and oversight of the Company’s existing and future clinical trials. For more information on this Agreement, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
The
Company recorded an expense of $
NOTE 10 - EQUITY PURCHASE AGREEMENT AND REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
On May 3, 2021, the Company entered into an Equity Purchase Agreement (“EPL”) and Registration Rights Agreement with Peak One Opportunity Fund LP (“Peak One” or the “Investor”). For further information on EPL, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
The Company filed a post-effective amendment Registration Statement on Form S-1 with the Commission on April 26, 2022, and the Form S-1 was declared effective on May 6, 2022. The Company filed the prospectus in this connection on May 11, 2022.
During
year ended December 31, 2023, the Company did not sell any shares of Common Stock under the EPL, as compared to the Company having sold
a total of million shares of Common Stock to Peak One, at prices ranging from $ and $, for total gross proceeds of approximately
$
NOTE 11 – STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
The following transactions affected the Company’s Stockholders’ Equity:
Issuance of Common Stock during the year ended December 31, 2023
In
February 2023, Fourth Man partially converted $
In
June 2023, Blue Lake converted the full remainder of their $
| F-37 |
In
May and June 2023, Fourth Man converted $
In
July 2023, Fourth Man converted approximately $
In
October 2023, Fourth Man converted approximately $
Issuance of Common Stock during the year ended December 31, 2022
In January 2022, three of the five investors from the November/December 2021 financing made a cashless exercise for their warrants. In connection with this exercise, the Company issued shares of Common Stock in exchange of approximately million warrants.
In
March 2022, the Company sold shares of its Common Stock to Peak One under the EPL for net proceeds of approximately $
In May 2022, Blue Lake made a cashless exercise for their warrants. In connection with this exercise, the Company issued shares of Common Stock in exchange of warrants.
In
June 2022, the Company sold shares of its Common Stock to Peak One under the EPL for net proceeds of approximately $
In
June 2022, Mast Hill converted their debt of approximately $
In
June 2022, Company issued shares of Common Stock to First Fire under partial repayment of convertible debt of $
In June 2022, First Fire made a cashless exercise for their warrants. In connection with this exercise, the Company issued shares of Common Stock in exchange for warrants.
In
July 2022, the Company sold shares of its Common Stock to Peak One under the EPL for net proceeds of approximately $
In
August 2022, the Company sold shares of its Common Stock to Peak One under the EPL for net proceeds of approximately $
In
August 2022, Fourth Man converted $
In
September 2022, Blue Lake converted $
In
December 2022, Fourth Man converted $
For further information on Common Stock issuance, refer to our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022.
| F-38 |
Options
Pursuant to the Merger, the Company’s Common Stock and corresponding outstanding options survived. The below information details the Company’s associated option activity.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had options to purchase Common Stock that were outstanding under three stock option plans – the 2017 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”), the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”) and the 2005 Stock Plan (the “2005 Plan”). Under the 2017 Plan, up to shares of the Company’s Common Stock may be issued pursuant to awards granted in the form of nonqualified stock options, restricted and unrestricted stock awards, and other stock-based awards. Under the 2015 and 2005 Plans, taken together, up to shares of the Company’s Common Stock may be issued pursuant to awards granted in the form of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, restricted and unrestricted stock awards, and other stock-based awards.
Employees, consultants, and directors are eligible for awards granted under the 2017 and 2015 Plans. Since the adoption of the 2015 Plan, no further awards may be granted under the 2005 Plan, although options previously granted remain outstanding in accordance with their terms.
| Weighted | ||||||||
| Average | ||||||||
| For the year ended December 31, 2023 | Shares | Exercise Price | ||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||
| Expired or cancelled | ( | ) | ||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2023 | ||||||||
| Options exercisable at December 31, 2023 | ||||||||
| For the year ended December 31, 2022 | Shares | Weighted Average Exercise Price | ||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2022 | $ | |||||||
| Expired or cancelled | ( | ) | ||||||
| Granted and vested during the year* | ||||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2022 | $ | |||||||
| Options exercisable at December 31, 2022 | ||||||||
| * |
Exercise prices | Outstanding Options | Weighted- Average Remaining Life In Years | Weighted- Average Exercise Price | Number Exercisable | ||||||||||||||
| $ | to $ | $ | ||||||||||||||||
| to $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| to $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| to $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| to $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| $ | | |||||||||||||||||
| F-39 |
The compensation expense attributed to the issuance of the options is recognized as they are vested. The employee stock option plan stock options are generally exercisable for ten years from the grant date and vest over various terms from the grant date to three years.
As of December 31, 2023, there was unamortized stock compensation cost related to the stock options granted during the year ended December 31, 2022. For more information on the stock options, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
The Company amortized $ stock compensation expense during the year ended December 31, 2023 on the 2021 and 2022 grants. The Company recorded $ million of similar expense during the same period of 2022.
Warrants
The Company has issued warrants in connection with the various financings conducted by the Company. For more information on the warrant issuances, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
The issuance of warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s Common Stock, including those attributed to debt issuances, for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively are summarized as follows:
For the year ended December 31, 2023 | Shares | Average Exercise Price | ||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2023 | $ | |||||||
| Issued during the year ended December 31, 2023 | ||||||||
| Exercised / cancelled
during the year ended December 31, 2023 | ( | ) | ||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2023 | $ | |||||||
For the year ended December 31, 2022 | Shares | Average Exercise Price | ||||||
| Outstanding at January 1, 2022 | $ | |||||||
| Issued during the year ended December 31, 2022 | - | |||||||
| Exercised / cancelled during the year ended December 31, 2022 | ( | ) | ||||||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2022 | $ | |||||||
The following table summarizes information about warrants outstanding and exercisable at December 31, 2023:
| Outstanding and exercisable | ||||||||||||||||||
Exercise Price | Number Outstanding | Weighted- Average Remaining Life in Years | Weighted- Average Exercise Price | Number Exercisable | ||||||||||||||
| $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| - | ||||||||||||||||||
| $ | ||||||||||||||||||
| F-40 |
NOTE 13 – INCOME TAXES
Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities for federal and state income taxes as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 are as follows in thousands:
| December 31, | December 31, | |||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | $ | $ | ||||||
| Assets | ||||||||
| Liability accruals | ||||||||
| R&D Credit | ||||||||
| Capital Loss | ||||||||
| Deferred state tax | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net operating loss carry forward | ||||||||
| Total gross deferred tax assets | ||||||||
| Less - valuation allowance | ( | ) | ( | ) | ||||
| Net deferred tax assets | $ | $ | ||||||
The Company had gross deferred tax assets, which primarily relate to net operating loss carryforwards. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had gross federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, which are available to offset future taxable income, if any. The Company recorded a valuation allowance in the full amount of its net deferred tax assets since realization of such tax benefits has been determined by our management to be less likely than not. For information on our deferred tax assets and liabilities, refer to our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 14, 203 or 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the SEC on April 19, 2023.
NOTE 14 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Leases
Currently, the Company is leasing the office located at 29397 Agoura Road, Suite 107, Agoura Hills, CA 91301 on a month-to-month basis until such time a new office is identified. The Company believes the office is sufficient for its current operations.
PointR Merger Consideration
The
total purchase price in the PointR Merger of $
| F-41 |
Third Party Service Provider Claim
The
Company had disputed a judgement of $
Other claims
From time to time, the Company may become involved in certain claims arising in the ordinary course of business. One of the Company’s ex-employees has made a breach of employment contract claim against the Company. The Company and its legal counsel are evaluating the validity of the claim, as the Company believes that such claim has limited merits and is hopeful to attain a positive outcome for such claim. Since the Company and its legal counsel are still evaluating the claim, we are unable to quantify the amount such claim would be settled at, if at all settled.
NOTE 15 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
Completion of Tranche 4 of July 2023 PPM
In
January 2024, the Company entered into a series of subscription agreements with 4 accredited investors which resulted in a conversion
of a gross amount of $
Conversion of Debt to Equity by Fourth Man
In
February 2024, Fourth Man converted a portion of the March 2022 debt, including interest, default penalty and conversion fee, of approximately
$
| F-42 |