AIM ImmunoTech Inc. - Quarter Report: 2008 March (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
Quarterly
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For
the
Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2008
Commission
File Number: 0-27072
HEMISPHERx
BIOPHARMA, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
52-0845822
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
|
|
incorporation
or organization)
|
Identification
No.)
|
1617
JFK
Boulevard, Suite 660, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(215)
988-0080
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area code)
Not
Applicable
(Former
name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last
report)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required
to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for
the past 90 days. x
Yes o No
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company.
See
definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
o Large
accelerated filer
x Accelerated
filer
o Non-accelerated
filer o Smaller
reporting company
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). o Yes x No
73,975,265
shares of common stock were issued and outstanding as of May 1, 2008.
PART
I -
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM
1:
Financial Statements
HEMISPHERx
BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
(in
thousands,
except
share and per share data)
December
31,
2007
|
March
31,
2008
|
||||||
(Unaudited)
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
Current
assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
11,471
|
$
|
9,644
|
|||
Short
term investments (Notes 4)
|
3,944
|
2,989
|
|||||
Inventories
|
511
|
783
|
|||||
Accounts
and other receivables
|
77
|
51
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
146
|
174
|
|||||
Assets
held for sale (Note 6)
|
450
|
450
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
16,599
|
14,091
|
|||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
4,821
|
5,063
|
|||||
Patent
and trademark rights, net
|
958
|
926
|
|||||
Investment
|
35
|
35
|
|||||
Royalty
interest, net
|
243
|
233
|
|||||
Construction
in progress
|
469
|
-
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
17
|
17
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
23,142
|
$
|
20,365
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
1,118
|
$
|
952
|
|||
Accrued
expenses
|
1,069
|
1,253
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
2,187
|
2,205
|
|||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
|||||||
Stockholders’
equity (Note 5):
|
|||||||
Preferred
stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 5,000,000; issued and
outstanding; none
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Common
stock, par value $0.001 per share, authorized 200,000,000 shares;
issued
and outstanding 73,760,446 and 73,900,945, respectively
|
74
|
74
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
206,078
|
206,424
|
|||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss)
|
(7
|
)
|
17
|
||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(185,190
|
)
|
(188,355
|
)
|
|||
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
20,955
|
18,160
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders’ equity
|
$
|
23,142
|
$
|
20,365
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
2
HEMISPHERX
BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
(in
thousands, except share and per share data)
(Unaudited)
Three
months ended March 31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2008
|
||||||
Revenues:
|
|||||||
Sales
of product net
|
$
|
220
|
$
|
173
|
|||
Clinical
treatment programs
|
35
|
35
|
|||||
Total
revenues
|
255
|
208
|
|||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
|||||||
Production/cost
of goods sold
|
236
|
249
|
|||||
Research
and development
|
3,716
|
1,307
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
1,783
|
1,897
|
|||||
Total
costs and expenses
|
5,195
|
3,453
|
|||||
Operating
loss
|
(4,940
|
)
|
(3,245
|
)
|
|||
Interest
and other income and expense
|
49
|
80
|
|||||
Interest
expense
|
(71
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Financing
costs
|
(138
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(5,100
|
)
|
$
|
(3,165
|
)
|
|
Basic
and diluted loss per share (Note 2)
|
$
|
(.07
|
)
|
$
|
(.04
|
)
|
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding, basic and diluted
|
68,825,344
|
73,865,138
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
3
HEMISPHERx
BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity and Comprehensive loss
(in
thousands except share data)
(Unaudited)
Common
stock
shares
|
Common
Stock
$.001
Par
Value
|
Additional
paid-in
capital
|
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
Total
stockholders’
equity
|
||||||||||||||
Balance
at December 31, 2007
|
73,760,446
|
$
|
74
|
$
|
206,078
|
$
|
(7
|
)
|
$
|
(185,190
|
)
|
$
|
20,955
|
||||||
Stock
issued for settlement of accounts payable
|
140,499
|
-
|
111
|
-
|
-
|
111
|
|||||||||||||
Equity
based compensation
|
-
|
-
|
235
|
-
|
-
|
235
|
|||||||||||||
Net
comprehensive income (loss)
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
24
|
(3,165
|
)
|
(3,141
|
)
|
|||||||||||
Balance
at March 31, 2008
|
73,900,945
|
$
|
74
|
$
|
206,424
|
$
|
17
|
$
|
(188,355
|
)
|
$
|
18,160
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
4
HEMISPHERx
BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
For
the
Three Months Ended March 31, 2007 and 2008
(in
thousands)
(Unaudited)
2007
|
2008
|
||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Net
loss
|
$
|
(5,100
|
)
|
$
|
(3,165
|
)
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
|||||||
Depreciation
of property and equipment
|
61
|
84
|
|||||
Amortization
of patent and trademark
rights, and royalty interest
|
44
|
42
|
|||||
Financing
cost related to debt discounts
|
138
|
-
|
|||||
Equity
based compensation
|
145
|
235
|
|||||
Common
stock issued in payment of interest expense
|
73
|
-
|
|||||
Increase
(decrease) in assets and liabilities:
|
|||||||
Inventories
|
114
|
(272
|
)
|
||||
Accounts
and other receivables
|
(466
|
)
|
26
|
||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
(27
|
)
|
(28
|
)
|
|||
Accounts
payable
|
109
|
15
|
|||||
Accrued
expenses
|
69
|
257
|
|||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
$
|
(4,840
|
)
|
$
|
(2,806
|
)
|
|
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|||||||
Purchase
of property plant and equipment
|
$
|
(19
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
||
Additions
to patent and trademark rights
|
(51
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Maturity
of short term investments
|
18,329
|
1,979
|
|||||
Purchase
of short term investments
|
(20,156
|
)
|
(1,000
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
$
|
(1,897
|
)
|
$
|
979
|
5
HEMISPHERX
BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows (Continued)
For
the
Three Months Ended March 31, 2007 and 2008
(in
thousands)
(Unaudited)
2007
|
2008
|
||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from sale of stock, net of issuance costs
|
$
|
7,270
|
$
|
-
|
|||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
$
|
7,270
|
$
|
-
|
|||
Net
increase(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
533
|
(1,827
|
)
|
||||
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of period
|
3,646
|
11,471
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$
|
4,179
|
$
|
9,644
|
|||
Supplemental
disclosures of non-cash investing and financing cash flow
information:
|
|||||||
Issuance
of common stock for accounts
payable and accrued expenses
|
$
|
63
|
$
|
111
|
|||
Issuance
of common stock for patents and royalty interest
|
$
|
770
|
$
|
-
|
|||
Unrealized
gains on investments
|
$
|
219
|
$
|
17
|
|||
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information:
|
|||||||
Cash
paid during the year for interest
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
See
accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
6
HEMISPHERx
BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
1: BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The
consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Hemispherx
Biopharma, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company has three
domestic subsidiaries BioPro Corp., BioAegean Corp. and Core Biotech Corp.,
all
of which are incorporated in Delaware and are dormant. The Company’s foreign
subsidiary, Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A., established in Belgium in
1998, has limited or no activity. All significant intercompany balances and
transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
In
the
opinion of management, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of
such
consolidated financial statements have been included. Such adjustments consist
of normal recurring items. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of
results for a full year.
The
interim consolidated financial statements and notes thereto are presented as
permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and do not contain
certain information which will be included in our annual consolidated financial
statements and notes thereto.
These
consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our
consolidated financial statements included in our annual report on Form 10-K
for the
year
ended December 31, 2007, as filed with the SEC on March
17, 2008.
NOTE
2: NET
LOSS PER SHARE
Basic
and
diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of
shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Equivalent common shares,
consisting of stock options and warrants including the Company’s convertible
debentures, which amounted to 22,294,987 and 16,837,947 shares, are excluded
from the calculation of diluted net loss per share for the three months ended
March 31, 2007 and 2008, respectively, since their effect is antidilutive.
NOTE
3: EQUITY BASED COMPENSATION
The
fair
value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using a
Black-Scholes option valuation model. Expected volatility is based on the
historical volatility of the price of the Company’s stock. The risk-free
interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected
life of the option. The Company uses historical data to estimate expected
dividend yield, expected life and forfeiture rates. The fair values of the
options granted, were estimated based on the following weighted average
assumptions:
Three Months Ended March 31,
|
|||||||
2007
|
2008
|
||||||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
4.46%
- 4.77%
|
|
2.86
- 3.74%
|
|
|||
Expected
dividend yield
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Expected
lives
|
5
yrs
|
2.5
- 5.0 yrs
|
|||||
Expected
volatility
|
77.06
- 77.57%
|
|
75.69
- 79.18%
|
|
|||
Weighted
average grant date fair value of options and warrants issued
|
$136,000
|
$177,000
|
7
Stock
option activity during the three months ended March 31, 2008, is as
follows:
Stock
option activity for employees:
Number
of
Options
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(Years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2006
|
2,001,969
|
$
|
2.51
|
8.01
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
2,624,120
|
2.77
|
9.05
|
||||||||||
Options
forfeited
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2007
|
4,626,089
|
2.66
|
8.25
|
-
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||
Options
forfeited
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
March 31, 2008
|
4,626,089
|
2.66
|
8.00
|
-
|
|||||||||
Exercisable
March 31, 2008
|
4,459,326
|
$
|
2.70
|
8.04
|
-
|
The
weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted during the three
months ended March 31, 2007 and 2008 was approximately $81,000 and $0,
respectively.
Unvested
stock option activity for employees:
Number
of
Options
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(Years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2006
|
113,986
|
$
|
2.26
|
9.05
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
130,000
|
1.34
|
10.00
|
||||||||||
Options
vested
|
(77,223
|
)
|
(6.86
|
)
|
8.29
|
-
|
|||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2007
|
166,763
|
1.59
|
7.18
|
-
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||
Options
vested
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
March 31, 2008
|
166,763
|
$
|
1.59
|
6.93
|
-
|
Stock
option activity for non-employees:
Number of
Options
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(Years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2006
|
1,326,732
|
$
|
2.63
|
8.18
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
608,750
|
1.99
|
9.94
|
||||||||||
Options
forfeited
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2007
|
1,935,482
|
2.43
|
8.05
|
-
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
560,000
|
2.84
|
8.66
|
||||||||||
Options
forfeited
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
March 31, 2008
|
2,495,482
|
$
|
2.52
|
8.00
|
-
|
||||||||
Exercisable
March 31, 2008
|
2,455,482
|
$
|
2.54
|
8.02
|
-
|
8
The
weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted during the three
months ended March 31, 2007 and 2008 was approximately $42,000 and $177,000,
respectively.
Unvested
stock option activity for non-employees during the year:
Number of
Options
|
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
|
Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Term
(Years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2006
|
37,100
|
$
|
2.28
|
9.81
|
|
||||||||
Options
granted
|
25,100
|
1.30
|
10.00
|
|
|||||||||
Options
forfeited
|
(22,100
|
)
|
(2.30
|
)
|
8.23
|
-
|
|||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2007
|
40,000
|
1.50
|
9.30
|
-
|
|||||||||
Options
granted
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
|||||||||
Options
forfeited
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
March 31, 2008
|
40,000
|
$
|
1.50
|
9.05
|
-
|
The
impact on the Company’s results of operations of recording equity based
compensation for the three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2008 was to increase
general and administrative expenses by approximately $123,000 and $230,000,
which had no impact on basic and fully diluted earnings per share.
As
of
December 31, 2007 and March 31, 2008, respectively, there was $164,000 and
$110,000 of unrecognized equity based compensation cost related to options
granted under the Equity Incentive Plan.
Note
4: SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS
Securities
classified as available for sale consisted of:
December 31, 2007
|
Unrealized
|
Maturity
|
|||||||||||
Name of security
|
Cost
|
Market value
|
loss
|
date
|
|||||||||
Marshall
& Isley
|
$
|
1,979,000
|
$
|
1,976,000
|
$
|
(3,000
|
)
|
March
2008
|
|||||
Intesa
Funding
|
1,972,000
|
1,968,000
|
(4,000
|
)
|
April
2008
|
||||||||
$
|
3,951,000
|
$
|
3,944,000
|
$
|
(7,000
|
)
|
9
March
31,2008
|
|||||||||||||
Name of Security
|
Cost
|
Market Value
|
Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
|
Maturity Date
|
|||||||||
Bank
of Scotland
|
$
|
1,000,000
|
$
|
999,000
|
$
|
(1,000
|
)
|
April
2008
|
|||||
Intesa
Funding
|
1,972,000
|
1,990,000
|
18,000
|
June
2008
|
|||||||||
$
|
2,972,000
|
$
|
2,989,000
|
$
|
17,000
|
No
investment securities were pledged to secure public funds at March 31, 2008
and
December 31, 2007, respectively.
The
table
below indicates the length of time individual securities have been in a
continuous unrealized loss position at March 31, 2008 and December 31,
2007.
December 31, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Less than 12 months
|
12 months or longer
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Name of
security
|
Number of
Securities
|
Fair value
|
Unrealized
loss
|
Fair
value
|
Unrealized
loss
|
Fair value
|
Unrealized
loss
|
|||||||||||||||
Marshall
& Isley
|
1
|
$
|
1,976,000
|
$
|
(3,000
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
1,976,000
|
$
|
(3,000
|
)
|
|||||||
Intesa
Funding
|
1
|
1,968,000
|
(4,000
|
)
|
-
|
-
|
1,968,000
|
(4,000
|
)
|
|||||||||||||
Total
temporary impairment securities
|
2
|
$
|
3,944,000
|
$
|
(7,000
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
3,944,000
|
$
|
(7,000
|
)
|
March 31,2008
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Less than 12 months
|
12 months or longer
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Name of
Security
|
Number of
Securities
|
Fair value
|
Unrealized
Loss
|
Fair
value
|
Unrealized
Loss
|
Fair value
|
Unrealized
Loss
|
|||||||||||||||
Bank
of Scotland
|
1
|
$
|
999,000
|
$
|
(1,000
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
999,000
|
$
|
(1,000
|
)
|
|||||||
Intesa
Funding
|
1
|
1,990,000
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
1,990,000
|
-
|
|||||||||||||||
$
|
2,989,000
|
$
|
(1,000
|
)
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
2,989,000
|
$
|
(1,000
|
)
|
In
management's opinion, the unrealized losses reflect changes in interest rates
subsequent to the acquisition of specific securities. The Company has the
ability to hold these securities until maturity or market price recovery.
Management believes that the unrealized losses represent temporary impairment
of
the securities.
Comprehensive
Income
The
Company reports comprehensive income, which includes net loss, as well as
certain other items, which result in a charge to equity during the period.
10
Three months ended
March 31,
(in thousands)
|
|||||||
2007
|
2008
|
||||||
Unrealized
gains during the period
|
$
|
243
|
$
|
45
|
|||
Realized
gains during the period
|
(24
|
)
|
(21
|
)
|
|||
Other
comprehensive income
|
$
|
219
|
$
|
24
|
There
are
no income tax effects allocated to comprehensive income as the Company has
no
tax liabilities due to net operating losses.
NOTE
5: STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
For
the
three months ended March 31, 2008, Fusion Capital did not purchase any shares
of
the Company’s common stock pursuant to the April 2006 common stock purchase
agreement between the Company and Fusion Capital.
On
February 18, 2008, the Company granted 280,000 stock options to two executive
officers and two directors of the Company under the 2004 Equity Compensation
Plan. The stock options have an exercise price of $4.00 and a term of ten years.
The stock options vested immediately upon grant. The Company utilized the
Black-Scholes Pricing Model to fair value the stock options and recorded
approximately $91,000 as equity based compensation related to this issuance
during the three months ended March 31, 2008.
During
the three months ended March 31, 2008, the Company issued an aggregate 290,000
stock options and warrants to vendors for services provided under the 2004
Equity Compensation Plan. The stock options had various exercise prices ranging
from $0.73 to $.80 and had terms of either five or ten years. The
stock
options vested immediately upon grant. The Company utilized the Black-Scholes
Pricing Model to fair value the stock options and recorded approximately $91,000
as equity based compensation related to this issuance during the three months
ended March 31, 2008.
The
Company also recorded $53,000 during the three months ended March 31, 2008,
in
equity based compensation related to the vesting of stock options issued in
2006
and 2007.
NOTE
6: ASSET HELD FOR SALE
Asset
held for sale consists of equipment purchases related to the purified water
system that was to be installed at the Company’s manufacturing facility in New
Brunswick, NJ. The Company reevaluated its manufacturing needs and determined
the installation of a purified water system would not be cost effective;
therefore, the Company, in 2007, reclassed $450,000 to Asset Held for Resale.
The Company also recorded an impairment charge of $228,000 in 2007 to bring
the
cost of the system down to its net realizable value as per SFAS No. 144,
“Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets”.
11
NOTE
7: RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
On
February 15, 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 159, The Fair Value Option
for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities - Including an Amendment of
FASB
Statement No. 115. This standard permits an entity to choose to measure many
financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. This option is
available to all entities, including not-for-profit organizations. Most of
the
provisions in Statement 159 are elective; however, the amendment to FASB
Statement No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity
Securities, applies to all entities with available-for-sale and trading
securities. Some requirements apply differently to entities that do not report
net income. The FASB's stated objective in issuing this standard is as follows:
"to improve financial reporting by providing entities with the opportunity
to
mitigate volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring related assets
and
liabilities differently without having to apply complex hedge accounting
provisions".
The
fair
value option established by Statement 159 permits all entities to choose to
measure eligible items at fair value at specified election dates. A business
entity will report unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair
value
option has been elected in earnings (or another performance indicator if the
business entity does not report earnings) at each subsequent reporting date.
A
not-for-profit organization will report unrealized gains and losses in its
statement of activities or similar statement. The fair value option: (a) may
be
applied instrument by instrument, with a few exceptions, such as investments
otherwise accounted for by the equity method; (b) is irrevocable (unless a
new
election date occurs); and (c) is applied only to entire instruments and not
to
portions of instruments.
Statement
159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity's first fiscal year that
begins after November 15, 2007.
The
Company elected not to adopt the fair value option for any eligible instruments.
On
December 4, 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 160,“Noncontrolling
Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements - An Amendment of ARB No.
51.”
Statement 160 establishes new accounting and reporting standards for the
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. Specifically, this statement requires the recognition of a
noncontrolling interest (minority interest) as equity in the consolidated
financial statements and separate from the parent's equity. The amount of net
income attributable to the noncontrolling interest will be included in
consolidated net income on the face of the income statement. Statement 160
clarifies that changes in a parent's ownership interest in a subsidiary that
do
not result in deconsolidation are equity transactions if the parent retains
its
controlling financial interest. In addition, this statement requires that a
parent recognize a gain or loss in net income when a subsidiary is
deconsolidated. Such gain or loss will be measured using the fair value of
the
noncontrolling equity investment on the deconsolidation date. Statement 160
also
includes expanded disclosure requirements regarding the interests of the parent
and its noncontrolling interest.
Statement
160 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal
years, beginning on or after December 15, 2008. Earlier adoption is prohibited.
The Company believes adoption of this standard will not have an impact on the
financial condition or the results of the Company’s operations.
On
April
21, 2008, the FASB posted a revised FASB Statement No. 133 Implementation
guidance for Issues I1, Interaction of the Disclosure Requirements of Statement
133 and Statement 47, and K4, Miscellaneous: Income Statement Classification
of
Hedge Ineffectiveness and the Component of a Derivative's Gain or Loss Excluded
from the Assessment of Hedge Effectiveness. The revisions relate to the issuance
of FASB Statement No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities. The Company believes adoption of this standard will not have an
impact on the financial condition or the results of the Company’s
operations.
12
ITEM
2: Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations.
Special
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain
statements in this document constitute "forwarding-looking statements" within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1995 (collectively, the
"Reform Act"). Certain, but not necessarily all, of such forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such
as
"believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," or "anticipates" or the negative
thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions
of strategy that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than
statements of historical fact, included in this report regarding our financial
position, business strategy and plans or objectives for future operations are
forward-looking statements. Without limiting the broader description of
forward-looking statements above, we specifically note that statements regarding
potential drugs, their potential therapeutic effect, the possibility of
obtaining regulatory approval, our ability to manufacture and sell any products,
market acceptance or our ability to earn a profit from sales or licenses of
any
drugs or our ability to discover new drugs in the future are all forward-looking
in nature.
Such
forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other factors, including but not limited to, the risk factors discussed below,
which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Hemispherx
and its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements and other factors referenced in this report. We do not undertake
and
specifically decline any obligation to publicly release the results of any
revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statement to reflect events
or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence
of anticipated or unanticipated events.
Overview
General
We
are a
biopharmaceutical company engaged in the clinical development, manufacture,
marketing and distribution of new drug therapies based on natural immune system
enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based chronic
disorders. The Company was founded in the early 1970s doing contract research
for the National Institutes of Health. Since that time, we have established
a
strong foundation of laboratory, pre-clinical, and clinical data with respect
to
the development of nucleic acids to enhance the natural antiviral defense system
of the human body and to aid the development of therapeutic products for the
treatment of certain chronic diseases. We
have
three domestic subsidiaries BioPro Corp., BioAegean Corp., and Core BioTech
Corp., all of which are incorporated in Delaware and are dormant. Our foreign
subsidiaries include Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A. established in
Belgium in 1998. Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A. has little or no
activity.
13
Our
current strategic focus is derived from four applications of our two core
pharmaceutical technology platforms Ampligen® and Alferon N Injection®. The
commercial focus for Ampligen includes application as a treatment for Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and as a vaccine enhancer (adjuvant) for both therapeutic
and preventative vaccine development. Alferon N Injection® is an FDA approved
product with an indication for refractory or recurring genital warts. Alferon
LDO (Low Dose Oral) is an application currently under development targeting
influenza and viral diseases both as an adjuvant as well as a single entity
anti-viral.
Ampligen®
is an experimental drug currently undergoing clinical development for the
treatment of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (“ME/CFS” or
“CFS”), and HIV. In August 2004, we completed a Phase III clinical trial (“AMP
516”) treating over 230 ME/CFS patients with Ampligen® and are presently in the
registration process for a new drug application (“NDA”) with the Food and Drug
Administration (“FDA”). Over its developmental history, Ampligen® has received
various designations, including Orphan Drug Product Designation (FDA), Emergency
(compassionate) Cost Recovery Sales Authorization (FDA) and “promising” clinical
outcome recognition based on the evaluation of certain summary clinical reports
(AHRQ, Agency Health Research Quality). Ampligen represents the first drug
in
class of RNA (nucleic acid) molecules to apply for NDA review. For an update
on
the filing status of our Ampligen New Drug Application filed on October 10,
2007, see “Research and Development Costs” contained within this section
below.
The
Status of our initiative for Ampligen as an adjuvant for preventative vaccine
development includes pre-clinical studies in seasonal and pandemic influenza
for
intranasal administration being conducted by Japan’s National Institute for
Infectious Diseases. A three year program targeting regulatory approval for
pandemic flu and seasonal flu in Japan has been funded by the Japanese Ministry
of Health. Parties to the research grant include Hemispherx, the NIID and BIKEN
(operational arm of the non-profit Foundation for Microbial Disease of Osaka
University). Our agreement with BIKEN is part of a three party agreement to
develop an effective influenza vaccine for Japan and utilizes the resources
of
the National Institute of Infectious Disease of Japan. Our development strategy
includes reproduction of preclinical studies outside Japan and completion of
the
three year program. It is our intent to conduct human studies in the US and
other countries and seek approval for seasonal and pandemic indications in
the
US and Europe for intranasal administration. A phase II study for intramuscular
administration for seasonal flu is currently being conducted in Australia
through the St. Vincent’s Hospital Clinical Trials Centre and is now fully
enrolled.
Based
on
the results of published, peer reviewed pre-clinical studies and clinical
trials, we believe that Ampligen® may have broad-spectrum anti-viral and
anti-cancer properties. Over 1000 patients have participated in Ampligen®
clinical trials authorized by the FDA at over twenty clinical trial sites across
the U.S., representing the administration of more than 90,000 doses of this
drug.
Alferon
N
Injection® is the registered trademark for our injectable formulation of natural
alpha interferon, which is approved by the FDA for the treatment of genital
warts. Alferon N Injection® is also in clinical development with respect to
Multiple Sclerosis and preclinical development (SARS) is being conducted by
independent third parties.
14
We
are
actively engaged in broad-based ongoing experimental studies assessing the
efficacy of our products Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection®, and Alferon LDO®
against influenza viruses as an adjuvant and/or single agent antiviral with
the
Defence R&D Canada, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo,
the St. Vincent’s Hospital Clinical Trial Centre in Australia and various
research affiliates of the National Institutes of Health in the United
States.
We
own
and operate a 43,000 sq. ft. FDA approved facility in New Brunswick, NJ
primarily designed to produce Alferon N. In 2006, we completed the installation
of a polymer production line to produce Ampligen® raw materials on a more
reliable and consistent basis.
We
outsource certain components of our research and development, manufacturing,
marketing and distribution while maintaining control over the entire process
through our quality assurance group and our clinical monitoring
group.
New
Accounting Pronouncements
On
February 15, 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 159, The Fair Value Option
for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities - Including an Amendment of
FASB
Statement No. 115. This standard permits an entity to choose to measure many
financial instruments and certain other items at fair value. This option is
available to all entities, including not-for-profit organizations. Most of
the
provisions in Statement 159 are elective; however, the amendment to FASB
Statement No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity
Securities, applies to all entities with available-for-sale and trading
securities. Some requirements apply differently to entities that do not report
net income. The FASB's stated objective in issuing this standard is as follows:
"to improve financial reporting by providing entities with the opportunity
to
mitigate volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring related assets
and
liabilities differently without having to apply complex hedge accounting
provisions".
The
fair
value option established by Statement 159 permits all entities to choose to
measure eligible items at fair value at specified election dates. A business
entity will report unrealized gains and losses on items for which the fair
value
option has been elected in earnings (or another performance indicator if the
business entity does not report earnings) at each subsequent reporting date.
A
not-for-profit organization will report unrealized gains and losses in its
statement of activities or similar statement. The fair value option: (a) may
be
applied instrument by instrument, with a few exceptions, such as investments
otherwise accounted for by the equity method; (b) is irrevocable (unless a
new
election date occurs); and (c) is applied only to entire instruments and not
to
portions of instruments.
Statement
159 is effective as of the beginning of an entity's first fiscal year that
begins after November 15, 2007. We elected not to adopt the fair value
option for any eligible instruments.
15
On
December 4, 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 160,“Noncontrolling
Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements - An Amendment of ARB No.
51.”
Statement 160 establishes new accounting and reporting standards for the
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. Specifically, this statement requires the recognition of a
noncontrolling interest (minority interest) as equity in the consolidated
financial statements and separate from the parent's equity. The amount of net
income attributable to the noncontrolling interest will be included in
consolidated net income on the face of the income statement. Statement 160
clarifies that changes in a parent's ownership interest in a subsidiary that
do
not result in deconsolidation are equity transactions if the parent retains
its
controlling financial interest. In addition, this statement requires that a
parent recognize a gain or loss in net income when a subsidiary is
deconsolidated. Such gain or loss will be measured using the fair value of
the
noncontrolling equity investment on the deconsolidation date. Statement 160
also
includes expanded disclosure requirements regarding the interests of the parent
and its noncontrolling interest.
Statement
160 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal
years, beginning on or after December 15, 2008. Earlier adoption is prohibited.
The impact of this statement has not been determined. We believe adoption of
this standard will not have an impact on the financial condition or the results
of our operations.
On
April
21, 2008, the FASB posted a revised FASB Statement No. 133 Implementation
guidance for Issues I1, Interaction of the Disclosure Requirements of Statement
133 and Statement 47, and K4, Miscellaneous: Income Statement Classification
of
Hedge Ineffectiveness and the Component of a Derivative's Gain or Loss Excluded
from the Assessment of Hedge Effectiveness. The revisions relate to the issuance
of FASB Statement No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging
Activities. We believe adoption of this standard will not have an impact on
the
financial condition or the results of our operations.
Disclosure
About Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
None.
Critical
Accounting Policies
There
have been no material changes in our critical accounting policies and estimates
from those disclosed in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2007.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
Three
months ended March
31,
2007 versus three months ended March 31, 2008
Net
loss
Our
net
loss of approximately $3,165,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2008
was
$1,935,000 or 38% lower when compared to the same period in 2007. This decrease
in loss was primarily due to:
1)
|
Research
and Development costs in 2007 include significant expenses related
to the
preparation of the Ampligen NDA as well as expenses related to the
production of Ampligen for use in stability studies. Expenses related
to
the Ampligen NDA work in 2008 were down approximately $430,000 as
compared
to the same period in 2007; Ampligen manufacturing costs were down
approximately $1,380,000 in 2008 as well as there was no Ampligen
production during the current quarter;
and
|
16
2)
|
In
2007, we had financing costs and interest expense of $138,000 and
$71,000,
respectively, related to our convertible debentures. These convertible
debentures were paid off in June 2007. No financing costs or interest
charges were incurred during the current period related to these
debentures.
|
Net
loss
per share was $0.04 for the current period versus $0.07 for the same period
in
2007.
Revenues
Revenues
for the three months ended March
31,
2008
were
$208,000 as compared to revenues of $255,000 for the same period in 2007.
Ampligen® sold under the cost recovery clinical program was flat while Alferon N
Injection®
sales
were down $47,000 or 21% to $173,000 during the current period. The factors
primarily contributing to this decrease in sales: 1) Competition from rival
products and 2) a shortage of finished goods inventory available for sale due
to
product expiration dates. We have petitioned the Drug Shortage Division of
the
FDA for their assistance in obtaining an extension of the expiration date of
our
Alferon N Injection finished goods. There is no assurance that the FDA will
grant this extension, which if not granted, will adversely affect our sales
of
Alferon N Injection.
Production
costs/cost of goods sold
Production/cost
of goods sold was approximately $236,000 and $249,000, respectively, for the
three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2008. This represented a slight increase
of approximately $13,000 or 6% as compared to the same period in 2007. These
costs primarily represent: 1) costs of goods sold of $93,000 and $60,000,
respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2007 and 2008, and 2) Costs
to maintain Alferon N Injection Inventory including stability tests and indirect
overhead.
We
continue to move lot number three of Alferon N Injection work-in-process
inventory through to finished goods. This lot should produce approximately
9,800
doses and is scheduled for completion in late 2008.
Research
and Development costs
Overall
research and development costs for the three months ended March
31,
2008
were $1,307,000 as compared to $3,176,000 for the same period a year ago
reflecting a decrease of $1,869,000 or 59%.
This
decrease was primarily due to reduced outside consulting fees related to the
preparation and filing of our NDA for Ampligen. Our Ampligen NDA was finalized
and filed on October 10, 2007. On December 5, 2007 we received a Refusal to
File
(RTF) letter from the FDA as our NDA filing was deemed “not substantially
complete”. We responded to the FDA’s concerns on January 8, 2008 addressing
their fourteen pre-clinical and clinical questions. A scheduled Guidance Meeting
with the FDA on February 8, 2008 resulted in resolving nine of the fourteen
concerns. These nine are no longer considered filing issues. The five remaining
issues can be grouped into two categories: 1) administrative items which include
the submission of additional clinical records, the clarification of some
documents previously submitted, additional clinical data reconciliation and
additional charts, which summarize specific parts of the clinical data, and
2)
the reformatting and enlarged analysis of existing reports to more closely
align
with current International Committee on Harmonization Guidelines.
17
These
five NDA filing issues have been addressed by our clinical and scientific staff
with the filing of amendments to our NDA on April 25, 2008. These amendments
should allow the FDA reviewers to better evaluate independently the statistical
efficacy/safety conclusions of our NDA for the use of Ampligen in treating
ME/CFS. While we are optimistic as to the progress of the NDA filing, there
are
no assurances the FDA will accept the amended NDA for review, and if accepted,
there are no assurances that the NDA will be approved. The April 25, 2008 filing
included a full electronic version of the NDA (eNDA) to facilitate efficient
FDA
review as opposed to a “hybrid” NDA Application filed in October
2007.
We
are
also engaged in broad based, ongoing, experimental studies assessing the
efficacy of Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection®, and Alferon LDO against influenza
viruses as an adjuvant single agent antiviral with Defence R&D Canada,
Japan’s National Institute of Infectious disease, Biken (the non-profit
operational arm of the Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University)
and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, Australia.
The
Biken
arrangement was concluded in December 2007 and basically consists of Biken
purchasing Ampligen® from us for use in conducting further animal studies of
intranasal prototype vaccines containing antigens from influenza sub-types
H1N1,
H3N2 and B progressing to human studies with all programs supported by the
Japanese Health Ministry. Under the terms of the non—exclusive licensing
arrangement, we will receive royalties as well as income for all Ampligen® used
in the ongoing experimental work and any subsequent marketing of Ampligen® as an
immuno-enhancer for flu vaccines delivered intranasally in Japan. To date,
only
2 or 3 pharma companies worldwide have achieved regulatory authorizations to
sell intranasally (IN) administered influenza vaccines versus many companies
receiving approval for intramuscular vaccine delivery routes. Safety has been
paramount in developing effective treatments. However, animal studies to date
indicate Ampligen®, an experimental drug, may be safely administered
intranasally. Clinical studies (in other disorders) have built a database of
more than 90,000 injections of Ampligen® when given parenterally (intravenous,
or “IV”).
In
June
2007, we initiated a clinical trial in Australia using Ampligen® in combination
with seasonal flu vaccine. This trial, expected to continue for several months,
is being conducted in Australia’s winter season and focuses on populations at
risk for virulent cases of influenza, especially those over the age of 60 years
who historically may have weakened immune systems. The Australian clinical
trial
was prompted by the results from the pre-clinical work conducted by the JNIID
(see above). Approximately, 36 patients are now enrolled in this study, which
will utilize a two dose Ampligen® regimen of 2 mg per dose. This study is being
monitored by Clinical Network Services Pty. Ltd. located in Brisbane, Australia.
The clinical trials center of St. Vincent’s Hospital based in DarlingHurst,
Australia is conducting the trial. We expect this trial to be fully enrolled
by
the end of May 2008.
Collaboration
studies in non-human primates conducted by ViroClinics in the Netherlands
suggest a potential role for Alferon LDO as another novel therapeutic approach
to viral pandemics. Meetings with prospective partners are underway with
respect to conducting clinical trials using Alferson LDO to treat seasonal
influenza in the Pacific Rim countries. Alferon LDO is now poised for clinical
trials against seasonal influenza epidemics; meetings with
prospective partners are ongoing to conduct clinical trials in the Pacific
Rim countries and elsewhere. The opportunity for Alferon LDO is reinforced
by
new reports of severe side effects secondary to Tamiflu, the present standard
of
care, by both FDA and Japanese health authorities. Also, Tamiflu resistant
strains of flu virus are now raising concerns on a world wide
basis.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and Administrative (“G&A”) expenses for the three months ended March 31,
2007 and 2008 were approximately $1,897,000 and $1,783,000, respectively,
reflecting an increase of $114,000 or 6%. This
increase relates primarily to an increase in legal expenses as compared to
the
prior period mainly relating to litigation in South Africa and the arbitration
proceedings related to Laboratorios
del Dr. Esteve.
For
more information regarding litigation, see “legal Proceedings” contained within
Part II. Other Information, Item 1 below.
18
Interest
and Other Income and Expense
Interest
and other income and expense for the three months ended March 31, 2008 increased
approximately $31,000 as compared to the same period a year earlier. The
increase in interest and other income during the current period was mainly
due
to higher interest earned upon the maturity of our marketable securities as
compared the same period a year ago. All funds in excess of our immediate needs
are invested in short-term securities.
Interest
Expense and Financing Costs
We
had no
interest expense or non-cash financing costs for the three months ended March
31, 2008 as compared to $209,000 for the same period a year ago. The expenses
reflected for the three months ended March 31, 2007 reflect financing costs
and
interest charges related to our convertible debentures which matured in June
2007 when all outstanding loan balances were paid.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Cash
used
in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2008 was $2,806,000
compared to $4,840,000 for the same period in 2007. This reduction reflects
lower costs primarily related to the preparation of our Ampligen NDA which
was
finalized and filed with the FDA in October 2007. Cash used in operating
activities in 2007 included the extensive costs of preparing the NDA. Cash
provided by investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2008
totaled $979,000 primarily due to the maturity and/or purchase of short term
investments. We had no proceeds from financing activities during the three
months ended March 31, 2008. As of March 31, 2008, we had approximately
$12,633,000 in
cash
and cash equivalents and short-term investments, or a decrease of approximately
$2,782,000 from December 31, 2007. Based on our operating plan, we anticipate
that these funds should be sufficient to meet our operating cash requirements
for approximately 15 months.
Equity
Financing
On
April
12, 2006, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “2006 Purchase
Agreement”) with Fusion Capital Fund II, LLC (“Fusion Capital”), pursuant to
which Fusion Capital has agreed, under certain conditions, to purchase on each
trading day $100,000 of our common stock up to an aggregate of $50.0 million
over a period of approximately 25 months. Pursuant to the terms of the
Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of April 12, 2006, we registered
12,386,723 shares issuable to or issued to Fusion Capital under the Purchase
Agreement. Through May 1, 2008, we have sold to Fusion Capital an aggregate
of
10,682,032 shares under the common stock purchase agreement for aggregate gross
proceeds of approximately $19,739,000 and issued 448,816 Commitment Shares.
Pursuant to the 2006 Purchase Agreement,
Fusion
Capital cannot purchase shares if our stock price is under $1.00. Our current
stock price is below $1.00. Unless and until the market price increases to
at
least $1.00, no additional shares will be sold to Fusion Capital under the
existing agreement.
We
are
using the proceeds from this financing for general corporate purposes.
19
Because
of our long-term capital requirements, we may seek to access the public equity
market whenever conditions are favorable, even if we do not have an immediate
need for additional capital at that time. Any additional funding may result
in
significant dilution and could involve the issuance of securities with rights,
which are senior to those of existing stockholders. We may also need additional
funding earlier than anticipated, and our cash requirements, in general, may
vary materially from those now planned, for reasons including, but not limited
to, changes in our research and development programs, clinical trials,
competitive and technological advances, the regulatory processes, including
the
commercializing of Ampligen®
products.
There
can
be no assurances that we will raise adequate funds from these or other sources,
which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our products.
Also,
we
have the ability to curtail discretionary spending, including some research
and
development activities, if required to conserve cash.
ITEM
3: Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risk
We
had
approximately $12,633,000 in cash and cash equivalents and short-term
investments at March 31, 2008. To the extent that our cash and cash equivalents
and short term investments exceed our near term funding needs, we generally
invest the excess cash in three to twelve month interest bearing financial
instruments. We employ established conservative policies and procedures to
manage any risks with respect to investment exposure.
Our
financial instruments that are exposed to concentrations of credit risk consist
primarily of cash and cash equivalents. We place our cash and cash equivalents
with what management believes to be high credit quality institutions. At times
such investments may be in excess of the FDIC insurance limit.
We
have
not entered into, and do not expect to enter into, financial instruments for
trading or hedging purposes.
Item
4: Controls and Procedures
Our
Chairman of the Board (serving as the principal executive officer) and the
Chief
Financial Officer performed an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure
controls and procedures, which have been designed to permit us to effectively
identify and timely disclose important information. In designing and evaluating
the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls
and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only
reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management
is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship
of
possible controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the controls and procedures
were effective as of March 31, 2008 to ensure that material information was
accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions
regarding required disclosure.
During
the quarter ended March 31, 2008, we have made no change in our internal
controls over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is
reasonably
likely
to materially affect, our internal controls over financial
reporting.
20
Part
II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings
See
our
Form 10-K for the period ending December 31, 2007 for previously reported legal
proceedings.
ITEM
1A. Risk Factors.
The
following cautionary statements identify important factors that could cause
our
actual result to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements made in this Form 10-Q. Among the key factors that have a direct
bearing on our results of operations are:
Risks
Associated With Our Business
No
assurance of successful product development.
Ampligen®
and related products.
The
development of Ampligen® and
our
other related products is subject to a number of significant risks.
Ampligen® may
be
found to be ineffective or to have adverse side effects, fail to receive
necessary regulatory clearances, be difficult to manufacture on a commercial
scale, be uneconomical to market or be precluded from commercialization by
proprietary right of third parties. Our products are in various stages of
clinical and pre-clinical development and, require further clinical studies
and
appropriate regulatory approval processes before any such products can be
marketed. We do not know when, if ever, Ampligen® or
our
other products will be generally available for commercial sale for any
indication. Generally, only a small percentage of potential therapeutic products
are eventually approved by the FDA for commercial sale. Please see the next
risk
factor.
Alferon
N Injection®.
Although Alferon N Injection® is approved for marketing in the United States for
the intra-lesional treatment of refractory or recurring external genital warts
in patients 18 years of age or older, to date it has not been approved for
other
indications. We face many of the risks discussed above, with regard to
developing this product for use to treat other ailments.
Our
drug and related technologies are investigational and subject to regulatory
approval. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval, our operations will
be
significantly adversely affected.
All
of
our drugs and associated technologies, other than Alferon N Injection®, are
investigational and must receive prior regulatory approval by appropriate
regulatory authorities for general use and are currently legally available
only
through clinical trials with specified disorders. At present, Alferon N
Injection® is only approved for the intra-lesional treatment of refractory or
recurring external genital warts in patients 18 years of age or older. Use
of
Alferon N Injection® for other indications will require regulatory
approval.
21
Our
products, including Ampligen®, are subject to extensive regulation by numerous
governmental authorities in the U.S. and other countries, including, but not
limited to, the FDA in the U.S., the Health Protection Branch (“HPB”) of Canada,
and the Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (“EMEA”) in Europe.
Obtaining regulatory approvals is a rigorous and lengthy process and requires
the expenditure of substantial resources. In order to obtain final regulatory
approval of a new drug, we must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the
regulatory agency that the product is safe and effective for its intended uses
and that we are capable of manufacturing the product to the applicable
regulatory standards. We require regulatory approval in order to market
Ampligen® or any other proposed product and receive product revenues or
royalties. We cannot assure you that Ampligen® will ultimately be demonstrated
to be safe or efficacious. In addition, while Ampligen® is authorized for use in
clinical trials including a cost recovery program in the United States and
Europe, we cannot assure you that additional clinical trial approvals will
be
authorized in the United States or in other countries, in a timely fashion
or at
all, or that we will complete these clinical trials.
We
filed
an NDA with the FDA for treatment of CFS on October 10, 2007. On
December 5, 2007 we received a Refusal to File (RTF) letter from the FDA as
our
NDA filing was deemed “not substantially complete”. We responded to the FDA’s
concerns on January 8, 2008 addressing their fourteen pre-clinical and clinical
questions. A scheduled Guidance Meeting with the FDA on February 8, 2008
resulted in resolving nine of the fourteen concerns. These nine are no longer
considered filing issues. The five remaining issues can be grouped into two
categories: 1) administrative items which include the submission of additional
clinical records, the clarification of some documents previously submitted,
additional clinical data reconciliation and additional charts, which summarize
specific parts of the clinical data, and 2) the reformatting and enlarged
analysis of the existing reports to more closely align with current
International Committee on Harmonization Guidelines.
These
five NDA filing issues have been addressed by our clinical and scientific staff
with the filing of amendments to our NDA on April 25, 2008. These amendments
should allow the FDA reviewers to better evaluate independently the statistical
efficacy/safety conclusions of our NDA for the use of Ampligen in treating
ME/CFS. However, there are no assurances the FDA will accept the amended NDA
for
review, and if accepted, there are no assurances that the NDA will be
approved.
If
Ampligen® or one of our other products does not receive regulatory approval in
the U.S. or elsewhere, our operations most likely will be materially adversely
affected.
Although
preliminary in vitro testing indicates that Ampligen® enhances the effectiveness
of different drug combinations on avian influenza, preliminary testing in the
laboratory is not necessarily predictive of successful results in clinical
testing or human treatment.
Ampligen®
is undergoing pre-clinical testing for possible treatment of avian flu. Although
preliminary in vitro testing indicates that Ampligen® enhances the effectiveness
of different drug combinations on avian flu, preliminary testing in the
laboratory is not necessarily predictive of successful results in clinical
testing or human treatment. No assurance can be given that similar results
will
be observed in clinical trials. Use of Ampligen® in the treatment of avian flu
requires prior regulatory approval. Only the FDA can determine whether a drug
is
safe, effective or promising for treating a specific application. As discussed
in the prior risk factor, obtaining regulatory approvals is a rigorous and
lengthy process.
In
addition, Ampligen® is being tested on two strains of avian influenza virus.
There are a number of strains and strains mutate. No assurance can be given
that
Ampligen® will be effective on any strains that might infect
humans.
22
We
may continue to incur substantial losses and our future profitability is
uncertain.
We
began
operations in 1966 and last reported net profit from 1985 through 1987. Since
1987, we have incurred substantial operating losses, as we pursued our clinical
trial effort to get our experimental drug, Ampligen®, approved. As of
March
31,
2008,
our
accumulated deficit was approximately $188,355,000. We have not yet generated
significant revenues from our products and may incur substantial and increased
losses in the future. We cannot assure that we will ever achieve significant
revenues from product sales or become profitable. We require, and will continue
to require, the commitment of substantial resources to develop our products.
We
cannot assure that our product development efforts will be successfully
completed or that required regulatory approvals will be obtained or that any
products will be manufactured and marketed successfully, or be profitable.
We
may require additional financing which may not be
available.
The
development of our products will require the commitment of substantial resources
to conduct the time-consuming research, preclinical development, and clinical
trials that are necessary to bring pharmaceutical products to market. As of
March 31, 2008, we had approximately $12,633,000 in
cash
and cash equivalents and short-term investments. We anticipate, but cannot
assure, that these
funds will be sufficient to meet our operating cash requirements for the next
15
months.
In
April
2006, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement with Fusion Capital
pursuant to which Fusion Capital has agreed, under certain conditions and with
certain limitations, to purchase on each trading day $100,000 of our common
stock up to an aggregate of $50,000,000 until August 1, 2008 (see “The
Fusion Transaction” in Selling Stockholders” below).
We
only
have the right to receive up to $100,000 per trading day under the agreement
with Fusion Capital unless our stock price exceeds $1.90 by at least $0.10,
in
which case the daily amount may be increased under certain conditions as the
price of our common stock increases. Fusion Capital does not have the right
nor
the obligation to purchase any shares of our common stock on any trading days
that the market price of our common stock is less than $1.00. We have registered
an aggregate of 13,201,840 shares purchasable by Fusion Capital pursuant to
the
common stock purchase agreement (inclusive of up to 643,502 additional
Commitment Shares) and, through May 1, 2008, we have sold to Fusion Capital
an
aggregate of 10,682,032 shares under the common stock purchase agreement for
aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $19,739,000. Assuming a purchase
price
of $1.00 per share, the lowest price at which Fusion is obligated to purchase
shares from us (the closing sale price of the common stock on May 1, 2008 was
$0.71) and the purchase by Fusion Capital of the remaining 1,061,189 shares
(not
including the remaining 194,688 Commitment Shares), total gross proceeds to
us
from the remaining shares would only be approximately $1,061,000 ($20,800,000
in
the aggregate under the common stock purchase agreement).
Unless
and until the market price for our common stock increases to at least $1.00,
no
additional shares will be sold to Fusion Capital under the agreement. We will
realize much less than the maximum $50,000,000 proceeds from the sale of stock
under the Purchase Agreement.
23
Assuming
no material additional financing from Fusion Capital and if we are unable to
commercialize and sell Ampligen® and/or increase sales of Alferon N Injection®
or our other products, we will need to secure other sources of funding through
additional equity or debt financing or from other sources in order to satisfy
our working capital needs and to complete the necessary clinical trials and
the
regulatory approval processes including the commercializing of Ampligen®
products. There can be no assurances that we will raise adequate funds which
may
have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our products.
We
may not be profitable unless we can protect our patents and/or receive approval
for additional pending patents.
We
need
to preserve and acquire enforceable patents covering the use of Ampligen® for a
particular disease in order to obtain exclusive rights for the commercial sale
of Ampligen® for such disease. We obtained all rights to Alferon N Injection®,
and we plan to preserve and acquire enforceable patents covering its use for
existing and potentially new diseases. Our success depends, in large part,
on
our ability to preserve and obtain patent protection for our products and to
obtain and preserve our trade secrets and expertise. Certain of our know-how
and
technology is not patentable, particularly the procedures for the manufacture
of
our experimental drug, Ampligen®, which is carried out according to standard
operating procedure manuals. We have been issued certain patents including
those
on the use of Ampligen® and Ampligen® in combination with certain other drugs
for the treatment of HIV. We also have been issued patents on the use of
Ampligen® in combination with certain other drugs for the treatment of chronic
Hepatitis B virus, chronic Hepatitis C virus, and a patent which affords
protection on the use of Ampligen® in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. We
have not yet been issued any patents in the United States for the use of
AmpligenÒ
as a
sole treatment for any of the cancers, which we have sought to target. With
regard to Alferon N Injection®, we have acquired from ISI its patents for
natural alpha interferon produced from human peripheral blood leukocytes and
its
production process and we have filed a patent application for the use of
Alferon® LDO in treating viral diseases including avian influenza. We cannot
assure that our competitors will not seek and obtain patents regarding the
use
of similar products in combination with various other agents, for a particular
target indication prior to our doing such. If we cannot protect our patents
covering the use of our products for a particular disease, or obtain additional
patents, we may not be able to successfully market our products.
The
patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms is highly uncertain
and involves complex legal and factual questions.
To
date,
no consistent policy has emerged regarding the breadth of protection afforded
by
pharmaceutical and biotechnology patents. There can be no assurance that new
patent applications relating to our products or technology will result in
patents being issued or that, if issued, such patents will afford meaningful
protection against competitors with similar technology. It is generally
anticipated that there may be significant litigation in the industry regarding
patent and intellectual property rights. Such litigation could require
substantial resources from us and we may not have the financial resources
necessary to enforce the patent rights that we hold. No assurance can be made
that our patents will provide competitive advantages for our products or will
not be successfully challenged by competitors. No assurance can be given that
patents do not exist or could not be filed which would have a materially adverse
effect on our ability to develop or market our products or to obtain or maintain
any competitive position that we may achieve with respect to our products.
Our
patents also may not prevent others from developing competitive products using
related technology.
24
There
can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain necessary licenses if we
cannot enforce patent rights we may hold. In addition, the failure of third
parties from whom we currently license certain proprietary information or from
whom we may be required to obtain such licenses in the future, to adequately
enforce their rights to such proprietary information, could adversely affect
the
value of such licenses to us.
If
we
cannot enforce the patent rights we currently hold we may be required to obtain
licenses from others to develop, manufacture or market our products. There
can
be no assurance that we would be able to obtain any such licenses on
commercially reasonable terms, if at all. We currently license certain
proprietary information from third parties, some of which may have been
developed with government grants under circumstances where the government
maintained certain rights with respect to the proprietary information developed.
No assurances can be given that such third parties will adequately enforce
any
rights they may have or that the rights, if any, retained by the government
will
not adversely affect the value of our license.
There
is
no guarantee that our trade secrets will not be disclosed or known by our
competitors.
To
protect our rights, we require certain employees and consultants to enter into
confidentiality agreements with us. There can be no assurance that these
agreements will not be breached, that we would have adequate and enforceable
remedies for any breach, or that any trade secrets of ours will not otherwise
become known or be independently developed by competitors.
We
have limited marketing and sales capability. If we are unable to obtain
additional distributors and our current and future distributors do not market
our products successfully, we may not generate significant revenues or become
profitable.
We
have
limited marketing and sales capability. We are dependent upon existing and,
possibly future, marketing agreements and third party distribution agreements
for our products in order to generate significant revenues and become
profitable. As a result, any revenues received by us will be dependent in large
part on the efforts of third parties, and there is no assurance that these
efforts will be successful.
Our
commercialization strategy for Ampligen-CFS may include licensing/co-marketing
agreements utilizing the resources and capacities of a strategic partner(s).
We
are currently seeking worldwide marketing partner(s), with the goal of having
a
relationship in place before approval is obtained. In parallel to partnering
discussions, appropriate pre-marketing activities will be undertaken. We intend
to control manufacturing of Ampligen on a worldwide basis.
We
cannot
assure that our U.S. or foreign marketing strategy will be successful or that
we
will be able to establish future marketing or third party distribution
agreements on terms acceptable to us, or that the cost of establishing these
arrangements will not exceed any product revenues. Our inability to establish
viable marketing and sales capabilities would most likely have a materially
adverse effect on us.
25
There
are no long-term agreements with suppliers of required materials. If we are
unable to obtain the required raw materials, we may be required to scale back
our operations or stop manufacturing Alferon N Injection® and/or
Ampligen®.
A
number
of essential materials are used in the production of Alferon N Injection®,
including human white blood cells. We do not have long-term agreements for
the
supply of any of such materials. There can be no assurance we can enter into
long-term supply agreements covering essential materials on commercially
reasonable terms, if at all.
There
are
a limited number of manufacturers in the United States available to provide
the
polymers for use in manufacturing Ampligen®. At present, we do not have any
agreements with third parties for the supply of any of these polymers. We have
established relevant manufacturing operations within our New Brunswick, New
Jersey facility for the production of Ampligen® polymers from raw materials in
order to obtain polymers on a more consistent manufacturing basis.
If
we are
unable to obtain or manufacture the required polymers, we may be required to
scale back our operations or stop manufacturing. The costs and availability
of
products and materials we need for the production of Ampligen® and the
commercial production of Alferon N Injection® and other products which we may
commercially produce are subject to fluctuation depending on a variety of
factors beyond our control, including competitive factors, changes in
technology, and FDA and other governmental regulations and there can be no
assurance that we will be able to obtain such products and materials on terms
acceptable to us or at all.
There
is no assurance that successful manufacture of a drug on a limited scale basis
for investigational use will lead to a successful transition to commercial,
large-scale production.
Small
changes in methods of manufacturing, including commercial scale-up, may affect
the chemical structure of Ampligen® and other RNA drugs, as well as their safety
and efficacy, and can, among other things, require new clinical studies and
affect orphan drug status, particularly, market exclusivity rights, if any,
under the Orphan Drug Act. The transition from limited production of
pre-clinical and clinical research quantities to production of commercial
quantities of our products will involve distinct management and technical
challenges and will require additional management and technical personnel and
capital to the extent such manufacturing is not handled by third parties. There
can be no assurance that our manufacturing will be successful or that any given
product will be determined to be safe and effective, capable of being
manufactured economically in commercial quantities or successfully
marketed.
We
have limited manufacturing experience and capacity.
Ampligen®
has been only produced in limited quantities for use in our clinical trials
and
we are dependent upon a third party supplier for substantially all of the
production process. The failure to continue these arrangements or to achieve
other such arrangements on satisfactory terms could have a material adverse
affect on us. Also, to be successful, our products must be manufactured in
commercial quantities in compliance with regulatory requirements and at
acceptable costs. To the extent we are involved in the production process,
our
current facilities are not adequate for the production of our proposed products
for large-scale commercialization, and we currently do not have adequate
personnel to conduct commercial-scale manufacturing. We intend to utilize
third-party facilities if and when the need arises or, if we are unable to
do
so, to build or acquire commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. We will
need
to comply with regulatory requirements for such facilities, including those
of
the FDA pertaining to current Good Manufacturing Practices (“cGMP”) regulations.
There can be no assurance that such facilities can be used, built, or acquired
on commercially acceptable terms, or that such facilities, if used, built,
or
acquired, will be adequate for our long-term needs.
26
We
may not be profitable unless we can produce Ampligen® or other products in
commercial quantities at costs acceptable to us.
We
have
never produced Ampligen® or any other products in large commercial quantities.
We must manufacture our products in compliance with regulatory requirements
in
large commercial quantities and at acceptable costs in order for us to be
profitable. We intend to utilize third-party manufacturers and/or facilities
if
and when the need arises or, if we are unable to do so, to build or acquire
commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. If we cannot manufacture commercial
quantities of Ampligen® or enter into third party agreements for its manufacture
at costs acceptable to us, our operations will be significantly affected. Also,
each production lot of Alferon N Injection® is subject to FDA review and
approval prior to releasing the lots to be sold. This review and approval
process could take considerable time, which would delay our having product
in
inventory to sell.
Rapid
technological change may render our products obsolete or
non-competitive.
The
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are subject to rapid and substantial
technological change. Technological competition from pharmaceutical and
biotechnology companies, universities, governmental entities and others
diversifying into the field is intense and is expected to increase. Most of
these entities have significantly greater research and development capabilities
than us, as well as substantial marketing, financial and managerial resources,
and represent significant competition for us. There can be no assurance that
developments by others will not render our products or technologies obsolete
or
noncompetitive or that we will be able to keep pace with technological
developments.
Our
products may be subject to substantial competition.
Ampligen®.
Competitors may be developing technologies that are, or in the future may be,
the basis for competitive products. Some of these potential products may have
an
entirely different approach or means of accomplishing similar therapeutic
effects to products being developed by us. These competing products may be
more
effective and less costly than our products. In addition, conventional drug
therapy, surgery and other more familiar treatments may offer competition to
our
products. Furthermore, many of our competitors have significantly greater
experience than us in pre-clinical testing and human clinical trials of
pharmaceutical products and in obtaining FDA, HPB and other regulatory approvals
of products. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining FDA, HPB
or
other regulatory product approvals more rapidly than us. There are no drugs
approved for commercial sale with respect to treating ME/CFS in the United
States. The dominant competitors with drugs to treat disease indications in
which we plan to address include Gilead Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers,
Abbott Labs, Glaxo Smith Kline, Merck and Schering-Plough Corp. These potential
competitors are among the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, are
well known to the public and the medical community, and have substantially
greater financial resources, product development, and manufacturing and
marketing capabilities than we have. Although we believe our principal advantage
is the unique mechanism of action of Ampligen® on the immune system, we cannot
assure that we will be able to compete.
27
ALFERON
N
Injection®. Our competitors are among the largest pharmaceutical companies in
the world, are well known to the public and the medical community, and have
substantially greater financial resources, product development, and
manufacturing and marketing capabilities than we have. Alferon N Injection®
currently competes with Schering’s injectable recombinant alpha interferon
product (INTRON® A) for the treatment of genital warts. 3M Pharmaceuticals also
offer competition from its immune-response modifier, Aldara®, a
self-administered topical cream, for the treatment of external genital and
perianal warts. In addition, Medigene recently received FDA approval for a
self-administered ointment, VeregenTM, which is indicated for the topical
treatment of external genital and perianal warts. Alferon N Injection® also
competes with surgical, chemical, and other methods of treating genital warts.
We cannot assess the impact products developed by our competitors, or advances
in other methods of the treatment of genital warts, will have on the commercial
viability of Alferon N Injection®. If and when we obtain additional approvals of
uses of this product, we expect to compete primarily on the basis of product
performance. Our competitors have developed or may develop products (containing
either alpha or beta interferon or other therapeutic compounds) or other
treatment modalities for those uses. There can be no assurance that, if we
are
able to obtain regulatory approval of Alferon N Injection® for the treatment of
new indications, we will be able to achieve any significant penetration into
those markets. In addition, because certain competitive products are not
dependent on a source of human blood cells, such products may be able to be
produced in greater volume and at a lower cost than Alferon N Injection®.
Currently, our wholesale price on a per unit basis of Alferon N Injection® is
higher than that of the competitive recombinant alpha and beta interferon
products.
General.
Other companies may succeed in developing products earlier than we do, obtaining
approvals for such products from the FDA more rapidly than we do, or developing
products that are more effective than those we may develop. While we will
attempt to expand our technological capabilities in order to remain competitive,
there can be no assurance that research and development by others or other
medical advances will not render our technology or products obsolete or
non-competitive or result in treatments or cures superior to any therapy we
develop.
Possible
side effects from the use of Ampligen® or Alferon N Injection® could adversely
affect potential revenues and physician/patient acceptability of our
product.
Ampligen®.
We believe that Ampligen® has been generally well tolerated with a low incidence
of clinical toxicity, particularly given the severely debilitating or life
threatening diseases that have been treated. A mild flushing reaction has been
observed in approximately 15% of patients treated in our various studies. This
reaction is occasionally accompanied by a rapid heart beat, a tightness of
the
chest, urticaria (swelling of the skin), anxiety, shortness of breath,
subjective reports of ''feeling hot'', sweating and nausea. The reaction is
usually infusion-rate related and can generally be controlled by reducing the
rate of infusion. Other adverse side effects include liver enzyme level
elevations, diarrhea, itching, asthma, low blood pressure, photophobia, rash,
transient visual disturbances, slow or irregular heart rate, decreases in
platelets and white blood cell counts, anemia, dizziness, confusion, elevation
of kidney function tests, occasional temporary hair loss and various flu-like
symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, muscular aches, joint pains,
headaches, nausea and vomiting. These flu-like side effects typically subside
within several months. One or more of the potential side effects might deter
usage of Ampligen® in certain clinical situations and therefore, could adversely
affect potential revenues and physician/patient acceptability of our product.
28
Alferon
N
Injection®. At present, Alferon N Injection® is only approved for the
intra-lesional (within the lesion) treatment of refractory or recurring external
genital warts in adults. In clinical trials conducted for the treatment of
genital warts with Alferon N Injection®, patients did not experience serious
side effects; however, there can be no assurance that unexpected or unacceptable
side effects will not be found in the future for this use or other potential
uses of Alferon N Injection® which could threaten or limit such product’s
usefulness.
We
may be subject to product liability claims from the use of Ampligen®, Alferon N
Injection®, or other of our products which could negatively affect our future
operations.
We
face
an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event
that the use of Ampligen® or other of our products results in adverse effects.
This liability might result from claims made directly by patients, hospitals,
clinics or other consumers, or by pharmaceutical companies or others
manufacturing these products on our behalf. Our future operations may be
negatively affected from the litigation costs, settlement expenses and lost
product sales inherent to these claims. While we will continue to attempt to
take appropriate precautions, we cannot assure that we will avoid significant
product liability exposure. Although we currently maintain product liability
insurance coverage, there can be no assurance that this insurance will provide
adequate coverage against Ampligen® and/or Alferon N Injection® product
liability claims. A successful product liability claim against us in excess
of
Ampligen’s® $1,000,000 in insurance coverage; $3,000,000 in aggregate, or in
excess of Alferon N Injection’s® $5,000,000 in insurance coverage; $5,000,000 in
aggregate; or for which coverage is not provided could have a negative effect
on
our business and financial condition.
The
loss of services of key personnel including Dr. William A. Carter could hurt
our
chances for success.
Our
success is dependent on the continued efforts of Dr. William A. Carter because
of his position as a pioneer in the field of nucleic acid drugs, his being
the
co-inventor of Ampligen®, and his knowledge of our overall activities, including
patents and clinical trials. The loss of Dr. Carter’s services could have a
material adverse effect on our operations and chances for success. We have
secured key man life insurance in the amount of $2,000,000 on the life of Dr.
Carter and we have an employment agreement with Dr. Carter that, as amended,
runs until December 31, 2010. However, Dr. Carter has the right to terminate
his
employment upon not less than 30 days prior written notice. The loss of Dr.
Carter or other personnel or the failure to recruit additional personnel as
needed could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to achieve our
objectives.
Uncertainty
of health care reimbursement for our products.
Our
ability to successfully commercialize our products will depend, in part, on
the
extent to which reimbursement for the cost of such products and related
treatment will be available from government health administration authorities,
private health coverage insurers and other organizations. Significant
uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved health
care
products, and from time to time legislation is proposed, which, if adopted,
could further restrict the prices charged by and/or amounts reimbursable to
manufacturers of pharmaceutical products. We cannot predict what, if any,
legislation will ultimately be adopted or the impact of such legislation on
us.
There can be no assurance that third party insurance companies will allow us
to
charge and receive payments for products sufficient to realize an appropriate
return on our investment in product development.
29
There
are risks of liabilities associated with handling and disposing of hazardous
materials.
Our
business involves the controlled use of hazardous materials, carcinogenic
chemicals, flammable solvents and various radioactive compounds. Although we
believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such materials
comply in all material respects with the standards prescribed by applicable
regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials
cannot be completely eliminated. In the event of such an accident or the failure
to comply with applicable regulations, we could be held liable for any damages
that result, and any such liability could be significant. We do not maintain
insurance coverage against such liabilities.
Risks
Associated With an Investment in Our Common Stock
The
market price of our stock may be adversely affected by market
volatility.
The
market price of our common stock has been and is likely to be volatile. In
addition to general economic, political and market conditions, the price and
trading volume of our stock could fluctuate widely in response to many factors,
including:
· |
announcements
of the results of clinical trials by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
adverse
reactions to products;
|
· |
governmental
approvals, delays in expected governmental approvals or withdrawals
of any
prior governmental approvals or public or regulatory agency concerns
regarding the safety or effectiveness of our
products;
|
· |
changes
in U.S. or foreign regulatory policy during the period of product
development;
|
· |
developments
in patent or other proprietary rights, including any third party
challenges of our intellectual property
rights;
|
· |
announcements
of technological innovations by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
announcements
of new products or new contracts by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
actual
or anticipated variations in our operating results due to the level
of
development expenses and other
factors;
|
· |
changes
in financial estimates by securities analysts and whether our earnings
meet or exceed the estimates;
|
· |
conditions
and trends in the pharmaceutical and other
industries;
|
· |
new
accounting standards; and
|
· |
the
occurrence of any of the risks described in these "Risk
Factors."
|
Our
common stock is listed for quotation on the American Stock Exchange. For the
12-month period ended March 31, 2008, the closing price of our common stock
has
ranged from $0.61 to $2.00 per share. We expect the price of our common stock
to
remain volatile. The average daily trading volume of our common stock varies
significantly. Our relatively low average volume and low average number of
transactions per day may affect the ability of our stockholders to sell their
shares in the public market at prevailing prices and a more active market may
never develop.
30
In
the
past, following periods of volatility in the market price of the securities
of
companies in our industry, securities class action litigation has often been
instituted against companies in our industry. If we face securities litigation
in the future, even if without merit or unsuccessful, it would result in
substantial costs and a diversion of management attention and resources, which
would negatively impact our business.
Our
stock price may be adversely affected if a significant amount of shares are
sold
in the public market.
We
have
registered 1,704,691 shares of our common stock for public resale consisting
of
shares currently owned by Fusion Capital and shares issuable under the common
stock purchase agreement. Also,
we
have registered 135% of 3,615,514 shares issuable upon exercise of Warrants
related to our former convertible debentures and 5,594,104 shares issuable
upon
exercise of certain other warrants. Registration of the shares permits the
sale
of the shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions without
compliance with the requirements of Rule 144. To the extent the exercise price
of the warrants is less than the market price of the common stock, the holders
of the warrants are likely to exercise them and sell the underlying shares
of
common stock and to the extent that the conversion price and exercise price
of
these securities are adjusted pursuant to anti-dilution protection, the
securities could be exercisable or convertible for even more shares of common
stock. We also may issue shares to be used to meet our capital requirements
or
use shares to compensate employees, consultants and/or directors. We are unable
to estimate the amount, timing or nature of future sales of outstanding common
stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market
could cause the market price for our common stock to decrease. Furthermore,
a
decline in the price of our common stock would likely impede our ability to
raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of common stock or
other
equity securities.
The
sale of our common stock to Fusion Capital may cause dilution and the sale
of
the shares of common stock acquired by Fusion Capital and other shares
registered for selling stockholders could cause the price of our common stock
to
decline.
The
sale
by Fusion Capital and other selling stockholders of our common stock will
increase the number of our publicly traded shares, which could depress the
market price of our common stock. Moreover, the mere prospect of sales by Fusion
Capital and other selling stockholders could depress the market price for our
common stock. The issuance of shares to Fusion Capital under the common stock
purchase agreement will dilute the equity interest of existing stockholders
and
could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common
stock.
The
purchase price for the common stock to be sold to Fusion Capital pursuant to
the
common stock purchase agreement will fluctuate based on the price of our common
stock. All shares sold to Fusion Capital are to be freely tradable. Fusion
Capital may sell none, some or all of the shares of common stock purchased
from
us at any time. We expect that the shares offered by Fusion Capital and other
selling stockholders will be sold over a period of six to twelve months.
Depending upon market liquidity at the time, a sale of shares by Fusion or
other
selling stockholders at any given time could cause the trading price of our
common stock to decline. Given the current market price of our common stock
which is below the $1.00 threshold for Fusion to purchase shares, we do not
anticipate sales by Fusion to materially affect the market price. Nevertheless,
should the market price rise, the sale of a substantial number of shares of
our
common stock to Fusion Capital pursuant to the purchase agreement, or
anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity
or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we
might otherwise wish to effect sales.
31
Provisions
of our Certificate of Incorporation and Delaware law could defer a change of
our
management which could discourage or delay offers to acquire
us.
Provisions
of our Certificate of Incorporation and Delaware law may make it more difficult
for someone to acquire control of us or for our stockholders to remove existing
management, and might discourage a third party from offering to acquire us,
even
if a change in control or in management would be beneficial to our stockholders.
For example, our Certificate of Incorporation allows us to issue shares of
preferred stock without any vote or further action by our stockholders. Our
Board of Directors has the authority to fix and determine the relative rights
and preferences of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors also has the
authority to issue preferred stock without further stockholder approval. As
a
result, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of a series of
preferred stock that would grant to holders the preferred right to our assets
upon liquidation, the right to receive dividend payments before dividends are
distributed to the holders of common stock and the right to the redemption
of
the shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of our common
stock. In this regard, in November 2002, we adopted a stockholder rights plan
and, under the Plan, our Board of Directors declared a dividend distribution
of
one Right for each outstanding share of Common Stock to stockholders of record
at the close of business on November 29, 2002. Each Right initially entitles
holders to buy one unit of preferred stock for $30.00. The Rights generally
are
not transferable apart from the common stock and will not be exercisable unless
and until a person or group acquires or commences a tender or exchange offer
to
acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% or more of our common stock. However,
for
Dr. Carter, our chief executive officer, who already beneficially owns 7.8%
of
our common stock, the Plan’s threshold will be 20%, instead of 15%. The Rights
will expire on November 19, 2012, and may be redeemed prior thereto at $.01
per
Right under certain circumstances.
Because
the risk factors referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to
differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made
by
us, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements.
Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which
it is
made and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement
or
statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such
statement is made or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors
emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will
arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business
or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statements. Our research in clinical efforts may continue for the next several
years and we may continue to incur losses due to clinical costs incurred in
the
development of Ampligen® for commercial application. Possible losses may
fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of differences in the timing
of
significant expenses incurred and receipt of licensing fees and/or cost recovery
treatment revenue.
32
ITEM
2: Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds
During
the quarter ended March
31,
2008,
we
issued an aggregate of 140,499 shares for services performed.
All
of
the foregoing transactions
were conducted pursuant
to the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities
Act of 1933.
We
did
not repurchase any of our securities during the quarter ended March
31,
2008.
ITEM
3: Defaults upon Senior Securities
None.
ITEM
4: Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
None
ITEM
5: Other Information
None.
ITEM
6: Exhibits
(a)
Exhibits
31.1 |
Certification
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief
Executive Officer
|
31.2 |
Certification
pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief
Financial Officer
|
32.1 |
Certification
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief
Executive Officer
|
32.2 |
Certification
pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief
Financial Officer
|
33
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements 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.
HEMISPHERx
BIOPHARMA, INC.
|
||
/S/
William A. Carter
|
||
William
A. Carter, M.D.
|
||
Chief
Executive Officer & President
|
||
/S/
Robert E. Peterson
|
||
Robert
E. Peterson
|
||
Chief
Financial Officer
|
Date:
May
9, 2008
34