CEL SCI CORP - Quarter Report: 2021 June (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒   QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021

OR

☐   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _______________ to ______________.

Commission File Number 001-11889

8229 Boone Boulevard, Suite 802

Vienna, Virginia 22182

Address of principal executive offices

(703) 506-9460

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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) had been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐   No ☒

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CEL-SCI CORPORATION

NOTES TO CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NINE MONTHS ENDED JUNE 30, 2021 AND 2020 (UNAUDITED)

A. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed financial statements of CEL-SCI Corporation (the Company) are unaudited and certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. While management of the Company believes that the disclosures presented are adequate to make the information presented not misleading, these interim condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and footnotes included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2020.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements contain all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position as of June 30, 2021 and the results of its operations for the nine and three months then ended. The condensed balance sheet as of September 30, 2020 is derived from the September 30, 2020 audited financial statements. All accounting policies have been consistently applied in the interim financial statements and the annual financial statements. The results of operations for the nine and three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the entire year.

The financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, but due to recurring losses from operations and future liquidity needs, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Refer to discussion in Note B.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies:

U.S. Treasury Bills- U.S. Treasury Bills (“T-bills”) are highly liquid short-term investments with maturity dates of greater than 3 months, but less than one year. These investments are recorded at fair value.

Property and Equipment – Property and equipment is recorded at cost and depreciated using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of five to seven years. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the estimated useful life of the asset or the term of the lease. Repairs and maintenance which do not extend the life of the asset are expensed when incurred. The fixed assets are reviewed on a quarterly basis to determine if any of the assets are impaired.

Patents - Patent expenditures are capitalized and amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the expected useful life or the legal life of the patent (17 years). In the event changes in technology or other circumstances impair the value or life of the patent, appropriate adjustment in the asset value and period of amortization is made. An impairment loss is recognized when estimated future undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset, and from its disposition, is less than the carrying value of the asset. The amount of the impairment loss would be the difference between the estimated fair value of the asset and its carrying value.

Research and Development Costs - Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Management accrues Clinical Research Organization (“CRO”) expenses and clinical trial study expenses based on services performed and relies on the CROs to provide estimates of those costs applicable to the completion stage of a study. Estimated accrued CRO costs are subject to revisions as such studies progress to completion. The Company charges revisions to estimated expense in the period in which the facts that give rise to the revision become known.

Leases – The Company accounts for contracts that convey the right to control the use of identified property, plant or equipment over a period of time in exchange for consideration, as leases upon inception. The Company leases certain real estate, machinery, laboratory equipment and office equipment over varying periods. Many of these leases include an option to either renew or terminate the lease. For purposes of calculating lease liabilities, these options are included in the lease term when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise such options. The incremental borrowing rate utilized to calculate the lease liabilities is based on the information available at commencement date, as most of the leases do not provide an implicit borrowing rate. Short-term leases, defined as leases with initial terms of 12 months or less, are not reflected on the balance sheet. Lease expense for such short-term leases is not material. For purposes of calculating lease liabilities, lease and non-lease components are combined.

Income Taxes - The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating and tax loss carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records a valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be recognized. A full valuation allowance was recorded against the deferred tax assets as of June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020.

Derivative Instruments – The Company has financing arrangements that consist of freestanding derivative instruments that contain embedded derivative features. The Company accounts for these arrangements in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 815, “Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities.” In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP), derivative instruments and hybrid instruments are recognized as either assets or liabilities in the balance sheet and are measured at fair value with gains or losses recognized in earnings or other comprehensive income depending on the nature of the derivative or hybrid instruments. The Company determines the fair value of derivative instruments and hybrid instruments based on available market data using appropriate valuation models considering all the rights and obligations of each instrument. The derivative liabilities are re-measured at fair value at the end of each interim and annual reporting period.

Stock-Based Compensation – Compensation cost for stock-based awards to employees and non-employees is measured at fair value as of the grant date in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 “Compensation – Stock Compensation.” The fair value of time vested stock options is calculated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Black-Scholes model requires various judgmental assumptions including volatility and expected option life. The stock-based compensation cost is recognized on the straight-line allocation method as expense over the requisite service or vesting period.

The Company has Incentive Stock Option Plans, Non-Qualified Stock Option Plans, Stock Compensation Plans, Stock Bonus Plans and an Incentive Stock Bonus Plan. In some cases, these Plans are collectively referred to as the “Plans”. All Plans have been approved by the stockholders.

The Company’s stock options are not transferable, and the actual value of the stock options that an employee may realize, if any, will depend on the excess of the market price on the date of exercise over the exercise price. The Company has based its assumption for stock price volatility on the variance of daily closing prices of the Company’s common stock. The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the U.S. Treasury rate at date of the grant with the term equal to the expected life of the option. Forfeitures are accounted for when they occur. The expected term of options represents the period that options granted are expected to be outstanding and has been determined based on an analysis of historical exercise behavior. If any of the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model change significantly, stock-based compensation expense for new awards may differ materially in the future from that recorded in the current period.

Vesting of restricted stock granted under the Incentive Stock Bonus Plan and options granted under the 2021 and 2020 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plans are subject to service, performance and market conditions and meet the classification of equity awards. These awards were measured at market value on the grant-dates for issuances where the attainment of performance criteria is likely and at fair value on the grant-dates, using a Monte Carlo simulation for issuances where the attainment of performance or the market condition is uncertain. The total compensation cost will be expensed over the estimated requisite service period.

Newly Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, ”Fair Value Measurement - Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820).” Under the new standard, the amount and reason for a transfer between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy is no longer required to be disclosed, but public companies are required to disclose a range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. The Company adopted the new standard on July 1, 2020 with no impact to the Company’s financial statements.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06 (“ASU 2020-06”) Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. The amendments in this Update simplify and clarify the guidance in Subtopic 815-40 and are effective for the Company for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, including interim periods within that fiscal year. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this ASU will have on the financial statements, but plans to early adopt the guidance and does not expect significant impact to the financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The new standard includes several provisions that simplify accounting for income taxes by removing certain exceptions to the general principles in Topic 740 and increasing consistency and clarity for the users of financial statements. This standard will be effective for the Company on October 1, 2021. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this ASU will have on the financial statements.

The Company has considered all other recently issued accounting pronouncements and does not believe the adoption of such pronouncements will have a material impact on its financial statements.

B. OPERATIONS AND FINANCING

On June 28, 2021, the Company announced results from its 9.5 year pivotal Phase 3 study for its immunotherapy Multikine® (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) in the treatment of advanced (stages III and IV) primary (previously untreated) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). The Phase 3 results showed a long-term 5-year overall survival (OS) benefit in the treatment arm that received Multikine treatment followed by surgery and radiation. This survival benefit was robust and durable, with no safety issues, something not commonly seen with cancer drugs. In fact, the survival benefit increased over time and at 5-years the overall survival benefit reached an absolute 14.1% advantage for the Multikine treated arm over control (n=380, total study patients treated with surgery plus radiation), which is about a 29% improvement, control arm 48.6%, Multikine arm 62.7% survival.

The study used the standard of care treatment for advanced primary head and neck cancer patients as a comparison. The patients received surgery followed by either radiation or chemoradiation (chemotherapy and radiation at the same time), as determined by the physician. This means that there were 2 treatment arms, 1) surgery plus radiation or 2) surgery plus chemoradiation. The arm that received Multikine treatment followed by surgery and radiation showed great survival benefit, but when chemotherapy was added in the second treatment arm, the immunological effect of Multikine was negated. Therefore when the two treatment arms were combined the study did not achieve its primary endpoint of a 10% improvement in overall survival.

However, the analysis of the separate treatment arms was prespecified in the protocol and carried out prior to the Company becoming unblinded. The OS benefit of 14.1% at 5 years for this treatment arm exceeded the 10% OS benefit set out for the study population as a whole. The OS results for this treatment arm are significant (two-sided p=0.0236, HR=0.68) and the effect is robust, durable and increasing over time. The results from the Phase 3 cancer study proved that Multikine met all of the protocol required benefits stated in the study protocol in patients in the treatment arm receiving surgery and radiation as their standard therapies. Based on this the Company will be filing for and seeking FDA approval for the use of Multikine in the treatment of advanced primary head and neck cancer in this patient population of about 210,000 patients annually worldwide.

Multikine (Leukocyte Interleukin, Injection) is the full name of this investigational therapy, which, for simplicity, is referred to in this report as Multikine. Multikine is the trademark that the Company has registered for this investigational therapy, and this proprietary name is subject to FDA review under the Company’s future anticipated regulatory submission for approval. Multikine has not been licensed or approved by the FDA or any other regulatory agency. Neither has its safety or efficacy been established for any use.

The Company has incurred significant costs since its inception for the acquisition of certain proprietary technology and scientific knowledge relating to the human immunological defense system, patent applications, research and development, administrative costs, construction and upgrade of laboratory facilities and clinical trials. The Company has funded such costs primarily with proceeds from loans and the public and private sale of its securities. The Company may be required to raise additional capital or find additional long-term financing to continue with its efforts to bring Multikine to market. The ability to raise capital may be dependent upon market conditions that are outside the control of the Company. The ability of the Company to obtain FDA approval for the sale of products to be developed on a commercial basis is uncertain. Ultimately, the Company must complete the development of its products, obtain the appropriate regulatory approvals and obtain sufficient revenues to support its cost structure. The Company believes there is a high likelihood that it will continue to receive funds from private and public offerings and warrant exercises similar to the way it has substantially funded operations in the past. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to raise sufficient capital to support its operations.

If the Company needs to raise capital, Management plans to raise additional capital in the form of warrant exercises, corporate partnerships, and debt and/or equity financings. The Company believes that it will be able to obtain additional financing because it has done so consistently in the past and because it showed great survival benefit in one of the two treatment arms for advanced primary head and neck cancer. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in raising additional funds on a timely basis or that the funds will be available to the Company on acceptable terms or at all. If the Company does not raise the necessary amounts of money, it may have to curtail its operations until it is able to raise the required funding.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to the global outbreak of COVID-19 and the World Health Organization’s classification of the outbreak as a pandemic, the Company continues to take the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of its employees and to minimize interruptions to its operations. Management follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (“CDC”) guidance and the recommendations and restrictions provided by state and local authorities. The full impact of the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve as of the date of this report. As such, it is uncertain as to the full magnitude of impact the pandemic will have on the Company’s financial condition, liquidity and future results of operations. Management is actively monitoring the risks to public health and the impact of overall global business activity on its financial condition, liquidity, operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce.

The financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, but due to the Company’s recurring losses from operations and future liquidity needs, there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

C. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Proceeds from the Sale of Common Stock

In June 2021, the Company sold 1,400,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $22.62 per share and received aggregate net proceeds of approximately $29.4 million. The Company also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 210,000 additional shares of common stock to cover over-allotments. The underwriters fully exercised this option in June 2021, resulting in additional net proceeds to the Company of approximately $4.4 million.

In December 2020, the Company sold 1,000,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $14.65 per share and received aggregate proceeds of approximately $13.6 million.

In March 2020, the Company sold 630,500 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $12.22 per share and received aggregate net proceeds of approximately $7.1 million. Under the terms of the Underwriting Agreement the Company granted the Underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 94,575 shares of common stock solely to cover over-allotments. The underwriter fully exercised this option in May 2020 resulting in additional net proceeds to the Company of approximately $1.1 million.

In December 2019, the Company sold 606,395 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $9.07 per share and received aggregate net proceeds of approximately $5.0 million. In January 2020, the underwriters of that offering fully exercised the option to purchase 90,959 additional shares of common stock at the public offering price of $9.07 per share for aggregate net proceeds to the Company of approximately $0.8 million.

Equity Compensation

Underlying share information for equity compensation plans as of June 30, 2021 is as follows:

Stock option activity:

During the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Company adopted the 2021 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan, which provides for the issuance of up to 1,800,000 options to purchase shares of common stock. On May 14, 2021, the Company granted 1,800,000 performance-based stock options from the 2021 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan and 72,000 performance-based stock options from the 2020 Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan to officers and directors. Each option entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Company’s common stock at a price of $20.61 per share, the fair value on the date of issuance. The stock options will vest 100% upon the achievement of the following performance goal: (a) the filing of the first marketing application for any pharmaceutical based upon the Company’s Multikine technology, in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, or Australia or (b) the closing price of the Company’s common stock exceeds $42.00. None of the options will be exercisable before May 13, 2022. All options which have not vested as of May 13, 2031, will be canceled and will no longer be exercisable. The options were recorded in permanent equity in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. On the grant date, the options were valued using a Monte Carlo Simulation approach. Monte Carlo Simulation is a statistical technique that is used to model probabilistic systems and establish the probabilities for a variety of outcomes. That valuation resulted in a per share fair value of $0.34 and an aggregate value of $636,480 on the grant date. The aggregate value will be expensed over the requisite service period of the options, which was determined to be 1.3 years. This resulted in compensation expense of approximately $64,000 recorded during the nine and three months ended June 30, 2021.

Stock-Based Compensation Expense

Employee compensation expense includes the expense related to options and restricted stock expensed over their vesting period. Non-employee expense includes the expense related to options and stock issued to consultants expensed over the period of the related service contracts.

Warrants and Non-Employee Options

The following chart represents the warrants and non-employee options outstanding at June 30, 2021: