CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2021 June (Form 10-Q)

Table of Contents

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 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 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: 001-39126

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

(Name of registrant as specified in its charter)

800-946-9185

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) 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. Yes ☒     No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 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 Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐    No ☒

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, as of August 12, 2021, was 27,460,735.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Statements of Operations

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Statements of Stockholders' Equity

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to the unaudited financial statements.

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Notes to the Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

Note 1 – Nature of Business

CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“we”, “our”, the “Company”) is a clinical pharmaceutical company organized as a Nevada corporation on July 27, 2017 to focus on the development of anti-cancer drug candidates.

Note 2 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation - The accompanying unaudited financial statements of the Company have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United Stated of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim unaudited financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. The unaudited financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which are, in the opinion of management, necessary in order to make the condensed financial statements not misleading. Operating results for the six months ended June 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the final results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021. For more complete financial information, these unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2020 included in our Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 12, 2021 (“Form 10-K”). Notes to the financial statements which would substantially duplicate the disclosures contained in the audited financial statements for the most recent fiscal period, as reported in the Form 10-K, have been omitted.

Liquidity and Going Concern - These financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which assumes the Company will continue to realize its assets and discharge its liabilities in the normal course of business. The continuation of the Company as a going concern is dependent upon the ability of the Company to obtain equity financings to continue operations. The Company has a history of and expects to continue to report negative cash flows from operations and a net loss. Management believes that the cash on hand is sufficient to fund its planned operations into but not beyond the near term. These factors raise substantial doubt regarding the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These financial statements do not include any adjustments to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. The Company may seek additional funding through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, government or other third-party funding, commercialization, marketing and distribution arrangements, other collaborations, strategic alliances and licensing arrangements and delay planned cash outlays or a combination thereof. Management cannot be certain that such events or a combination thereof can be achieved.

Cash and Cash Equivalents - The Company considers all highly liquid accounts with original maturities of three months or less at the date of acquisition to be cash equivalents. Periodically, the Company may carry cash balances at financial institutions in excess of the federally insured limit of $250,000. The amount in excess of the FDIC insurance at June 30, 2021 was $6,635,572. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes, based upon the quality of the financial institutions, that the credit risk with regard to these deposits is not significant.

Loss Per Common Share - Basic loss per common share is computed by dividing net loss available to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted loss per common share is determined using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period, adjusted for the dilutive effect of common stock equivalents. In periods when losses are reported, the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding excludes common stock equivalents, because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. For the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company’s potentially dilutive shares and options, which were not included in the calculation of net loss per share, included warrants to purchase 5,130,240 common shares, and options for 2,811,736 common shares. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company’s potentially dilutive shares and options, which were not included in the calculation of net loss per share warrants to purchase 3,986,630 common shares, and options for 2,250,736 common shares.

Note 3 – Equity

Common Stock

In January 2021, the Company entered into a twelve-month agreement with an investor relations firm that includes the issuance of 25,000 restricted shares of common stock. Upon signing the agreement, 6,250 shares vested immediately, and the remaining 18,750 shares will vest quarterly over the remainder of the agreement. The Company may terminate the agreement at any time during the twelve-month period with a fifteen-day notice. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company issued 12,500 common shares and recognized $25,250 of stock-based compensation related to the agreement and will issue the remaining shares over the service period. In July 2021, the Company issued 6,250 common shares and will issue the remaining shares over the service period.

On February 12, 2021, the Company entered into a Capital on Demand™ Sales Agreement (the “Agreement”) with JonesTrading Institutional Services LLC and Brookline Capital Markets, a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC (collectively, the “Agent”). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the Company may sell from time to time, through the Agent, shares of the Company’s common stock with an aggregate sales price of up to $20.0 million.

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company sold 2,063,509 shares of common stock to the Agent for net proceeds of $1,084,704 and recorded a subscription receivable of $3,569,117. The subscription receivable was collected in full on July 1, 2021.

Stock Options

In 2017, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2017 Stock Plan (the “2017 Plan”). The 2017 Plan allows for the Board of Directors to grant various forms of incentive awards for up to 2,000,000 shares of common stock. No key employee may receive more than 500,000 shares of common stock (or options to purchase more than 500,000 shares of common stock) in a single year.

In 2020, the Board of Directors of the Company approved the CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2020 Stock Plan (the “2020 Plan”). The 2020 Plan allows for the Board of Directors to grant various forms of incentive awards for up to 3,000,000 shares of common stock. No key employee may receive more than 750,000 shares of common stock (or options to purchase more than 750,000 shares of common stock) in a single year.

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Board of Directors approved grants of 611,000 options to officers, employees and a consultant. The exercise price of the options ranges from $2.35 to $3.36 and the options expire ten-years following issuance. The total fair value of these option grants at issuance was $1,769,686. Of the 611,000 options issued, 75,000 options provided that 25% vested upon issuance, 50% vest upon the Board approving a business development acquisition and 25% vest over a three-year period in equal installments on each of the succeeding three anniversary dates. The remaining options issued vest in four equal annual installments beginning on the first anniversary following issuance.

During the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized $875,039 and $565,433 of stock-based compensation, respectively, related to outstanding stock options. As of June 30, 2021, the Company had $3,071,647 of unrecognized expenses related to outstanding options.

The following table summarizes the stock option activity for the six months ended June 30, 2021:  

The following table discloses information regarding outstanding and exercisable options at June 30, 2021: 

As of June 30, 2021, the aggregate intrinsic value of options vested and outstanding were $663,219 and $710,625 respectively. As of June 30, 2021, there are no awards remaining to be issued under the 2017 Plan and 2,188,264 awards remaining to be issued under the 2020 Plan.

Stock Warrants

During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company received $332,750 in cash proceeds from the exercise of 151,250 warrants previously issued at an exercise price of $2.20. In addition, the Company received notices to exercise 1,580,140 warrants on a cashless basis resulting in issuance of 1,296,075 shares of common stock.

The following table summarizes the stock warrant activity for the six months ended June 30, 2021: 

The following table discloses information regarding outstanding and exercisable warrants at June 30, 2021: 

As of June 30, 2021, the aggregate intrinsic value of warrants vested and outstanding was $1,205,768.

Note 4 – Commitments and Contingencies

Executive Employment Agreements

On September 1, 2017, the Company entered into an employment agreement with Mr. John Climaco pursuant to which Mr. Climaco agreed to serve as Chief Executive Officer and Director of the Company commencing on such date for an initial term of three years. On September 1, 2020, the Company entered into an amendment to the employment agreement with Mr. Climaco. The amendment extends the term of employment under the Employment Agreement, which was originally for a three-year period, for additional twelve-month periods, unless and until either the Company or Mr. Climaco provides written notice to the other party not less than sixty days before such anniversary date that such party is electing not to extend the term. If the Company provides notice of its election not to extend the term, Mr. Climaco may terminate his employment at any time prior to the expiration of the term by giving written notice to the Company at least thirty days prior to the effective date of termination, and upon the earlier of such effective date of termination or the expiration of the term, Mr. Climaco shall be entitled to receive the same severance benefits as are provided upon a termination of employment by the Company without cause. Pursuant to the Amendment, the severance benefits shall be twelve months of Mr. Climaco’s base salary. Such severance payment shall be made in a single lump sum sixty days following the termination, provided that Mr. Climaco has executed and delivered to the Company and has not revoked a general release of the Company. Pursuant to the employment agreement, the compensation committee of the board of directors reviews the base salary payable to Mr. Climaco annually during the term of the agreement. On February 6, 2021, the compensation committee of the board of directors set Mr. Climaco’s 2021 annual base salary to $525,000.

On June 28, 2019, we entered into employment letters with Drs. Silberman and Picker pursuant to which Dr. Silberman agreed to commit 50% of her time to our matters; and Dr. Picker agreed to commit 25% of his time to our matters. On February 6, 2021, the compensation committee of the board of directors set Drs. Silberman and Picker 2021 annual base salaries to $200,000 and $115,000, respectively.

On September 14, 2019, the Company, entered into an employment agreement with Christopher Downs to serve as its Chief Financial Officer commencing on the closing date of the Company’s IPO, which occurred on November 13, 2019. The initial term of the Employment Agreement will continue for a period of three years. Pursuant to the employment agreement, the compensation committee of the board of directors reviews the base salary payable to Mr. Downs annually during the term of the agreement. On February 6, 2021, the compensation committee of the board of directors set Mr. Downs’ 2021 annual base salary to $340,000.

WP744 Portfolio (Berubicin)

On November 21, 2017, the Company entered into a Collaboration and Asset Purchase Agreement with Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Reata”). Through this agreement, the Company purchased all of Reata’s rights, title, interest and previously conducted research and development results in the chemical compound commonly known as Berubicin. In exchange for these rights, the Company agreed to pay Reata an amount equal to 2.25% of the net sales of Berubicin for a period of 10 years from the Company’s first commercial sale of Berubicin plus $10,000. Reata also agreed to collaborate with the Company on the development of Berubicin, from time to time.

On December 28, 2017, the Company entered into a Technology Rights and Development Agreement with Houston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“HPI”). HPI is affiliated with Dr. Waldemar Priebe, our founder and largest shareholder. Pursuant to this agreement, the Company obtained a worldwide exclusive license to the chemical compound commonly known as WP744. In exchange for these rights, the Company agreed to pay consideration to HPI as follows: (i) a royalty of 2% of net sales of any product utilizing WP744 for a period of ten years after the first commercial sale of such; and (ii) $100,000 upon beginning Phase II clinical trials; and (iii) $200,000 upon the approval by the FDA of a New Drug Application for any product utilizing WP744; and (iv) a series of quarterly development payments totaling $750,000 beginning immediately after the Company’s raise of $7,000,000 of investment capital. In addition, the Company issued 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock valued at $0.045 per share to HPI upon execution of the agreement. The Company’s rights pursuant to the HPI License were contingent on us raising at least $7.0 million within 12 months from the effective date of the HPI License, a date which was extended by an additional 12 months by the payment of $40,000. On November 13, 2019, the Company closed its IPO and as a result completed the acquisition of the intellectual property discussed in the HPI agreement. Unrelated to this agreement, the Company purchased $385,000 of pharmaceutical products from HPI for the manufacturing of Berubicin API in a related party transaction reviewed and approved by the Company’s audit committee. During the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the Company recognized $175,000 and $100,000, respectively related to this agreement.

On August 30, 2018, we entered into a sublicense agreement with WPD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“WPD”). Pursuant to the agreement, the Company granted WPD an exclusive sublicense, even as to us, for the patent rights we licensed pursuant to the HPI License within the following countries: Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Greece, Austria, and Russia. The sublicense agreement provides that WPD must use commercially reasonable development efforts to attempt to develop and commercialize licensed products in the above mentioned territories, which means the expenditure of at least $2.0 million on the development, testing, regulatory approval or commercialization of the licensed products during the three year period immediately following the date of the sublicense agreement. In the event that WPD fails to use commercially reasonable development efforts by the foregoing three-year deadline, we have the right to terminate this sublicense agreement. In consideration for the rights granted under the sublicense agreement, to the extent we are required to make any payments to HPI pursuant to the HPI License as a result of this sublicense agreement, WPD agreed to advance us such payments, and to pay us a royalty equal to 1% of such payments. WPD is a Polish corporation that is majority-owned by an entity controlled by Dr. Priebe, our founder and largest shareholder.

On February 19, 2021, CNS entered into an Investigational Medicinal Product Supply Agreement with WPD. CNS agreed to sell the Berubicin drug product to WPD at historical cost of manufacturing without markup so that WPD may conduct the clinical trials contemplated by the sublicense agreement. WPD agreed to pay CNS the following payments: (i) an upfront payment of $131,073 upon execution of the agreement, (ii), a payment of $262,145 upon final batch release and certification performed by WPD's subcontractor, and (iii) a final payment of $262,145 upon Clinical Trial Application acceptance by the relevant regulatory authority. As of June 30, 2021, the upfront payment of $131,073 plus pass through costs of $1,575 are recorded in other receivable - related party.

On August 31, 2018, the Company entered into a sublicense agreement with Animal Life Sciences, LLC (“ALI”), a related party, pursuant to which we granted ALI an exclusive sublicense, even as to us, for the patent rights we licensed pursuant to the HPI License solely for the treatment of cancer in non-human animals through any type of administration. In consideration for the rights granted under the sublicense agreement, ALI agreed to issue us membership interests in ALI equal to 1.52% of the outstanding ALI membership interests. As additional consideration for the rights granted, to the extent we are required to make any payments to HPI pursuant to the HPI License as a result of this sublicense agreement, ALI agreed to advance us such payments, and to pay us a royalty equal to 1% of such payments. Dr. Waldemar Priebe, our founder and largest shareholder, is also the founder and a shareholder of ALI, holds 38% of the membership interests of ALI.

WP1244 Portfolio

On January 10, 2020, Company entered into a Patent and Technology License Agreement (“Agreement”) with The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System, an agency of the State of Texas, on behalf of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (“UTMDACC”). Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company obtained a royalty-bearing, worldwide, exclusive license to certain intellectual property rights, including patent rights, related to the Company’s recently announced WP1244 drug technology. In consideration, the Company must make payments to UTMDACC including an up-front license fee, annual maintenance fee, milestone payments and royalty payments (including minimum annual royalties) on sales of licensed products developed under the Agreement. The term of the Agreement expires on the last to occur of: (a) the expiration of all patents subject to the Agreement, or (b) fifteen years after execution; provided that UTMDACC has the right to terminate this Agreement in the event that the Company fails to meet certain commercial diligence milestones. The commercial diligence milestones are as follows (i) initiated PC toxicology to support filing of Investigational New Drug Application (“IND”) or New Drug Application (“NDA”) for the Licensed Product within the eighteen (18) month period following the Effective Date (ii) file and IND for the Licensed Product within three (3) year period following the Effective Date and (iii) Commencement of Phase I Study within the five (5) year period following the Effective Date. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company paid $22,902 to UTMDACC related to this agreement.

On May 7, 2020, pursuant to the WP1244 Portfolio license agreement described above, the Company entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement with UTMDACC to perform research relating to novel anticancer agents targeting CNS malignancies. The Company agreed to fund approximately $1,134,000 over a two-year period. The Company recorded $734,000 in 2020 related to this agreement in research and development expenses in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations. The remainder will be paid and recorded in 2021. The principal investigator for this agreement is Dr. Waldemar Priebe, who controls a majority of the Company’s share. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, the Company paid $200,000 and accrued an additional $400,000 to UTMDACC related to this agreement. As of June 30, 2021, the Company has accrued $600,000 in research and development expenses to UTMDACC.

Anti-Viral Portfolio

On March 20, 2020, the Company entered into a Development Agreement (“Agreement”) with WPD Pharmaceuticals (“WPD”), a company founded by Dr. Waldemar Priebe, the founder and largest shareholder of the Company. Pursuant to the Agreement, WPD agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts in good faith to develop and commercialize certain products that WPD had previously sublicensed, solely in the field of pharmaceutical drug products for the treatment of any viral infection in humans, with a goal of eventual approval of in certain territories consisting of: Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Greece, Austria, Russia, Netherlands, Turkey, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Iceland.

Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company agreed to pay WPD the following payments: (i) an upfront payment of $225,000 to WPD (paid in April 2020); and (ii) within thirty days of the verified achievement of the Phase II Milestone, (such verification shall be conducted by an independent third party mutually acceptable to the parties hereto), the Company will make a payment of $775,000 to WPD. WPD agreed to pay the Company a development fee of 50% of the net sales for any products in the above territories; provided that Poland shall not be included as a territory after WPD receives marketing approval for a product in one-half of the countries included in the agreed upon territories or upon the payment by WPD to the Company of development fees of $1.0 million. The term of the Agreement will expire on the expiration of the sublicense pursuant to which WPD has originally sublicensed the products. During the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company paid $225,000 related to this agreement.

Note 5 – Subsequent Events

On July 15, 2021, our compensation committee recommended to our Board and our Board approved the following policy for compensating non-employee members of the Board. Each independent director shall receive annual cash compensation of $40,000. In addition, the chairperson of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee shall receive an annual compensation of $12,000, $7,700 and $5,500, respectively; the other members of such committees shall receive an annual compensation of $5,500, $4,000 and $3,500, respectively; and the lead independent director shall receive annual compensation of $12,000. In addition, the Board approved the issuance to each independent director of options to purchase 32,000 shares of the Company’s common stock vesting on the earlier of the one-year anniversary of the date of the grant or the date of the 2022 annual meeting. These options have a 10-year term and an exercise equal to the closing price of the common stock on the date of the grant of $1.80.

On July 24, 2021, the Company received Fast Track Designation from the FDA for Berubicin. Fast Track Designation is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need.

In July 2021, the Company issued 75,000 shares of common stock for investor relations services for a four-month period ending September 2021. The fair value of the shares on the commitment date was $140,250.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting our current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, available on the Security and Exchange Commission's (“SEC”) EDGAR website at www.sec.gov, for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those discussed in our forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We make forward-looking statements under the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in other sections of this Form 10-Q. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, you should consider the numerous risks and uncertainties described under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in other filings made by us from time to time with the SEC.

While we believe we have identified material risks, these risks and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Other sections of this Form 10-Q may describe additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors 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.

Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-Q to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and we do not intend to do so.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-Q in the case of forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-Q.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward looking-statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of the forward-looking statements. In addition, with respect to all of our forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 

Overview

We are a clinical pharmaceutical company organized as a Nevada corporation in July 2017 to focus on the development of anti-cancer drug candidates for the treatment of brain and central nervous system tumors, based on intellectual property that we license under license agreements with Houston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“HPI”) and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (“UTMDACC”) and own pursuant to a collaboration and asset purchase agreement with Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Reata”).

We believe our lead drug candidate, Berubicin, if approved by the FDA, may be a significant discovery in the treatment of glioblastoma. Glioblastoma are tumors that arise from astrocytes, which are star-shaped cells making up the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually highly malignant (cancerous) because the cells reproduce quickly, and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels. Berubicin is an anthracycline, which is a class of drugs that are among the most powerful chemotherapy drugs known. Based on limited clinical data, we believe Berubicin is the first anthracycline that appears to have crossed the blood brain barrier and target brain cancer cells. While our current focus is solely on the development of Berubicin, we are also in the process of attempting to secure intellectual property rights in additional compounds that may be developed into drugs to treat cancers.

Berubicin was discovered by our founder, Dr. Waldemar Priebe, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Through a series of transactions, Berubicin was initially licensed to Reata. Reata conducted a Phase I clinical trial on Berubicin but subsequently allowed their IND with the FDA to lapse for strategic reasons. This required us to obtain a new IND for Berubicin before beginning further clinical trials. On December 17, 2020, we announced that our IND application with the FDA for Berubicin for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme was in effect. We intend to initiate our trial during the third quarter of 2021 to investigate the efficacy of Berubicin in adults with Glioblastoma Multiforme who have failed first-line therapy. Recent correspondence between us and the FDA resulted in modifications to our previously disclosed trial design, including designating overall survival (OS) as the primary endpoint of the study. OS is a rigorous endpoint that the FDA has recognized as a basis for approval of oncology drugs when a statistically significant improvement can be shown relative to a randomized control arm.

The Phase II trial, which was open for enrollment during the second quarter of 2021 and is planned to treat the first patient during the third quarter of 2021, will evaluate the efficacy of Berubicin in patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme who have failed primary treatment for their disease, and results will be compared to the current standard of care, with 2 to 1 randomization of the 243 patients to Berubicin or Lomustine. Subjects receiving Berubicin will be administered a 2-hour IV infusion of 7.5 mg/m2 berubicin hydrochloride daily for three consecutive days followed by 18 days off (21-day cycle). Lomustine is administered orally. The trial will include an interim analysis that will evaluate the comparative effectiveness of these treatments. Even if Berubicin is approved, there is no assurance that patients will choose an infusion treatment, as compared to the current standard of care, which requires oral administration.

We do not have manufacturing facilities and all manufacturing activities are contracted out to third parties. Additionally, we do not have a sales organization.

On November 21, 2017, we entered into a Collaboration and Asset Purchase Agreement with Reata (the “Reata Agreement”). Pursuant to the Reata Agreement we purchased all of Reata’s intellectual property and development data regarding Berubicin, including all trade secrets, knowhow, confidential information and other intellectual property rights, which we refer to as the Reata Data.

On December 28, 2017, we obtained the rights to a worldwide, exclusive royalty-bearing, license to the chemical compound commonly known as Berubicin from HPI in an agreement we refer to as the HPI License. HPI is affiliated with Dr. Priebe, our founder and largest shareholder. Under the HPI License we obtained the exclusive right to develop certain chemical compounds for use in the treatment of cancer anywhere in the world. In the HPI License we agreed to pay HPI: (i) development fees of $750,000 over a three-year period beginning November 2019; (ii) a 2% royalty on net sales; (iii) a $50,000 per year license fee; (iv) milestone payments of $100,000 upon the commencement of a Phase II trial and $1.0 million upon the approval of a New Drug Application (“NDA”) for Berubicin; and (v) 200,000 shares of our common stock. The patents we licensed from HPI expired in March 2020.

On June 10, 2020, the FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation (“ODD”) for Berubicin for the treatment of malignant gliomas. ODD from the FDA is available for drugs targeting diseases with less than 200,000 cases per year. ODD may enable market exclusivity of 7 years from the date of approval of a NDA in the United States. During that period the FDA generally could not approve another product containing the same drug for the same designated indication. Orphan drug exclusivity will not bar approval of another product under certain circumstances, including if a subsequent product with the same active ingredient for the same indication is shown to be clinically superior to the approved product on the basis of greater efficacy or safety, or providing a major contribution to patient care, or if the company with orphan drug exclusivity is not able to meet market demand. The ODD now constitutes our primary intellectual property protections although the Company is exploring if there are other patents that could be filed related to Berubicin to extend additional protections.

With the Reata Agreement and the HPI License, we believe we have obtained all rights and intellectual property necessary to develop Berubicin. As stated earlier, it is our plan to obtain additional intellectual property covering other compounds which, subject to the receipt of additional financing, may be developed into drugs for brain and other cancers.

On January 10, 2020, we entered into a Patent and Technology License Agreement (the “1244 Agreement”) with The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System, an agency of the State of Texas, on behalf of the UTMDACC. Pursuant to the 1244 Agreement, we obtained a royalty-bearing, worldwide, exclusive license to certain intellectual property rights, including patent rights, related to our WP1244 drug technology. In consideration, we must make payments to UTMDACC including an up-front license fee, annual maintenance fee, milestone payments and royalty payments (including minimum annual royalties) for sales of licensed products developed under the 1244 Agreement. The term of the 1244 Agreement expires on the last to occur of: (a) the expiration of all patents subject to the 1244 Agreement, or (b) fifteen years after execution; provided that UTMDACC has the right to terminate the 1244 Agreement in the event that we fail to meet certain commercial diligence milestones.

On May 7, 2020, pursuant to the WP1244 Portfolio license agreement described above, we entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement with UTMDACC to perform research relating to novel anticancer agents targeting CNS malignancies. We agreed to fund approximately $1,134,000 over a two-year period. During the six months ended June 30, 2021, we paid $200,000 and accrued $400,000 related to this agreement in research and development expenses in our Statements of Operations. The principal investigator for this agreement is Dr. Priebe.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended June 30, 2021 Compared to the Three Months Ended June 30, 2020

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expense was approximately $1,146,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to approximately $981,000 for the comparable period in 2020. The increase in general and administrative expense was mainly attributable to an increase of approximately $157,000 for stock-based compensation, $29,000 in employee compensation and taxes and $35,000 for professional fees which were offset by decreases in advertising and marketing of $60,000.

Research and Development Expense

Research and development expense was approximately $2,665,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2021 compared to approximately $1,492,000 for the comparable period in 2020. The expenses incurred during the period were related to drug manufacturing and labor related to the preparation of our Phase II study. We expect to incur increased research and development costs in the future as our product development activities expand.

Net Loss

The net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was approximately $3,814,000 compared to approximately $2,474,000 for the comparable period in 2020. The change in net loss is attributable to increased personnel and activity associated with preparing for our clinical trials in 2021.

Results of Operations for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2021 Compared to the Six Months Ended June 30, 2020

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expense was $2,549,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $2,337,000 for the comparable period in 2020. The increase in general and administrative expense, was mainly attributable to an increase of approximately $305,000 for stock-based compensation, an increase of $136,000 in employee compensation and taxes, an increase of $82,000 in professional fees which were offset by decreases in advertising and marketing of $246,000 and travel expenses of $61,000. 

Research and Development Expense

Research and development expense was approximately $4,872,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 compared to $2,105,000 for the comparable period in 2020. The expenses incurred during the period were related to drug manufacturing and labor related to the preparation of our Phase II study. We expect to incur increased research and development costs in the future as our product development activities expand.

Net Loss

The net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $7,427,000 compared to $4,442,000 for the comparable period in 2020. The change in net loss is attributable to increased personnel and activity associated with preparing for our clinical trials in 2021.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On June 30, 2021, we had cash of approximately $6,886,000 and we had working capital of approximately $12,053,000. We fund our operations from proceeds from equity sales.

Our plan of operations is primarily focused on completing a Phase II clinical trial for Berubicin. We estimate that we will require additional financing of approximately $16 million to complete the trial, approximately $2.0 million to support near-term WP1244 preclinical work, plus such additional working capital to fund our operations during the pendency of the trial. Our current expectation is that our cash on hand (including the subscription receivable collected in full on July 1, 2021) is sufficient to fund our operations into the second quarter of 2022. The timing and costs of clinical trials are difficult to predict and trial plans may change in response to evolving circumstances and as such the foregoing estimates may prove to be inaccurate.

We will need to raise additional capital in order to meet our obligations and execute our business plan. If we are unable to raise sufficient funds, we will be required to develop and implement an alternative plan to further extend payables, reduce overhead or scale back our business plan until sufficient additional capital is raised to support further operations. There can be no assurance that such a plan will be successful.

Summary of Cash Flows

Cash used in operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $8,306,000 and $4,598,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and mainly included payments made for clinical trial preparation, officer compensation, insurance, marketing and professional fees to our consultants, attorneys and accountants.

Cash used in investing activities

Net cash used by investing activities was approximately $4,000 and $18,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The amount used in 2020 and 2021 are related to the purchase of furniture and equipment.

Cash provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $1,156,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2021 related to the sale of common stock and exercise of warrants, offset by the repayment of notes payable. We had no financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

Off-balance Sheet Arrangements

As of June 30, 2021, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

Purchase Commitments

We do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures, although we are required to pay certain development fees to HPI and WPD as described in the section “Overview” above.

JOBS Act Accounting Election

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, exempts an “emerging growth company” such as us from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements, including the notes thereto. We consider critical accounting policies to be those that require more significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our financial statements, including the following: long lived assets; intangible assets valuations; and income tax valuations. Management relies on historical experience and other assumptions believed to be reasonable in making its judgment and estimates. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

Management believes its application of accounting policies, and the estimates inherently required therein, are reasonable. These accounting policies and estimates are periodically reevaluated, and adjustments are made when facts and circumstances dictate a change.

Stock-based Compensation – Employee and non-employee share-based compensation is measured at the grant date, based on the fair value of the award, and is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period.

Research and Development Costs - Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required under this item. 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We maintain a set of disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed in our filings under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that material information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer, who serves as our principal executive officer, and our chief financial officer, who serves as our principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Under the supervision, and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness, as of June 30, 2021, of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Based upon such evaluation, our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer have concluded that, as of June 30, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as described below. Our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting were, and continue to be ineffective, due to material weaknesses in our internal controls due to a lack of segregation of duties and the lack of formal documentation of our control environment.

In light of the material weakness described above, we continue to perform additional analysis and other post-closing procedures to ensure our financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, we believe that the financial statements included in this report fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Additional experienced personnel will be hired in the accounting and finance department, appropriate consultants will be retained, and our accounting system will be upgraded as soon as it becomes economically feasible and sustainable.

Other than as described above, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent calendar quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

From time to time in the ordinary course of our business, we may be involved in legal proceedings, the outcomes of which may not be determinable. The results of litigation are inherently unpredictable. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time consuming, result in costly litigation, require significant amounts of management time and result in diversion of significant resources. We are not able to estimate an aggregate amount or range of reasonably possible losses for those legal matters for which losses are not probable and estimable. We have insurance policies covering potential losses where such coverage is cost effective.

We are not at this time involved in any legal proceedings.

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC, which are incorporated herein by reference. The risks described in such reports are not the only risks facing our Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.

In January 2021, we entered into a twelve-month agreement with an investor relations firm that included the issuance of 25,000 restricted shares of common stock. Upon signing the agreement, 6,250 shares vested immediately, and the remaining 18,750 shares will vest quarterly over the remainder of the agreement. As of June 30, 2021, 12,500 shares have been issued. We may terminate the agreement at any time during the twelve-month period with a fifteen-day notice. The issuance was made in reliance upon an exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

In May 2021, we entered into a four-month agreement with an investor relations firm that included the issuance of 75,000 shares of common stock. As of June 30, 2021, no shares have been issued. The issuance was made in reliance upon an exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

None.

Not applicable.

None.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

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.

CNS PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.