PALISADE BIO, INC. - Quarter Report: 2019 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark one)

For the Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2019

Or

Commission File Number 001-33672

NEURALSTEM, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (301)-366-4841

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.  ☒   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, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Emerging Growth Company ☐

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  

As of April 30, 2019, there were 20,013,437 shares of common stock, $.01 par value, issued and outstanding.

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

Neuralstem, Inc.

Table of Contents

PART I

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Neuralstem, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Neuralstem, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Neuralstem, Inc.

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Changes In Stockholders' Equity

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

Neuralstem, Inc.

Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.                

NEURALSTEM, INC.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2019 AND 2018

Statements in this Quarterly Report that are not strictly historical are forward-looking statements and include statements about products in development, results and analyses of pre-clinical studies, clinical trials and studies, research and development expenses, cash expenditures, and alliances and partnerships, among other matters. You can identify these forward-looking statements because they involve our expectations, intentions, beliefs, plans, projections, anticipations, or other characterizations of future events or circumstances. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of any number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, risks relating to our: ability to conduct and obtain successful results from ongoing pre-clinical and clinical trials, commercialize our technology, obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates, contract with third parties to adequately test and manufacture our proposed therapeutic products, protect our intellectual property rights and obtain additional financing to continue our operations. Some of these factors are more fully discussed, as are other factors, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC, as well as in the section of this Quarterly Report entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere herein. We do not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements or to announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements except as required by law.

We urge you to read this entire Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including the “Risk Factors” section, the financial statements, and related notes. As used in this Quarterly Report, unless the context otherwise requires, the words “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company” and “Neuralstem” refers to Neuralstem, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Also, any reference to “common shares” or “common stock,” refers to our $.01 par value common stock. Any reference to “Series A Preferred Stock” or “Preferred Stock” refers to our Series A 4.5% Convertible Preferred Stock. The information contained herein is current as of the date of this Quarterly Report (March 31, 2019), unless another date is specified. We prepare our interim financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Our financials and results of operations for the three-month period ended March 31, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of our prospective financial condition and results of operations for the pending full fiscal year ending December 31, 2019. The interim financial statements presented in this Quarterly Report as well as other information relating to our Company contained in this Quarterly Report should be read in conjunction and together with the reports, statements and information filed by us with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC.

Our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations or MD&A is provided, in addition to the accompanying financial statements and notes, to assist you in understanding our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. Our MD&A is organized as follows:

Executive Overview

We are primarily focused on the research and development of nervous system therapies based on our proprietary human neural stem cells and our small molecule compounds with the ultimate goal of gaining approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), and its international counterparts, to market and commercialize such therapies. Recently, we have also began an in-licensing and acquisition strategy in which we are evaluating novel therapeutics with the potential to be complimentary to our current technologies or that could benefit from our development experience with the goal of developing such technologies for commercialization.

Our patented technology platform has three core components:

To date. our technology platform has produced two lead assets in clinical development: our NSI-566 stem cell therapy program and our NSI-189 small molecule program.

We believe our technology, in combination with our expertise, and established collaborations with major research institutions, could facilitate the development and commercialization of products for use in the treatment of a wide array of nervous system disorders including neurodegenerative conditions and regenerative repair of acute and chronic disease.

In-licensing or Acquisition Strategy

We have initiated an in-licensing or acquisition strategy to further expand our product pipeline. Our in-licensing strategy consists of evaluating early clinical or late preclinical stage opportunities in therapeutic areas that can benefit from our current product candidates or core expertise in drug development. Such in-licensing or acquisition opportunities may be in stem cell related technologies, CNS or in other therapeutic areas. We believe that this element of our corporate strategy could diversify the risks inherent in focusing on limited therapeutic areas and could increase our probability of commercial success.

Clinical Programs

We have devoted our efforts and financial resources primarily to the pre-clinical and clinical development of our small molecule compounds and our stem cell therapeutics. Below is a description of our most advanced clinical programs.

Based on our current cash position, we have greatly curtailed our development efforts with regard to our pre-clinical and clinical studies except with respect to our non-GCP study of NSI-566 for the treatment of Ischemic Stroke and studies that are being funded by grants. Additionally, we have increased our focus and efforts on our in-licensing and acquisition strategy that we announced earlier this year. In the event we are able to secure adequate additional financing, we will review existing programs with regard to re-initiating active development.

NSI - 566 (Stem Cells)

The human central nervous system (CNS) has limited capacity for regeneration following injury or the onset of disease. Traditional therapies have mainly focused on minimizing the progression or symptoms of CNS disease or injury but have not been effective at repairing the underlying cause of such disease. The goal of our cell therapy initiatives is the regeneration of neural function which has been lost to disease or injury. We believe that neuroprotection, neuroregeneration, and/or bridging of damaged neural circuitry may be accomplished by implantation of NSI-566 at the injury site.

Our proprietary technology enables the isolation and large-scale expansion of regionally specific neural stem cells from all areas of the developing human brain and spinal cord and enables the generation of commercially useful quantities of highly characterized allogeneic human neural stem cells that can be transplanted into patients to mitigate the consequences of CNS diseases or injury. We have developed and optimized processes that allow us to manufacture these cells under Good Manufacturing Practices or cGMP compliant conditions as required by the FDA for use in clinical trials and have generated cell banks which we believe are sufficient to provide material to meet all our requirements through to completion of Phase 3 studies. We have exclusive licenses for the manufacturing and use of the surgical platform and cannula that enable administration of the cells to the spinal cord for treatment. Based on our preclinical data we believe that our human neural stem cells will differentiate into neurons and glia after grafting into the patient and will provide neuroprotection and stimulate neuroregeneration.

Our lead stem cell program is the spinal cord-derived neural stem cell line, NSI-566, which is being tested for treatment of paralysis due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), stroke, and spinal cord injury (“SCI”). To date we have completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 safety and dose escalation studies in subjects with ALS and a Phase1 safety and dose escalation study in subjects with motor deficits due to ischemic stroke. Each of these studies are currently in their long-term follow-up stage. In August 2018, we initiated a non-GCP compliant randomized, double-blind, sham-surgery controlled Phase 2 trial for the treatment of ischemic stroke. We are also conducting a Phase 1 open label study to evaluate the safety of implanting NSI-566 in subjects with chronic SCI.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. In 2016 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that between 14,000 and 15,000 Americans have ALS. In ALS, nerve cells (motor neurons) waste away or die and can no longer send messages to muscles. This eventually leads to muscle weakening, twitching, and an inability to move the arms, legs, and body. As the condition progresses, muscles in the chest area stop working, making it difficult or impossible to breathe. NSI-566 is under development as a potential treatment for ALS by providing cells designed to nurture and protect the patient’s remaining motor neurons; and possibly repair some motor neurons which have not yet died but which are diseased. We received orphan designation by the FDA for NSI-566 in ALS.

Motor Deficits Due to Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke, occurs as a result of an obstruction within a vessel supplying blood to the brain. In the US, approximately 1.8 million people live with paralysis due to stroke. Post-stroke motor deficits include paralysis in arms and legs and speech impairment and can be permanent. We believe that NSI-566 may provide an effective treatment for restoring motor deficits resulting from ischemic stroke by both creating new circuitry in the area of injury and through repairing and or nurturing diseased cells to improve function in patients.

Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury, or SCI, generally refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease, although in some cases it can be the result of diseases. It is estimated that there are 17,000 new cases of SCI per year and that at any given time, there are estimated to be 288,000 people in the United States that are living with SCI. Chronic spinal cord injury (cSCI) refers to the time after the initial hospitalization. SCIs may be caused by trauma to the spinal cord resulting from motor vehicle accidents, falls, and penetrating injuries such as stab or gunshot wounds. We believe that NSI-566 may provide an effective treatment for cSCI by “bridging the gap” in the spinal cord circuitry created following traumatic spinal cord injury and providing new cells to help transmit the signal from the brain to points at or below the point of injury.

Clinical Experience with NSI-566

Ischemic Stroke

In 2013 we commenced an open label, non-GCP compliant, Phase I safety and dose escalation study to test transplantation of NSI-566 in human subjects for the treatment of motor deficits due to ischemic stroke. The trial was conducted at BaYi Brain Hospital in Beijing, China and sponsored by Suzhou Neuralstem, a wholly owned subsidiary of Neuralstem in China. This study was intended to evaluate the safety of direct injections of NSI-566 into the brain and to determine the maximum safe tolerated dose. We completed dosing the final cohort in March 2016, for a total of nine subjects. Subjects were monitored through a 24-month observational follow-up period. Delivery of NSI-566 cells in this population appeared to be safe and well tolerated at all doses.

In June 2018, we presented an abstract at the annual International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). In the study, 3 cohorts (n=3/cohort) were transplanted with ascending doses of NSI-566, which involved a one-time stereotactic, intracerebral injection of 1.2×10⁷, 2.4×10⁷, or 7.2×10⁷ cells. Immunosuppression therapy with tacrolimus was maintained for 28 days At the 12-Month Visit, compared to Baseline, the mean Fugl-Meyer Motor Score (FMMS, total score of 100) showed 15.6 points of improvement (p=0.0078), the mean Modified Ranking Score (MRS) 0.8 points of improvement (p=0.031), and the mean NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) 3.2 points of improvement (p=0.016). The stem cell treatment appears well tolerated at all doses. There were no deaths or serious adverse events related to the treatment.

In August 2018, we initiated a non-GCP compliant Phase 2 trial which is a randomized, double-blind, sham-surgery controlled study. Up to 24 eligible patients will be assigned either to receive NSI-566 stem cells (72 million cells) or sham-surgery at 1:1 ratio. All operations are being conducted at BaYi Brain Hospital, the site of the Phase 1 study, and all follow-up assessments are conducted by blinded, independent neurologists at Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital. To date, 16 subjects have been treated.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

In January 2010, we commenced a Phase 1 trial of NSI-566 in ALS at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the safety of our proposed treatment and procedure in a total of 15 subjects. The dosing of subjects in the Phase 1 trial, as designed, was completed in August of 2012. We commenced a Phase 2 clinical trial in subjects suffering from ALS in September of 2013 to further test the feasibility and safety of the treatment and procedure, and maximum tolerated dose of cells. The Phase 2 dose escalation trial enrolled 15 ambulatory subjects in five different dosing cohorts. Each patient in the final cohort had two separate surgeries.

We have completed all of the transplantations and the observation period of 24 months after the last surgery. The Phase 2 ALS clinical trial met the primary safety endpoints and established what we believe to be the maximum safe tolerated dose. In June 2017, 24-month Phase 2 and combined Phase 1 and Phase 2 data from our ALS trials were presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting, Approaches to Treating ALS, Boston, Massachusetts, by principal investigator Eva Feldman, MD, PhD, Russell N. DeJong Professor of Neurology and Director of Research of the ALS Clinic at the University of Michigan Health. The data showed that the intraspinal transplantation of the cells was safe and well tolerated. Subjects from both the Phase 1 and Phase 2 continue to be monitored for long-term follow-up evaluations.

To date, substantially all of the clinical costs of our ALS studies have been funded by grants.

Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

In 2013, we received authorization from the FDA to commence a Phase 1 clinical trial to treat chronic spinal cord injury. The trial, which is taking place at The University of California, San Diego or UCSD, commenced in 2014 and the first subject was treated in October 2014. The study enrolled four AIS A classification thoracic spinal cord injury subjects (motor and sensory complete), one to two years’ post-injury at the time of stem cell treatment. In January of 2016 we reported six-month follow-up data on all four subjects. The stem cell treatment was found to be safe and well-tolerated by the subjects enrolled and there were no serious adverse events.

In June 2018, the study investigators published the results of the first cohort in the journal Cell Stem Cell. The results support the potential of transplanted NSI-566 to benefit patients with cSCI. At 18 months to 27 months after surgery, the analysis of motor and sensory function and electrophysiology showed changes in three of the four patients after NSI-566 transplantation. There was no evidence of serious adverse events, suggesting the procedure is well-tolerated.

Substantially all of the clinical costs of this study have been, and will continue to be, funded by grants arranged through UCSD.

NSI-189 (Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Compound).

NSI-189, a new chemical entity with what we believe to work through a novel mechanism of action and stimulates neurogenesis of human hippocampus derived neural stem cells in vitro and neurogenesis in mouse hippocampus in vivo. Because studies have linked depression with impaired hippocampal neurogenesis, we believe that NSI-189 may provide an effective treatment for patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder or MDD by promoting synaptogenesis or neurogenesis in the hippocampus.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

Major depressive disorder (also known as recurrent depressive disorder, clinical depression, major depression, unipolar depression, or unipolar disorder) is a mental disorder characterized by episodes of all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. According to the World Health Organization, MDD is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for persons age 15 to 44. In 2015, an estimated 16.1 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the prior year. This number represented 6.7% of all U.S. adults¹. Treatment of MDD is characterized by a high level of patient turnover due to low efficacy and high side effects. It is estimated that 67% of patients will fail their first line therapy, 75% will then fail their second line prescription and 80% will then fail their third line prescription². These factors combine to create a significant opportunity for a differentiated therapeutic agent, particularly one that may act through a novel mechanism of action.

Clinical Experience with NSI-189

Major Depressive Disorder

We have completed an exploratory Phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial for the treatment of MDD in an outpatient setting. The study randomized 220 subjects into three cohorts: NSI-189 40 mg twice daily (BID), NSI-189 40 mg once daily (QD), or placebo. After the initial screening period, the dosing portion of the trial was 12 weeks in duration. There was a two week wash out period for those subjects enrolled who were taking an anti-depressant at the time of screening.

The study was 80% powered to show an improvement in the primary endpoint, compared to placebo, with an assumed effect size of Cohen’s d=0.5 (p ≤ 0.05). Subjects eligible for the study had to be diagnosed with major depressive disorder, recurrent, as per Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V³, scoring 20 or greater on the MADRS, at screening and baseline and experiencing at least one eight-week MDD episode. The MADRS score was confirmed to be 20 or greater via remote SAFER interview by an independent rater prior to the baseline visit. After the 12-week trial period, eligible subjects were given the opportunity to enroll in a separate six-month observational study to assess the durability of effect defined as the time until the start of a new antidepressant treatment (ADT). Both the interventional and the observational studies were conducted under the direction of study principal investigator (PI) Maurizio Fava, MD, Executive Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Executive Director, Clinical Trials Network and Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital.

On July 25, 2017, we announced top-line results from the trial. The study did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint of a statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), compared to placebo. Both doses were well-tolerated with no serious adverse events reported.

On December 5, 2017, we presented an updated analysis – including reports on all secondary scales – from the Phase 2 study of NSI-189 in MDD at the 56th American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Annual Meeting. Three additional patient reported outcomes showed statistically significant improvements in depressive and cognitive symptoms: Symptoms of Depression Questionnaire (SDQ): 40mg, p=0.044, Cognitive and Physical Functioning Questionnaire (CPFQ): 40 mg; p = 0.035, and Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Scale (QIDS-SR): 40 mg; p = 0.040 (Stage 2). Thus, with all three patient reported outcome scales (SDQ, CPFQ, and QIDS-SR) NSI-189 reached statistical significance over placebo.

In addition, we presented data on NSI-189’s effect on cognition as measured by computer-administered objective tests of cognition in the MDD patients. Two different test methods were used: Cogstate® and CogScreen®. Cogstate did not yield statistically significant results. In CogScreen® test, NSI-189 40 mg showed statistically significant improvement (p<0.05) on objective measures of executive functioning, attention, working memory, and memory.

NSI-189 appeared to be safe and well tolerated with no serious adverse events. There were no clinically meaningful changes in body weight or BMI, or in sexual function inventory. The study results have been published (Papakostas GI, et al. (2019). Mol Psychiatry. 2019 Jan 9. doi: 10.1038/s41380-018-0334-8. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 30626911).

Our Technologies

Stem Cells

From a therapeutic perspective, our stem cell-based technology enables the isolation and large-scale expansion of regionally specific, human neural stem cells from all areas of the developing human brain and spinal cord thus enabling the generation of physiologically relevant human neurons of different types. We believe that our stem cell technology will enable the replacement or supplementation of malfunctioning or dead cells thereby creating a neurotrophic environment that offers protection to neural tissue as a way to treat disease and injury. Many significant and currently untreatable human diseases arise from the loss or malfunction of specific cell types in the body. Our focus is the development of effective methods to generate replacement cells from neural stem cells. We believe that creating a neurotrophic environment by replacing damaged, malfunctioning or dead neural cells with fully functional ones may be a useful therapeutic strategy in treating many diseases and conditions of the central nervous system.

Our Proprietary and Novel Screening Platform

Our human neural stem cell lines form the foundation for functional cell-based assays used to screen for small molecule compounds that can impact biologically relevant outcomes such as neurogenesis, synapse formation, and protection against toxic insults. We have developed over 300 unique stem cell lines representing multiple different regions of the developing brain and spinal cord at multiple different time points in development, enabling the generation of physiologically relevant human neural cells for screening, target validation, and mechanism-of-action studies. This platform provides us with a unique and powerful tool to identify new chemical entities to treat a broad range of nervous system conditions. NSI-189 was discovered using our stem cell-based screening platform.

Small Molecule Pharmaceutical Compounds.

Utilizing our proprietary stem cell-based screening capability, we have discovered and patented a series of small molecule compounds. We believe our low molecular weight organic compounds can efficiently cross the blood/brain barrier. In mice, research indicated that the small molecule compounds both stimulate neurogenesis of the hippocampus and increase its volume. We believe the small molecule compounds may promote synaptogenesis and neurogenesis in the human hippocampus thereby providing therapeutic benefits in indications such as MDD and may also provide clinical benefit in indications such as Angelman Syndrome, Diabetic Neuropathy, Cognition, Stroke and Radiation Induced Cognitive Deficit.

Intellectual Property

We believe that we have developed and maintain a strong portfolio of patents and patent applications that form the proprietary base for our research and development efforts. We own or exclusively license approximately 10 U.S. issued and pending patents and approximately 55 foreign issued and pending patents related to our stem cell technologies for use in treating disease and injury. We own approximately 15 U.S. issued and pending patents and approximately 75 foreign issued and pending patents related to our small molecule compounds.

Employees

As of April 30, 2019, we had five (5) full-time employees. We also use the services of several outside consultants in business and scientific matters.

Our Corporate Information

We were incorporated in Delaware in 2001. Our principal executive offices are located at 20271 Goldenrod Lane, Germantown, Maryland 20876, and our telephone number is (301) 366-4841. Our website is located at www.neuralstem.com.

We have not incorporated by reference into this report the information in, or that can be accessed through, our website and you should not consider it to be a part of this report.

Trends & Outlook

Revenue

We generated no revenues from the sale of our proposed therapies for any of the periods presented.

We have historically generated minimal revenue from the licensing of our intellectual property to third parties as well as payments under a settlement agreement.

On a long-term basis, we anticipate that our revenue will be derived primarily from licensing/royalty fees and the sales of our products currently under development, acquired and/or in-licensed in the future, small molecule compounds and licensing fees and royalties from our cell-based therapies. Based on the development stage of our business, we are not yet able to accurately predict when we will have a product ready for commercialization, if ever.

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses consist primarily of clinical trial expenses, including; payments to clinical trial sites that perform our clinical trials and clinical research organizations (CROs) that help us manage our clinical trials, manufacturing of small molecule drugs and stem cells for both human clinical trials and for pre-clinical studies and research, personnel costs for research and clinical personnel, and other costs including research supplies and facilities.

We focus on the development of therapies with potential uses in multiple indications and use employee and infrastructure resources across several projects. Accordingly, many of our costs are not attributable to a specifically identified product and we do not account for internal research and development costs on a project-by-project basis.

We expect that research and development expenses, which include expenses related to our ongoing clinical trials, will increase in the future as funding allows and as we proceed into later stage clinical trials or commence development of new product candidates.

We have a wholly owned subsidiary in the People’s Republic of China. We anticipate that this subsidiary will primarily: (i) conduct pre-clinical research with regard to proposed stem cells therapies, and (ii) oversee our approved future clinical trials in China, including the current trial to treat motor deficits due to ischemic stroke.

In August 2017, we were awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) grant by the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) to evaluate in preclinical studies the potential of NSI-189, a novel small molecule compound, for the prevention and treatment of diabetic neuropathy. The award of approximately $1 million will be paid over a two-year period, if certain conditions are met as mid-term. In June 2018, we were awarded a Department of Defense grant related to our efforts involving stem cell therapy for severe traumatic brain injury. The award totals approximately $150,000. The proceeds from such awards are recorded as a reduction of our gross research and development expenses, based on the terms and conditions of the grant.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses are primarily comprised of salaries, benefits and other costs associated with our operations including, finance, human resources, information technology, public relations and costs associated with maintaining a public company listing, legal, audit and compliance fees, facilities and other external general and administrative services.

Going Concern

Our auditors’ report on our December 31, 2018 financial statements expressed an opinion that our capital resources as of the date of their audit report were not sufficient to sustain operations or complete our planned activities for the upcoming year unless we raised additional funds. Accordingly, our current cash level raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern past the third quarter of 2019. If we do not obtain additional funds by such time, we may no longer be able to continue as a going concern and will cease operation which means that our shareholders will lose their entire investment.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Note 2 of the Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included elsewhere herein describes the significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the financial statements. Certain of these significant accounting policies are considered to be critical accounting policies, as defined below.

A critical accounting policy is defined as one that is both material to the presentation of our financial statements and requires management to make difficult, subjective or complex judgments that could have a material effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Specifically, critical accounting estimates have the following attributes: (1) we are required to make assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time of the estimate; and (2) different estimates we could reasonably have used, or changes in the estimate that are reasonably likely to occur, would have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Estimates and assumptions about future events and their effects cannot be determined with certainty. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions believed to be applicable and reasonable under the circumstances. These estimates may change as new events occur, as additional information is obtained and as our operating environment changes. These changes have historically been minor and have been included in the financial statements as soon as they became known. Based on a critical assessment of our accounting policies and the underlying judgments and uncertainties affecting the application of those policies, management believes that our financial statements are fairly stated in accordance with U.S. GAAP and present a meaningful presentation of our financial condition and results of operations. We believe the following critical accounting policies reflect our more significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

Use of Estimates - The preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include significant estimates for the expected economic life and value of our licensed technology and related patents, our net operating loss and related valuation allowance for tax purposes, the fair value of our liability classified warrants and our share-based compensation related to employees and directors, consultants and advisors, among other things. Because of the use of estimates inherent in the financial reporting process, actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Long Lived Intangible Assets - Our long-lived intangible assets consist of our intellectual property patents including primarily legal fees associated with the filings and in defense of our patents. The assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the expected useful life which we define as ending on the expiration of the patent group. These assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable. We assess this recoverability by comparing the carrying amount of the asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows to be generated by the asset. If an asset is deemed to be impaired, we estimate the impairment loss by determining the excess of the asset’s carrying amount over the estimated fair value. These determinations use assumptions that are highly subjective and include a high degree of uncertainty. During the three- month periods ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, no significant impairment losses were recognized.

Fair Value Measurements - The fair value of our short-term financial instruments, which primarily include cash and cash equivalents, other short-term investments, accounts payable and accrued expenses, approximate their carrying values due to their short maturities. The fair value of our long-term indebtedness was estimated based on the quoted prices for the same or similar issues or on the current rates offered to the Company for debt of the same remaining maturities which approximates the carrying value. The fair values of our liability classified warrants are estimated using Level 3 unobservable inputs.

Share-Based Compensation - We account for share-based compensation at fair value; accordingly, we expense the estimated fair value of share-based awards over the requisite service period. Share-based compensation cost for stock options and warrants issued to employees and board members is determined at the grant date while awards granted to non-employee consultants are generally valued at the vesting date using an option pricing model. Option pricing models require us to make assumptions, including expected volatility and expected term of the options. If any of the assumptions we use in the model were to significantly change, share-based compensation expense may be materially different. Share-based compensation cost for restricted stock and restricted stock units issued to employees and board members is determined at the grant date based on the closing price of our common stock on that date. The value of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Comparison of Three Months Ended March 31, 2019 and 2018

Revenue

During each of the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 we recognized revenue of $2,500 related to ongoing fees pursuant to certain licenses of our intellectual property to third parties.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses for the three months ended March 31 were as follows:

Research and Development Expenses

The increase of approximately $345,000 or 30% in research and development expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to the comparable period of 2018 was primarily attributable to $223,000 of severance related expenses, a $166,000 increase in our R&D consulting relating to evaluating strategic alternatives and a $136,000 increase in non-cash share-based compensation expense partially offset by a $186,000 decrease in clinical trial and related costs due our continued cost cutting efforts.

General and Administrative Expenses

The decrease of approximately $237,000 or 20% in general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to the comparable period of 2018 was primarily attributable to a $94,000 decrease in consulting and professional fees, a $70,000 decrease increase in tax and insurance expenses along with a $36,000 decrease in non-cash share-based compensation expense.

Other expense

Other income (expense), net totaled approximately ($657,000) and $202,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Other expense, net in 2019 consisted primarily of approximately a $368,000 loss related to the write-off of a related party receivable, $340,000 of non-cash losses related to the fair value adjustment of our liability classified stock purchase warrants partially offset by $29,000 of interest income and $24,000 of sublease income.

Other income, net in 2018 consisted primarily of approximately $190,000 of non-cash gains related to the fair value adjustment of our liability classified stock purchase warrants and $18,000 of interest income.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Financial Condition

Since our inception, we have financed our operations through the sales of our securities, issuance of long-term debt, the exercise of investor warrants, and to a lesser degree from grants and research contracts as well as the licensing of our intellectual property to third parties.

We had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $4.0 million at March 31, 2019. On October 29, 2018, we closed a registered direct offering with institutional investors pursuant to which we received gross proceeds of $2.1 million.

Based on our expected operating cash requirements, we anticipate our current cash and investments on hand will be sufficient to fund our operations, into the third quarter of 2019. As explained in Note 1 to our financial statements and management has determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

We will require additional capital to pursue our acquisition and in-licensing strategy and continue our pre-clinical and clinical development plans. To continue to fund our operations and the development of our product candidates we anticipate raising additional cash through the private and public sales of equity or debt securities, collaborative arrangements, licensing agreements or a combination thereof. Although management believes that such funding sources will be available, there can be no assurance that any such collaborative arrangement will be entered into or that financing will be available to us when needed in order to allow us to continue our operations, or if available, on terms acceptable to us. If we do not raise sufficient funds in a timely manner, we may be forced to curtail operations, delay or stop our ongoing clinical trials, cease operations altogether, or file for bankruptcy. We currently do not have commitments for future funding from any source. We cannot assure you that we will be able to secure additional capital or that the expected income will materialize. Several factors will affect our ability to raise additional funding, including, but not limited to market conditions, interest rates and, more specifically, our progress in our exploratory, preclinical and future clinical development programs.

Cash Flows – 2019 compared to 2018

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

The decrease in our use of cash in operating activities of approximately $181,000 was primarily due to an increase in our net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items, including share-based compensation, write-off of a related party receivable and change in the fair value of liability classified warrants along with a decrease in bonus payments.

Cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2019, of approximately $1,666,000 reflects our $3,114,000 loss for the period adjusted for certain non-cash items including: (i) 338,000 of share-based compensation (ii) $340,000 related to the change in fair value of our liability classified warrants and (iii) $730,000 of net cash inflows related to changes in operating assets and liabilities.

Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities

There were no investing activities in the three months ended March 31, 2019

For the three months ended March 31, 2018 cash provided by investing activities was comprised solely of proceeds from the maturity of our short-term investments.

Net Cash Used in by Financing Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, cash used in financing activities consisted solely of payments on our short-term debt.

Future Liquidity and Needs

We have incurred significant operating losses and negative cash flows since inception. We have not been able to generate significant revenues nor achieved profitability and may not be able to do so in the future. We do not expect to be profitable in the next several years, but rather expect to incur additional operating losses. We have limited liquidity and capital resources and must obtain significant additional capital resources in order to sustain our product development efforts, for acquisition of technologies and intellectual property rights, for preclinical and clinical testing of our anticipated products, pursuit of regulatory approvals, acquisition of capital equipment, laboratory and office facilities, establishment of production capabilities, for general and administrative expenses and other working capital requirements. We rely on cash balances and the proceeds from the offering of our securities, exercise of outstanding warrants and grants to fund our operations.

We intend to pursue opportunities to obtain additional financing in the future through the sale of our securities and additional research grants. On June 23, 2017, our shelf registration statement (Registration No. 333-218608), which replaced our prior expiring shelf registration statement, was declared effective by the SEC. Under such replacement shelf registration statement, we can offer and sell up to $100 million of our securities. Through April 30, 2019 we have sold approximately $12.6 million of securities under our shelf registration statement. Based on our current market capitalization, we are limited to the use of our shelf registration statement by Item I.B.6 of Form S-3. Accordingly, we can only issue up to one-third of our market capitalization every twelve months. As a result of our October 2018 offering, we have exhausted our ability to use our shelf registration statement until October of 2019 or until such time as our market capitalization increases.

As explained in the notes to our financial statements, if we are not able to raise additional funds when needed, there would continue to be substantial doubt as to our ability to continue as a going concern. The source, timing and availability of any future financing will depend principally upon market conditions, interest rates and, more specifically, current and future progress in our exploratory, preclinical and clinical development programs. Funding may not be available when needed, at all, or on terms acceptable to us. Lack of necessary funds may require us, among other things, to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our research and product development programs, planned clinical trials, and/or our capital expenditures or to license our potential products or technologies to third parties.

We are not required to provide the information required by this item as we are considered a smaller reporting company, as defined by Rule 229.10(f)(1).

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Based on an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, the Company’s principal executive officer, who is also our principal financial officer, has concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act were effective as of March 31, 2019, to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer, who is also our principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management has identified the following change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Effective January 1, 2019, we appointed Dr. Kenneth Carter as our Executive Chairman. In such role, Dr. Carter will be our Principal Executive and Financial Officer. Dr. Carter assumed the role from the prior interim principal accounting officer.

Inherent Limitations Over Internal Controls

The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

(i)          pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the Company’s assets;

(ii)         provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that the Company’s receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of the Company’s management and directors; and

(iii)        provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Management, including the Company’s principal executive officer, who is also our principal financial officer, does not expect that the Company’s internal controls will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of internal controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. Also, any evaluation of the effectiveness of controls in future periods are subject to the risk that those internal controls may become inadequate because of changes in business conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

PART II

OTHER INFORMATION

None.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. We have described below a number of uncertainties and risks which, in addition to uncertainties and risks presented elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.  The uncertainties and risks enumerated below as well as those presented elsewhere in this Quarterly Report should be considered carefully when evaluating our company, business and the value of our securities.

Risks Relating to Our Stage of Development, Capital Structure and Listing of Our Securities

We may not be able to continue as a going concern if we do not obtain additional financing.

We have incurred losses since our inception and have not demonstrated an ability to generate revenues from the sales of our proposed products.  Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on raising capital from the sale of our common stock and/or obtaining debt financing.  Our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investment balance at March 31, 2019 was approximately $4.0 million. Based on our current expected level of operating expenditures, we expect to be able to fund our operations into the third quarter of 2019. Our ability to remain a going concern is wholly dependent upon our ability to continue to obtain sufficient capital to fund our operations.

Accordingly, despite our ability to secure capital in the past, there can be no assurance that additional equity or debt financing will be available to us when needed or that we may be able to secure funding from any other sources. In the event that we are not able to secure funding, we may be forced to curtail operations, delay or stop ongoing clinical trials, cease operations altogether or file for bankruptcy.

Our auditors have expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our auditors’ report issued in connection with our December 31, 2018 financial statements expressed an opinion that our capital resources as of the date of their audit report were not sufficient to sustain operations or complete our planned activities for the upcoming year unless we raised additional funds. Our current cash level raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern past the third quarter of 2019. If we do not obtain additional capital by such time, we may no longer be able to continue as a going concern and may cease operation or seek bankruptcy protection.

If we are unable to successfully retain and integrate a new management team, our business could be harmed.

Effective January 1, 2019, we appointed Dr. Kenneth Carter as our Executive Chairman. In such role, Dr. Carter is our Principal Executive and Accounting Officer. Our success depends largely on the development and execution of our business strategy by our senior management team. We currently have a limited full-time executive team which may adversely affect our business. Additionally, the loss of any members or key personnel would likely harm our ability to implement our business strategy and respond to the rapidly changing market conditions in which we operate. There may be a limited number of persons with the requisite skills to serve in these positions, and we cannot assure you that we would be able to identify or employ such qualified personnel on acceptable terms, if at all. We cannot assure you that management will succeed in working together as a team. In the event we are unsuccessful, our business and prospects could be harmed.

Our common stock does not currently meet the continued listing requirements for the Nasdaq Capital Market and accordingly is subject to delisting.

On November 29, 2018, we received a written notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC that we are not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), as the minimum bid price of our common stock had been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we have a period of 180 calendar days, or until May 28, 2019, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. To regain compliance, the closing bid price of our common stock must meet or exceed $1.00 per share for at least ten consecutive business days during this 180-calendar day period. In the event we do not regain compliance by May 28, 2019, we may be eligible for an additional 180-calendar day grace period if we meet the initial listing standards, with the exception of bid price, for the Nasdaq Capital Market, and provide written notice to Nasdaq of our intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period, by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary.

If we do not regain compliance within the allotted compliance period, including any extensions that may be granted by Nasdaq, Nasdaq will provide notice that our common stock will be subject to delisting. We will then be entitled to appeal the determination to a Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel and request a hearing. We cannot be sure that our share price will comply with the requirements for continued listing of our shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market in the future or that we will comply with the other continued listing requirements. If our shares lose their status on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we believe that our shares would likely be eligible to be quoted on the inter-dealer electronic quotation and trading system operated by Pink OTC Markets Inc., commonly referred to as the Pink Sheets and now known as the OTCQB market. These markets are generally considered not to be as efficient as, and not as broad as, the Nasdaq Capital Market. If our common stock is delisted, this would, among other things, substantially impair our ability to raise additional funds and could result in a loss of institutional investor interest and fewer development opportunities for us.

The liquidity of our common stock and shareholder’s ability to sell their shares may be affected if we undertake a reverse stock split.

On November 29, 2018, we received a written notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC that we are not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), as the minimum bid price of our common stock had been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. In the event the price of our common stock does not substantially appreciate to a price at or above $1.00, and remain above $1.00 for 10 consecutive business days, we may be required to undertake a reverse stock split. In the event we are required to undertake a reverse stock split to regain compliance, the liquidity of our common stock may be adversely affected given the corresponding reduction in the number of shares that will be outstanding following the reverse stock split. In addition, the reverse stock split may increase the number of stockholders who own odd lots (less than 100 shares) of our common stock, creating the potential for such stockholders to experience an increase in the cost of selling their shares and greater difficulty effecting such sales.

In the event we are required to undertake a reverse stock split, the market price of our common stock may decline.

On November 29, 2018, we received a written notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC that we are not in compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), as the minimum bid price of our common stock was been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days.

In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), we have a period of 180 calendar days, or until May 28, 2019, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. In the event the price of our common stock does not substantially appreciate to a price above $1.00, we may be required to undertake a reverse stock split. Historically, after a reverse stock split, the market price of a company’s shares declines.

 If our common stock were delisted from NASDAQ, the Company would be subject to the risks relating to penny stocks.

If our common stock were to be delisted from trading on NASDAQ and the trading price of our common stock were below $5.00 per share on the date our common stock is delisted, trading in our common stock would also be subject to the requirements of certain rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These rules require additional disclosure by broker-dealers in connection with any trades involving a stock defined as a "penny stock" and impose various sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell penny stocks to persons other than established customers and accredited investors, generally institutions. These additional requirements may discourage broker-dealers from effecting transactions in securities that are classified as penny stocks, which could severely limit the market price and liquidity of such securities and the ability of purchasers to sell such securities in the secondary market. A penny stock is defined generally as any non-exchange listed equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions.

We could become the subject to securities litigation.

Commencing in 2017, we have seen a dramatic decrease in the price of our common stock. Plaintiffs have often initiated securities class action litigation against a company following periods of significant decreases in the market price of the company’s securities. Although management is not aware of any threatened litigation, we may in the future be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could divert management’s attention and resources from our operations and business.

We have a history of losses.

Since inception in 1996 through March 31, 2019, we have accumulated losses totaling approximately $216.7 million. As of March 31, 2019, we had a working capital surplus of approximately $3.3 million and stockholders’ equity of approximately $3.3 million. Our net losses for the two most recent fiscal years have been approximately $4.9 million and $15.7 million for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

To date, we have not generated any revenue from the commercial sale of our proposed products. No assurances can be given as to exactly when, if at all, we will be able to fully develop, commercialize, market, sell and/or derive any, let alone material, revenues from our proposed products.

We will need to raise additional capital to continue operations.

Since our inception, we have funded our operations through the sale of our securities, credit facilities, the exercise of options and warrants, and to a lesser degree, from grants and research contracts and other revenue generating activities such as licensing. As of March 31, 2019, we had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments on hand of approximately $4.0 million. We cannot assure you that we will be able to secure additional capital through financing transactions, including issuance of debt, licensing agreements or grants. Our inability to license our intellectual property, obtain grants or secure additional financing will materially impact our ability to fund our current and planned operations.

We have spent and expect to continue spending substantial cash in the research, development, clinical and pre-clinical testing of our proposed products with the goal of ultimately obtaining FDA approval and equivalent international approvals to market such products. We will require additional capital to conduct research and development, establish and conduct clinical and pre-clinical trials, enter into commercial-scale manufacturing arrangements and to provide for marketing and distribution of our products. We cannot assure you that financing will be available if needed. If additional financing is not available, we may not be able to fund our operations, develop or enhance our technologies, take advantage of business opportunities or respond to competitive market pressures. If we exhaust our cash reserves and are unable to secure additional financing, we may be unable to meet our obligations which could result in us initiating bankruptcy proceedings or delaying or eliminating some or all of our research and product development programs. 

Tianjin Pharmaceuticals Group International Holdings Co., LTD, by virtue of its ownership of our securities, may be able to control the Company.

As of April 30, 2019, Tianjin Pharmaceuticals Group International Holdings Co., LTD (“Tianjin”) owned 4,000,685 shares or approximately 19.99% of our issued and outstanding common stock. Additionally, Tianjin owns 534,809 shares of our Series A Preferred Stock, which subject to certain conversion limitations, are convertible into an additional 2,079,010 shares of our common stock. The terms and conditions of the Series A Preferred Stock limit Tianjin ability to convert, without receiving shareholder approval, if it would result in Tianjin owning in excess of 19.99% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock. The limitation is a condition imposed by the NASDAQ Market Place Rules. Tianjin has requested, and the Company has approved, the inclusion of a proposal, in accordance with Nasdaq Market Place Rule 5635(b), approving the full conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock. In the event the proposal is approved, Tianjin could own approximately 30% of our issued and outstanding convertible stock.

Based on Tianjin’s current level of stock ownership, Tianjin retains substantial ability to influence the election or removal of members of our board of directors, and thereby control our management. Tianjin also has the ability to significantly control the outcome of corporate actions requiring shareholder approval, including amending our certificate of incorporation, approving mergers or other changes of corporate control, and approving going private transactions and other extraordinary transactions, any of which may be in opposition to the best interest of the other shareholders and may negatively impact the value of your investment.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Following our announcements regarding the negative results from our Phase 2 study, we may not generate any future revenues from NSI-189 or its underlying intellectual property and securing additional financing may be more difficult.

On July 25, 2017, we announced that our Phase 2 study of NSI-189 in subjects with MDD failed to achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint although a subsequent evaluation of the data appeared directionally positive with regard to certain secondary endpoints. Following these clinical results, generating any future revenues from NSI-189 or its underlying intellectual property is unlikely. Additionally, after similar results, other companies in our industry have found it more difficult to raise capital and when they have been able to raise capital, it has typically been on less favorable terms.

Our business is dependent on the successful development of our product candidates.

Our business is significantly dependent on our product candidates which are currently at different phases of pre-clinical and clinical development or that we may acquire or in-license in the future. The process to approve our product candidates is time-consuming, involves substantial expenditures of resources, and depends upon a number of factors, including the availability of alternative treatments, and the risks and benefits demonstrated in our clinical trials. Our success will depend on our ability to achieve scientific and technological advances and to translate such advances into FDA-approvable, commercially competitive products on a timely basis. Failure can occur at any stage of the process. On July 25, 2017, we announced that our Phase 2 clinical trial of NSI-189 in MDD failed to achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint although a subsequent evaluation of the data appeared directionally positive with regard to certain secondary endpoints. If we are not successful in developing our product candidates, we will have invested substantial amounts of time and money without developing revenue-producing products. As we enter a more extensive clinical program for our product candidates, the data generated in these studies may not be as compelling as the earlier results. This, in turn, could adversely impact our ability to raise additional capital and pursue our business plan and planned research and development efforts.

Our proposed products are not likely to be commercially available for at least several years, if at all. Our development schedules for our proposed products may be affected by a variety of factors, including technological difficulties, clinical trial failures, regulatory hurdles, competitive products, intellectual property challenges and/or changes in governmental regulation, many of which will not be within our control. Any delay in the development, introduction or marketing of our product candidates could result either in such products being marketed at a time when their cost and performance characteristics would not be competitive in the marketplace or in the shortening of their commercial lives. In light of the long-term nature of our projects, the unproven technology involved, and the other factors described elsewhere in this section, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully complete the development or marketing of any of our proposed product candidates.

Our business relies on technologies that we may not be able to commercially develop.

We have allocated the majority of our resources to the development of our stem cell and small molecule technologies. Our ability to generate revenue and operate profitably will depend on being able to develop these technologies for human applications. These are emerging technologies that may have limited human application. On July 25, 2017, we announced that our Phase 2 clinical trial of NSI-189 in MDD failed to achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint although a subsequent evaluation of the data appeared directionally positive with regard to certain secondary endpoints. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to develop our technologies or that if developed, our technologies will result in commercially viable products or have any commercial utility or value. We anticipate that the commercial sale of our proposed products and/or royalty/licensing fees related to our technologies, will be our primary sources of revenue. If we are unable to develop our technologies, we may never realize any significant revenue. Additionally, given the uncertainty of our technologies, product candidates and the need for government regulatory approval, we cannot predict when, or if ever, we will be able to realize revenues related to our products. As a result, we will be primarily dependent on our ability to raise capital through the sale of our securities for the foreseeable future.

Our stem cell therapy programs rely on experimental surgical devices and highly invasive experimental surgical procedures.

We are subject to the risks inherent in the use and development of experimental surgical devices and procedures. We have limited experience with medical devices and must rely on outside consultants and manufacturers to develop and seek any required approvals for the device we use in connection with our stem cell therapy program. Additionally, the surgical procedures required to administer our stem cell therapies are experimental, highly invasive and is required to be performed by highly experienced neurosurgeons who have received special training. We cannot guarantee consistent and safe performance of these devices or the surgical procedures. A surgery related adverse event may result in a clinical hold and may have long-term and damaging effects on our ability to complete development of the stem cell therapy programs, including the completion of any ongoing or planned clinical trials. Even if one or more of our programs is successful and receives marketing approval from a regulatory authority, due to the specialized nature of the device and surgical procedure, there may not be sufficient train surgeons to administer our therapy.

We are unable to predict when or if we will be able to earn significant revenues.

Given the uncertainty of our technologies and the need for government regulatory approval, we cannot predict when, or if ever, we will be able to realize revenues related to our products. Our proposed products are not likely to be commercially available for at least several or more years, if ever. Accordingly, we do not foresee generating any significant revenue during such time. As a result, we will be primarily dependent on our ability to raise capital through the sale of our securities to fund our operations for the foreseeable future.

Our reliance on third parties to manufacture and store our stem cells and small molecule compounds could adversely impact our business.

We currently outsource most of the manufacturing of our stem cells and small molecule pharmaceutical compounds to third party contractors and as such have limited ability to adequately control the manufacturing process and the safe storage thereof. Any manufacturing or storage irregularity, error, or failure to comply with applicable regulatory procedure would require us to find new third parties to outsource our manufacturing and storage responsibilities or our business would be impacted.

The manufacture of our therapeutic products is a complicated and difficult process, dependent upon substantial know-how and subject to the need for continual process improvements. In addition, our suppliers’ ability to scale-up manufacturing to satisfy the various requirements of our planned clinical trials is uncertain. Additionally, many of the materials that we use to prepare our cell-based products are highly specialized, complex and available from only a limited number of suppliers. The loss of one or more of these sources would likely delay our ability to conduct planned clinical trials and otherwise adversely affect our business.

If we are unable to complete pre-clinical and clinical testing and trials or if clinical trials of our product candidates are prolonged, delayed, suspended, terminated or fail to reach their endpoints, our business and results of operations could be materially harmed.

Although we have commenced a number of trials, the ultimate outcome of the trials is uncertain. On July 25, 2017, we announced that our Phase 2 clinical trial of NSI-189 in MDD failed to achieve statistical significance on its primary endpoint although a subsequent evaluation of the data appeared directionally positive with regard to certain secondary endpoints. If we are unable to satisfactorily complete our other trials, or if such trials also yield unsatisfactory results, we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize our proposed products. No assurances can be given that our clinical trials will be completed or result in successful outcomes. A number of events, including any of the following, could delay the completion of our planned clinical trials and negatively impact our ability to obtain regulatory approval for, and to market and sell, a particular product candidate:

Clinical trials may also be delayed or terminated as a result of ambiguous or negative interim results. In addition, a clinical trial may be suspended or terminated by us, the FDA, clinical trial site IRB’s, or a data safety monitoring board, or DSMB, overseeing the clinical trial at issue, or other regulatory authorities due to a number of factors. Additionally, changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may occur and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols to reflect these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical trial protocols to IRBs for reexamination, which may impact the cost, timing or successful completion of a clinical trial. We do not know whether our clinical trials will be conducted as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, if at all. Delays in our clinical trials will result in increased development costs for our drug candidates. In addition, if we experience delays in the completion of, or if we terminate, any of our clinical trials, the commercial prospects for our drug candidates may be harmed and our ability to generate product revenues will be jeopardized. Furthermore, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the denial of regulatory approval of a drug candidate. If regulatory authorities do not approve our products or if we fail to maintain regulatory compliance, we would be unable to commercialize our proposed products, and our business and results of operations could be materially harmed.

The results of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may not be predictive of the results of our later-stage clinical trials and our proposed products may not have favorable results in later-stage clinical trials or receive regulatory approval.

Seemingly positive results from pre-clinical studies or clinical studies should not be relied upon as evidence that our clinical trials will succeed. Even if our product candidates achieve positive results in pre-clinical studies or during our Phase 1 and Phase 2 studies, we will be required to demonstrate through further clinical trials that our product candidates are safe and effective for use in a diverse population before we can seek regulatory approvals for their commercial sale. There is typically an extremely high rate of attrition from the failure of product candidates as they proceed through clinical trials. If any product candidate fails to demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy in any clinical trial, then we may experience potentially significant delays in, or be required to abandon development of that product candidate. Additionally, failure to demonstrate safety and efficacy results acceptable to the FDA in later stage trials could impair our development prospects and even prevent regulatory approval of our current and future product candidates. Any such delays or abandonment in our development efforts of any of our product candidates would materially impair our ability to generate revenues.

We are subject to numerous risks inherent in conducting clinical trials.

We outsource the management of our clinical trials to third parties. Agreements with clinical investigators and medical institutions for clinical testing and with other third parties for data management services, place substantial responsibilities on these parties that, if unmet, could result in delays in, or termination of, our clinical trials. For example, if any of our clinical trial sites fail to comply with FDA-approved good clinical practices, we may be unable to use the data gathered at those sites. If these clinical investigators, medical institutions or other third parties do not carry out their contractual duties or obligations or fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to their failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or for other reasons, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize, our proposed products. Delays in recruitment, lack of clinical benefit or unacceptable side effects would delay or prevent the completion of our clinical trials.

We or our regulators may suspend or terminate our clinical trials for a number of reasons. We may voluntarily suspend or terminate our clinical trials if at any time we believe they present an unacceptable risk to the patients enrolled in our clinical trials or do not demonstrate clinical benefit. In addition, regulatory agencies may order the temporary or permanent discontinuation of our clinical trials at any time if they believe that the clinical trials are not being conducted in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or that they present an unacceptable safety risk to the patients enrolled in our clinical trials.

Our clinical trial operations are subject to regulatory inspections at any time. If regulatory inspectors conclude that we or our clinical trial sites are not in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements for conducting clinical trials, we may receive reports of observations or warning letters detailing deficiencies, and we will be required to implement corrective actions. If regulatory agencies deem our responses to be inadequate, or are dissatisfied with the corrective actions we or our clinical trial sites have implemented, our clinical trials may be temporarily or permanently discontinued, we may be fined, we or our investigators may be precluded from conducting any ongoing or any future clinical trials, the government may refuse to approve our marketing applications or allow us to manufacture or market our products, and we may be criminally prosecuted.

The lengthy approval process as well as the unpredictability of future clinical trial results may result in our failing to obtain regulatory approval for our proposed products, which would materially harm our business, results of operations and prospects.

We may be subject to litigation that will be costly to defend or pursue and uncertain in its outcome.

Our business may bring us into conflict with licensees, licensors, or others with whom we have contractual or other business relationships or with our competitors or others whose interests differ from ours. If we are unable to resolve these conflicts on terms that are satisfactory to all parties, we may become involved in litigation brought by or against such parties. Any litigation is likely to be expensive and may require a significant amount of management's time and attention, at the expense of other aspects of our business. The outcome of litigation is always uncertain, and in some cases, could include judgments against us which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.

We may not be able to obtain government or third-party payor coverage and reimbursement.

Our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates, if approved, depends to a significant degree on the ability of patients to be reimbursed for the costs of such products and related treatments. We cannot assure you that reimbursement in the U.S. or in foreign countries will be available for any products developed, or, if available, will not decrease in the future, or that reimbursement amounts will not reduce the demand for, or the price of, our products. There is considerable pressure to reduce the cost of therapeutic products. Government and other third-party payors are increasingly attempting to contain health care costs by limiting both coverage and the level of reimbursement for new therapeutic products and by refusing, in some cases, to provide any coverage for uses of approved products for disease indications for which the FDA or other relevant authority has not granted marketing approval. Moreover, in some cases, government and other third-party payors have refused to provide reimbursement for uses of approved products for disease indications for which the FDA or other relevant authority has granted marketing approval. Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved health-care products or novel therapies such as ours. We cannot predict what additional regulation or legislation relating to the health care industry or third-party coverage and reimbursement may be enacted in the future or what effect such regulation or legislation may have on our business. If additional regulations are overly onerous or expensive or if healthcare related legislation makes our business more expensive or burdensome than originally anticipated, we may be forced to significantly downsize our business plans or completely abandon the current business model.

Our products may not be profitable due to manufacturing costs and our inability to receive favorable pricing.

Our products may be significantly more expensive to manufacture than other drugs or therapies currently on the market today due to a fewer number of potential manufacturers, greater level of needed expertise and other general market conditions affecting manufacturers of our proposed products. Even if we can receive approval for the reimbursement of our proposed products the amount of reimbursement may be significantly less than the manufacturing costs of our products. Additionally, other market factors may limit the price which we can charge for our proposed products while still being competitive. Accordingly, even if we are successful in developing our proposed products, we may not be able to charge a high enough price for us to earn a profit.

We are dependent on the acceptance of our products by the healthcare community.

Our product candidates, if approved for marketing, may not achieve market acceptance since hospitals, physicians, patients or the medical community, in general, may decide not to accept and utilize these products. The products that we are attempting to develop represent substantial departures from established treatment methods and will compete with a number of more conventional therapies marketed by major pharmaceutical companies. If the healthcare community does not accept our products for any reason, our business will be materially harmed.

We depend on a limited number of employees and consultants for our continued operations and future success.

We are highly dependent on a limited number of employees and outside consultants.  Although we have entered into employment and consulting agreements with these parties, these agreements can be terminated at any time.  The loss of any of our employees or consultants could adversely affect our opportunities and materially harm our future prospects.  In addition, we anticipate growth and expansion into areas and activities requiring additional expertise, such as clinical testing, regulatory compliance, manufacturing and marketing.  We anticipate the need for additional management personnel as well as the development of additional expertise by existing management personnel. There is intense competition for qualified personnel in the areas of our present and planned activities, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the development our business.

The employment contract of Dr. Carter contains significant anti-termination provisions which could make changes in management difficult or expensive.

We have entered into an employment agreement with Dr. Carter, our Executive Chairman and Chief Financial Officer. This agreement may require the payment of severance in the event he ceases to be employed. The provision makes the replacement of Dr. Carter very costly and could cause difficulty in effecting any required changes in management or a change in control.

Our competition has significantly greater experience and financial resources.

The biotechnology industry is characterized by rapid technological developments and a high degree of competition. We compete against numerous companies, many of which have substantially greater resources. Several such enterprises have initiated cell therapy research programs and/or efforts to treat the same diseases which we target. Given our current stage of development and resources, it may be extremely difficult for us to compete against more developed companies.

As a result, our proposed products could become obsolete before we recoup any portion of our related research and development and commercialization expenses. Competition in the biopharmaceutical industry is based significantly on scientific and technological factors. These factors include the availability of patent and other protection for technology and products, the ability to commercialize technological developments and the ability to obtain governmental approval for testing, manufacturing and marketing. We compete with specialized biopharmaceutical firms in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, as well as a growing number of large pharmaceutical companies that are applying biotechnology to their operations. Many major pharmaceutical companies have developed or acquired internal biotechnology capabilities or made commercial arrangements with other biopharmaceutical companies. These companies, as well as academic institutions and governmental agencies and private research organizations, also compete with us in recruiting and retaining highly qualified scientific personnel and consultants. Our ability to compete successfully with other companies in the pharmaceutical field will also depend to a considerable degree on the continuing availability of capital to us.

We believe that our proposed products under development and in pre-clinical testing and clinical trials will address unmet medical needs for those indications for which we are focusing our development efforts. Our competition will be determined in part by the potential indications for which our proposed products are developed and ultimately approved by regulatory authorities. Additionally, the timing of market introduction of some of our proposed products or of competitors’ products may be an important competitive factor. Accordingly, the relative speed with which we can develop our proposed products, complete preclinical testing, clinical trials and approval processes and supply commercial quantities to market is expected to be important competitive factors. We expect that competition among products approved for sale will be based on various factors, including product efficacy, safety, reliability, availability, price and patent position. 

Our outsource model depends on third parties to assist in developing and testing our proposed products.

Our strategy for the development, clinical and pre-clinical testing and commercialization of our proposed products is based on an outsource model. This model requires us to engage third parties in order to further develop our technology and products as well as for the day to day operations of our business. In the event we are not able to enter into such relationships in the future, our ability to operate and develop products may be seriously hindered or we may be required to spend considerable time and resources to bring such functions in-house. Either outcome could result in our inability to develop a commercially feasible product or in the need for substantially more working capital to complete the research in-house.

The commercialization of therapeutic products exposes us to product liability claims.

Product liability claims could result in substantial litigation costs and damage awards against us. We attempt to mitigate this risk by obtaining and maintaining appropriate insurance coverage. Historically, we have obtained liability insurance that covers our clinical trials. If we begin commercializing products, we will need to increase our insurance coverage. We may not be able to obtain insurance on acceptable terms, if at all, and the policy limits on our insurance policies may be insufficient to cover our potential liabilities.

We currently rely heavily upon third party FDA-regulated manufacturers and suppliers for our products

We currently manufacture our cells both in-house and on an outsource basis. We outsource the manufacturing of our pharmaceutical compound to third party manufacturers. We manufacture cells in-house which are not required to meet stringent FDA requirements. We use these cells in our research and collaborative programs. At present, we outsource all the manufacturing and storage of our stem cells and pharmaceuticals compound to be used in clinical testing, and which are subject to higher FDA requirements, to Charles River Laboratories, Inc., of Wilmington, Massachusetts (stem cells) and Albany Molecular Resources, Inc. (small molecule). Failure by our contract manufacturer to achieve and maintain high manufacturing standards could result in patient injury or death, product recalls or withdrawals, delays or failures in testing or delivery, cost overruns, or other problems that could seriously hurt our business. Contract manufacturers may encounter difficulties involving production yields, quality control, and quality assurance. These manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic and unannounced inspections by the FDA and corresponding state and foreign agencies to ensure strict compliance with cGMPs, GTPs and other applicable government regulations and corresponding foreign standards; however, we do not have control over third-party manufacturers’ compliance with these regulations and standards.

Because manufacturing facilities are subject to regulatory oversight and inspection, failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in material manufacturing delays and product shortages, which could delay or otherwise negatively impact our clinical trials and product development. Moreover, we do not have quantity or volume commitment orders from these manufacturers, and we cannot assure you that the manufacturers will be able to manufacture in the quantity we require on a timely basis or at all. In the event we are required to seek alternative third-party suppliers or manufacturers, they may require us to purchase a minimum amount of materials or could require other unfavorable terms. Any such event would materially impact our business prospects and could delay the development of our products. Moreover, there can be no assurance that any manufacturer or supplier that we select will be able to supply our products in a timely or cost-effective manner or in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements or our specifications. In addition, due to the novelty of our products and product development, there can be no assurances that we would be able to find other suitable third-party FDA-regulated manufacturers on a timely basis and at terms reasonable to us. Even if we were to locate alternative manufacturers there may be delays before they are able to begin manufacturing. Failure to secure such third-party manufacturers or suppliers would materially impact our business.

We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials and perform data collection and analysis, which may result in costs and delays that prevent us from successfully commercializing our product candidates.

We do not have the in-house capability to conduct clinical trials for our product candidates. We rely, and will rely in the future, on medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract research organizations, contract laboratories, and collaborators to perform data collection and analysis and other aspects of our clinical trials. Our reliance on these third parties for clinical development activities results in reduced control over these activities. Furthermore, these third parties may also have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. Our preclinical activities or clinical trials conducted in reliance on third parties may be delayed, suspended, or terminated if:

Third party performance failures may increase our development costs, delay our ability to obtain regulatory approval, and delay or prevent the commercialization of our product candidates. While we believe that there are numerous alternative sources to provide these services, in the event that we seek such alternative sources, we may not be able to enter into replacement arrangements without incurring delays or additional costs.

Risks Relating to Intellectual Property

We may not be able to withstand challenges to our intellectual property rights.

We rely on our intellectual property, including issued and applied-for patents, as the foundation of our business. Our intellectual property rights may come under challenge. No assurances can be given that our current and potential future patents will survive such challenges. These cases are complex, lengthy, expensive, and could potentially be adjudicated adversely to our interests, removing the protection afforded by an issued patent. The viability of our business would suffer if such patent protection were limited or eliminated. Moreover, the costs associated with defending or settling intellectual property claims would likely have a material adverse effect on our business and future prospects.

We may not be able to adequately protect against the piracy of the intellectual property in foreign jurisdictions.

We conduct research in countries outside of the U.S., including through our subsidiary in the People’s Republic of China. Several of our competitors are located in these countries and may be able to access our technology or test results. The laws protecting intellectual property in some of these countries may not adequately protect our trade secrets and intellectual property. The misappropriation of our intellectual property may materially impact our position in the market and any competitive advantages, if any, that we may have.

We may infringe the intellectual property rights of others and may not be able to obtain necessary licenses to third-party patents and other rights.

A number of companies, universities and research institutions have filed patent applications or have received patents relating to technologies in our field. We cannot predict which, if any, of these applications will issue as patents or how many of these issued patents will be found valid and enforceable. There may also be existing issued patents on which we would infringe by the commercialization of our product candidates. If so, we may be prevented from commercializing these products unless the third party is willing to grant a license to us. We may be unable to obtain licenses to the relevant patents at a reasonable cost, if at all, and may also be unable to develop or obtain alternative non-infringing technology. If we are unable to obtain such licenses or develop non-infringing technology at a reasonable cost, our business could be significantly harmed. Also, any infringement lawsuits commenced against us may result in significant costs, divert our management’s attention and result in an award against us for substantial damages, or potentially prevent us from continuing certain operations.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock

The market price for our common shares is particularly volatile.

The market for our common shares is characterized by significant price volatility when compared to seasoned issuers, and we expect that our share price will continue to be more volatile than those of a seasoned issuer. The volatility in our share price is attributable to a number of factors. Mainly however, we are a speculative or “risky” investment due to our limited operating history, lack of significant revenues to date and the uncertainty of FDA approval. By way of example, in October of 2018, we completed a registered direct offering of 3,000,000 shares of our common stock and a simultaneous private placement of 3,000,000 common stock purchase warrants. Shortly thereafter, the market price or our common stock decreased substantially. As a consequence of this enhanced risk, more risk-adverse investors may, under the fear of losing all or most of their investment in the event of negative news or lack of progress, be more inclined to sell their shares on the market more quickly and at greater discounts than would be the case with the stock of a seasoned issuer. Additionally, in the past, plaintiffs have often initiated securities class action litigation against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. We may in the future be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and liabilities and could divert management’s attention and resources.

The following factors may add to the volatility in the price of our common shares: actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly or annual operating results; the results of clinical trials for our product candidates; FDA’s determination with respect to filings for new clinical studies, new drug applications and new indications; government regulations; announcements of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures; our capital commitments; offerings of our securities and additions or departures of our key personnel. Many of these factors are beyond our control and may decrease the market price of our common shares, regardless of our operating performance. We cannot make any predictions or projections as to what the prevailing market price for our common shares will be at any time, including as to whether our common shares will sustain their current market prices, or as to what effect the sale of shares or the availability of common shares for sale at any time will have on the prevailing market price.

Future sales of our common stock could cause our stock price to fall.

In October of 2018, we completed a registered direct offering of 3,000,000 shares of our common stock or approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares, as well as a private placement of an equal number of common stock purchase warrants. Transactions that result in a large amount of newly issued shares that are readily tradable, or other events that cause current stockholders to sell shares, could place downward pressure on the trading price of our common stock. In addition, the lack of a robust trading market may require a stockholder who desires to sell a large number of shares of common stock to sell the shares in increments over time to mitigate any adverse impact of the sales on the market price of our stock. If our stockholders sell, or the market perceives that our stockholders intend to sell for various reasons, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, the market price of our common stock could fall. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate. We may become involved in securities class action litigation that could divert management’s attention and harm our business.

Certain of our outstanding common stock purchase warrants contain price protection provisions (anti-dilution protection) in the event that we sell our securities at prices lower than the current exercise price of such warrants, which may have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock or impair our ability to raise capital.

As of March 31, 2019, we had 2,982,709 common stock purchase warrants outstanding that were issued in our May 2016 registered offering, May 2016 private placement and August 2017 registered offering that all contain price protection provisions in the event that we sell securities at a price per share below their respective exercise prices (collectively “Price Protection Warrants”). Pursuant to our October 2018 registered offering, the Price Protection Warrants all had their exercise prices adjusted to $0.57 per share. On April 24, 2019, the closing price of our common stock was $0.54. In the event that we sell securities at a price per share lower than the current exercise price of the Price Protection Warrants, their exercise prices will be further reduced. Any future adjustments to the exercise prices of the Price Protection Warrants may have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock. Additionally, raising additional capital with new investors may be difficult as a result of the adjustment feature.

The requirements of being a public company may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.

As a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we would not incur as a private company, including costs associated with public company reporting requirements. We also incur costs associated with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and related rules implemented or to be implemented by the SEC and the Nasdaq. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting, insurance and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain certain types of insurance, including director and officer liability insurance, and we may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as our executive officers and may divert management’s attention. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation.

We have never paid a cash dividend and do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

We have never paid a cash dividend, nor do we anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, any return on your investment will be as a result of the appreciation of our common stock if any.

Our anti-takeover provisions may delay or prevent a change of control, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make it difficult to remove our board of directors and management and may discourage or delay “change of control” transactions, which could adversely affect the price of our common stock. These provisions include, among others:

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research reports, or publish unfavorable research about our business, the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us and our business. We currently have limited research coverage by securities and industry analysts. In the event an analyst downgrades our securities the price of our securities would likely decline. If analysts cease to cover us or fails to publish regular reports on us, interest in our securities could decrease, which could cause the price of our common stock and other securities and their trading volume to decline.

Our board of directors has broad discretion to issue additional securities, which might dilute the net tangible book value per share of our common stock for existing stockholders.

We are entitled under our certificate of incorporation to issue up to 300,000,000 shares of common stock and 7,000,000 “blank check” shares of preferred stock. Shares of our blank check preferred stock provide our board of directors with broad authority to determine voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights. As of March 31, 2019, we have issued and outstanding 18,205,060 shares of common stock and we have 14,757,301 shares of common stock reserved for future grants under our equity compensation plans and for issuances upon the exercise or conversion of currently outstanding options, warrants and convertible securities. As of March 31, 2019, we had 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding which are convertible into 3,887,387 shares of our common stock. Accordingly, we are entitled to issue up to 267,037,639 additional shares of common stock and 6,000,000 additional shares of “blank check” preferred stock. Our board may generally issue those common and preferred shares, or convertible securities to purchase those shares, without further approval by our shareholders. Any preferred shares we may issue will have such rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions as may be designated from time-to-time by our board, including preferential dividend rights, voting rights, conversion rights, redemption rights and liquidation provisions. It is likely that we will be required to issue a large amount of additional securities to raise capital in order to further our development and marketing plans. It is also likely that we will be required to issue a large amount of additional securities to directors, officers, employees and consultants as compensatory grants in connection with their services, both in the form of stand-alone grants or under our various stock plans. The issuance of additional securities may cause substantial dilution to our shareholders.

Risks Related to Government Regulation and Approval of our Product Candidates.

The regulatory approval processes of the FDA and comparable foreign authorities are lengthy, time consuming and inherently unpredictable, and our products may not receive regulatory approval.

The time required to obtain approval by the FDA and comparable foreign authorities is inherently unpredictable but typically takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials and depends upon numerous factors, including the substantial discretion of the regulatory authorities. In addition, approval policies, regulations, or the type and amount of clinical data necessary to gain approval may change during the course of a drug candidate’s clinical development and may vary among jurisdictions. We have not obtained regulatory approval for any product candidate and it is possible that none of our existing product candidates or any product candidates we may seek to develop in the future will ever obtain regulatory approval.

Our drug candidates could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including the following:

We are currently undertaking clinical trials for our lead products candidates NSI-189 and NSI-566.  We cannot assure you that we will successfully complete any clinical trials in connection with such INDs.  Further, we cannot predict when we might first submit any product license application (NDA or BLA) for FDA approval or whether any such product license application will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.   Any delay in obtaining, or failure to obtain, such approvals could have a material adverse effect on the marketing of our products and our ability to generate product revenue.

Development of our product candidates is subject to extensive government regulation.

Our research and development efforts, as well as any future clinical trials, and the manufacturing and marketing of any products we may develop, will be subject to, and restricted by, extensive regulation by governmental authorities in the U.S. and other countries. The process of obtaining FDA and other necessary regulatory approvals is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. FDA and other legal and regulatory requirements applicable to our proposed products could substantially delay or prevent us from initiating additional clinical trials. We may fail to obtain the necessary approvals to commence clinical testing or to manufacture or market our potential products in reasonable time frames, if at all. In addition, the U.S. Congress and other legislative bodies may enact regulatory reforms or restrictions on the development of new therapies that could adversely affect the regulatory environment in which we operate or the development of any products we may develop.

A substantial portion of our research and development entails the use of stem cells obtained from human tissue. The U.S. federal and state governments and other jurisdictions impose restrictions on the acquisition and use of human tissue, including those incorporated in federal Good Tissue Practice, or “GTP,” regulations. These regulatory and other constraints could prevent us from obtaining cells and other components of our products in the quantity or of the quality needed for their development or commercialization. These restrictions change from time to time and may become more onerous. Additionally, we may not be able to identify or develop reliable sources for the cells necessary for our potential products — that is, sources that follow all state and federal laws and guidelines for cell procurement. Certain components used to manufacture our stem and progenitor cell product candidates will need to be manufactured in compliance with the FDA’s GMP. Accordingly, we will need to enter into supply agreements with companies that manufacture these components to GMP standards. There is no assurance that we will be able to enter into any such agreements.

Noncompliance with applicable regulatory requirements can subject us, our third party suppliers and manufacturers and our other collaborators to administrative and judicial sanctions, such as, among other things, warning letters, fines and other monetary payments, recall or seizure of products, criminal proceedings, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, interruption or cessation of clinical trials, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, limitations on or the elimination of claims we can make for our products, refusal of the government to enter into supply contracts or fund research, or government delay in approving or refusal to approve new drug applications.

We cannot predict if or when we will be able to commercialize our products due to regulatory constraints.

Federal, state and local governments and agencies in the U.S. (including the FDA) and governments in other countries have significant regulations in place that govern many of our activities.  We are, or may become, subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and recommendations relating to safe working conditions, laboratory and manufacturing practices, the experimental use of animals and the use and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances used in connection with its research and development work. The preclinical testing and clinical trials of our proposed products are subject to extensive government regulation that may prevent us from creating commercially viable products. In addition, our sale of any commercially viable product will be subject to government regulation from several standpoints, including manufacturing, advertising, marketing, promoting, selling, labeling and distributing.  If, and to the extent that, we are unable to comply with these regulations, our ability to earn revenues, if any, will be materially and negatively impacted.

If our clinical trials fail to demonstrate that any of our product candidates are safe and effective for the treatment of particular diseases, the FDA may require us to conduct additional clinical trials or may not grant us marketing approval for such product candidates for those diseases.

We are not permitted to market our product candidates in the United States until we receive approval of a BLA or NDA from the FDA. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any product candidate for a target indication, we must demonstrate with evidence gathered in preclinical and well-controlled clinical trials, and, with respect to approval in the United States, to the satisfaction of the FDA and, with respect to approval in other countries, similar regulatory authorities in those countries, that the product candidate is safe and effective for use for that target indication and that the manufacturing facilities, processes and controls used to produce the product are compliant with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. Our failure to adequately demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of any of our product candidates for the treatment of particular diseases may delay or prevent our receipt of the FDA’s approval and, ultimately, may prevent commercialization of our product candidates for those diseases. The FDA has substantial discretion in deciding whether, based on the benefits and risks in a particular disease, any of our product candidates should be granted approval for the treatment of that particular disease. Even if we believe that a clinical trial or trials has demonstrated the safety and statistically significant efficacy of any of our product candidates for the treatment of a disease, the results may not be satisfactory to the FDA. Preclinical and clinical data can be interpreted by the FDA and other regulatory authorities in different ways, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. If regulatory delays are significant or regulatory approval is limited or denied altogether, our financial results and the commercial prospects for those of our product candidates involved will be harmed, and our prospects for profitability will be significantly impaired.

Satisfaction of these and other regulatory requirements is costly, time consuming, uncertain, and subject to unanticipated delays. Despite our efforts, our drug candidates may not:

In addition, in the course of its review of a BLA or NDA or other regulatory application, the FDA or other regulatory authorities may conduct audits of the practices and procedures of a company and its suppliers and contractors concerning manufacturing, clinical study conduct, non-clinical studies and several other areas. If the FDA and/or other regulatory authorities conducts an audit relating to a BLA, NDA or other regulatory application and finds a significant deficiency in any of these or other areas, the FDA or other regulatory authorities could delay or not approve such BLA, NDA or other regulatory application. If regulatory delays are significant or regulatory approval is limited or denied altogether, our financial results and the commercial prospects for those of our products or product candidates involved will be harmed, and our prospects for profitability will be significantly impaired.

Both before and after marketing approval, our product candidates are subject to extensive and rigorous ongoing regulatory requirements and continued regulatory review, and if we fail to comply with these continuing requirements, we could be subject to a variety of sanctions.

Both before and after the approval of our product candidates, we, our product candidates, our operations, our facilities, our suppliers, and our contract manufacturers, contract research organizations, and contract testing laboratories are subject to extensive regulation by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries, with regulations differing from country to country. In the United States, the FDA regulates, among other things, the pre-clinical testing, clinical trials, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, potency, labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage, record keeping, quality systems, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution of therapeutic products. These requirements include submissions of safety and other post-marketing information and reports, registration, as well as continued compliance with cGMP, requirements and current good clinical practice, or cGCP, requirements for any clinical trials that we conduct post-approval. Failure to comply with applicable requirements could result in, among other things, one or more of the following actions: restrictions on the marketing of our products or their manufacturing processes, notices of violation, untitled letters, warning letters, civil penalties, fines and other monetary penalties, unanticipated expenditures, delays in approval or refusal to approve a product candidate, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approvals, product, seizure or detention, voluntary or mandatory product recalls and related publicity requirements, interruption of manufacturing or clinical trials, operating restrictions, injunctions, import or export bans, and criminal prosecution. We or the FDA, or an institutional review board, may suspend or terminate human clinical trials at any time on various grounds, including a finding that subjects are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.

The FDA’s policies may change, and additional government regulations may be enacted that could prevent, limit or delay regulatory approval of our drug candidates. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing or new requirements or policies, or if we are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, we may lose any marketing approval that we may have obtained, which would adversely affect our business, prospects and ability to achieve or sustain profitability.

If side effects are identified during the time our drug candidates are in development or after they are approved and on the market, we may choose or be required to perform lengthy additional clinical trials, discontinue development of the affected drug candidate, change the labeling of any such products, or withdraw any such products from the market, any of which would hinder or preclude our ability to generate revenues.

Undesirable side effects caused by our drug candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials and could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign authorities. Drug-related side effects could affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete a trial or result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition and prospects significantly. Even if any of our drug candidates receives marketing approval, as greater numbers of patients use a drug following its approval, an increase in the incidence of side effects or the incidence of other post-approval problems that were not seen or anticipated during pre-approval clinical trials could result in a number of potentially significant negative consequences, including:

Any of these events could substantially increase the costs and expenses of developing, commercializing and marketing any such drug candidates or could harm or prevent sales of any approved products.

Even if our product candidates receive regulatory approval in the United States, we may never receive approval or commercialize our products outside of the United States.

In order to market any products outside of the United States, we must establish and comply with numerous and varying regulatory requirements of other countries regarding safety and efficacy. Approval procedures vary among countries and can involve additional product testing and additional administrative review periods. The time required to obtain approval in other countries might differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. The regulatory approval process in other countries may include all of the risks detailed above regarding FDA approval in the United States as well as other risks. Regulatory approval in one country does not ensure regulatory approval in another, but a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in others. Failure to obtain regulatory approval in other countries or any delay or setback in obtaining such approval would impair our ability to develop foreign markets for our drug candidates.

Our product candidates for which we intend to seek approval as biologic products may face competition sooner than anticipated.

We expect our stem cell product candidates to be regulated by the FDA as biologic products and we intend to seek approval for these products pursuant to the BLA pathway. The Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act of 2009, or BPCIA, created an abbreviated pathway for the approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biologic products. The abbreviated regulatory pathway establishes legal authority for the FDA to review and approve biosimilar biologics, including the possible designation of a biosimilar as “interchangeable” based on its similarity to an existing brand product. Under the BPCIA, an application for a biosimilar product cannot be approved by the FDA until 12 years after the original branded product was approved under a BLA. The law is complex and is still being interpreted and implemented by the FDA. As a result, its ultimate impact, implementation, and meaning are subject to uncertainty. While it is uncertain when such processes intended to implement BPCIA may be fully adopted by the FDA, any such processes could have a material adverse effect on the future commercial prospects for our biologic products.

We believe that any of our product candidates approved as a biologic product under a BLA should qualify for the 12-year period of exclusivity. However, there is a risk that this exclusivity could be shortened due to congressional action or otherwise, or that the FDA will not consider our drug candidates to be reference products for competing products, potentially creating the opportunity for generic competition sooner than anticipated. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, will be substituted for any one of our reference products in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biologic products is not yet clear, and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing.

We are subject to healthcare laws, regulation and enforcement and our failure to comply with those laws could adversely affect our business, operations and financial condition.

Even though we do not and will not control referrals of healthcare services or bill directly to Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors, certain federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse and patients’ rights are and will be applicable to our business. We could be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse and patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The regulations that may affect our ability to operate include, without limitation:

In addition, recent healthcare reform legislation has strengthened these laws. For example, the ACA, among other things, amended the intent requirement of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and criminal healthcare fraud statutes. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the ACA provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.

These laws and regulations are broad in scope and they are subject to change and evolving interpretations, which could require us to incur substantial costs associated with compliance or to alter one or more of our sales or marketing practices. In addition, any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines, the exclusion from participation in federal and state healthcare programs, imprisonment, or the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, any of which could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results.

Failure to comply with domestic and international privacy and security laws can result in the imposition of significant civil and criminal penalties. The costs of compliance with these laws, including protecting electronically stored information from cyberattacks, and potential liability associated with failure to do so could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We are subject to various domestic and international privacy and security regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA. HIPAA mandates, among other things, the adoption of uniform standards for the electronic exchange of information in common healthcare transactions, as well as standards relating to the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information, which require the adoption of administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect such information. In addition, many states have enacted comparable laws addressing the privacy and security of health information, some of which are more stringent than HIPAA.

The following information is given with regard to unregistered securities sold during the period covered by this report. The unregistered securities were issued pursuant to section 4(2) of the Securities Act:

None

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

* Filed herein

** Management contracts or compensation plans or arrangements in which directors or executive officers are eligible to participate.

SIGNATURES

 

In accordance with the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has caused this report to be signed by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

	NEURALSTEM, INC.
Date:  May 14, 2019		/s/ Kenneth Carter
		Kenneth Carter, PhD, Executive Chairman

 

 

 

 

 

 

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