Rebus Holdings, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2019 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark one)

☒  QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2019

Or

☐  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission File Number: 000-55331

INSPYR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (818) 661-6302

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) 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, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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

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

As of December 1, 2019, the issuer had 11,383,983 common shares, $0.0001 par value, issued and outstanding.

Table of Contents

ADVISEMENT

We urge you to read this entire Quarterly Report, including the financial statements and related notes included herein as well as our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which also includes “Risk Factors,” filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC on August 6, 2019. As used in this Quarterly Report, unless the context otherwise requires, the words “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company,” “Inspyr Therapeutics” and “registrant” refer to Inspyr Therapeutics, Inc. and our wholly owned subsidiary, Lewis & Clark Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Also, any reference to “common stock “or “common shares” refers to our $0.0001 par value common stock. The information contained herein is current as of the date of this Quarterly Report (September 30, 2019), unless another date is specified. Also, any reference to “preferred stock” or “preferred shares” refers to our $0.0001 par value Series A preferred stock, our $0.0001 par value series B preferred stock, our $.0.0001 par value Series C preferred stock, and our $0.0001 par value series D preferred stock, unless specified. All references to common stock, share and per share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the 1:25 reverse stock split that became effective on September 30, 2019 as if it had taken place as of the beginning of the earliest period presented.

We prepare our interim financial statements in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles. Our financials and results of operation for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2019 is 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 and other information presented in this Quarterly Report should be read together with the reports, statements and information filed by us with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Quarterly Report includes “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements relate to our business development plans, pre-clinical studies and potential clinical trials, regulatory reviews, timing, strategies, expectations, anticipated expense levels, business prospects and positioning with respect to the market for our proposed products, business outlook, technology spending and various other matters (including contingent liabilities and obligations and changes in accounting policies, standards and interpretations), express, our current intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies or predictions, as well as historical information. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, to be materially different from anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this report, statements that are not statements of current or historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “plan,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” or “continue” or similar expressions or other variations or comparable terminology are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements contained herein are based are reasonable, any of those assumptions could prove to be inaccurate given the inherent uncertainties as to the occurrence or nonoccurrence of future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Our future operating results are dependent upon many factors which are outside our control. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may not be realized due to a variety of factors, including our ability to, without limitation:

All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by these and other factors. We undertake no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect events or circumstances after the date initially filed or published, to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise, except to the extent required by federal securities laws. The risks discussed in this report should be considered in evaluating our business and future prospects.

PART I 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INSPYR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

INSPYR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF LOSSES

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

INSPYR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

FOR THE THREE AND NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 AND 2018

(unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

INSPYR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

(in thousands)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

INSPYR THERAPEUTICS, INC.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

SEPTEMBER 30, 2019

NOTE 1 – BACKGROUND

Inspyr Therapeutics, Inc. (“we”, “us”, “our company”, “our”, “Inspyr” or the “Company”) was formed under the laws of the State of Delaware in November 2003, and has its principal office in Westlake Village, California. We are an early-stage, pre-revenue, pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of prodrug cancer therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumors, including brain, liver, prostate and other cancers. We plan to develop a series of therapies based on our target-activated prodrug technology platform.

We are a clinical-stage, pre-revenue, pharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of therapeutics for the treatment of diseases. Through our acquisition of Lewis and Clark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., we currently are focusing on a pipeline of small molecule adenosine receptor modulators.

The adenosine receptor modulators include A _2B antagonists, dual A _2A /A _2B antagonists, and A _2A agonists that have broad development applicability including indications within immuno-oncology and inflammation. Adenosine is implicated in immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Adenosine receptor antagonists may boost the host immune response against the tumor as a single-agent and in combination with other existing immuno-oncology agents leading to enhanced tumor killing and inhibition of metastasis. Adenosine also has anti-inflammatory properties in the acute and chronic setting. Adenosine receptor agonists may promote a decreased inflammatory response and can potentially treat a broad range of inflammatory and autoimmune based diseases and conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, joint injury, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis) as well as improve wound healing and decrease pain.

During February 2018, due to a lack of capital, we curtailed our business operations. In the event that we are able to raise sufficient capital, our major focus would be to: (i) further characterization, in conjunction with Ridgeway Therapeutics, of anti-cancer activity of the current pipeline of A _2B antagonists and dual A _2A /A _2B antagonists leading to selection of a clinical candidate for an Investigative New Drug or IND enabling studies, (ii) further characterization of the current pipeline of A _2A agonists leading to selection of a clinical candidate for an Investigative New Drug or IND enabling studies; (iii) licensing and/or partnering the A _2B antagonists, dual A _2A /A _2B antagonists, and/or A _2A agonists for further development, (iv) through our newly acquired adenosine receptor chemistry technology platform, continue to produce next generation adenosine receptor modulators, (v) pursue licensing and/or partnering of mipsagargin, (vi) conduct a clinical study of mipsagargin in patients with advanced HCC, and (vii) explore collaborations utilizing mipsagargin in new, non-clinical solid tumor models with leading researchers in the oncology field.

Our ability to execute our business plan is dependent on the amount and timing of cash, if any, that we are able to raise. During February of 2018, we curtailed our operations due to our lack of cash. During July 2018, we were able to raise approximately $500,000 through the sale of debt securities and we raised $25,000 in December 2018 through the sale of notes. We are currently using such funds to attempt to become current in our SEC reporting requirements, pay outstanding invoices to our independent registered accounting firm, and other outstanding obligations, the payment of which we believe to be vital to our future operations. Should we fail to further raise sufficient funds to execute our business plan, our priority would be to maintain our intellectual property portfolio and continue, to the best of our ability, our public company reporting requirements.

NOTE 2 – MANAGEMENT’S PLANS TO CONTINUE AS A GOING CONCERN

Basis of Presentation

The opinion of our independent registered accounting firm on our financial statements contains explanatory going concern language. We have prepared our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements on the basis that we will continue as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. We have incurred losses since inception and have an accumulated deficit of $60 million as of September 30, 2019. We anticipate incurring additional losses for the foreseeable future until such time, if ever, that we can generate significant sales from our therapeutic product candidates which are currently in development or we enter into cash flow positive business development transactions.

To date, we have generated no sales or revenues, have incurred significant losses and expect to incur significant additional losses as we advance mipsagargin through clinical studies. Consequently, our operations are subject to all the risks inherent in the establishment of a pre-revenue business enterprise as well as those risks associated with a company engaged in the research and development of pharmaceutical compounds.

Our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash balances at September 30, 2019 were approximately $50,000, representing 71% of our total assets. Based on our current expected level of operating expenditures, we expect to be able to fund our operations into the first quarter of 2020. We curtailed operations in February 2018. We will require additional cash to fund and continue our operations beyond that point. This period could be shortened if there are any unanticipated increases in planned spending on development programs or other unforeseen events. We anticipate raising additional funds through collaborative arrangements, licensing agreements, public or private sales of debt or equity securities, or some combination thereof. There is no assurance that any such arrangement will be entered into or that financing will be available when needed in order to allow us to continue our operations, or if available, on terms favorable or acceptable to us. We raised approximately $500,000 in July 2018 and $25,000 in December 2018, which enabled us to bring our required annual and quarterly filings current, which will enable us to seek additional financing.

In the event additional financing is not obtained, we may pursue cost cutting measures as well as explore the sale of selected assets to generate additional funds. If we are required to significantly reduce operating expenses and delay, reduce the scope of, or eliminate any of our development programs or clinical trials, these events could have a material adverse effect on: our business, results of operations, and financial condition. These factors raise significant doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern.

Our auditors’ report issued in connection with our December 31, 2018 consolidated 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 fourth 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.

NOTE 3 – SUMMARY OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND USE OF ESTIMATES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited. The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information not misleading.

These interim consolidated financial statements as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, such statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) necessary to present fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows of the Company for the periods presented. The results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019 or for any future period. All references to September 30, 2019 and 2018 in these footnotes are unaudited.

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2018, included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on August 6, 2019.

The consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements at that date but do not include all disclosures required by the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Certain items have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.

Reverse Stock Split

On September 17, 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a one-for-twenty five (1-for-25) reverse stock split of the Company’s common stock (“Reverse Stock Split”). In furtherance of the Reverse Stock Split, the Company has filed an amended and restated certificate of incorporation with the Secretary of State of Delaware to effect the Reverse Stock Split effective as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2019 (“Effective Time”). Accordingly, at the Effective Time, each of the Company’s common stock shareholders will receive one new share of common stock for every twenty five shares such shareholder held immediately prior to the Effective Time. The Reverse Stock Split will also affect the Company’s outstanding stock options, warrants and other exercisable or convertible instruments and will result in the shares underlying such instruments being reduced and the exercise price being increased proportionately to the Reverse Stock Split ratio. All share and per share data has been retroactively restated in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes for all periods presented to reflect the effects of the September 30, 2019 amendment.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying disclosures. Significant estimates include the fair value of derivative instruments, stock-based compensation, recognition of clinical trial costs and other accrued liabilities. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are charged to expense as incurred. Our research and development expenses consist primarily of expenditures for toxicology and other studies, manufacturing, clinical trials, compensation and consulting costs.

We incurred research and development expenses of approximately $0.01 million and $0.01 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We incurred research and development expenses of approximately $0.03 million and $0.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Cash Equivalents

For purposes of the statements of cash flows, we consider all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with a maturity date of three months or less to be cash equivalents. We maintain our cash in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed applicable government mandate insurance limits. We have not experienced any losses in our accounts.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash consists of funds held in trust for the Company. The use of these funds is restricted to: (i) the payment of professional fees in connection with bringing the Company’s filings current, and (ii) the payment of vendors associated with the issuance and trading of the Company’s securities, such as transfer agent fees and fees payable to the OTCQB and FINRA. 

Income (loss) per Share

Basic income (loss) per share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) and net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Basic and diluted loss per share are the same, in that any potential common stock equivalents would have the effect of being anti-dilutive in the computation of net loss per share.

The following potentially dilutive securities have been excluded from the computations of basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding as of September 30, 2019 and 2018, as they would be anti-dilutive:

Derivative Liability

The Company has financial instruments that are considered derivatives or contain embedded features subject to derivative accounting. Embedded derivatives are valued separately from the host instrument and are recognized as derivative liabilities in the Company’s balance sheet. The Company measures these instruments at their estimated fair value and recognizes changes in their estimated fair value in results of operations during the period of change. The Company values its derivative liabilities using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. The resulting liability is valued at each reporting date and the change in the liability is reflected as change in derivative liability in the statement of operations.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Our short-term financial instruments, including cash, accounts payable and other liabilities, consist primarily of instruments with maturities of three months or less when acquired. We believe that the fair values of our current assets and current liabilities approximate their reported carrying amounts.

The derivative liability consists of our convertible notes with a variable conversion feature. The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to value its derivative liability which incorporate the Company’s stock price, volatility, U.S. risk-free interest rate, dividend rate, and estimated life.

Fair Value Measurements

The U.S. GAAP Valuation Hierarchy establishes a valuation hierarchy for disclosure of the inputs to valuation used to measure fair value. This hierarchy prioritizes the inputs into three broad levels as follows. Level 1 inputs are quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2 inputs are quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets or inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly through market corroboration, for substantially the full term of the financial instrument. Level 3 inputs are unobservable inputs based on our own assumptions used to measure assets and liabilities at fair value. A financial asset or liability’s classification within the hierarchy is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

The Company has recorded a derivative liability for its convertible notes with a variable conversion feature as of September 30, 2019. The tables below summarize the fair values of our financial liabilities as of September 30, 2019 (in thousands):

The reconciliation of the derivative liability measured at fair value on a recurring basis using unobservable inputs (Level 3) is as follows (in thousands):

Stock-Based Compensation

We measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for equity awards based on the grant-date fair value of the awards. All awards under our stock-based compensation programs are accounted for at fair value and that cost is recognized over the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the award (the vesting period).

Compensation expense for options granted to non-employees is determined in accordance with the fair value of the consideration received or the fair value of the equity instruments issued, whichever is a more reliable measurement. Compensation expense for awards granted to non-employees is re-measured on each accounting period.

Determining the appropriate fair value of stock-based compensation requires the input of subjective assumptions, including the expected life of the stock-based compensation and the volatility of our stock price. We use the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to value our stock option awards which incorporates our stock price, volatility, U.S. risk-free interest rate, dividend rate, and estimated life.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

With the exception of those discussed below, there have not been any recent changes in accounting pronouncements and Accounting Standards Update (ASU) issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 that are of significance or potential significance to the Company.

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases. The new standard establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement.

The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. The adoption of this standard did not have any impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“ASU No. 2017-04”). ASU No. 2017-04 simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. A public business entity that is a SEC filer should adopt the amendments of ASU No. 2017-04 for its annual and interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company does not expect any impact from the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

NOTE 4 – SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION

The following table contains additional information for the periods reported (in thousands).

There was no cash paid for interest and income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.

NOTE 5 – ACCRUED EXPENSES

Accrued expenses consist of the following (in thousands):

NOTE 6 – DERIVATIVE LIABILITY

We account for equity-linked financial instruments, such as our convertible preferred stock, convertible debentures and our common stock warrants as either equity instruments or derivative liabilities depending on the specific terms of the respective agreement. Equity-linked financial instruments are accounted for as derivative liabilities, in accordance with ASC Topic 815 – Derivatives and Hedging, if the instrument allows for cash settlement or issuance of a variable number of shares. We classify derivative liabilities on the balance sheet at fair value, and changes in fair value during the periods presented in the statement of operations, which is revalued at each balance sheet date subsequent to the initial issuance of the stock warrant.

We have issued convertible debentures which contain a variable conversion feature, anti-dilution protection and other conversion price adjustment provisions. As a result, the Company assessed its outstanding equity-linked financial instruments and concluded that the convertible notes are subject to derivative accounting. The fair value of the conversion feature is classified as a liability in the financial statements, with the change in fair value during the periods presented recorded in the statement of operations.

During the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, we recorded gain of approximately $1.0 million and expense of approximately $2.3 million, respectively, related to the change in fair value of the derivative liabilities during the periods. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, we recorded gain of approximately $0.6 million and expense of approximately $1.3 million, respectively. For purpose of determining the fair market value of the derivative liability, the Company used Black Scholes option valuation model. The significant assumptions used in the Black Scholes valuations of the derivatives at September 30, 2019 are as follows:

As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the derivative liability recognized in the financial statements was approximately $1.5 million and $2.1 million, respectively.

NOTE 7 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Operating Leases

Inspyr currently does not have any ongoing leases for office space. It has availability to office space on an as needed basis. Its employees work on a remote basis.

There was no rent expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.

Legal Matters

On March 16, 2016, Dr. Craig Dionne provided us his notice of termination as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Dionne’s notice of termination states that such termination was for “Good Reason” as a result of a material change in his authority, functions, duties and responsibilities as chief executive officer. In the event that termination was for “Good Reason”, Dr. Dionne would be entitled to certain severance payments as well as other benefits. The notice of termination, in additional to requesting such severance, also requests the payment of Dr. Dionne’s annual and long term bonus for 2014 and 2015. On April 11, 2016, we received a letter from Dr. Dionne demanding approximately $2.3 million as a result of the foregoing. While the Company disputes that the termination was for “Good Reason,” as well as the amount of the bonuses due Dr. Dionne, if any, at this time the Company is unable to predict the financial outcome of this matter, and any views formed as to the viability of these claims or the financial liability which could result may change from time to time as the matter proceeds through its course. The Company is uncertain whether any litigation may result from the foregoing and the outcome of any such litigation is uncertain.

The Company is subject at times to other legal proceedings and claims, which arise in the ordinary course of its business. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, the Company believes that the final disposition of such matters should not have a material adverse effect on its financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

NOTE 8 – CAPITAL STOCK AND STOCKHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

Preferred Stock

As of September 30, 2019, there were outstanding 133.8 shares of Series A Preferred Stock, 71 shares of Series B Preferred Stock, 290.4 shares of Series C Preferred Stock and 5,000 shares of Series D Preferred Stock.

During December 2018, we designated 5,000 shares of preferred stock as Series D 0% Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”). Each share of Preferred Stock shall have a par value of $0.0001 per share and a stated value equal to $1.00 (the “Stated Value”).

With respect to a vote of stockholders to approve a reverse split of the Common Stock to occur no later than December 31, 2019, only, each share of Series D Preferred Stock held by a Holder, as such, shall be entitled to the whole number of votes equal to 1,200 shares of Common Stock. On any matter presented to the stockholders of the Corporation for their action or consideration at any meeting of stockholders of the Corporation (or by written consent of stockholders in lieu of meeting), each holder of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock shall be entitled to cast the number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of Common Stock into which the shares of Preferred Stock held by such holder are convertible as of the record date for determining stockholders entitled to vote on such matter. Except as provided by law or by the other provisions of the certificate of incorporation, holders of the Preferred Stock shall vote together with the holders of Common Stock as a single class.

Each share of Preferred Stock shall be convertible, at any time and from time to time from and after the Original Issue Date at the option of the Holder thereof, into that number of shares of Common Stock (subject to the limitations set forth in Section 6(d)) determined by dividing the Stated Value of such share of Preferred Stock by the Conversion Price. The Conversion Price is $0.125 per share.

In December 2015, we issued 1,853 shares of our Series A 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, with a stated value of $1,000 per share and the common shares are issuable pursuant to conversion of the preferred stock at a conversion price of $112.50 per share, subject to a 9.99% beneficial ownership limitation and subject to adjustment pursuant to stock splits and dividends, and subject to adjustment pursuant to anti-dilution protection for subsequent equity sales for a period of 18 months from the effective date of the registration statement.

In December 2016, we issued 1,000 shares of our Series B 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, with a stated value of $1,000 per share and the common shares are issuable pursuant to conversion of the preferred stock at a conversion price of $18.75 per share, subject to beneficial ownership limitations and subject to adjustment pursuant to stock splits and dividends, and subject to adjustment pursuant to anti-dilution protection for subsequent equity sales and other conversion price adjustments.

In March and April, 2017, we sold 290.43148 shares of Series C 0% Convertible Preferred Stock. The Series C Preferred Stock has a stated value of $1,000 and is immediately convertible into 315,490 shares of the Company’s common stock, subject to certain beneficial ownership limitations, at a conversion price equal to $18.75, subject to adjustment. The Conversion Price is subject to certain reset adjustments including the date of any future amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation with respect to a reverse stock split. The Series C Preferred Stock has anti-dilution protection until such the twelve (12) month anniversary of the issuance of the Series C Preferred Stock. 

During January 2019, we issued the 5,000 shares of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock for proceeds of $5,000.

Common Stock

On September 17, 2019, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a one-for-twenty five (1-for-25) reverse stock split of the Company’s common stock (“Reverse Stock Split”). In furtherance of the Reverse Stock Split, the Company has filed an amended and restated certificate of incorporation with the Secretary of State of Delaware to effect the Reverse Stock Split effective as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 2019 (“Effective Time”). Accordingly, at the Effective Time, each of the Company’s common stock shareholders will receive one new share of common stock for every twenty five shares such shareholder held immediately prior to the Effective Time. The Reverse Stock Split will also affect the Company’s outstanding stock options, warrants and other exercisable or convertible instruments and will result in the shares underlying such instruments being reduced and the exercise price being increased proportionately to the Reverse Stock Split ratio. All share and per share data has been retroactively restated in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and footnotes for all periods presented to reflect the effects of the September 30, 2019 amendment.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we issued a total of 2,617,443 shares of common stock, valued at $319,820, upon the conversion of $204,221 principal amount of our convertible debentures.

Conversion and exercise price resets

As a result of recent equity financings and conversions of debentures, the conversion prices of our Series A Preferred Stock has been reduced to $13.25 per share at September 30, 2019, the conversion price of 200 shares of our Series C preferred stock has been reduced to $0.50 per share at September 30, 2019, and our Series B Preferred Stock and 90.4 shares of our Series C preferred stock has been reduced to $0.25 per share at September 30, 2019. The exercise prices of the warrants issued in conjunction with the Series B and Series C preferred stock have also been reduced to $0.50 and $0.25 per share, respectively, at September 30, 2019.

NOTE 9 – STOCK OPTIONS

The Company has recorded aggregate stock-based compensation expense related to the issuance of stock option awards in the following line items in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations (in thousands):

The following table summarizes stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2019:

No options were exercised during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.

NOTE 10 – WARRANTS

Transactions involving our warrants are summarized as follows:

No warrants were exercised during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.

As a result of recent equity financings and conversions of debentures, the exercise prices of the warrants issued in conjunction with our Series B and Series C preferred stock have also been reduced to $0.50 and $0.25 per share, respectively, at September 30, 2019.

The following table summarizes outstanding common stock purchase warrants as of September 30, 2019:

NOTE 11 – CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES

On July 16, 2019, we entered into securities purchase agreements (“Securities Purchase Agreement”) with certain institutional investors (the “Investors”). Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, we issued an aggregate of $154,000 of senior convertible debentures (“Debentures”) in exchange for the extension of the maturity date of our December 2018 convertible notes and certain of our July 2018 and September 2017 convertible debentures, and the waiver of certain default provisions of our July 2018 and September 2017 convertible debentures. We have charged $154,000 to finance cost at the date of issuance.

The Debentures (i) are non-interest bearing, (ii) have a maturity date one (1) year from the date of issuance and (iii) are convertible into shares of our common stock at the election of the Investor at any time, subject to a beneficial ownership limitation of 4.99% which may be increased to 9.99% by the Investor upon 61 days’ notice. The Debentures will have a conversion price equal to the lesser of (i) $8.25 and (ii) 85% of the lesser of (a) the volume weighted average price on the trading day immediately preceding a conversion date and (b) the volume weighted average price on a conversion date. The Debentures also contain provisions providing for an adjustment in the event of stock splits or dividends, and fundamental transactions. The Investors will also have the right to participate in subsequent rights offerings and pro rata distributions. Additionally, the Debentures contain anti-dilution protection in the event of subsequent equity sales at a price that is lower than the then applicable conversion price until such time that the Debentures are no longer outstanding. Additionally, the Company has the option to redeem some or all of the Debentures for cash upon notice of twenty (20) trading days provided certain conditions are met by the Company as more fully described in the Debentures.

Furthermore, without the approval of the Investors holding at least 67% of the then outstanding principal amount of the Debentures, the Company may not (i) amend its charter documents in any manner that adversely affects the rights of any Investor, (ii) repay or repurchase or acquire shares of its Common Stock, (iii) repay, repurchase, or acquire certain indebtedness, or (iv) pay cash dividends or distributions on any equity securities of the Company. The Company is also required under the Securities Purchase Agreement to hold a shareholder meeting by January 3, 2019 in order to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock of the Company such that there are sufficient shares of Common Stock available for issuance underlying the Debentures upon their conversion in full. The Company is also obligated under the Securities Purchase Agreement to pay Investors, as partial liquidated damages, a fee of 2.0% of each Investor’s initial principal amount of such Investor’s Debenture in cash upon our failure to have current public information available beginning six (6) months after the issuance date of the Debentures.

The Investors were additionally given a right of participation in future offerings for a period of up to eighteen (18) months from the date on which the shares underlying the Debentures are registered. The Securities Purchase Agreement also prohibits us from issuing any common stock, subject to certain exemptions, for a period of 60 days following the closing of the Offering, without the written approval of the Investors owning at least 50.1% of the securities issued in the Offering. Additionally, until the twelve month anniversary of the registration of the shares underlying the Debentures, we are prohibited from entering into any agreement to effect any issuance of common stock in a variable rate transaction.

On December 13, 2018 we issued an aggregate of $25,000 in convertible promissory notes (“Notes”) for cash proceeds of $25,000. The Notes will mature on the earlier of (i) June 30, 2019 or (ii) such time as we raise capital in exchange for the sale of securities (“Maturity Date”) and bear interest at 10% per year, payable on the Maturity Date. Pursuant to the terms of the Notes, the Notes may be converted into shares of common stock upon an Event of Default (as such term is defined in the Notes) or upon the Maturity Date at the election of the holder at a price per share equal to 75% of the lowest trade price of our common stock on the trading day immediately prior to the date such exchange is exercised by the holder. The maturity date of the debentures has been extended to March 31, 2020 (see Note 12).

On July 3, 2018, we entered into securities purchase agreements (“Securities Purchase Agreement”) with certain institutional investors (the “Investors”). Pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement, we sold an aggregate of $515,000 of senior convertible debentures (“Debentures”) consisting of $500,000 in cash and the cancellation of $15,000 of obligations of the Company (the “Offering”). Pursuant to the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement, we will issue $515,000 in principal amount of Debentures.

The Debentures (i) are non-interest bearing, (ii) have a maturity date one (1) year from the date of issuance and (iii) are convertible into shares of our common stock at the election of the Investor at any time, subject to a beneficial ownership limitation of 4.99% which may be increased to 9.99% by the Investor upon 61 days’ notice. The Debentures will have a conversion price equal to the lesser of (i) $8.25 and (ii) 85% of the lesser of (a) the volume weighted average price on the trading day immediately preceding a conversion date and (b) the volume weighted average price on a conversion date. The Debentures also contain provisions providing for an adjustment in the event of stock splits or dividends, and fundamental transactions. The Investors will also have the right to participate in subsequent rights offerings and pro rata distributions. Additionally, the Debentures contain anti-dilution protection in the event of subsequent equity sales at a price that is lower than the then applicable conversion price until such time that the Debentures are no longer outstanding. Additionally, the Company has the option to redeem some or all of the Debentures for cash upon notice of twenty (20) trading days provided certain conditions are met by the Company as more fully described in the Debentures. The maturity date of the debentures has been extended to March 31, 2020 (see Note 12).

Furthermore, without the approval of the Investors holding at least 67% of the then outstanding principal amount of the Debentures, the Company may not (i) amend its charter documents in any manner that adversely affects the rights of any Investor, (ii) repay or repurchase or acquire shares of its Common Stock, (iii) repay, repurchase, or acquire certain indebtedness, or (iv) pay cash dividends or distributions on any equity securities of the Company. The Company is also required under the Securities Purchase Agreement to hold a shareholder meeting by January 3, 2019 in order to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock of the Company such that there are sufficient shares of Common Stock available for issuance underlying the Debentures upon their conversion in full. The Company is also obligated under the Securities Purchase Agreement to pay Investors, as partial liquidated damages, a fee of 2.0% of each Investor’s initial principal amount of such Investor’s Debenture in cash upon our failure to have current public information available beginning six (6) months after the issuance date of the Debentures. This requirement has been waived by the Investors through March 31, 2020 (see Note 12).

The Investors were additionally given a right of participation in future offerings for a period of up to eighteen (18) months from the date on which the shares underlying the Debentures are registered. The Securities Purchase Agreement also prohibits us from issuing any common stock, subject to certain exemptions, for a period of 60 days following the closing of the Offering, without the written approval of the Investors owning at least 50.1% of the securities issued in the Offering. Additionally, until the twelve month anniversary of the registration of the shares underlying the Debentures, we are prohibited from entering into any agreement to effect any issuance of common stock in a variable rate transaction.

On September 12, 2017 we entered into an exchange agreement (“Exchange Agreement”) with certain holders (the “Investors”) of our Series A 0% Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Shares”) and Series B 0% Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series B Shares”). Pursuant to the terms of the Exchange Agreement, we issued to the investors approximately $2.5 million in principal amount of senior convertible debentures (“Debentures”) in exchange for 1,614.8125 Series A Shares with a stated value of approximately $1.6 million and 890 Series B Shares with a stated value of approximately $0.9 million.

On September 12, 2017, we sold an aggregate of $320,000 of our Debentures. The sale consisted of $250,000 in cash and the cancellation of $70,000 of obligations of the Company.

The Debentures to be issued to the Investors (i) are non-interest bearing, (ii) have a maturity date of September 12, 2018 and (iii) are convertible into shares of common stock (“Common Stock”) of the Company at the election of the Investor at any time, subject to a beneficial ownership limitation of 4.99% which may be increased to 9.99% by the Investor upon 61 days’ notice. The Debentures will have a conversion price equal to the lesser of (i) $8.25 and (ii) 85% of the lesser of (a) the volume weighted average price on the trading day immediately preceding a conversion date and (b) the volume weighted average price on a conversion date. The maturity date of the debentures has been extended to March 31, 2020 (see Note 12).

The Debentures also contain provisions providing for an adjustment in the event of stock splits or dividends, and fundamental transactions. The Investors will also have the right to participate in subsequent rights offerings and pro rata distributions. Additionally, the Debentures contain anti-dilution protection in the event of subsequent equity sales at a price that is lower than the then applicable conversion price until such time that the Debentures are no longer outstanding. Additionally, the Company has the option to redeem some or all of the Debentures for cash upon notice of twenty (20) trading days provided certain conditions are met by the Company as more fully described in the Debentures.

Furthermore, without the approval of the Investors holding at least 67% of the then outstanding principal amount of the Debentures, the Company may not (i) amend its charter documents in any manner that adversely affects the rights of any Investor, (ii) repay or repurchase or acquire shares of its Common Stock, (iii) repay, repurchase, or acquire certain indebtedness, or (iv) pay cash dividends or distributions on any equity securities of the Company.

The Company is also obligated pay Investors, as partial liquidated damages, a fee of 2.0% of each Investor’s initial principal amount of such Investor’s Debenture in cash upon our failure to have current public information available. This requirement has been waived by the Investors through March 31, 2020 (see Note 12).

In connection with the Offering, the Investors also entered in a registration rights agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”). Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“the Commission”) within 45 days from the date of the Registration Rights Agreement to register the resale of 100% of the shares of Common Stock underlying the Debentures and to maintain the effectiveness thereunder. The Company also agreed to have the registration statement declared effective within 75 days from the date of the Registration Rights Agreement and keep the registration statement continuously effective until the earlier of (i) the date after which all of the securities to be registered thereunder have been sold, or (ii) the date on which all the securities to be registered thereunder may be sold without volume or manner-of-sale restrictions and without current public information pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. We are also obligated to pay the Investors, as partial liquidated damages, a fee of 1.5% of each Investor’s subscription amount per month in cash upon the occurrence of certain events, including our failure to file and / or have the registration statement declared effective within the time periods provided. This requirement has been waived by the Investors through March 31, 2020 (see Note 12).

The Investors were additionally given a right of participation in future offerings for a period of up to eighteen months from the date in which the shares underlying the Debentures are registered as contemplated in the Registration Rights Agreement. The Securities Purchase Agreement also prohibits the Company from issuing any Common Stock, subject to certain exemptions, for a period of 60 days following the closing of the Offering, without the written approval of the Investors owning at least 50.1% of the securities issued in the Offering. Additionally, until the twelve (12) month anniversary of such effectiveness of the registration statement as contemplated in the Registration Rights Agreement, the Company is prohibited from entering into any agreement to effect any issuance of Common Stock in a variable rate transaction.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we issued a total of 2,617,443 shares of common stock, valued at $319,820, upon the conversion of $204,221 principal amount of our convertible debentures.

NOTE 12 – SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Effective September 30 2019, Sabby Healthcare Master Fund, Ltd and Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund, Ltd. waived certain events of default under debentures and notes issued in our December 2018 note offering, July 2018 debenture offering and September 2017 debenture offering (collectively, the “Debenture Offerings”) and extended the maturity date of such debentures until March 31, 2020 in exchange for the issuance of $96,000 in new debentures with substantially the same terms as those issued in our Debenture Offerings. The debentures were issued in October 2019. We have accrued $96,000 of finance cost expense at September 30, 2019.

Sabby Volatility Warrant Master Fund, Ltd. has paid certain of our accounts payable in the amount of $26,235. We issued $26,235 in new debentures with substantially the same terms as those issued in our Debenture Offerings. The debentures were issued in November 2019.

Subsequent to September 30, 2019, we issued a total of 6,922,525 shares of common stock upon the conversion of $96,523 principal amount of our convertible debentures.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contains forward-looking statements regarding our business development plans, capital raising, pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, regulatory reviews, timing, strategies, expectations, anticipated expense levels, business prospects and positioning with respect to the market, business outlook, technology spending and various other matters (including contingent liabilities and obligations and changes in accounting policies, standards and interpretations) and express our current intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies or predictions. These forward-looking statements are based on several assumptions and currently available information and are subject to several risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements because of various factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report as well as the financial statements and related notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on August 6, 2019.

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

Company Overview

Business

We are a clinical-stage, pre-revenue, pharmaceutical company primarily focused on the development of therapeutics for the treatment of diseases. Through our acquisition of Lewis and Clark Pharmaceuticals, Inc., we currently are focusing on a pipeline of small molecule adenosine receptor modulators.

The adenosine receptor modulators include A_2B antagonists, dual A_2A/A_2B antagonists, and A_2A agonists that have broad development applicability including indications within immuno-oncology and inflammation. Adenosine is implicated in immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Adenosine receptor antagonists may boost the host immune response against the tumor as a single-agent and in combination with other existing immuno-oncology agents leading to enhanced tumor killing and inhibition of metastasis. Adenosine also has anti-inflammatory properties in the acute and chronic setting. Adenosine receptor agonists may promote a decreased inflammatory response and can potentially treat a broad range of inflammatory and autoimmune based diseases and conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, joint injury, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis) as well as improve wound healing and decrease pain. 

During February 2018, due to a lack of capital, we curtailed substantially all our business operations. In the event that we are able to raise sufficient capital, our major focus would be to: (i) further characterization, in conjunction with Ridgeway Therapeutics, of anti-cancer activity of the current pipeline of A_2B antagonists and dual A_2A/A_2B antagonists leading to selection of a clinical candidate for an Investigative New Drug or IND enabling studies, (ii) further characterization of the current pipeline of A_2A agonists leading to selection of a clinical candidate for an Investigative New Drug or IND enabling studies; (iii) licensing and/or partnering the A_2B antagonists, dual A_2A/A_2B antagonists, and/or A_2A agonists for further development, (iv) through our newly acquired adenosine receptor chemistry technology platform, continue to produce next generation adenosine receptor modulators, (v) pursue licensing and/or partnering of mipsagargin, (vi) conduct a clinical study of mipsagargin in patients with advanced HCC, and (vii) explore collaborations utilizing mipsagargin in new, non-clinical solid tumor models with leading researchers in the oncology field.

Our ability to execute our business plan is dependent on the amount and timing of cash, if any, that we are able to raise. During February of 2018, we curtailed our operations due to our lack of cash. During July 2018, we were able to raise approximately $500,000 through the sale of debt securities and we raised $25,000 in December 2018 through the sale of notes. We are currently using such funds to maintain our SEC reporting requirements, pay outstanding invoices to our independent registered accounting firm, and other outstanding obligations, the payment of which we believe to be vital to our future operations. Should we fail to further raise sufficient funds to execute our business plan, our priority would be to maintain our intellectual property portfolio and continue, to the best of our ability, our public company reporting requirements.

While we believe that the data from our nonclinical studies appear promising, the outcome of our ongoing or future studies may ultimately be unsuccessful.

Our ability to execute our business plan is dependent on the amount and timing of cash, if any, that we are able to raise. Should we not raise sufficient funds to execute our business plan, our priority is the continued production of adenosine receptor modulator products for any existing material transfer agreements and continuing business development discussions with potential development partners.

Recent Developments

Product Development of Adenosine Receptor Modulators

Adenosine is an extracellular signaling molecule that regulates multiple aspects of tissue function and specifically plays a role in immunity and inflammation. High levels of adenosine in the tumor microenvironment inhibits immune response mediated through the A_2A and A_2B receptors. Adenosine also plays a role in non-malignant conditions where it is rapidly increased in response to inflammation, hypoxia, ischemia, or trauma. Adenosine released in this setting has been shown to have a protective effect and limits excessive inflammatory damage to tissues.

The adenosine receptor antagonists have broad applicability as a potential immuno-oncology (IO) therapeutic agent in multiple tumor types both as a single agent and in combination with other IO agents, in addition to traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. We are actively seeking licensing opportunities and/or partners to further development our A_2B and dual A_2A/A_2B receptor antagonists. Our current product development plan for adenosine receptor antagonists contemplates the following major initiatives, subject to the Company receiving sufficient funds:

The adenosine receptor agonists have applicability in a broad range of non-oncology conditions including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and conditions. We are actively seeking licensing opportunities and/or partners to further development our A_2A receptor agonists. Our current product development plan for adenosine receptor agonists contemplates the following major initiatives subject to the Company receiving sufficient funds:

Financial

To date, we have devoted substantially all of our efforts and financial resources to the development of our proposed drug candidates. mipsagargin is the only product candidate for which we have conducted clinical trials, and we have not received FDA approval to market, distribute or sell any products. We have currently curtailed our research on mipsagargin. We are also working on developing IND approved studies for our adenosine receptor technology platform. Since our inception in 2003, we have generated no revenue from product sales and have funded our operations principally through the private and public sales of our equity securities. We have never been profitable and as of September 30, 2019 we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $60 million. We expect to continue to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue the development of our product candidates and advance them through clinical trials.

Our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash balances at September 30, 2019 was approximately $50,000, representing 71% of our total assets. Based on our current expected level of operating expenditures, we expect to be able to fund our operations into the first quarter of 2020. We curtailed substantially all operations in February 2018. We will require additional cash to fund and continue our operations beyond that point. This period could be shortened if there are any unanticipated increases in planned spending on development programs or other unforeseen events. We anticipate raising additional funds through collaborative arrangements, licensing agreements, public or private sales of debt or equity securities, or some combination thereof. There is no assurance that any such arrangement will be entered into or that financing will be available when needed in order to allow us to continue our operations, or if available, on terms favorable or acceptable to us. We raised approximately $500,000 in July 2018 and $25,000 in December 2018, which we expect will enable us to bring our required annual and quarterly filings current, which will enable us to seek additional financing.

We anticipate raising additional cash through the private or public sales of equity or debt securities, collaborative arrangements, licensing agreements or a combination thereof, to continue to fund our operations and the development of our product candidates. There is 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 pre-clinical studies and potential clinical trials, cease operations altogether, or file for bankruptcy. We currently do not have commitments for future funding from any source.

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. During February of 2018, we curtailed our operations due to our lack of cash. Notwithstanding our recent financings in July 2018, whereby we raised $500,000, and December 2018 whereby we raised $25,000, our current cash level raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern past the fourth 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 and Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make significant judgments and estimates 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 expenses during the reporting period. Management bases these significant judgments and estimates on historical experience and other assumptions it believes to be reasonable based upon information presently available. Actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions, judgments or conditions. There were no material changes to our critical accounting policies and use of estimates previously disclosed in our 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Result of Operations

Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30, 2018

Our results of operations have varied significantly from year to year and quarter to quarter and may vary significantly in the future. We did not have revenue during the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, and we do not anticipate generating any revenues during 2019. Net income for the three months ending September 30, 2019 was approximately $0.4 million and net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2018 was approximately $2.7 million, resulting from the operational activities described below.

Operating Expenses

Operating expense totaled approximately $0.1 million and $0.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The increase in operating expenses is the result of the following factors.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses totaled approximately $0.01 million and $0.01 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Our research and development expenses consist primarily of expenditures related to manufacturing, pre-clinical studies, employee compensation, consulting, and patent related costs.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses totaled approximately $0.1 million and $0.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The increase of approximately $0.03 million, or 34%, for the three months ended September 30, 2019 compared to the same period in 2018, was primarily due to increased professional fees and expenses related to our public filings.

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of expenditures related to legal, accounting and tax, other professional services, and general operating expenses.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) totaled approximately $0.6 million of income and approximately $2.6 million of expense for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Gain on change in fair value of derivative liability

As a result of a change in the fair value of our derivative liability, we realized gain of $1.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2019 compared to a loss in the fair value of our derivative liability of $2.3 million during the three months ended September 30, 2018. The change in the fair value of our derivative liability was the result of our convertible debentures and notes issued in September 2017, July 2018, December 2018 and July 2019, where we issued convertible notes with variable conversion rates. Refer to Note 6 in our Financial Statements for further discussion on our derivative liability.

Gain on conversion of debt

There was no gain on conversion of debentures during the three months ended September 30, 2019, compared to a gain of $0.02 million during the three months ended September 30, 2018. Gain on conversion of debt results from the difference between the fair value of common stock issued upon conversion and the carrying amount of the debt converted.

Interest income (expense)

We had net interest expense of $0.4 million in the three months ended September 30, 2019 compared to expense of $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2018. The increase of $0.1 million was attributable to the financial cost of waivers and extensions issued in connection with our debentures, partially offset by the cost associated with derivative instruments issued with a value in excess of proceeds received.

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018

Our results of operations have varied significantly from year to year and quarter to quarter and may vary significantly in the future. We did not have revenue during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, and we do not anticipate generating any revenues during 2019. Net loss for the nine months ending September 30, 2019 was approximately $0.5 million and net loss for the nine months ending September 30, 2018 was approximately $2.3 million, resulting from the operational activities described below.

Operating Expenses

Operating expense totaled approximately $0.5 million and $0.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Operating expenses are comprised of the following factors.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses totaled approximately $0.03 million and $0.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The decrease of approximately $0.2 million, or 83%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 was primarily due to the suspension of substantially all business operations in February 2018, due to a lack of capital.

Our research and development expenses consist primarily of expenditures related to manufacturing, pre-clinical studies, employee compensation, consulting, and patent related costs.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses totaled approximately $0.5 million and $0.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The increase of approximately $0.1 million, or 41%, for the nine months ended September 30, 2018 compared to the same period in 2018, was primarily due to increased professional fees and expenses related to our public filings, partially offset by a decrease in compensation and other costs as a result of the suspension of substantially all business operations in February 2018, due to a lack of capital.

Our general and administrative expenses consist primarily of expenditures related to employee compensation, legal, accounting and tax, other professional services, and general operating expenses.

Other Income (Expense)

Other income (expense) totaled approximately $0.01 million of income and $1.7 million of expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

Gain on change in fair value of derivative liability

As a result of a change in the fair value of our derivative liability, we realized a gain of $0.6 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 compared to a loss of $1.3 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2018. The change in the fair value of our derivative liability was the result of our convertible debentures and notes issued in September 2017, July 2018, December 2018 and July 2019, where we issued convertible notes with variable conversion rates. Refer to Note 6 in our Financial Statements for further discussion on our derivative liability.

Gain on conversion of debt

There was a gain on conversion of debentures of approximately $0.1 million and $0.1 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Gain on conversion of debt results from the difference between the fair value of common stock issued upon conversion and the carrying amount of the debt converted.

Interest income (expense)

We had net interest expense of approximately $0.7 million and $0.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The increase of $0.3 million was attributable to the financial cost of waivers and extensions issued in connection with our debentures, partially offset by the cost associated with derivative instruments issued with a value in excess of proceeds received.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have incurred losses since our inception in 2003 as a result of significant expenditures on operations, research and development and the lack of any approved products to generate revenue. We have an accumulated deficit of $60 million as of September 30, 2019 and anticipate that we will continue to incur additional losses for the foreseeable future. To date, we have funded our operations through the private sale of our equity securities, convertible debentures, and exercise of options and warrants, resulting in gross proceeds of $36.9 million. Cash and restricted cash at September 30, 2019 were $0.05 million.

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. Based on our current level of expected operating expenditures, we expect to be able to fund our operations into the first quarter of 2020. This assumes that we spend minimally on general operations and only continue conducting our ongoing pre-clinical studies, and that we do not encounter any unexpected events or other circumstances that could shorten this time period. 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.

We are actively seeking sources of financing to fund our continued operations and research and development programs. To raise additional capital, we may sell equity or debt securities, or enter into collaborative, strategic and/or licensing transactions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to complete any financing transaction in a timely manner or on acceptable terms or otherwise. If we are not able to raise additional cash, we may be forced to further delay, curtail, or cease development of our product candidates, or cease operations altogether.

Cash, including restricted cash, totaled approximately $0.05 million and $0.3 million as of September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The decrease of approximately $0.3 million at September 30, 2019 compared to the same period in 2018 was primarily attributable to cash used in operations and a decrease in cash provided by financing activities.

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $0.3 million and $0.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Cash used for operations increased by approximately $0.1 million, or 78%, during the nine months ended September 30, 2019, compared to the same period in 2018. The increase in cash used was primarily attributable to an increase in our net loss (after adjusting for noncash items) of approximately $0.2 million, partially offset by an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses of approximately $0.04 million.

Net Cash Provided by Investing Activities

There was no cash used in investing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities

There was $5,000 cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, compared $0.5 million of cash provided by financing activities for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. In 2019 we received proceeds of $5,000 from the sale of preferred stock. In 2018 we received proceeds of $0.5 million from the sale of debentures.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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).

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

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

Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal accounting officer (both positions are held by our Chief Executive Officer), evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)), as of September 30, 2019. Based on that evaluation, management has concluded that due to limited resources and limited number of employees, its internal control over financial reporting was ineffective as of September 30, 2019 to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. To mitigate the current limited resources and employees, we rely heavily on direct management oversight of transactions, along with the use of legal and accounting professionals. As we grow, we expect to increase the number of employees, which would enable us to implement adequate segregation of duties within the internal control framework. 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15f of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the three month period ending September 30, 2019 that has materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations on Internal Controls

In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.

PART II

OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

On March 16, 2016, Dr. Craig Dionne provided us his notice of termination as the company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Dionne’s notice of termination alleges that such termination was for “Good Reason” as a result of a purported material change in his authority, functions, duties and responsibilities as chief executive officer. In the event that termination was for “Good Reason”, Dr. Dionne would be entitled to certain severance payments as well as other benefits. His notice of termination, in additional to requesting such severance, also requests the payment of Dr. Dionne’s annual and long term bonus for 2014 and 2015. On April 11, 2016, we received a letter from Dr. Dionne demanding approximately $2.3 million as a result of the foregoing.

The Company vigorously disputes that the termination of his employment was for “Good Reason,” as that term is defined in his employment agreement and under applicable law. This matter is at the early stages. While no litigation is pending at this time, there can be no assurance that this matter will be resolved in such a manner as to avoid litigation. Accordingly, the Company is unable at this time to predict the outcome of this matter, and any views formed as to the viability of these claims or the costs to the Company which could result may change from time to time as the matter proceeds through its course.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

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 in evaluating us, our business and the value of our securities. The following important factors, among others, could cause our actual business, financial condition and future results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report or presented elsewhere by management from time to time.

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 in evaluating us, our business and the value of our securities. The following important factors, among others, could cause our actual business, financial condition and future results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report or presented elsewhere by management from time to time.

Risks Related to our Financial Position and Need to Raise Additional Capital

We were forced to curtail our operations due to a lack of operating capital and we will not be able to continue as a going concern if we do not obtain additional financing.

Since our inception, we have funded our operations through the sale of our securities. Our cash and restricted cash balances at September 30, 2019 was $50,000. In February 2018 we were forced to curtail our operations. Despite raising $500,000 in gross proceeds through the sale of convertible debentures in July 2018 and $25,000 in December 2018 through the sale of notes, our ability to continue as a going concern is still wholly dependent upon obtaining sufficient capital to fund our operations. We have no committed sources of additional capital and our access to capital funding is always uncertain. Accordingly, despite our ability to secure capital in the past, we cannot assure you that we will be able to secure additional capital through financing transactions, including issuance of debt, or through other means such as the licensing of our technology or grants. In the event that we are not able to secure additional 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 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. Our current cash level raises substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern past the fourth 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.

Risks Relating to Our Stage of Development and Business

If we are unable to successfully build a new management team and secure additional members and employees, our business could be harmed.

On July 15, 2019, Christopher Lowe, our chief executive officer, president and principal accounting officer resigned. In February 2018, Ronald Shazer, MD, resigned as our chief medical officer. Effective July 26, 2019, we appointed Michael Cain as our interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. We will need to continue to augment senior management as well as additional personnel to execute our business plan and grow our business. Our success depends largely on the development and execution of our business strategy by our senior management team. The recent transitions in our executive team may be disruptive to our business, and if we are unable to manage an orderly transition, our business may be adversely affected. Additionally, since our management team consists of only one individual, Mr. Cain, the loss of Mr. Cain 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. Additionally, we cannot assure you that management will succeed in working together as a team. In the event that we are unsuccessful, our business and prospects could be harmed.  

We are an early-stage company, have no product revenues, are not profitable and may never be profitable.

From inception through September 30, 2019, we have raised approximately $36.9 million through the sale of our securities and exercise of outstanding warrants. During this same period, we have recorded an accumulated deficit of approximately $60 million. Our net losses for the two most recent fiscal years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 were $12,000 and $11.1 million, respectively. Our decrease in net losses is a result of our curtailment of operations beginning February 2018. None of our products in development have received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration or FDA, or other regulatory authorities; we have no sales and have never generated revenues nor do we expect to for the foreseeable future. We have currently curtailed our pre-clinical and clinical trials related to mipsagargin and are currently focusing our efforts on the development of our adenosine receptor modulators. We expect to incur significant operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue the research, pre-clinical and clinical development of our product candidates as well as the possible in-licensing of additional clinical and pre-clinical assets. Accordingly, we will need additional capital to fund our continuing operations and any expansion plans. Since we do not generate any revenue, the most likely sources of such additional capital include the sale of our securities, a strategic licensing collaboration transaction or joint venture involving the rights to one or more of our product candidates, or from grants. To the extent that we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders are likely to experience dilution with regard to their percentage ownership of the company, which may be significant. If we raise additional funds through collaborations or licensing arrangements, we may be required to relinquish some or all the rights to our technologies, product candidates, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. If we raise additional capital by incurring debt, we could incur significant interest expense and become subject to covenants that could affect the manner in which we conduct our business, including securing such debt obligations with our assets.

Our product candidates are at various stages of early development and significant financial resources are required to develop commercially viable products and obtain regulatory approval to market and sell such products. We will need to devote significantly more research and development efforts, financial resources and personnel to develop commercially viable products and obtain regulatory approvals. We may encounter hurdles and unexpected issues as we proceed in the development of our other product candidates. While initial data from our research appear promising, the outcome of the pre-clinical and development work is uncertain and future trials may ultimately be unsuccessful. If we fail to develop and successfully commercialize our product candidates, our business may be materially harmed and could fail.

We have a limited operating history as a company, and may not be able to effectively operate our business.

Our limited staff and operating history means that there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding our ability to:

No assurances can be given as to exactly when, if at all, we will be able to fully develop, and take the necessary steps to derive any revenues from our proposed product candidates.

Raising capital may be difficult as a result of our history of losses and limited operating history in our current stage of development.

When making investment decisions, investors typically look at a company’s management, earnings and historical performance in evaluating the risks and operations of the business and the business’s future prospects. Our history of losses, new senior management team and relatively limited operating history in our current stage of development makes such evaluation, as well as any estimation of our future performance, substantially more difficult. As a result, investors may be unwilling to invest in us or on terms or conditions which are acceptable. If we are unable to secure additional financing, we may need to materially scale back our business plan and/or operations or cease operations altogether. 

Risks Related to Commercialization

The market for our proposed products is rapidly changing and competitive.

The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are subject to rapid and substantial technological change and innovation. Developments by others may render our proposed products noncompetitive or obsolete, or we may be unable to keep pace with technological developments and other market factors. Competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, governmental entities and others diversifying into the field is intense and is expected to increase.

As a pre-revenue company, our resources are limited and we may experience challenges inherent in the early development of novel therapeutics. Competitors have developed or are in the process of developing technologies that are, or in the future may be, the basis for competition. Some of these technologies may have an entirely different approach or means of accomplishing similar therapeutic efforts compared to our proposed products. Our competitors may develop therapies that are safer, more effective and less costly than our proposed products and therefore, present a serious competitive threat to us.

The acceptance of therapies that are alternatives to ours may limit market acceptance of our proposed products, even if commercialized. Many of our targeted diseases and conditions can also be treated by other medications and treatments. These treatments may be widely accepted in medical communities and have a longer history of use. The established use of other competing therapies may limit the potential for our proposed products, even if commercialized.

Our proposed products may not be accepted by the healthcare community.

Our proposed products, if approved for marketing, may not achieve market acceptance by the healthcare community since hospitals, physicians, patients or the medical community in general may decide not to utilize them. We are attempting to develop products that are likely to be first approved for marketing as a treatment for late stage cancer where there is no truly effective standard of care. If approved for use in late stage cancer, our proposed products might then be evaluated in earlier stages where they could represent a substantial departure from established treatment methods and would most likely compete with a number of more conventional drugs and therapies which are manufactured and marketed by major pharmaceutical companies. It is too early in the development cycle of our proposed products for us to predict our major competitors. The degree of market acceptance of our products, if developed, will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to:

If the healthcare community does not accept our products, our business could be materially harmed.

Our potential competitors in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries have significantly greater resources than we have.

We compete against numerous companies, many of which have substantially greater resources than we have. Several such competitors have research programs and/or efforts to treat the same diseases we target. Companies such as Roche, Novartis, Celgene, Merck & Co., Inc., Johnson & Johnson, and Sanofi S.A., as well as others, have substantially greater financial, research, manufacturing and marketing resources than we do. As a result, such competitors may find it easier to compete in our industry and bring competing products to market.

Risks Related to the Development and Manufacturing of Our Product Candidates

We intend to rely exclusively upon third-party FDA-regulated manufacturers and suppliers for our proposed products.

We currently have no internal manufacturing capability, and intend to rely exclusively on FDA-approved licensees, strategic partners or third party contract manufacturers or suppliers for the foreseeable future. Because manufacturing facilities are subject to regulatory oversight and inspection, the failure of any of our third-party FDA regulated manufactures or suppliers 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 plans. Should we be forced to manufacture our proposed products, we cannot give any assurance that we would be able to develop internal manufacturing capabilities or secure third party suppliers for raw materials. In the event that we seek third party suppliers or alternative manufacturers, they may require us to purchase a minimum amount of materials or could require other unfavorable terms. Any such event could materially impact our business prospects and could delay the development of our proposed products. Moreover, we cannot give any assurance that the contract manufacturers or suppliers 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 own specifications.

We may not be able to establish or maintain the third-party relationships that are necessary to develop or potentially commercialize our product candidates.

As needed, we plan to rely heavily on third party collaborators, partners, licensees, clinical research organizations, clinical investigators, vendors or other third parties to support our research and development efforts and to conduct clinical trials for our product candidates. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to successfully negotiate agreements for, or maintain relationships with, these third parties on a commercially reasonable basis, if at all. Additionally, to commercialize our proposed products, we intend to rely on third party licensees or the outright sale of our proposed products to pharmaceutical partner(s). If we fail to establish or maintain such third-party relationships as anticipated, our business could be adversely effected.

We are dependent upon third parties to develop our product candidates, and such parties are, to some extent, outside of our control.

We depend upon independent contract research organizations, investigators and collaborators, such as universities and medical institutions, to conduct our pre-clinical and clinical studies. These individuals and/or entities are not our employees and we cannot control the amount or timing of resources that they devote to our programs. These third parties may not assign as great a priority to our programs or pursue them as diligently as we would if we were undertaking such programs ourselves. If these third parties fail to devote sufficient time and resources to our programs, or if their performance is substandard, the development of our drug candidates and corresponding FDA approval could be delayed or fail entirely.

Our therapeutic compounds may not be able to be manufactured profitably on a large enough scale to support commercialization.

To date, our therapeutic compounds have only been manufactured at a scale which is adequate to supply our research activities and early-stage clinical trials. There can be no assurance that the procedures currently used to manufacture our therapeutic compounds will work at a scale which is adequate for commercial needs. In the event our therapeutic compounds cannot be manufactured in sufficient quantities for commercialization, our future prospects could be significantly impacted and our financial prospects would be materially harmed.

Risks Relating to our Intellectual Property

Our competitive position is dependent on our intellectual property and we may not be able to withstand challenges to our intellectual property rights.

We rely on our intellectual property, including our issued and applied for U.S. and foreign patents as well as our licenses, as the foundation of our business. If our intellectual property rights are challenged, no assurances can be given that our patents or licenses would survive claims alleging invalidity or infringement on other patents and/or licenses. In addition, disputes may arise regarding inventorship of our intellectual property. It is possible that our intellectual property may be infringing upon existing patents that we are not currently unaware of. As the number of participants in the marketplace grows, the possibility of patent infringement claims against us increases. It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine how such disputes would be resolved. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with patent litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be required to be publicly disclosed. Any litigation claims against us may cause us to incur substantial costs and could place a significant strain upon our financial resources, divert the attention of management or restrict our core business or result in the public disclosure of confidential information.

We may incur substantial costs as a result of litigation or other proceedings relating to patent and other intellectual property rights and we may be unable to protect our rights to, or use of, our technology.

Some or all of our patent applications may not issue as patents, or the claims of any issued patents may not afford meaningful protection for our technologies or products. In addition, patents issued to us or our licensors, if any, may be challenged and subsequently narrowed, invalidated or circumvented. Patent litigation is widespread in the biotechnology industry and could harm our business. Litigation might be necessary to protect our patent position or to determine the scope and validity of third-party proprietary rights. If we choose to go to court to stop someone else from using the inventions claimed in our patents, that individual or company would have the right to ask the court to rule that such patents are invalid and/or should not be enforced against that third party. These lawsuits are expensive and we may not have the required resources to pursue such litigation or to protect our patent rights. In addition, there is a risk that the court might decide that these patents are not valid and that we do not have the right to stop the other party from using the inventions. There is also the risk that, even if the validity of these patents is upheld, the court could refuse to stop the other party on the ground that such other party’s activities do not infringe on our rights contained in these patents.

Furthermore, a third party may claim that we are using inventions covered by their patent rights and may go to court to stop us from engaging in our normal operations and activities, including making or selling our product candidates. These lawsuits are costly and could materially increase our operating expenses and divert the attention of managerial and technical personnel. There is a risk that a court would decide that we are infringing the third party’s patents and would order us to stop the activities covered by the patents. In addition, there is a risk that a court would order us to pay the other party damages for having violated the other party’s patents. The biotechnology industry has produced a proliferation of patents, and it is not always clear to industry participants, including us, which patents cover various types of products or methods of use. The coverage of patents is subject to interpretation by the courts, and the interpretation is not always uniform.  

Because some patent applications in the United States may be maintained in secrecy until the patents are issued, patent applications in the United States and many foreign jurisdictions are typically not published until eighteen months after filing, and publications in the scientific literature often lag behind actual discoveries, we cannot be certain that others have not filed patent applications for technology covered by our issued patents or our pending applications or that we were the first to invent the technology. Our competitors may have filed, and may in the future file, patent applications covering technology similar to ours. Any such patent application may have priority over our patent applications and could further require us to obtain rights to issued patents covering such technologies.

If another party has filed a United States patent application on inventions similar to ours, we may have to participate in an interference or other proceeding in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or the PTO, or a court to determine priority of invention in the United States. The costs of these proceedings could be substantial, and it is possible that such efforts would be unsuccessful, resulting in a loss of our United States patent position with respect to such inventions.

Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of complex patent litigation more effectively than we can because they have substantially greater resources. In addition, any uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of any litigation could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise the capital necessary to continue our operations.

Obtaining and maintaining our patent protection depends upon compliance with various procedural, documentary, fee payment and other requirements imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.

The PTO and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other provisions during the patent process. There are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of a patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, competitors might be able to enter the market earlier than would otherwise have been the case.

We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property.

We rely in part on trade secret protection in order to protect our proprietary trade secrets and unpatented know-how. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect, and we cannot be certain that others do not develop the same or similar technologies on their own. Additionally, research with regard to our technologies has been performed in countries outside of the United States, and we also anticipate conducting joint ventures, collaborations and future clinical trials outside the US. The laws in some of these countries may not provide protection for our trade secrets and intellectual property. We have taken steps, including entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, service providers, and potential strategic partners to protect our trade secrets and unpatented know-how. These agreements generally require that the other party keep confidential and not disclose to third parties all confidential information developed by the party or made known to the party by us during the course of the party’s relationship with us. We also typically obtain agreements from these parties which provide that inventions conceived by the party in the course of rendering services to us are our property. However, these agreements may not be honored, including in foreign countries in which we conduct research, and may not effectively assign intellectual property rights to us. Enforcing a claim that a party illegally obtained and is using our trade secrets or know-how is difficult, expensive and time consuming, and the outcome is unpredictable. In addition, courts outside the United States may be less willing to protect trade secrets or know-how. The failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive position.

We may be subject to claims that our employees or consultants have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

As is common in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, we employ and hire individuals and/or entities who were previously employed at other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although no claims against us are currently pending, we may be subject to claims that these individuals, entities or that we have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.

Risks Relating to Marketing Approval and Government Regulations

Data obtained from clinical trials are susceptible to varying interpretations and may not be sufficient to support approval of our proposed products by the FDA.

The design of our potential clinical trials will be based on many assumptions about the expected effect of our product candidates and if those assumptions are incorrect, our potential clinical trials may not produce statistically significant results. Preliminary results may not be confirmed on full analysis of the detailed results of early clinical trials. Data already obtained, or in the future obtained, from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials do not necessarily predict the results that may be obtained from later trials. Moreover, pre-clinical and clinical data are susceptible to varying interpretations, which could delay, limit or prevent regulatory approval. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after promising results in earlier trials. The failure to adequately demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of a proposed formulation or product under development could delay or prevent regulatory clearance of the potential drug. Our products may not prove to be safe and effective in clinical trials and may not meet all regulatory requirements needed to receive regulatory approval. While data from our completed trials appear promising, the outcome of the current trials is uncertain and these trials or future trials may ultimately be unsuccessful. Our clinical trials may among other things, not demonstrate sufficient levels of safety and efficacy necessary to obtain the requisite regulatory approvals for our drugs, and thus our proposed drugs may not be approved for marketing.

Our proposed products may not receive FDA or other regulatory approvals.

The FDA and comparable government agencies in foreign countries impose substantial regulations on the manufacture and marketing of pharmaceutical products through expensive, lengthy and detailed laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical testing procedures, sampling activities and other costly and time-consuming procedures. Satisfaction of these regulations typically takes several years or more and varies substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the proposed product. Our proposed products are subject to extensive regulation and/or acceptance by numerous governmental authorities in the United States, including the FDA, and authorities in other countries. Most of our proposed products will require governmental approval before they can be commercialized. Our failure to receive the regulatory approvals in the United States or foreign countries will materially impact our business.

Our proposed products may not have favorable results in clinical trials or receive regulatory approval.

Encouraging results from our studies to date should not be relied upon as evidence that our planned pre-clinical and clinical trials will ultimately be successful or our products approved for marketing. Even though the results of our studies to date seem promising, we will be required to demonstrate through further pre-clinical and 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 could experience potentially significant delays in, or be required to abandon, development of that product candidate. While initial data from our preliminary studies appear promising, the outcome of any clinical trials is uncertain and such trials or future trials may ultimately be unsuccessful.

If users of our proposed products are unable to obtain adequate reimbursement from third-party payors, market acceptance of our proposed products may be limited and we may not achieve revenues or profits.

The continuing efforts of governments, insurance companies, health maintenance organizations and other payers of healthcare costs to contain or reduce costs of health care may affect our future revenues and profitability as well as the future revenues and profitability of our potential customers, suppliers and collaborative partners in addition to the availability of capital. In other words, our ability to commercialize our proposed products depends in large part on the extent to which appropriate reimbursement levels for the cost of our proposed formulations, products and related treatments are obtained by the health care providers of these products and treatments. At this time, we cannot predict the precise impact that recently adopted or future laws will have on these reimbursement levels.

We may be unable to comply with our reporting and other requirements under federal securities laws.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related new rules and regulations implemented by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, require changes in the corporate governance practices and financial reporting standards for public companies. These laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 relating to internal control over financial reporting, would be expected to materially increase the Company’s legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time-consuming and more burdensome. Presently we qualify as a non-accelerated filer. Accordingly, we are exempt from the requirements of Section 404(b) and our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to audit the design and operating effectiveness of our internal controls and management’s assessment of the design and the operating effectiveness of such internal controls. In the event that we become an accelerated filer, we will be required to expend substantial capital in connection with compliance.

We do not have effective internal controls over our financial reporting.

Because of our limited resources, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting may not be effective in providing 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. Effective internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures are necessary for us to provide reliable financial and other reports and effectively prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial or SEC reports or prevent fraud, investors may lose confidence in our SEC reports, our operating results and the trading price of our common stock could suffer materially and we may become subject to litigation.

Compliance with changing regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses and will divert time and attention away from revenue generating activities.

Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related SEC regulations, have created uncertainty for public companies and significantly increased the costs and risks associated with accessing the public markets and public reporting. Our management team invests significant time and financial resources to comply with both existing and evolving standards for public companies, which will lead to increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from developing our business to compliance activities which could have an adverse effect on our business.

Risks Relating to our Securities

Our common stock price may be particularly volatile because of our stage of development and business.

The market prices for the securities of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in general, and early-stage drug development companies in particular, such as ours, have been highly volatile and may continue to be highly volatile in the future. The following may have a significant impact on the market price of our common stock:

Broad market fluctuations may cause the market price of our common stock to decline substantially. Additionally, fluctuations in the trading price or liquidity of our common stock may materially and adversely affect, among other things, the interest of investors to purchase our common stock on the open market and, generally, our ability to raise capital.

Our board of directors has broad discretion to issue additional securities, in the event that we have adequate authorized capital to issue such securities.

We are authorized under our certificate of incorporation to issue up to 150,000,000 shares of common stock and 30,000,000 “blank check” shares of preferred stock. Shares of our blank check preferred stock provide the board of directors with broad authority to determine voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights. As of December 1, 2019, we have issued and outstanding 11,383,983 shares of common stock and 138,616,017 shares of common stock reserved for future grants under our equity compensation plans and for issuances upon the exercise or conversion of currently outstanding shares of preferred stock, options, warrants and other convertible securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this reserved amount is based off of the maximum number of shares we may issue under our charter and does not include shares that we may be required to issue in excess depending on the variable price of certain of our derivative securities. As of December 1, 2019, we have issued 1,853 shares of Series A 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, of which 133.8125 are outstanding, 1,000 shares of Series B 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, of which 71 are outstanding, 290.43148 shares of Series C 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, that are all outstanding, and 5,000 shares of Series D 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, all of which are outstanding. Accordingly, we are entitled to issue no additional shares of common stock (given our current conversion prices and amounts of derivative securities, that are subject to change) and 29,991,856 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 additional preferred shares we may issue could 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 issue a large amount of additional securities to raise capital in order to further our business plans. It is also likely that we will 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. Any issuances could be made at a price that reflects a discount to, or a premium from, the then-current market price of our common stock. These issuances would dilute the percentage ownership interest of our current shareholders, which would have the effect of reducing your influence on matters on which our stockholders vote, and might dilute the net tangible book value per share of our common stock.

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

Transactions that result in a large amount of newly issued shares become 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.   

As of December 1, 2019, we had 11,383,983 shares of common stock, 1,853 shares of Series A 0% Convertible Preferred Stock issued and 133.8125 Series A 0% Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding, 1,000 shares of Series B 0% Convertible Preferred Stock issued and 71 Series B 0% Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding, 290.43148 shares of Series C 0% Convertible Preferred Stock issued and outstanding, and 5,000 shares of Series D 0% Convertible Preferred Stock issued and outstanding. We additionally have issued an aggregate of $3,641,048 of senior convertible debentures and convertible notes that are convertible into common stock at any time, of which $2,868,632 is outstanding. Substantially all of the common shares and common shares underlying the Series A 0% Convertible Preferred, Series B 0% Convertible Preferred, and Series C 0% Convertible shares are available for public sale, subject in some cases to volume and other limitations or delivery of a prospectus. As of December 1, 2019, we were obligated to reserve for issuance (i) 13,129 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of 133.8125 shares of Series A 0% Convertible Preferred Stock including an additional number of common shares we are contractually obligated to reserve pursuant to our December 2015 offering; (ii) 568,000 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of 71 shares of Series B 0% Convertible Preferred Stock including an additional number of common shares we are contractually obligated to reserve pursuant to our December 2016 offering; (iii) 1,523,452 shares of our common stock issuable upon the conversion of 290.43148 shares of Series C 0% Convertible Preferred Stock including an additional number of common shares we are contractually obligated to reserve pursuant to our March 2017 offering, (iv) 40,000 shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of 5,000 shares of Series D 0% Convertible Preferred Stock, (v) 169,053 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants at a weighted average exercise price of $43.10 per share, including an additional number of common shares we are contractually obligated to reserve pursuant to our December 2015 offering, December 2016 offering and March 2017 offering, (vi) 11,824 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options under our equity compensation plans at a weighted average exercise price of $111.71 per share and (vii) 331,318,561 shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion of our outstanding convertible notes. Subject to applicable vesting requirements and holding periods, upon conversion or exercise of the outstanding convertible notes, warrants and options, the underlying shares may be resold into the public market. Notwithstanding the foregoing, none of the shares of common stock underlying these convertible securities may be converted or exercised given that we have no shares of common stock available under our certificate of incorporation. We cannot predict if future issuances or sales of our common stock, or the availability of our common stock for sale, would harm the market price of our common stock or our ability to raise capital.

The market for our common stock has been illiquid and our investors may be unable to sell their shares.

Our common stock trades with limited volume on the pink sheets of the OTC Markets Group Inc. Accordingly, although a limited public market for our common stock exists, it is still relatively illiquid compared to that of a seasoned issuer. Prior to making an investment in our securities, you should consider the limited market for our common stock. No assurances can be given that the trading volume of our common stock will increase or that a liquid public market for our securities will ever materialize.

We have not paid cash dividends in the past and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on your investment will only occur if the market price of our common stock appreciates.

Provisions of Delaware law and executive employment agreements may prevent or delay a change of control, which could depress the trading price of our common stock.

We are subject to the Delaware anti-takeover laws regulating corporate takeovers. These anti-takeover laws prevent Delaware corporations from engaging in a merger or sale of more than 10% of its assets with any stockholder, including all affiliates and associates of the stockholder, who owns 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, for three years following the date that the stockholder acquired 15% or more of the corporation’s assets unless:

A Delaware corporation may opt out of the Delaware anti-takeover laws if its certificate of incorporation or bylaws so provides. We have not opted out of the provisions of the anti-takeover laws. As such, these laws could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change of control transactions and may discourage attempts by other companies to acquire us.

In addition, employment agreements with certain executive officers provide for the payment of severance and accelerated vesting of options and restricted stock in the event of termination following a change of control. These provisions could have the effect of discouraging potential takeover attempts even if it would be beneficial to shareholders.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could discourage a third-party from acquiring us.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as applicable, among other things (i) provide our board with the ability to alter the bylaws without stockholder approval and (ii) provide that vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by a majority of directors in office. These provisions, while designed to reduce vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal, and to discourage certain tactics used in proxy fights, may negatively impact a third-party’s decision to acquire us even if it would be beneficial to shareholders.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports or if they publish unfavorable research or reports, an active market for our common stock may not develop and the price of our common stock could decline.

We are a small company which is relatively unknown to stock analysts, stock brokers, institutional investors and others in the investment community that generate or influence sales volume. Even if we come to the attention of such persons, they may be reluctant to follow or recommend an unproven company such as ours until such time as we became more seasoned and viable. Generally, the trading market for a company’s securities depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish. We currently have limited research coverage by securities and industry analysts. As a consequence, there may be periods of time when trading activity in our shares is minimal or non-existent, as compared to a seasoned issuer with significant research coverage. We cannot give you any assurance that a broader or more active public trading market for our common stock will develop or if developed, will be sustained, or that current trading levels could be sustained or not diminish. In addition, in the event any analysts downgrades our securities, the price of our shares would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases to cover us or fails to publish regular reports on us, interest in the purchase of our securities could decrease, which could cause the price of our common stock and its trading volume, if any, to decline.

Our common stock may be considered a “penny stock,” and may be subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to sell.

Our common stock may be considered a “penny stock.” The principal result or effect of being designated a penny stock is that securities broker-dealers participating in sales of our common stock may be subject to the penny stock regulations set forth in Rules 15g-2 through 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. For example, Rule 15g-2 requires broker-dealers dealing in penny stocks to provide potential investors with a document disclosing the risks of penny stocks and to obtain a manually signed and dated written receipt of the document at least two business days before effecting any transaction in a penny stock for the investor’s account. Moreover, Rule 15g-9 requires broker-dealers in penny stocks to approve the account of any investor for transactions in such stocks before selling any penny stock to that investor. This procedure requires the broker-dealer to (i) obtain from the investor information concerning his or her financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives; (ii) reasonably determine, based on that information, that transactions in penny stocks are suitable for the investor and that the investor has sufficient knowledge and experience as to be reasonably capable of evaluating the risks of penny stock transactions; (iii) provide the investor with a written statement setting forth the basis on which the broker-dealer made the determination in (ii) above; and (iv) receive a signed and dated copy of such statement from the investor, confirming that it accurately reflects the investor’s financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives. Compliance with these requirements may make it more difficult and time consuming for holders of our common stock to resell their shares to third parties or to otherwise dispose of them in the market or otherwise.

If our management team is not effective or if we fail to attract, hire or retain qualified personnel, we may not be able to design, develop or commercialize our products successfully or manage our business.

While we have been able to secure a chief executive officer, our anticipated growth and expansion may require the addition of new personnel and the development of additional expertise by existing management. There is intense competition for qualified personnel in such areas. Accordingly, there can be no assurances that we would be able to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the successful development of our business.

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Recent Sale of Unregistered Securities

ITEM 3. DEFAULT UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

None.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Form 10-Q.

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.

INDEX TO EXHIBITS