VERU INC. - Quarter Report: 2023 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023

For the transition period from              to             

Commission File Number 1-13602

Veru Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

305-509-6897

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

N/A

(Former Name, Former Address and Former Fiscal Year, if Changed Since Last Report)

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) 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  x     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  x     No  ¨

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as determined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨     No  x

As of May 9, 2023, the registrant had 89,236,732 shares of $0.01 par value common stock outstanding.

VERU INC.

INDEX

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements included in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q which are not statements of historical fact are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our financial condition or business, our development and commercialization plans relating to our product candidates and products, including any potential development or commercialization of sabizabulin for certain COVID-19 patients and other acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) indications and of enobosarm for certain breast cancer patients, future financial and operating results, plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, costs and expenses, royalty payments, outcome of contingencies, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, cost savings, future ordering patterns of our customers, objectives of management, business strategies, clinical trial timing, plans and results, the achievement of clinical and commercial milestones, the advancement of our technologies and our products and drug candidates, and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “estimate,” “should,” “will,” “would” or the negative of these terms or other words of similar meaning. These statements are based upon the Company’s current plans and strategies and reflect the Company’s current assessment of the risks and uncertainties related to its business and are made as of the date of this report. These statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. You should read these statements carefully because they discuss our future expectations or state other “forward-looking” information. There may be events in the future that we are not able to accurately predict or control and our actual results may differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include the following:

potential delays in the timing of and results from clinical trials and studies, including potential delays in the recruitment of patients and their ability to effectively participate in such trials and studies, and the risk that such results will not support marketing approval, emergency use authorization, or commercialization in the United States or in any foreign country;

potential delays in the timing of any submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) or any other regulatory authority around the world and potential delays in, or failure to obtain, from any such regulatory authority approval of products under development or approval of any emergency use authorization applications the Company may submit for sabizabulin for certain COVID-19 patients, including the risk of a delay or failure in reaching agreement with the FDA on the design of any clinical trial, including any post-approval or post-authorization study, or in obtaining authorization to commence a clinical trial or commercialize a product candidate in the U.S. or elsewhere;

potential delays in the timing of approval by the FDA or any other regulatory authority of the release of manufactured lots of approved products;

clinical trial results supporting any potential regulatory approval or authorization of any of our products, including sabizabulin for the treatment of certain COVID-19 patients, may not be replicated in clinical practice;

clinical results or early data from clinical trials may not be replicated or continue to occur in additional trials or may not otherwise support further development in the specified product candidate or at all;

risks related to our ability to obtain sufficient financing on acceptable terms when needed to fund product development and our operations, including our ability to secure timely grant or other funding to develop, manufacture or distribute sabizabulin as a potential COVID-19 treatment;

risks related to the development of our product portfolio, including clinical trials, regulatory approvals and time and cost to bring any of our product candidates to market, and risks related to efforts of our collaborators such as in the development of a companion diagnostic for enobosarm;

our pursuit of a COVID-19 treatment candidate is still in development and we may be unable to develop a drug that successfully treats the virus in a timely manner, if at all;

risks related to our commitment of financial resources and personnel to the development of a COVID-19 treatment which may cause delays in or otherwise negatively impact our other development programs or our working capital, despite uncertainties about the longevity and extent of COVID-19 as a global health concern and the possibility that as vaccines and other treatments become widely distributed the need for new COVID-19 treatment candidates may be reduced or eliminated;

risks related to our ability to scale up and manufacture sabizabulin in sufficient quantities as a COVID-19 treatment if we receive an emergency use authorization in the U.S. or elsewhere;

government entities may take actions that directly or indirectly have the effect of limiting opportunities for sabizabulin as a COVID-19 treatment, including favoring other treatment alternatives or imposing price controls on COVID-19 treatments;

government entities in the U.S. or elsewhere have and may continue to declare the COVID-19 pandemic emergency over and, if sabizabulin is authorized in the U.S. or elsewhere for the treatment of certain COVID-19 patients under an Emergency Use Authorization or similar regime outside the U.S., such termination of the pandemic emergency may affect our ability to continue to market sabizabulin;

product demand and market acceptance of our commercial products and our products in development, if approved;

risks related to our ability to obtain insurance reimbursement from private payors or government payors, including Medicare and Medicaid, for our approved or authorized products, including, if authorized, sabizabulin for the treatment of certain COVID-19 patients, and similar risks relating to market or political acceptance of any potential or actual pricing for any such products;

some of our products are in development and we may fail to successfully commercialize such products;

risks related to any potential new telehealth platform developed or used by us in commercializing our current product or potential future products, including potential regulatory uncertainty around such platforms;

risks related to intellectual property, including the uncertainty of obtaining intellectual property protections and in enforcing them, the possibility of infringing a third party’s intellectual property, and licensing risks;

competition from existing and new competitors including the potential for reduced sales, pressure on pricing and increased spending on marketing;

risks related to compliance and regulatory matters, including costs and delays resulting from extensive government regulation and reimbursement and coverage under healthcare insurance and regulation as well as potential healthcare reform measures;

the risk that we will be affected by regulatory and legal developments, including a reclassification of products or repeal or modification of part or all of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act;

risks inherent in doing business on an international level, including currency risks, regulatory requirements, political risks, export restrictions and other trade barriers;

the disruption of production at our manufacturing facilities or facilities of third parties on which we rely and/or of our ability to supply product due to raw material shortages, labor shortages, manufacturing partner business changes, physical damage to our or third parties’ facilities, product testing, transportation delays or regulatory or other governmental actions, and the duration and impact of any such disruptions;

our reliance on major customers and risks related to delays in, or failure to make, payment of accounts receivable by major customers;

risks from rising costs of raw materials and our ability to pass along increased costs to our customers;

risks related to our growth strategy;

our continued ability to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel;

the costs and other effects of litigation, governmental investigations, legal and administrative cases and proceedings, settlements and investigations;

government contracting risks, including the appropriations process and funding priorities, potential bureaucratic delays in awarding contracts, process errors, politics or other pressures, and the risk that government tenders and contracts may be subject to cancellation, delay, restructuring or substantial delayed payments;

a governmental tender award indicates acceptance of the bidder’s price rather than an order or guarantee of the purchase of any minimum number of units, and as a result government ministries or other public health sector customers may order and purchase fewer units than the full maximum tender amount;

our ability to identify, successfully negotiate and complete suitable acquisitions, out-licensing transactions, in-licensing transactions or other strategic initiatives and to realize any potential benefits of such transactions or initiatives;

our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, technologies or products; and

our ability to achieve the necessary shareholder vote to increase the number of authorized shares of our common stock.

All forward-looking statements in this report should be considered in the context of the risks and other factors described above, in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” below in this report, and in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022. The Company undertakes no obligation to make any revisions to the forward-looking statements contained in this report or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this report except as required by applicable law.
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

VERU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

VERU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

VERU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

VERU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

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VERU INC.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 – Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements for Veru Inc. (“we,” “our,” “us,” “Veru” or the “Company”) have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for reporting of interim financial information. Pursuant to these rules and regulations, certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) have been condensed or omitted, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information not misleading. Accordingly, these statements do not include all the disclosures normally required by U.S. GAAP for annual financial statements and should be read in conjunction with Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained in this report and the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022. The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2022 has been derived from our audited financial statements. The unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and cash flows for the three and six months ended March 31, 2023 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for any future period or for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2023.

The preparation of our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments (consisting of only normally recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position and results of operations as of the dates and for the periods presented.

Principles of consolidation and nature of operations: Veru Inc. is referred to in these notes collectively with its subsidiaries as “we,” “our,” “us,” “Veru” or the “Company.” The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Veru and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Veru International Holdco Inc., Aspen Park Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (APP) and The Female Health Company Limited; The Female Health Company Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary, The Female Health Company (UK) plc (The Female Health Company Limited and The Female Health Company (UK) plc, collectively, the “U.K. subsidiary”); The Female Health Company (UK) plc’s wholly owned subsidiary, The Female Health Company (M) SDN.BHD (the “Malaysia subsidiary”); and Veru International Holdco Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiaries, Veru Biopharma UK Limited, Veru Biopharma Europe Limited, and Veru Biopharma Netherlands B.V. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation. The Company is a late clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel medicines for the treatment of breast cancer and for SARS-Cov-2 and other viral ARDS-related diseases. Our drug development program includes sabizabulin, a microtubule disrupter, for the treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at high risk for ARDS and other viral-related ARDS, and enobosarm, a selective androgen receptor targeting agonist, for the management of advanced breast cancer. The Company also has the FC2 Female Condom/FC2 Internal Condom® (FC2), an FDA-approved commercial product for the dual protection against unplanned pregnancy and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. The Company had ENTADFI® (finasteride and tadalafil) capsules for oral use (ENTADFI), a new treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia that was approved by the FDA in December 2021. We sold substantially all of the assets related to ENTADFI on April 19, 2023. See Note 15 for additional information. Most of the Company’s net revenues during the three and six months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were derived from sales of FC2.

Other comprehensive loss: Accounting principles generally require that recognized revenue, expenses, gains and losses be included in net loss. Although certain changes in assets and liabilities, such as foreign currency translation adjustments, are reported as a separate component of the equity section of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets, these items, along with net loss, are components of other comprehensive loss. For the three and six months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, comprehensive loss is equivalent to the reported net loss.

Recent accounting pronouncements not yet adopted: We have reviewed all recently issued accounting pronouncements and have determined that such standards that are not yet effective will not have a material impact on our financial statements or do not otherwise apply to our operations.

Note 2 – Liquidity

The Company anticipates that we will continue to consume cash and incur losses as we develop and commercialize our drug candidates. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of pharmaceutical products, the Company is unable to estimate the exact amounts of capital outlays and operating expenditures necessary to fund development of our drug candidates and obtain regulatory approvals. The Company’s future capital requirements will depend on many factors.

The Company believes its current cash position, cash expected to be generated from sales of FC2, cash to be received from the sale of ENTADFI (see note 15), and its ability to secure equity financing or other financing alternatives will be adequate to fund planned operations of the Company for the next 12 months. To the extent the Company may need additional capital for its operations or the conditions for raising capital are favorable, the Company may access financing alternatives that may include debt financing, common stock offerings, or financing involving convertible debt or other equity-linked securities and may include financings under the Company’s current effective shelf registration statements on Form S-3 (File No. 333-239493 and File No. 333-270606) or under a new registration statement. The Company intends to be opportunistic when pursuing equity or debt financing, which could include selling common stock under its common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC (see Note 9) or its common stock purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (see note 15).

Note 3 – Fair Value Measurements

FASB Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 820 specifies a hierarchy of valuation techniques based on whether the inputs to those valuation techniques are observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect market data obtained from independent sources, while unobservable inputs reflect market assumptions. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurement) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurement).

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are as follows:

Level 1 – Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets.

Level 2 – Quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable.

Level 3 – Instruments with primarily unobservable value drivers.

As of March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022, the Company’s financial liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis, which consisted of embedded derivatives, were classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending liability balance associated with embedded derivatives measured at fair value using significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) as of March 31, 2023 and 2022:

The expense associated with the change in fair value of the embedded derivatives is included as a separate line item on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.

The liabilities associated with embedded derivatives represent the fair value of the change of control provision in the Residual Royalty Agreement. See Note 8 for additional information. There is no current observable market for these types of derivatives. The Company estimates the fair value of the embedded derivative within the Residual Royalty Agreement by using a scenario-based method, whereby different scenarios are valued and probability weighted. The scenario-based valuation model incorporates transaction details such as the contractual terms of the instrument and assumptions including projected FC2 revenues, expected cash outflows, probability and estimated dates of a change of control, risk-free interest rates and applicable credit risk. A significant increase in projected FC2 revenues or a significant increase in the probability or acceleration of the timing of a change of control event, in isolation, would result in a significantly higher fair value measurement of the liability associated with the embedded derivative.

The following tables present quantitative information about the inputs and valuation methodologies used to determine the fair value of the embedded derivatives classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy as of March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022:

Note 4 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers

The Company generates nearly all its revenue from direct product sales. Revenue from direct product sales is generally recognized when the customer obtains control of the product, which occurs at a point in time, and may be upon shipment or upon delivery based on the contractual shipping terms of a contract. Sales taxes and other similar taxes that the Company collects concurrent with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue.

The amount of consideration the Company ultimately receives varies depending upon sales discounts, and other incentives that the Company may offer, which are accounted for as variable consideration when estimating the amount of revenue to recognize. The estimate of variable consideration requires significant judgment. The Company includes estimated amounts in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved. The estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based largely upon an assessment of current contract sales terms and historical payment experience.

Product returns are typically not significant because returns are generally not allowed unless the product is damaged at time of receipt.

The Company’s revenue is from sales of FC2 in the U.S. prescription channel and direct sales of FC2 in the global public health sector, and also included sales of ENTADFI. The following table presents net revenues from these three categories:

The following table presents net revenues by geographic area:

*Less than 10% of total net revenues

The Company’s performance obligations consist mainly of transferring control of products identified in the contracts which occurs either when: i) the product is made available to the customer for shipment; ii) the product is shipped via common carrier; or iii) the product is delivered to the customer or distributor, in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Some of the Company’s contracts require the customer to make advanced payments prior to transferring control of the products. These advanced payments create a contract liability for the Company. The balances of the Company’s contract liability, included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets, were approximately $335,000 and $342,000 at March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022, respectively.

Note 5 – Accounts Receivable and Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company's standard credit terms vary from 30 to 120 days, depending on the class of trade and customary terms within a territory, so accounts receivable are affected by the mix of purchasers within the period. As is typical in the Company's business, extended credit terms may occasionally be offered as a sales promotion or for certain sales. For sales to the Company’s distributor in Brazil, the Company has agreed to credit terms of up to 90 days subsequent to clearance of the product by the Ministry of Health in Brazil. The Company classified approximately $0.7 million of trade receivables with its distributor in Brazil as long-term as of September 30, 2022, because payment was expected in greater than one year. The long-term portion of trade receivables is included in other assets on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.

The components of accounts receivable consisted of the following at March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022:

*Included in other assets on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets

At March 31, 2023 and at September 30, 2022, no customers had a current accounts receivable balance that represented greater than 10% of current assets.

At March 31, 2023, three customers had an accounts receivable balance greater than 10% of net accounts receivable, representing 84% of net accounts receivable and long-term trade receivables in the aggregate. At September 30, 2022, two customers had an accounts receivable balance greater than 10% of net accounts receivable and long-term trade receivables, representing 83% of net accounts receivable and long-term trade receivables in the aggregate. 

For the three months ended March 31, 2023, there were two customers whose individual net revenue to the Company exceeded 10% of the Company’s net revenues, representing 75% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate, including The Pill Club that represented 59% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, there were two customers whose individual net revenue to the Company exceeded 10% of the Company’s net revenues, representing 83% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate, including The Pill Club that represented 41% of the Company’s net revenue in the aggregate.

For the six months ended March 31, 2023, there were three customers whose individual net revenue to the Company exceeded 10% of the Company’s net revenues, representing 69% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate, including The Pill Club that represented 43% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate. For the six months ended March 31, 2022, there were two customers whose individual net revenue to the Company exceeded 10% of the Company’s net revenues, representing 81% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate, including The Pill Club that represented 40% of the Company’s net revenues in the aggregate.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its customers to make required payments on accounts receivable. Management determines the allowance for credit losses by identifying troubled accounts and by using historical experience applied to an aging of accounts. Management also periodically evaluates individual customer receivables and considers a customer’s financial condition, credit history, and the current economic conditions. In the case of a bankruptcy filing or other similar event indicating the collectability of specific customer accounts is no longer probable, a specific allowance for credit losses may be recorded to reduce the related receivable to the amount expected to be recovered. Accounts receivable are charged-off when deemed uncollectible. During the quarter ended March 31, 2023, the Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $3.9 million related to the total amount of receivables due from The Pill Club due to uncertainty related to their financial condition. On April 18, 2023, The Pill Club filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The table below summarizes the change in the allowance for credit losses for the six months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022:

Recoveries of accounts receivable previously charged off are recorded when received. In the global public health sector, the Company’s customers are primarily large global agencies, non-government organizations, ministries of health and other governmental agencies, which purchase and distribute FC2 for use in HIV/AIDS prevention and family planning programs. In the U.S., the Company’s customers include telemedicine providers who sell into the prescription channel.

Note 6 – Balance Sheet Information

Inventories

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or net realizable value. The cost is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. Inventories are also written down for management’s estimates of product which will not sell prior to its expiration date. Write-downs of inventories establish a new cost basis which is not increased for future increases in the net realizable value of inventories or changes in estimated obsolescence.

Inventories consisted of the following at March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022:

Fixed Assets

We record equipment, furniture and fixtures, and leasehold improvements at historical cost. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are recorded to expense. Depreciation and amortization are primarily computed using the straight-line method. Depreciation and amortization are computed over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Leasehold improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lesser of the remaining lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements.

Plant and equipment consisted of the following at March 31, 2023 and September 30, 2022: