We maintain disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, our 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.
Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
There have been no changes to our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the thirdfirst fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2016march 31, 2017 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, even if determined effective and no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives to prevent or detect misstatements. 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 judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
On February 16, 2017, a purported stockholder class action lawsuit captioned Garfield v. Capnia, Inc., et al., Case No. C17-00284, or the Lawsuit, was filed in Superior Court of the State of California, County of Contra Costa against us and certain of our officers and directors. The Lawsuit alleged, generally, that our directors breached their fiduciary duties to our stockholders by seeking to sell control of the company through an allegedly defective process, and on unfair terms. The Lawsuit also alleged that defendants failed to disclose all material facts concerning the merger with Essentialis to stockholders. The Lawsuit sought, among other things, equitable relief that would have enjoined the consummation of the merger, compensatory and/or rescissory damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
On February 28, 2017, we settled the Lawsuit by making certain supplemental disclosures in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2017 in connection with the plaintiff’s agreement to voluntarily dismiss plaintiff's claims in the Lawsuit. We also agreed to pay $175,000 in attorney's fees. This amount was accrued as a current liability on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2016 and recorded as a general and administrative expense on the statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2016. The stipulation of dismissal was approved by the court on April 14, 2017.
From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are currently not currentlyaware of any such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have, individually or in the aggregate, a party to any material litigationadverse effect on our business, financial condition or other material legal proceedings.operating results.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities has a high degree of risk. Before you invest you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below andtogether with all the of the other information in this prospectus.Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed and the value of our stock could go down. This means you could lose all or a part of your investment.
Risks related to our financial condition and capital requirements
We have a limited commercialization history and have incurred significant losses since our inception, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future. We have generated limited commercial sales to date, which, together with our limited operating history, makes it difficult to evaluate our business and assess our future viability.
We are a developer of therapeutics and diagnosticsmedical devices with a limited commercialization history. Evaluating our performance, viability or future success will be more difficult than if we had a longer operating history or approved products for sale on the market. We continue to incur significant research and development and general and administrative expenses related to our operations. Investment in medical product development is highly speculative, because it entails substantial upfront capital expenditures and significant risk that any planned product will fail to demonstrate adequate accuracy or clinical utility. We have incurred significant operating losses in each year since our inception, and expect that we will not be profitable for an indefinite period of time. As of September 30, 2016,March 31, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $95.7$101.2 million.
We expect that our future financial results will depend primarily on our success in launching, selling and supporting our neonatology and other products. This will require us to be successful in a range of activities, including manufacturing, marketing and selling our neonatology products. We are only in the preliminary stages of some of these activities. We may not succeed in these activities and may never generate revenue that is sufficient to be profitable in the future. Even if we are profitable, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Our failure to achieve sustained profitability would depress the value of our company and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our planned products, market our current and planned products, or continue our operations.
We currently have generated limited product revenue and may never become profitable.
To date, we have not generated significant revenues from our products or Serenz, and have not generated sufficient revenues from licensing activities to achieve profitability. Our ability to generate significant revenue from product sales and achieve profitability will depend upon our ability, alone or with any future collaborators, to successfully commercialize products, including our neonatology products, Serenz, or any planned products that we may develop, in-license or acquire in the future. Our ability to generate revenue from product sales from planned products also depends on a number of additional factors, including our ability to:
•
develop a commercial organization capable of sales, marketing and distribution of any products for which we obtain marketing approval in markets where we intend to commercialize independently;
• achieve market acceptance of our neonatology productscurrent and our other future products, if any;
• set a commercially viable price for our neonatology productcurrent and our other future products, if any;
• establish and maintain supply and manufacturing relationships with reliable third parties, and ensure adequate and legally compliant manufacturing to maintain that supply;
• obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors, including government and private payors;
• find suitable global and U.S. distribution partners for our neonatology products and distribution partners for Serenz in the E.U to help us market, sell and distribute our approvedcommercial products in other markets;
• demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of Serenz to the satisfaction of FDA and obtain regulatory approval for Serenz;
• complete and submit applications to, and obtain regulatory approval from, foreign regulatory authorities;
• complete development activities including any potential Phase 3 clinical trials of Serenz, successfully and on a timely basis;
• establish, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights and avoid third-party patent interference or patent infringement claims; and
• attract, hire and retain qualified personnel.
In addition, because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development and commercialization, including that Serenz in the U.S. or any or our planned products may not advance through development, achieve the endpoints of applicable clinical trials or obtain approval, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of increased expenses, or when or if we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. In addition, our expenses could increase beyond expectations if we decide, or are required by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities, to perform studies or clinical trials in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Even if we are able to complete the development and regulatory process for Serenz in the U.S. or any planned products worldwide, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with commercializing these products.
Even if we are able to generate significant revenue from the sale of our neonatology products, Serenz or any plannedof our products that may be approved or commercialized, we may not become profitable and may need to obtain additional funding to continue operations. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then we may be unable to continue our operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce or shut down our operations.
Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations or below our guidance.
Our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future, which makes it difficult for us to predict our future operating results. From time to time, we may enter into collaboration agreements with other companies that include development funding and significant upfront and milestone payments or royalties, which may become an important source of our revenue. Accordingly, our revenue may depend on development funding and the achievement of development and clinical milestones under any potential future collaboration and license agreements and sales of our products, if approved. These upfront and milestone payments may vary significantly from period to period, and any such variance could cause a significant fluctuation in our operating results from one period to the next. In addition, we measure compensation cost for stock-based awards made to employees at the grant date of the award, based on the fair value of the award as determined by our Board of Directors, and recognize the cost as an expense over the employee’s requisite service period. As the variables that we use as a basis for valuing these awards change over time, including our underlying stock price and stock price volatility, the magnitude of the expense that we must recognize may vary significantly. Furthermore, our operating results may fluctuate due to a variety of other factors, many of which are outside of our control and may be difficult to predict, including the following:
• the cost and risk of initiating sales and marketing activities;
• the timing and cost of, and level of investment in, research and development activities relating to our planned products, which will change from time to time;
• our ability to enroll patients in clinical trials and the timing of enrollment;
• the cost of manufacturing our Serenz and our neonatology products may vary depending on FDA and other regulatory requirements, the quantity of production and the terms of our agreements with manufacturers;
• expenditures that we will or may incur to acquire or develop additional planned products and technologies;
• the design, timing and outcomes of clinical studies for Serenz in the U.S. and any planned products or competing planned products;studies;
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changes in the competitive landscape of our industry, including consolidation among our competitors or potential partners;
• any delays in regulatory review or approval in the U.S., or, if applicable, globally, of Serenz or any of our planned products;
• the level of demand for our neonatology products and for Serenz and any planned products, should they receive approval, in the U.S., or, if applicable, globally,which may fluctuate significantly and be difficult to predict;
• the risk/benefit profile, cost and reimbursement policies with respect to our future products, if approved, and existing and potential future drugs that compete with our planned products;
• competition from existing and potential future offerings that compete with neonatology products, Serenz or any of our planned products;
• our ability to commercialize our neonatology products or any planned product inside and outside of the U.S., either independently or working with third parties;
• our ability to establish and maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements;
• our ability to adequately support future growth;
• potential unforeseen business disruptions that increase our costs or expenses;
• future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies; and
• the changing and volatile global economic environment.
The cumulative effects of these factors could result in large fluctuations and unpredictability in our quarterly and annual operating results. As a result, comparing our operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. Investors should not rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. This variability and unpredictability could also result in our failing to meet the expectations of industry or financial analysts or investors for any period. If our revenue or operating results fall below the expectations of analysts or investors or below any forecasts we may provide to the market, or if the forecasts we provide to the market are below the expectations of analysts or investors, the price of our Common Stockcommon stock could decline substantially. Such a stock price decline could occur even when we have met any previously publicly stated revenue or earnings guidance we may provide.
We may need additional funds to support our operations, and such funding may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, which would force us to delay, reduce or suspend our research and development programs and other operations or commercialization efforts. Raising additional capital may subject us to unfavorable terms, cause dilution to our existing stockholders, restrict our operations, or require us to relinquish rights to our planned products and technologies.
The commercialization of our products, as well as the completion of the development and the potential commercialization of planned products, will require substantial funds. As of September 30, 2016,March 31, 2017, we had approximately $5.4$10.5 million in cash and cash equivalents. Our future financing requirements will depend on many factors, some of which are beyond our control, including the following:
• the cost of activities and added personnel associated with the commercialization of our current products, including marketing, manufacturing, and distribution;
• the cost to manufacture our products on a larger scale;
• the degree and rate of market acceptance of our products, and the revenue that we are able to collect as a result;
• our ability to set a commercially attractive price for our products, and our customers’ perception of the value relative to the prices we set;
• our ability to clarify the regulatory path in the U.S. for Serenz, and the potential requirement for additional pivotal clinical studies;
• the timing of, and costs involved in, the development of planned products prior seeking and obtaining approvals from the FDA and other regulatory authorities for Serenz and other plannedour products;
• our ability to obtain additionaland maintain partners for Serenz in the E.U. on attractivefavorable economic terms, or engage in commercial sales of Serenzour products on our own or through distributors, or maintain existing distributors;
• the costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights and/or the loss of those rights;
• our ability to enter into distribution, collaboration, licensing, commercialization or other arrangements and the terms and timing of such arrangements;
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the emergence of competing technologies or other adverse market developments;
• the costs of attracting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel;
• unforeseen developments during our clinical trials;
• unforeseen changes in healthcare reimbursement for any of our approved products;
• our ability to maintain commercial scale manufacturing capacity and capability with a commercially acceptable cost structure;structure for our legacy products;
• unanticipated financial resources needed to respond to technological changes and increased competition;
• enactment of new legislation or administrative regulations;
• the application to our business of new regulatory interpretations;
• claims that might be brought in excess of our insurance coverage;
• the failure to comply with applicable regulatory guidelines;laws, rules, regulations, guidelines, and advice; and
• the uncertainty in industry demand.
We do not have any material committed external source of funds or other support for our commercialization and development efforts. Until we can generate a sufficient amount of product revenue to finance our cash requirements, which we may never achieve, we expect to finance future cash needs through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings, collaborations, strategic alliances, licensing arrangements and other marketing and distribution arrangements. Additional financing may not be available to us when we need it or it may not be available on favorable terms. If we raise additional capital through marketing and distribution arrangements or other collaborations, strategic alliances or licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish certain valuable rights to Serenz, CoSense, or potentialour current and planned products, technologies, future revenue streams or research programs, or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us. If we raise additional capital through public or private equity offerings, the ownership interest of our existing stockholders will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect our stockholders’ rights. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, we may be subject to covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing when needed, we may have to delay, reduce the scope of, or suspend one or more of our clinical studies or research and development programs or our commercialization efforts.
The extent to which we utilize the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement (see Note 6) with Aspire Capital as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our Common Stock,common stock, the volume of trading in our Common Stockcommon stock and the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources. The number of shares that we may sell to Aspire Capital under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement on any given day and during the term of the agreement is limited. Additionally, we and Aspire Capital may not effect any sales of shares of our Common Stockcommon stock under the 2017 Aspire
Purchase Agreement during the continuance of an event of default or on any trading day that the closing sale price of our Common Stockcommon stock is less than $2.63$0.25 per share. Even if we are able to access the full $10.0$17.0 million under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement, we will still need additional capital to fully implement our business, operating and development plans.
We may engage in strategic transactions that could impact our liquidity, increase our expenses and present significant distractions to our management.
From time to time we may consider strategic transactions, such as acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, and out-licensing or in-licensing of products, product candidates or technologies. Additional potential transactions that we may consider include a variety of different business arrangements, including spin-offs, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, restructurings, divestitures, business combinations and investments. Any such transaction may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, may increase our near and long-term expenditures, could not result in perceived benefits that were contemplated upon entering into the transaction, and may pose significant integration challenges or disrupt our management or business, which could adversely affect our operations, solvency and financial results. For example, these transactions may entail numerous operational and financial risks, including:
exposure to unknown and contingent liabilities;
disruption of our business and diversion of our management's time and attention in order to develop acquired products, product candidates or technologies;
incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay for acquisitions;
higher than expected acquisition and integration costs;
the timing and likelihood of payment of milestones or royalties;
write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges;
increased operating expenditures, including additional research, development and sales and marketing expenses;
increased amortization expenses;
difficulty and cost in combining the operations and personnel of any acquired businesses with our operations and personnel; and
impairment of relationships with key suppliers or customers of any acquired businesses due to changes in management and ownership.
Accordingly, although there can be no assurance that we will undertake or successfully complete any additional transactions of the nature described above or that we will achieve an economic benefit that justifies such transactions, any additional transactions that we do complete could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.
We may not be able to enter into strategic transactions on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, which may impact our development and commercialization plans.
We have relied, and expect to continue to rely, on strategic transactions, which include in-licensing, out-licensing, purchases and sales of assets, and other ventures. The terms of any additional strategic transaction that we may enter into may not be favorable to us, and the contracts governing such strategic transaction may be subject to differing interpretations exposing us to potential litigation. We may also be restricted under existing collaboration or licensing arrangements from entering into future agreements on certain terms with potential strategic partners. We may not be able to negotiate additional strategic transactions on a timely basis, on acceptable terms, or at all. If we elect to increase our expenditures to fund development or commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we do not have sufficient funds, we may not be able to further develop our products or bring them to market and generate product revenue. Furthermore, there is no assurance that any such transaction will be successful or that we will derive an economic benefit as a result.
Risks Relating to the Company after the Merger with Essentialis
Completion of the Merger and concurrent financing transactions, which happened on March 7, 2017, resulted in the issuance of a significant amount of additional common stock, which could depress the trading price of our common stock.
The Merger and concurrent financing resulted in the issuance of a significant amount of our common stock. The common stock issued in the Merger and concurrent financing represents an increase in the outstanding our common stock as of the date of the completion of the Merger of up to approximately 172% of the common stock currently outstanding. The issuance of such a significant amount of our common stock could depress the trading price of our common stock and you may lose all or a part of your investment.
Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders will maintain the ability to control or significantly influence all matters submitted to stockholders for approval and under certain circumstances may have control over key decision making.
Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders own a majority of our outstanding common stock. Entities associated with Vivo Ventures, Forward Ventures, Technology Partners and our Chairman, Ernest Mario, as of March 7, 2017, own approximately 64.7% of our common stock. As a result, the forgoing group of stockholders are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these stockholders will control the election of directors and the approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other stockholders may desire.
Failure to retain key employees could diminish the benefits of the Merger and concurrent financing transactions.
Continued success will depend in part on the retention of key personnel at Essentialis, including senior management. There can be no assurances that we will be able to retain Essentialis’s key personnel. In addition, no assurance can be given that after
the transactions, that we will be able to attract or retain key management personnel and other key employees to the same extent that we or Essentialis had been previously able to attract or retain their own employees.
We will now be primarily a clinical-stage company with no approved products, which makes assessment of our future viability difficult.
We will now be primarily a clinical-stage company, with a relatively limited operating history upon and with no approved therapeutic products or revenues from the sale of therapeutic products. Essentialis’s operations prior to the Merger had been limited to organizing, staffing and financing, applying for patent rights, undertaking clinical trials of its primary product candidate, DCCR, and engaging in research and development. Prior to the Merger, Essentialis had not yet demonstrated an ability to obtain regulatory approval, manufacture commercial-scale products, or conduct the sales and marketing activities necessary for successful product commercialization. As a result, there is limited information about Essentialis for investors to use when assessing our future viability as a combined company and our potential to successfully develop product candidates, conduct clinical trials, manufacture our products on a commercial scale, obtain regulatory approval and profitably commercialize any approved products.
We will now be significantly dependent upon the success of DCCR, our sole therapeutic product candidate.
Prior to the Merger, Essentialis had invested, and following the Merger, we expect to continue to invest, a significant portion of our efforts and financial resources in the development of DCCR for the treatment of PWS, a rare complex genetic neurobehavioral/metabolic disease. Our ability to generate product revenues, which may not occur for the foreseeable future, if ever, will depend heavily on the successful development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of DCCR.
Any delay or impediment in our ability to obtain regulatory approval to commercialize in any region, or, if approved, obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-parties, including government payors, for DCCR, may cause us to be unable to generate the revenues necessary to continue our research and development pipeline activities, thereby adversely affecting our business and our prospects for future growth. Further, the success of DCCR will depend on a number of factors, including the following:
obtain a sufficiently broad label that would not unduly restrict patient access;
receipt of marketing approvals for DCCR in the E.U. and U.S.;
building an infrastructure capable of supporting product sales, marketing, and distribution of DCCR in territories where we pursue commercialization directly;
establishing commercial manufacturing arrangements with third party manufacturers;
establishing commercial distribution agreements with third party distributors;
launching commercial sales of DCCR, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others;
acceptance of DCCR, if and when approved, by patients, the medical community, and third party payors;
the regulatory approval pathway that we pursue for DCCR in the United States;
effectively competing with other therapies;
a continued acceptable safety profile of DCCR following approval;
obtaining and maintaining patent and trade secret protection and regulatory exclusivity;
protecting our rights in our intellectual property portfolio; and
obtaining a commercially viable price for our products.
If we do not achieve one or more of these factors in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or an inability to successfully commercialize DCCR, which would materially harm our business.
If we fail to obtain regulatory approval for DCCR in the U.S. and E.U., our business would be harmed.
We are required to obtain regulatory approval for each indication we are seeking before we can market and sell DCCR in a particular jurisdiction, for such indication. Our ability to obtain regulatory approval of DCCR depends on, among other things, successful completion of clinical trials, and demonstrating efficacy with statistical significance and safety in humans. The results of our current and future clinical trials may not meet the FDA, the European Medicines Agency, or EMA, or other
regulatory agencies’ requirements to approve DCCR for marketing under any specific indication, and these regulatory agencies may otherwise determine that our manufacturing processes or facilities are insufficient to support approval. As such, we may need to conduct more clinical trials than we currently anticipate and upgrade our manufacturing processes and facilities, which may require significant additional time and expense, and may delay or prevent approval. If we fail to obtain regulatory approval in a timely manner, our commercialization of DCCR would be delayed and our business would be harmed.
If we are unable to implement our sales, marketing, distribution, training and support strategies or enter into agreements with third parties to perform these functions in markets outside of the U.S. and E.U., we will not be able to effectively commercialize DCCR and may not reach profitability.
We do not have a sales or marketing infrastructure and have no experience in the sale, marketing or distribution of therapeutic products. To achieve commercial success for DCCR, if and when we obtain marketing approval, we will need to establish a sales and marketing organization.
In the future, we expect to build a targeted sales, marketing, training and support infrastructure to market DCCR in the U.S. and E.U. and to opportunistically establish collaborations to market, distribute and support DCCR outside of the U.S. and E.U. There are risks involved with establishing our own sales, marketing, distribution, training and support capabilities. For example, recruiting and training sales and marketing personnel is expensive and time consuming and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of DCCR is delayed or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales, marketing, training and support personnel.
Factors that may inhibit our efforts to commercialize DCCR on our own include:
our inability to recruit, train and retain adequate numbers of effective sales and marketing personnel;
the inability of sales personnel to obtain access to or persuade adequate numbers of physicians to prescribe DCCR or any future products;
the lack of complementary products to be offered by sales personnel, which may put us at a competitive disadvantage relative to companies with more extensive product lines;
unforeseen costs and expenses associated with creating an independent sales and marketing organization; and
efforts by our competitors to commercialize products at or about the time when our product candidates would be coming to market.
If we are unable to establish our own sales, marketing, distribution, training and support capabilities and instead enter into arrangements with third parties to perform these services, our product revenues and our profitability, if any, are likely to be lower than if we were to market, sell and distribute DCCR ourselves. In addition, we may not be successful in entering into arrangements with third parties to sell, market and distribute DCCR or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. We likely will have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to commercialize DCCR effectively. If we do not establish sales, marketing, distribution, training and support capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing DCCR and achieving profitability, and our business would be harmed.
If the market opportunity for DCCR is smaller than we believe it is, then our revenues may be adversely affected and our business may suffer.
PWS is a rare disease, and as such, our projections of both the number of people who have this disease, as well as the subset of people with PWS who have the potential to benefit from treatment with our product candidate, are based on estimates.
Currently, most reported estimates of the prevalence of PWS are based on studies of small subsets of the population of specific geographic areas, which are then extrapolated to estimate the prevalence of the diseases in the broader world population. In addition, as a resultnew studies are performed the estimated prevalence of these diseases may change. There can be no assurance that the prevalence of PWS in the study populations, particularly in these newer studies, accurately reflects the prevalence of this disease in the broader world population. If our estimates of the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement,prevalence of PWS, or of the number of patients who may benefit from 120 days after September 26, 2016,treatment with our product candidates prove to be incorrect, the daymarket opportunities for our product candidate may be smaller than we believe it is, our prospects for generating revenue may be adversely affected and our business may suffer.
Clinical drug development involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results, and our clinical trials may fail to adequately demonstrate the registration statement was declared effectivesafety and efficacy of DCCR or other potential product candidates.
Clinical testing is expensive and can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. A failure of one or more of our clinical trials can occur at any time during the clinical trial process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later stage clinical trials. There is a high failure rate for drugs proceeding through clinical trials, and product candidates in later stages of clinical trials may fail to show the required safety and efficacy despite having progressed through preclinical studies and initial clinical trials. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or adverse safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier clinical trials, and we cannot be certain that we will not face similar setbacks. Even if our clinical trials are completed, the results may not be sufficient to obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates.
We may experience delays in our clinical trials. We do not know whether future clinical trials, if any, will begin on time, need to be redesigned, enroll an adequate number of patients in a timely manner or be completed on schedule, if at all. Clinical trials can be delayed, suspended or terminated for a variety of reasons, including failure to:
generate sufficient preclinical, toxicology, or other in vivo or in vitro data to support the initiation or continuation of clinical trials;
obtain regulatory approval, or feedback on trial design, to commence a trial;
identify, recruit and train suitable clinical investigators;
reach agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations, or CROs, and clinical trial sites;
obtain and maintain IRB approval at each clinical trial site;
identify, recruit and enroll suitable patients to participate in a trial;
have a sufficient number of patients complete a trial or return for post-treatment follow-up;
ensure clinical investigators observe trial protocol or continue to participate in a trial;
address any patient safety concerns that arise during the course of a trial;
address any conflicts or compliance with new or existing laws, rule, regulations or guidelines;
have a sufficient number of clinical trial sites to conduct the trials;
timely manufacture sufficient quantities of product candidate appropriate for use in clinical trials; or
raise sufficient capital to fund a trial.
Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials and is affected by many factors, including the size and nature of the patient population, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, the eligibility criteria for the trial, the design of the clinical trial, competing clinical trials and clinicians’ and patients’ or caregivers’ perceptions as to the potential advantages of the drug candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new drugs or treatments that may be approved for the indications we are investigating.
We could also encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, by a data safety monitoring board for such trial or by the SEC, weFDA or any other regulatory authority, or if the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are not ablebeing conducted suspend or terminate the participation of their clinical investigators and sites subject to access any additional funds undertheir review. Such authorities may suspend or terminate a clinical trial due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the Aspire Purchase Agreement.clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical protocols, inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to demonstrate a benefit from using a product candidate, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.
On July 5, 2016 and September 29, 2016,If we issued $3,151,000 and $10,629,000 worthexperience delays in the completion of, sharesor termination of, Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, respectively, which are convertible into 13,780,000 sharesany clinical trial of our Common Stock, pursuantproduct candidates for any reason, the commercial prospects of our product candidates may be harmed, and our ability to generate product revenues from any of these product candidates will be delayed. In addition, any delays in completing our clinical trials will increase our costs, slow down our product candidate development and approval process and jeopardize our ability to commence product sales and generate revenues. Any of these occurrences may significantly harm our business, financial condition and prospects. In
addition, many of the factors that cause, or lead to, a delay in the commencement or completion of clinical trials may also ultimately lead to the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement.denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates.
We may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for DCCR or other potential product candidates following the merger. The denial or delay of any such approval would delay commercialization and have a material adverse effect on our potential to generate revenue, our business and our results of operations.
In addition, atThe research, development, testing, manufacturing, labeling, packaging, approval, promotion, advertising, storage, record keeping, marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, and export and import of drug products are subject to extensive regulation by the first closing heldFDA, and by foreign regulatory authorities in other countries. The legislation and regulations differ from country to country. To gain approval to market our product candidates, we must provide development, manufacturing and clinical data that adequately demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the product for the intended indication. We have not yet obtained regulatory approval to market any of our product candidates in the U.S. or any other country. Our business depends upon obtaining these regulatory approvals. The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of our product candidates for many reasons, including:
our inability to satisfactorily demonstrate that the product candidates are safe and effective for the requested indication;
the FDA’s disagreement with our trial protocol or the interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;
the population studied in the clinical trial may not be sufficiently broad or representative to assess safety in the full population for which we seek approval;
our inability to demonstrate that clinical or other benefits of our product candidates outweigh any safety or other perceived risks;
the FDA’s determination that additional preclinical or clinical trials are required;
the FDA’s non-approval of the formulation, labeling or the specifications of our product candidates;
the FDA’s failure to accept the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract; or
the potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA to significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical data insufficient for approval.
Even if we eventually complete clinical testing and receive approval of any regulatory filing for our product candidates, the FDA may grant approval contingent on July 5, 2016 under the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreementperformance of costly additional post-approval clinical trials. The FDA may also approve our product candidates for a more limited indication or a narrower patient population than we originally requested, and the second closingFDA may not approve the labeling that we believe is necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates. To the extent we seek regulatory approval in foreign countries, we may face challenges similar to those described above with regulatory authorities in applicable jurisdictions. Any delay in obtaining, or inability to obtain, applicable regulatory approval for any of our product candidates would delay or prevent commercialization of our product candidates and would materially adversely impact our business, results of operations and prospects.
Even if DCCR receives marketing approval, it may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, third party payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
If DCCR receives marketing approval, it may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, patients, third party payors and others in the medical community. If DCCR does not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenues or any profits from operations. The degree of market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including:
the efficacy and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;
the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
the ability to offer our product candidates for sale at competitive prices;
convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;
the strength of marketing and distribution support and timing of market introduction of competitive products;
publicity concerning our products or competing products and treatments; and
sufficient third party coverage or reimbursement.
Our ability to negotiate, secure and maintain third party coverage and reimbursement may be affected by political, economic and regulatory developments in the U.S., E.U., and other jurisdictions. Governments continue to impose cost containment measures, and third party payors are increasingly challenging prices charged for medicines and examining their cost effectiveness, in addition to their safety and efficacy. These and other similar developments could significantly limit the degree of market acceptance of DCCR or any of our other potential product candidates that receive marketing approval.
Our patent rights may prove to be an inadequate barrier to competition following the completion of the Merger.
We are the sole owner of patents and patent applications in the U.S. with claims covering the compounds underlying our primary product candidate, DCCR. Foreign counterparts of these patents and applications have been issued in the E.U., Japan, China, Canada, Australia, India and Hong Kong. However, the lifespan of any one patent is limited, and each of these patents will ultimately expire and we cannot be sure that pending applications will be granted, or that we will discover new inventions which we can successfully patent. Moreover, any of our granted patents may be held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, and any of these patents may also be construed narrowly by a court of competent jurisdiction in such a way that it is held to not directly cover DCCR. Furthermore, even if our patents are held to be valid and broadly interpreted, third parties may find legitimate ways to compete with DCCR by inventing around our patent. Finally, the process of obtaining new patents is lengthy and expensive, as is the process for enforcing patent rights against an alleged infringer. Any such litigation could take years, cost large sums of money and pose a significant distraction to management. Indeed, certain jurisdictions outside of the U.S. and E.U., where we hope to initially commercialize DCCR have a history of inconsistent, relatively lax or ineffective enforcement of patent rights. In such jurisdictions, even a valid patent may have limited value. Our failure to effectively prosecute our patents would have a harmful impact on September 29, 2016 under the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement, we repurchased $1,779,012 and $6,000,988, respectively, worth of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock held by Sabby.
our ability to commercialize DCCR in these jurisdictions.
Risks related to the development and commercialization of our products
Our success depends heavily on the successful commercialization of our CoSense device to aid in diagnosis of neonatal hemolysis and of our Serenz device to relieve the nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis. If we are unable to sell sufficient numbers of our products, our revenues may be insufficient to achieve profitability.
With the exception of revenue generated from the sale of products acquired from NFI, we will derive substantially all of our revenues from sales of CoSense devices and consumables globally and our Serenz devices in the E.U. for the foreseeable future. If we cannot generate sufficient revenues from sales, we may be unable to finance our continuing operations.
We may not be successful in commercializing our approved products.
products
Our efforts to launch CoSense into the neonatology marketplace and Serenz in the E.U. are subject to a variety of risks, any of which may prevent or limit sales of CoSense and Serenz. Furthermore, commercialization of products into the medical marketplace is subject to a variety of regulations regarding the manner in which potential customers may be engaged, the manner in which products may be lawfully advertised, and the claims that can be made for the benefits of the product, among other things. Our lack of experience with product launches may expose us to a higher than usual level of risk of non-compliance with these regulations, with consequences that may include fines or the removal of our approved products from the marketplace by regulatory authorities.
If we are unable to execute our sales and marketing strategy for our neonatology products, and for Serenz, and are unable to gain acceptance in the market, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue to sustain our business.
Although we believe that DCCR, Serenz, our neonatology, and other planned products represent promising commercial opportunities, our products may never gain significant acceptance in the marketplace and therefore may never generate substantial revenue or profits for us. We will need to establish a market for DCCR, Serenz in the E.U. and for our neonatology products globally and build these markets through physician education, awareness programs, and other marketing efforts. Gaining acceptance in medical communities depends on a variety of factors, including clinical data published or reported in reputable contexts and word-of-mouth between physicians. The process of publication in leading medical journals is subject to a peer
review process and peer reviewers may not consider the results of our studies sufficiently novel or worthy of publication. Failure to have our studies published in peer-reviewed journals may limit the adoption of our products. Our ability to successfully market Serenz in the E.U., as well asour products globally will depend on numerous factors, including:
• the outcomes of clinical utility studies of such products in collaboration with key thought leaders to demonstrate our products’ value in informing important medical decisions such as treatment selection;
• the success of our distribution partners;
• whether healthcare providers believe such tests provide clinical utility;
• whether the medical community accepts that such tests are sufficiently sensitive and specific to be meaningful in patient care and treatment decisions; and
• whether hospital administrators, health insurers, government health programs and other payors will cover and pay for such tests and, if so, whether they will adequately reimburse us.
We are relying, or will rely, on third parties with whom we are directly engaged with, but who we do not control, to distribute and sell our products. If these distributors are not committed to our products or otherwise run into their own financial or other difficulties, it may result in failure to achieve widespread market acceptance of Serenz, and our neonatology and other products, and would materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If physicians decide not to order our neonatology products in significant numbers, we may be unable to generate sufficient revenue to sustain our business.
To generate demand for our neonatology and other planned products, we will need to educate physicians, neonatologists, pediatricians, and other health care professionals on the clinical utility, benefits and value of the tests we provide through published papers, presentations at scientific conferences, educational programs and one-on-one education sessions by members of our sales force. In addition, we will need support of hospital administrators that the clinical and economic utility of CoSense justifies payment for the device and consumables at adequate pricing levels. We need to hire additional commercial, scientific, technical and other personnel to support this process.
In addition, although treatment guidelines recommend ETCO testing, physicians are free to practice in accordance with their own judgment, and may not adopt ETCO testing to the extent recommended by the guidelines, or at all. While the current AAP guidelines recommend ETCO measurement be performed to assess the presence of hemolysis in neonates requiring phototherapy, neonates unresponsive to phototherapy or readmitted for phototherapy, and neonates with bilirubin levels approaching exchange transfusion levels. AAP guidelines are updated approximately every ten years, and since the current guidelines were published in 2004, these guidelines may change in the near term.
If we cannot convince medical practitioners to order and pay for our current test and our planned tests, and if we cannot convince institutions to pay for our current test and our planned tests, we will likely be unable to create demand in sufficient volume for us to achieve sustained profitability.
If Serenz or our neonatology or other planned products do not continue to perform as expected, our operating results, reputation and business will suffer.
Our success depends on the market’s confidence that Serenz in the E.U., and our neonatology and other planned products worldwide can provide reliable, high-quality diagnostic results or treatments. With respect to our neonatology and other diagnostic products, we believe that our customers are likely to be particularly sensitive to test defects and errors, and prior products made by other companies for the same diagnostic purpose have failed in the marketplace, in part as a result of poor diagnostic accuracy. As a result, the failure of our neonatology and other planned products to perform as expected would significantly impair our reputation and the clinical usefulness of such tests. Reduced sales might result, and we may also be subject to legal claims arising from any defects or errors.
If we cannot compete successfully with other diagnostictesting modalities, we may be unable to increase or sustain our revenues or achieve and sustain profitability.
Our principleprincipal competition for CoSense comes from mainstream diagnostic methods, used by physicians for many years, which focus on invasive blood tests such as the Coombs test, blood counts and serum bilirubin. In addition, transcutaneous monitors of bilirubin also create a competitive threat. It may be difficult to change the methods or behavior of neonatologists and pediatricians to incorporate CoSense in their practices in conjunction with, or instead of, blood tests.
In addition, several larger companies have extensive sales presence in the neonatology area and could potentially develop non-invasive diagnostic tests that compete with our neonatology or other planned products. These include General Electric Healthcare, Fischer & Paykel, Philips, Draeger, Covidien, Masimo, Natus Medical, and CAS Medical. Some of our present and potential competitors have widespread brand recognition and substantially greater financial and technical resources and development, production and marketing capabilities than we do. Others may develop lower-priced tests that payors and physicians could view as functionally equivalent to our current or planned tests, which could force us to lower the list price of our tests. This would impact our operating margins and our ability to achieve and maintain profitability. If we cannot compete successfully against current or future competitors, we may be unable to increase or create market acceptance and sales of our current or planned tests, which could prevent us from increasing or sustaining our revenues or achieving or sustaining profitability.
We expect to continue to incur significant expenses to develop and market additional diagnostic tests, which could make it difficult for us to achieve and sustain profitability.
In recent years, we have incurred significant costs in connection with the development of CoSense. For the three and ninetwelve months ended September 30,December 31, 2016, our research and development expenses were $1.1$1 million and $4.2$5.2 million, respectively. We expect our expenses to increase for the foreseeable future, as we conduct studies of CoSense and continue to develop our planned products, including tests for hydrogen nitric oxide and other analytes. We will also incur significant expenses to establish a sales and marketing infrastructure, and to drive adoption of and reimbursement for our products. As a result, we need to generate significant revenues in order to achieve sustained profitability.
Commercialization of Serenz may not be approved for salesuccessful
In the U.S., we have concluded that Serenz Nasal Relief is a Class I, 510(k) exempt device. The device meets FDA regulations as a class 1 medical device (i.e., not a pharmaceutical) and is 510(k) exempt in the U.S., or in any territory outside of the E.U.
Neither we nor any future collaboration partner can commercialize Serenz in the U.S. without first obtaining regulatory approval for the product from the FDA. In the E.U., we previously obtained CE Mark certification, clearing the device for commercial sale.United States (Product Code, KMA; Regulation Number, 21 CFR 874.5550, Powered Nasal Irrigator). We recently reactivated the CE Mark certification for Serenz. We commenced pilot sales of Serenz to pharmacies in the E.U. in the second quarter of 2016 to gather commercial feedback in preparation of a full launch of Serenz in 2017.
The approval route for Serenz in the U.S. maycannot be through a device approval or a drug-device combination approval. If it is a device approval pathway, it may be either via the premarket approval, or PMA, process, a de novo510(k) pathway, or traditional 510(k). Additional randomized, controlled clinical trials and other development work may be necessary to obtain approval. The approval process may take several years to complete, and approval may never be obtained. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of Serenz for treatment of AR, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence, gathered in preclinical and well-controlled clinical studies,certain that the planned product is safe and effective for use for that target indication. We mayFDA will not conduct such a trial or may not successfully enroll or complete any such trial. Serenz may not achieve the required primary endpoint in the clinical trial, and Serenz may not receive regulatory approval. We must also demonstrate that the manufacturing facilities, processes and controls are adequate. Additionally, the FDA may determine that Serenz should be regulated as a combination product or as a drug, and in that case, the approval process would be further lengthened.challenge this position.
Moreover, obtaining regulatory approval for marketing of Serenz in one country does not ensure we will be able to obtain regulatory approval in other countries, while a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in other countries.
Even if we or any future collaboration partners were to successfully obtain a regulatory approval for Serenz, any approval might contain significant limitations related to use restrictions for specified age groups, warnings, precautions or contraindications, or may be subject to burdensome post-approval study or risk management requirements. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval for Serenz in one or more jurisdictions, or any approval contains significant limitations, we may not be able to obtain sufficient revenue to justify commercial launch. Also, any regulatory approval of Serenz, once obtained, may be withdrawn. Even if we obtain regulatory approval for Serenz in additional countries, theThe commercial success of the product will depend on a number of factors, including the following:
• establishment of commercially viable pricing, and obtaining approval for adequate reimbursement from third-party and government payors;pricing;
• our ability, or that of third-party manufacturers that we may retain, to manufacture quantities of Serenz using commercially viable processes at a scale sufficient to meet anticipated demand and reduce our cost of manufacturing, and that are compliant with current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP regulations;
• our success in educating physicians and patients about the benefits, administration and use of Serenz;
• the availability, perceived advantages, relative cost, relative safety and relative efficacy of alternative and competing treatments;
• acceptance of Serenz as safe and effective by patients, caregivers and the medical community; and
• a continued acceptable safety profile of Serenz following approval.
Many of these factors are beyond our control. If we are unable to successfully commercialize Serenz, or unable to obtain a partner to commercialize it, we may not be able to earn any revenues related to Serenz. This would result in an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
One or more countries in the E.U. may reassess the Class 2a designation and determine that Serenz be regulated in a different manner.
Serenz has CE Mark certification in the E.U. based on it being treated as a Class 2a medical device in constituent E.U. countries. One or more countries in the E.U. may reassess the Class 2a designation and determine that Serenz be
regulated differently and if this occurs, controlled clinical trials and other development work may be necessary to maintain regulatory clearances in any such jurisdictions. We may be required to demonstrate with substantial evidence, gathered in preclinical and well-controlled clinical studies, that Serenz is safe and effective for use. We may not be able to conduct such a trial or may not successfully enroll or complete any such trial. Serenz may not achieve the required primary endpoint in the clinical trialtrial. As a result, the regulatory process in any such jurisdictions may take several years to complete, and requisite clearances may never be obtained.
The regulatory approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain, and may prevent us or our partners from obtaining approval for the commercialization of Serenz or our other development candidates. Approval of Serenz in the U.S. or other territories may require that we, or a partner, conduct additional randomized, controlled clinical trials.
The regulatory pathway for approval of Serenz in the U.S. has not been determined. However, there is a significant risk that the FDA will require us to file for approval via the PMA pathway for devices, or may classify Serenz as a drug-device combination that must be approved via the new drug application, or NDA, pathway typically used for drug products. In either of these cases, the FDA may require that additional randomized, controlled clinical trials be conducted before an application for approval can be filed. These are typically expensive and time consuming, and require substantial commitment of financial and personnel resources from the sponsoring company. These trials also entail significant risk, and the data that results may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA or other regulatory bodies.
Furthermore, regulatory approval of either a PMA or an NDA is not guaranteed, and the filing and approval process itself is expensive and may take several years. The FDA also has substantial discretion in the approval process. Despite the time and expense exerted, failure may occur at any stage, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical studies. The FDA can delay, limit, or deny approval of a future product for many reasons, including but not limited to:
• a future product may not be deemed to be safe and effective;
• FDA officials may not find the data from clinical and preclinical studies sufficient;
• the FDA may not approve our or our third-party manufacturer’s processes or facilities; or
• the FDA may change its approval policies or adopt new regulations.
If Serenz, or our future products, fail to demonstrate safety and effectiveness in further clinical studies that may be required, or do not gain regulatory approval, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely harmed.
The mechanism of action of Serenz has not been fully determined or validated.
The exact mechanism of action(s) of Serenz is unknown. Therapeutics are increasingly focused on target-driven development, and an understanding of a future product’s mechanism of action is typically believed to make development less risky. The FDA may view this as increasing the potential risks, and diminishing the potential benefits, of Serenz. In addition, potential partners may view this as a limitation of the program, and it may be more challenging for us to obtain a partnership on favorable terms as a result.
Because the results of preclinical testing and earlier clinical trials, and the results to date in various clinical trials, are not necessarily predictive of future results, Serenz may not have favorable results in later clinical trials or receive regulatory approval.
Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will generate adequate data to demonstrate the effectiveness and safety of an investigational product. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including those with greater resources and experience, have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, even after seeing promising results in earlier clinical trials. Despite the results to date in the various clinical studies performed with Serenz, we do not know whether pivotal clinical trials, if the FDA requires they be conducted, will demonstrate adequate effectiveness and safety to result in regulatory approval to market Serenz. Even if we, or a future partner, believe that the data is adequate to support an application for regulatory approval to market our planned products, the FDA or other applicable foreign regulatory authorities may not agree and may require additional clinical trials. If these subsequent clinical trials do not produce favorable results, regulatory approval for Serenz may not be achieved.
There can be no assurance that Serenz will not exhibit new or increased safety risks in subsequent clinical trials. In addition, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many other companies that have believed their planned products performed satisfactorily in preclinical studies and clinical trials have nonetheless failed to obtain regulatory approval for the marketing of their products.
Delays in the enrollment of patients in any of our clinical studies could increase development costs and delay completion of the study.
We or any future collaboration partner may not be able to initiate or continue clinical studies for Serenz if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these studies as required by the FDA or other regulatory authorities. Even if a sufficient number of patients can be enrolled in clinical trials, if the pace of enrollment is slower than we expect, the development costs for our planned products may increase and the completion of our studies may be delayed, or the studies could become too expensive to complete.
If clinical studies of Serenz or any of our planned products fail to demonstrate safety and effectiveness to the satisfaction of the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside the U.S. or do not otherwise produce positive results, we may incur additional costs,
experience delays in completing or ultimately fail in completing the development and commercialization of Serenz or our planned products.
Before obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of any planned product we must conduct extensive clinical studies to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of our planned products in humans. Clinical studies are expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and are uncertain as to outcome. A failure of one or more of our clinical studies could occur at any stage of testing.
Numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, clinical studies could occur, which would delay or prevent our ability to receive regulatory approval or commercialize Serenz or any of our planned products, including the following:
• clinical studies may produce negative or inconclusive results, and we may decide, or regulators may require us, to conduct additional clinical studies or abandon product development programs;
• the number of patients required for clinical studies may be larger than we anticipate, enrollment in these clinical studies may be insufficient or slower than we anticipate or patients may drop out of these clinical studies at a higher rate than we anticipate;
• the cost of clinical studies or the manufacturing of our planned products may be greater than we anticipate;
• third-party contractors may fail to comply with regulatory requirements or meet their contractual obligations to us in a timely manner, or at all;
• we might have to suspend or terminate clinical studies of our planned products for various reasons, including a finding that our planned products have unanticipated serious side effects or other unexpected characteristics or that the patients are being exposed to unacceptable health risks;
• regulators may not approve our proposed clinical development plans;
• regulators or independent institutional review boards, or IRBs, may not authorize us or our investigators to commence a clinical study or conduct a clinical study at a prospective study site;
• regulators or IRBs may require that we or our investigators suspend or terminate clinical research for various reasons, including noncompliance with regulatory requirements; and
• the supply or quality of our planned products or other materials necessary to conduct clinical studies of our planned products may be insufficient or inadequate.
If we or any future collaboration partners are required to conduct additional clinical trials or other testing of Serenz or any planned products beyond those that we contemplate, if those clinical studies or other testing cannot be successfully completed, if the results of these studies or tests are not positive or are only modestly positive or if there are safety concerns, we may:
• be delayed in obtaining marketing approval for our planned products;
• not obtain marketing approval at all;
• obtain approval for indications that are not as broad as intended;
• have the product removed from the market after obtaining marketing approval;
• be subject to additional post-marketing testing requirements; or
• be subject to restrictions on how the product is distributed or used.
Our product development costs will also increase if we experience delays in testing or approvals. We do not know whether any clinical studies will begin as planned, will need to be restructured or will be completed on schedule, or at all. Significant clinical study delays also could shorten any periods during which we may have the exclusive right to commercialize our planned products or allow our competitors to bring products to market before we do, which would impair our ability to commercialize our planned products and harm our business and results of operations.
Even if subsequent clinical trials demonstrate acceptable safety and effectiveness of Serenz for the relief of nasal symptoms related to AR, theThe FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside the U.S. may not approvecontinue to allow us to market Serenz for marketing orNasal Reliefor may approvelimit it with restrictions on the label, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
It is possibleWe cannot be certain that the FDA or similar regulatory authorities maywill not consider the results of the clinical trials to be sufficient for approval ofchallenge our position that Serenz for this indication. In general, theNasal Relief meets FDA suggests that sponsors complete two adequate and well-controlled clinical studies to demonstrate effectiveness becauseregulations as a conclusion based on two persuasive studies will be more compelling than a conclusion based on a single study. The FDA may nonetheless require that we may conduct additional clinical studies, possibly using a different clinical study design.Class I, 510(k) exempt device.
Moreover, even if the FDA or other regulatory authorities approve Serenz, the approval may include additional restrictions on the label that could make Serenz less attractive to physicians and patients compared to other products that may be approved for broader indications, which could limit potential sales of Serenz.
If we fail to obtain FDA or other regulatory approval of Serenz, or if the approval is narrower than what we seek, it could impair our ability to realize value from Serenz, and therefore may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Even if Serenz or any planned products receive regulatory approval, these products may fail to achieve the degree of market acceptance by physicians, patients, caregivers, healthcare payors and others in the medical community necessary for commercial success.
If Serenz or any planned products receive regulatory approval from the FDA or other regulatory agencies in jurisdictions in which they are not currently approved, they may nonetheless fail to gain sufficient market acceptance by physicians, hospital administrators, patients, healthcare payors and others in the medical community. The degree of market acceptance of our planned products, if approved for commercial sale, will depend on a number of factors, including the following:
• the prevalence and severity of any side effects;
• their effectiveness and potential advantages compared to alternative treatments;
• the price we charge for our planned products;
• the willingness of physicians to change their current treatment practices;
• convenience and ease of administration compared to alternative treatments;
• the willingness of the target patient population to try new therapies and of physicians to prescribe these therapies;
• the strength or effectiveness of marketing and distribution support or partners; and
• the availability of third-party coverage or reimbursement.
For example, a number of companies offer therapies for treatment of AR patients based on a daily regimen, and physicians, patients or their families may not be willing to change their current treatment practices in favor of Serenz even if it is able to offer additional efficacy or more attractive product attributes. If Serenz or any plannedour products if approved, do not achieve an adequate level of acceptance, we may not generate significant product revenue and we may not become profitable on a sustained basis or at all.
We currently have limited sales and distribution personnel, and limited marketing capabilities. If we are unable to develop a sales and marketing and distribution capability on our own or through collaborations or other marketing partners, we will not be successful in commercializing our neonatology products, Serenz, or other planned products.
We are currently building a sales and marketing infrastructure and have no experience in the sale, marketing or distribution of diagnostic or therapeutic products. To achieve commercial success for any approved product, we must either develop a sales and marketing infrastructure or outsource these functions to third parties.
There are risks involved with both establishing our own sales and marketing capabilities and entering into arrangements with third parties to perform these services. For example, recruiting and training a sales force is expensive and time-consuming, and could delay any product launch. If the commercial launch of a planned product for which we recruit a sales force and establish marketing capabilities is delayed, or does not occur for any reason, we would have prematurely or unnecessarily incurred these commercialization expenses. This may be costly, and our investment would be lost if we cannot retain or reposition our sales and marketing personnel.
To achieve commercial success for any approved product, we must either develop a sales and marketing infrastructure or outsource these functions to third parties. We also may not be successful entering into arrangements with third parties to sell and market our planned products or may be unable to do so on terms that are favorable to us. We likely will have little control over such third parties, and any of them may fail to devote the necessary resources and attention to sell and market our products effectively and could damage our reputation. If we do not establish sales and marketing capabilities successfully, either on our own or in collaboration with third parties, we will not be successful in commercializing our planned products.
We may attempt to form partnerships in the future with respect to Serenz or other futureour products, but we may not be able to do so, which may cause us to alter our development and commercialization plans, and may cause us to terminate the Serenz program.
any such programs.
We may form strategic alliances, create joint ventures or collaborations, or enter into licensing agreements with third parties that we believe will more effectively provide resources to develop and commercialize our programs. For example, we currently intend to identify one or more new partners or distributors for the commercialization of Serenz. We may also attempt to find one or more strategic partners for the development or commercialization of one or more of our other future products.
We face significant competition in seeking appropriate strategic partners, and the negotiation process to secure favorable terms is time-consuming and complex. In addition, the termination of our license agreement for Serenz with our former partner, may negatively impact the perception of Serenz held by other potential partners for the program. We may not be successful in our efforts to establish such a strategic partnership for any future products and programs on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.
Any delays in identifying suitable collaborators and entering into agreements to develop or commercialize our future products could negatively impact the development or commercialization of our future products, particularly in geographic regions like the E.U., where we do not currently have development and commercialization infrastructure. Absent a partner or collaborator, we would need to undertake development or commercialization activities at our own expense. If we elect to fund and undertake development and commercialization activities on our own, we may need to obtain additional expertise and additional capital, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we are unable to do so, we may not be able to develop our future products or bring them to market, and our business may be materially and adversely affected.
Serenz or our plannedOur products may cause serious adverse side effects or have other properties that could delay or prevent their regulatory approval, limit the commercial desirability of an approved label or result in significant negative consequences following any marketing approval.
The risk of failure of clinical development is high. It is impossible to predict when or if this or any planned products will prove safe enough to receive regulatory approval. Undesirable side effects caused by Serenz or any of our planned products could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials or could result in a more restrictive label or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or other comparable foreign regulatory authority. Additionally, if Serenz or any of our planned products receives additional marketing approvals, and we or others later identify undesirable side effects caused by such product, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
• we may be forced to recall such product and suspend the marketing of such product;
• regulatory authorities may withdraw their approvals of such product;
• regulatory authorities may require additional warnings on the label that could diminish the usage or otherwise limit the commercial success of such products;
• the FDA or other regulatory bodies may issue safety alerts, Dear Healthcare Provider letters, press releases or other communications containing warnings about such product;
• the FDA may require the establishment or modification of Risk Evaluation Mitigation Strategies or a comparable foreign regulatory authority may require the establishment or modification of a similar strategy that may, for instance, restrict distribution of our products and impose burdensome implementation requirements on us;
• we may be required to change the way the product is administered or conduct additional clinical trials;
• we could be sued and held liable for harm caused to subjects or patients;
• we may be subject to litigation or product liability claims; and
• our reputation may suffer.
Any of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the particular planned product, if approved.
We face competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products before we do, or more successfully than we do.
Alternatives exist for our products and we will likely face competition with respect to any planned products that we may seek to develop or commercialize in the future, from major pharmaceutical companies, specialty pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and biotechnology companies worldwide. There are several large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that currently market and sell AR therapies to our target patient group. These companies may reduce prices for their competing drugs in an effort to gain or retain market share, and undermine the value proposition that Serenz or our neonatology products might otherwise be able to offer to payors. Potential competitors also include academic institutions, government agencies and other public and private research organizations that conduct research, seek patent protection and establish collaborative arrangements for research, development, manufacturing and commercialization. Many of these competitors are attempting to develop therapeutics for our target indications.
Smaller or early stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies. These third parties compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified technical and management personnel, establishing clinical study sites and patient registration for clinical studies, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs.
Even if we are able to maintain our existing partners in commercializizingcommercializing our neonatology products, Serenz, or any planned products, they may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, thereby harming our business.
The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for new products vary widely from country to country. Some countries require approval of the sale price of a product before it can be marketed. In many countries, the pricing review period begins after marketing approval is granted. In some foreign markets, pricing remains subject to continuing governmental control even after initial approval is granted. As a result, we might obtain regulatory approval for a product in a particular country, but then be subject to price regulations that delay our commercial launch of the product and negatively impact the revenue we are able to generate from the sale of the product in that country. Adverse pricing limitations may hinder our ability to recoup our investment in one or more planned products, even if our planned products obtain regulatory approval.
Our ability to commercialize our products successfully also will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for these products and related treatments becomes available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other organizations. Government authorities and third-party payors, such as private health insurers and health maintenance organizations, decide which medications they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. A primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Government authorities and these third-party payors have attempted to control costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. We cannot be sure that reimbursement will be available for any product that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will be. Reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any product for which we obtain marketing approval. Obtaining reimbursement for our products may be particularly difficult because of the higher prices often associated with products administered under the supervision of a physician. If reimbursement is not available or is available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any planned product that we successfully develop.
In the U.S., while we expect payments for CoSense to be part of a Diagnosis-Related Group,diagnosis-related group, or DRG (also known as a bundled payment), we may have to obtain reimbursement for it from payors directly. There may be significant delays in obtaining reimbursement for CoSense, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the product is approved by the FDA or regulatory authorities in other countries. Moreover, eligibility for reimbursement does not imply that any product will be paid for in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim payments for new products, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent. Payment rates may vary according to the use of the product and the clinical setting in which it is used, may be based on payments allowed for lower cost products that are already reimbursed and may
be incorporated into existing payments for other services. Net prices for products may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of products from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the U.S. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement policies.
Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and profitable payment rates from both government funded and private payors for new products that we develop could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital needed to commercialize products and our overall financial condition. In some foreign countries, including major markets in the E.U. and Japan, the pricing of prescription pharmaceuticals is subject to governmental control. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take nine to twelve months or longer after the receipt of regulatory marketing approval for a product. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical trial that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product to other available therapies. Our business could be materially harmed if reimbursement of CoSense, if any, is unavailable or limited in scope or amount or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels.
Product liability lawsuits against us could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and to limit commercialization of any products that we may develop.
We face an inherent risk of product liability exposure related to the sale of Serenz, our neonatology products and any planned products in human clinical studies.products. The marketing, sale and use of Serenz, our neonatology products and our planned products could lead to the filing of product liability claims against us if someone alleges that our tests failed to perform as designed. We may also be subject to liability for a misunderstanding of, or inappropriate reliance upon, the information we provide. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against claims that our neonatology products or our planned products caused injuries, we may incur substantial liabilities. Regardless of merit or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in:
• decreased demand for any planned products that we may develop;
• injury to our reputation and significant negative media attention;
•
withdrawal of patients from clinical studies or cancellation of studies;
• significant costs to defend the related litigation and distraction to our management team;
• substantial monetary awards to patients;
• loss of revenue; and
• the inability to commercialize any products that we may develop.
We currently hold $8.0 million in product liability insurance coverage, which may not be adequate to cover all liabilities that we may incur. Insurance coverage is increasingly expensive. We may not be able to maintain insurance coverage at a reasonable cost or in an amount adequate to satisfy any liability that may arise.
The loss of key members of our executive management team could adversely affect our business.
Our success in implementing our business strategy depends largely on the skills, experience and performance of key members of our executive management team and others in key management positions, including Dr. Anish Bhatnagar, our Chief Executive Officer, David D. O’Toole, our Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Neil Cowen, our Senior Vice President of Drug Development, Anthony Wondka, our Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Otho Boone, our Vice President and General Manager of Neonatology, and Kristen Yen, our Vice President of Clinical & Regulatory.Regulatory Affairs. The collective efforts of each of these persons, and others working with them as a team, are critical to us as we continue to develop our technologies, tests and research and development and sales programs. As a result of the difficulty in locating qualified new management, the loss or incapacity of existing members of our executive management team could adversely affect our operations. If we were to lose one or more of these key employees, we could experience difficulties in finding qualified successors, competing effectively, developing our technologies and implementing our business strategy. Our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Vice President & General Manager of Neonatology, Vice President of Clinical & Regulatory, Senior Vice President of Drug Development and Senior Vice President of Research and Development all have employment agreements; however, the existence of an employment agreement does not guarantee retention of members of our executive management team and we may not be able to retain those individuals for the duration of or beyond the end of their respective terms. We have secured a $1,000,000 “key person” life insurance policy on our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Anish Bhatnagar, but do not otherwise maintain “key person” life insurance on any of our employees.
The loss of a key employee, the failure of a key employee to perform in his or her current position or our inability to attract and retain skilled employees could result in our inability to continue to grow our business or to implement our business strategy.
In addition, we rely on collaborators, consultants and advisors, including scientific and clinical advisors, to assist us in formulating our research and development and commercialization strategy. Our collaborators, consultants and advisors are generally employed by employers other than us and may have commitments under agreements with other entities that may limit their availability to us.
There is a scarcity of experienced professionals in our industry. If we are not able to retain and recruit personnel with the requisite technical skills, we may be unable to successfully execute our business strategy.
The specialized nature of our industry results in an inherent scarcity of experienced personnel in the field. Our future success depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel, including scientific, technical, commercial, business, regulatory and administrative personnel, necessary to support our anticipated growth, develop our business and perform certain contractual obligations. Given the scarcity of professionals with the scientific knowledge that we require and the competition for qualified personnel among biotechnology and medical device businesses, we may not succeed in attracting or retaining the personnel we require to continue and grow our operations.
We may encounter manufacturing problems or delays that could result in lost revenue. Additionally, we currently rely on third-party suppliers for critical materials needed to manufacture our Serenz devices, CoSense monitors and consumables, other neonatology products, as well as our planned products. Any problems experienced by these suppliers could result in a delay or interruption of their supply to us, and as a result, we may face delays in the commercialization of our neonatology products or the development and commercialization of planned products.
We perform final assembly of CoSense monitors and consumables at our facility in Redwood City, CA. We believe that we currently have adequate manufacturing capacity. If demand for our current products and our planned products increases significantly, we will need to either expand our manufacturing capabilities or outsource to other manufacturers. We currently
have limited experience in commercial-scale manufacturing of our planned products, and we currently rely upon third-party contract manufacturing organizations to manufacture and supply components for our products. The manufacture of these products in compliance with the FDA’s regulations requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. Manufacturers of medical device products often encounter difficulties in production, including difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control, quality assurance testing, shortages of qualified personnel, as well as compliance with strictly enforced FDA requirements, other federal and state regulatory requirements, and foreign regulations.
We currently purchase components for our products under purchase orders and do not have long-term contracts with most of the suppliers of these materials. If suppliers were to delay or stop producing our components, or if the prices they charge us were to increase significantly, or if they elected not to sell to us, we would need to identify other suppliers. We could experience delays in manufacturing the instruments or consumables while finding another acceptable supplier, which could impact our results of operations. The changes could also result in increased costs associated with qualifying the new materials or reagents and in increased operating costs. Further, any prolonged disruption in a supplier’s operations could have a significant negative impact on our ability to manufacture and deliver products in a timely manner. Some of the components used in our products are currently sole-sourced, and substitutes for these components might not be able to be obtained easily or may require substantial design or manufacturing modifications. Any significant problem experienced by one of our sole source suppliers may result in a delay or interruption in the supply of components to us because the number of third-party manufacturers with the necessary manufacturing and regulatory expertise and facilities is limited. Any delay or interruption would likely lead to a delay or interruption in our manufacturing operations. The inclusion of substitute components must meet our product specifications and could require us to qualify the new supplier with the appropriate government regulatory authorities. It could be expensive and take a significant amount of time to arrange for alternative suppliers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. New manufacturers of any planned product would be required to qualify under applicable regulatory requirements and would need to have sufficient rights under applicable intellectual property laws to the method of manufacturing the product. Obtaining the necessary FDA approvals or other qualifications under applicable regulatory requirements and ensuring non-infringement of third-party intellectual property rights could result in a significant interruption of supply and could require the new manufacturer to bear significant additional costs that may be passed on to us.
We currently contract manufacture Serenz in China with a sole-source third party out-sourced manufacturing supplier. We do not have any backup manufacturing capability. If our sole-source supplier is harmed or rendered inoperable
by natural or man-made disasters, including fire, earthquake, flooding and power outages, our supply of Serenz will be interrupted. Also there can be no guarantee that we can maintain a commercial relationship with this supplier on acceptable economic terms.
We may acquire other businesses or form joint ventures or make investments in other companies or technologies that could harm our operating results, dilute our stockholders’ ownership, increase our debt or cause us to incur significant expense.
As part of our business strategy, we may pursue acquisitions or licenses of assets or acquisitions of businesses.businesses, including the Merger with Essentialis pursuant to the Merger Agreement. We completed the Merger with Essentialis on March 7, 2017, and concurrently with the closing of the Merger, completed financing transaction with total aggregate proceeds of approximately $10 million from current stockholders and new investors. We also may pursue strategic alliances and joint ventures that leverage our core technology and industry experience to expand our product offerings or sales and distribution resources. Our company has limited experience with acquiring other companies, acquiring or licensing assets or forming strategic alliances and joint ventures. We may not be able to find suitable partners or acquisition candidates, and we may not be able to complete such transactions on favorable terms, if at all. If we make any acquisitions, we may not be able to integrate these acquisitions successfully into our existing business, and we could assume unknown or contingent liabilities. Any future acquisitions also could result in significant write-offs or the incurrence of debt and contingent liabilities, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Integration of an acquired company also may disrupt ongoing operations and require management resources that would otherwise focus on developing our existing business. We may experience losses related to investments in other companies, which could have a material negative effect on our results of operations.
We may not identify or complete these transactions in a timely manner, on a cost-effective basis, or at all, and we may not realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition, license, strategic alliance or joint venture. To finance such a transaction we may choose to issue shares of our Common Stockcommon stock as consideration, which would dilute the ownership of our stockholders. If the price of our Common Stockcommon stock is low or volatile, we may not be able to acquire other companies or fund a joint venture project using our stock as consideration. Alternatively, it may be necessary for us to raise additional funds for acquisitions through public or private financings. Additional funds may not be available on terms that are favorable to us, or at all.
International expansion of our business will expose us to business, regulatory, political, operational, financial and economic risks associated with doing business outside of the U.S.
We have distribution partners for CoSense in China, India, Canada, Turkey, Denmark, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. We recently launched pilot sales of Serenz in the U.K. and Ireland. Our business strategy contemplates international expansion, including partnering with medical device distributors, and introducing our neonatology products and other planned products outside the U.S. Doing business internationally involves a number of risks, including:
• multiple, conflicting and changing laws and regulations such as tax laws, export and import restrictions, employment laws, regulatory requirements and other governmental approvals, permits and licenses;
• potential failure by us or our distributors to obtain regulatory approvals for the sale or use of our current products and our planned future products in various countries;
• difficulties in managing foreign operations;
• complexities associated with managing government payor systems, multiple payor-reimbursement regimes or self-pay systems;
• logistics and regulations associated with shipping products, including infrastructure conditions and transportation delays;
• limits on our ability to penetrate international markets if our distributors do not execute successfully;
• financial risks, such as longer payment cycles, difficulty enforcing contracts and collecting accounts receivable, and exposure to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations;
• reduced protection for intellectual property rights, or lack of them in certain jurisdictions, forcing more reliance on our trade secrets, if available;
• natural disasters, political and economic instability, including wars, terrorism and political unrest, outbreak of disease, boycotts, curtailment of trade and other business restrictions; and
• failure to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, including its books and records provisions and its anti-bribery provisions, by maintaining accurate information and control over sales activities and distributors’ activities.
Any of these risks, if encountered, could significantly harm our future international expansion and operations and, consequently, have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Intrusions into our computer systems could result in compromise of confidential information.
The accuracy of CoSense depends, in part, on the function of software run by the microprocessors embedded in the device. This software is proprietary to us. While we have made efforts to test the software extensively, it is potentially subject to malfunction. It may be vulnerable to physical break-ins, hackers, improper employee or contractor access, computer viruses, programming errors, or similar problems. Any of these might result in confidential medical, business or other information of other persons or of ourselves being revealed to unauthorized persons.
The CoSense monitor also stores test results, a feature which assists medical professionals in interfacing the device with electronic medical records systems. There are a number of state, federal and international laws protecting the privacy and security of health information and personal data. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009, or ARRA, Congress amended the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA. HIPAA imposes limitations on the use and disclosure of an individual’s healthcare information by healthcare providers, healthcare clearinghouses, and health insurance plans, collectively referred to as covered entities. The HIPAA amendments also impose compliance obligations and corresponding penalties for non-compliance on individuals and entities that provide services to healthcare providers and other covered entities, collectively referred to as business associates. ARRA also made significant increases in the penalties for improper use or disclosure of an individual’s health information under HIPAA and extended enforcement authority to state attorneys general. The amendments also create notification requirements for individuals whose health information has been inappropriately accessed or disclosed: notification requirements to federal regulators and in some cases, notification to local and national media. Notification is not required under HIPAA if the health information that is improperly used or disclosed is deemed secured in accordance with encryption or other standards developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS. Most states have laws requiring notification of affected individuals and state regulators in the event of a breach of personal information, which is a broader class of information than the health information protected by HIPAA. Many state laws impose significant data security requirements, such as encryption or mandatory contractual terms to ensure ongoing protection of personal information. Activities outside of the U.S. implicate local and national data protection standards, impose additional
compliance requirements and generate additional risks of enforcement for non-compliance. We may be required to expend significant capital and other resources to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable privacy and data security laws, to protect against security breaches and hackers or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches.
Risks related to the operation of our business
Any future distribution or commercialization agreements we may enter into for our neonatology products Serenz, or any other planned product, may place the development of these products outside our control, may require us to relinquish important rights, or may otherwise be on terms unfavorable to us.
We may enter into additional distribution or commercialization agreements with third parties with respect to our neonatology products, to Serenz, or with respect to planned products, for commercialization in or outside the U.S.products. Our likely collaborators for any distribution, marketing, licensing or other collaboration arrangements include large and mid-size medical device and diagnostic companies, regional and national medical device and diagnostic companies, and distribution or group purchasing organizations. We will have limited control over the amount and timing of resources that our collaborators dedicate to the development or commercialization of our products. Our ability to generate revenue from these arrangements will depend in part on our collaborators’ abilities to successfully perform the functions assigned to them in these arrangements.
Collaborations involving our products are subject to numerous risks, which may include the following:
• collaborators have significant discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to any such collaborations;
• collaborators may not pursue development and commercialization of our products, or may elect not to continue or renew efforts based on clinical study results, changes in their strategic focus for a variety of reasons, potentially including the acquisition of competitive products, availability of funding, and mergers or acquisitions that divert resources or create competing priorities;
• collaborators may delay clinical studies, provide insufficient funding for a clinical study program, stop a clinical study, abandon a product, repeat or conduct new clinical studies or require a new engineering iterations of a product for clinical testing;
• collaborators could independently develop, or develop with third parties, products that compete directly or indirectly with our products;
• a collaborator with marketing and distribution rights to one or more products may not commit sufficient resources to their marketing and distribution;
• collaborators may not properly maintain or defend our intellectual property rights or may use our intellectual property or proprietary information in a way that gives rise to actual or threatened litigation that could jeopardize or invalidate our intellectual property or proprietary information or expose us to potential liability;
• disputes may arise between us and a collaborator that causes the delay or termination of the research, development or commercialization of our products or that results in costly litigation or arbitration that diverts management attention and resources;
• collaborations may be terminated and, if terminated, may result in a need for additional capital to pursue further development or commercialization of the applicable products; and
• collaborators may own or co-own intellectual property covering our products that results from our collaborating with them, and in such cases, we would not have the exclusive right to commercialize such intellectual property.
Any termination or disruption of collaborations could result in delays in the development of products, increases in our costs to develop the products or the termination of development of a product.
We expect to expand our development, regulatory and sales and marketing capabilities, and as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.
As of September 30, 2016,March 31, 2017, we had 2926 employees and 73 full-time or part-time consultants. Over the next several years, we expect to experience significant growth in the number of our employees and the scope of our operations, particularly in the areas of drug development, quality assurance, engineering, product development, regulatory affairs and sales and marketing. To manage our anticipated future growth, we must continue to implement and improve our managerial, operational and financial systems, expand our facilities and continue to recruit and train additional qualified personnel. Due to our limited financial
resources and the limited experience of our management team in managing a company with such anticipated growth, we may not be able to effectively manage the expansion of our operations or recruit and train additional qualified personnel. The physical expansion of our operations may lead to significant costs and may divert our management and business development resources. Future growth would impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including:
• managing our clinical trials effectively, which we anticipate being conducted at numerous clinical sites;
• identifying, recruiting, maintaining, motivating and integrating additional employees with the expertise and experience we will require;
• managing our internal development efforts effectively while complying with our contractual obligations to licensors, licensees, contractors and other third parties;
• managing additional relationships with various strategic partners, suppliers and other third parties;
• improving our managerial, development, operational and finance reporting systems and procedures; and
• expanding our facilities.
Our failure to accomplish any of these tasks could prevent us from successfully growing. Any inability to manage growth could delay the execution of our business plans or disrupt our operations.
Because we intend to commercialize our products outside the U.S., we will be subject to additional risks.
A variety of risks associated with international operations could materially adversely affect our business, including:
• different regulatory requirements for device approvals in foreign countries;
• reduced protection for intellectual property rights;
• unexpected changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;
• economic weakness, including inflation or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
• compliance with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;
• foreign taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
• foreign currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenue, and other obligations incident to doing business in another country;
• workforce uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the U.S.;
• production shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad; and
• business interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and fires
We rely on third parties to conduct certain components of our clinical studies, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet deadlines for the completion of such studies.
We rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, or CROs, clinical data management organizations, medical institutions and clinical investigators, to perform various functions for our clinical trials. Our reliance on these third parties for clinical development activities reduces our control over these activities but does not relieve us of our responsibilities. We remain responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical studies is conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and protocols for the study. Moreover, the FDA requires us to comply with regulations and with standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practices, for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical studies to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of patients in clinical studies are protected. Furthermore, these third parties may also have relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, meet expected deadlines or conduct our clinical studies in accordance with regulatory requirements or our stated protocols, we will not be able to obtain, or may be delayed in obtaining, regulatory approvals for our planned products and will not be able to, or may be delayed in our efforts to, successfully commercialize our planned products.
If we use biological and hazardous materials in a manner that causes injury, we could be liable for damages.
Our manufacturing processes currently require the controlled use of potentially harmful chemicals. We cannot eliminate the risk of accidental contamination or injury to employees or third parties from the use, storage, handling or disposal of these materials. In the event of contamination or injury, we could be held liable for any resulting damages, and any liability could exceed our resources or any applicable insurance coverage we may have. Additionally, we are subject to, on an ongoing basis, federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specified waste products. These are particularly stringent in California, where our manufacturing facility and several suppliers are located. The cost of compliance with these laws and regulations may become significant and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In the event of an accident or if we otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations, we could lose our permits or approvals or be held liable for damages or penalized with fines.
Risks related to intellectual property
Third parties may initiate legal proceedings alleging that we are infringing their intellectual property rights, the outcome of which would be uncertain and could have a material adverse effect on the success of our business.
Patent litigation is prevalent in the medical device and diagnostic sectors. Our commercial success depends upon our ability and the ability of our distributors, contract manufacturers, and suppliers to manufacture, market, and sell our planned products, and to use our proprietary technologies without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the proprietary rights or intellectual property of third parties. We may become party to, or be threatened with, future adversarial proceedings or litigation regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our products and technology. Third parties may assert infringement claims against us based on existing or future intellectual property rights. If we are found to infringe a third-party’s intellectual property rights, we could be required to obtain a license from such third-party to continue developing and marketing our products and technology. We may also elect to enter into such a license in order to settle pending or threatened litigation. However, we may not be able to obtain any required license on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, it could be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us, and could require us to pay significant royalties and other fees.
We could be forced, including by court order, to cease commercializing the infringing technology or product. In addition, we could be found liable for monetary damages. A finding of infringement could prevent us from commercializing our planned products or force us to cease some of our business operations, which could materially harm our business. Many of our employees were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although we try to ensure that our employees do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or these employees have used or disclosed intellectual property, including trade secrets or other proprietary information, of any such employee’s former employer. These and other claims that we have misappropriated the confidential information or trade secrets of third parties can have a similar negative impact on our business to the infringement claims discussed above.
Even if we are successful in defending against intellectual property claims, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to such claims may cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical and management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the price of our Common Stock.common stock. Such litigation or proceedings could
substantially increase our operating losses and reduce our resources available for development activities. We may not have sufficient financial or other resources to adequately conduct such litigation or proceedings. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their substantially greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of litigation or other intellectual property related proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.
If we fail to comply with our obligations in our intellectual property agreements, we could lose intellectual property rights that are important to our business.
We are a party to intellectual property arrangements and expect that our future license agreements will impose, various diligence, milestone payment, royalty, insurance and other obligations on us. If we fail to comply with these obligations, any licensor may have the right to terminate such agreements, in which event we may not be able to develop and market any product that is covered by such agreements.
The risks described elsewhere pertaining to our intellectual property rights also apply to any intellectual property rights that we may license, and any failure by us or any future licensor to obtain, maintain, defend and enforce these rights could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Our ability to successfully commercialize our technology and products may be materially adversely affected if we are unable to obtain and maintain effective intellectual property rights for our technologies and planned products, or if the scope of the intellectual property protection is not sufficiently broad.
Our success depends in large part on our ability to obtain and maintain patent and other intellectual property protection in the U.S. and in other countries with respect to our proprietary technology and products.
The patent position of medical device and diagnostic companies generally is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions for which legal principles remain unresolved. In recent years patent rights have been the subject of significant litigation. As a result, the issuance, scope, validity, enforceability and commercial value of the patent rights we rely on are highly uncertain. Pending and future patent applications may not result in patents being issued which protect our technology or products or which effectively prevent others from commercializing competitive technologies and products. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the U.S. and other countries may diminish the value of the patents we rely on or narrow the scope of our patent protection. The laws of foreign countries may not protect our rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. Publications of discoveries in the scientific literature often lag behind the actual discoveries, and patent applications in the U.S. and other jurisdictions are typically not published until 18 months after filing, or in some cases not at all. Therefore, we cannot be certain that we were the first to make the inventions claimed in our patents or pending patent applications, or that we or were the first to file for patent protection of such inventions.
Even if the patent applications we rely on issue as patents, they may not issue in a form that will provide us with any meaningful protection, prevent competitors from competing with us or otherwise provide us with any competitive advantage. Our competitors may be able to circumvent our patents by developing similar or alternative technologies or products in a non-infringing manner. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its scope, validity or enforceability, and the patents we rely on may be challenged in the courts or patent offices in the U.S. and abroad. Such challenges may result in patent claims being narrowed, invalidated or held unenforceable, which could limit our ability to stop or prevent us from stopping others from using or commercializing similar or identical technology and products, or limit the duration of the patent protection of our technology and products. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing and regulatory review of new planned products, patents protecting such products might expire before or shortly after such products are commercialized. As a result, our patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours or otherwise provide us with a competitive advantage.
We may become involved in legal proceedings to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time-consuming, or unsuccessful.
Competitors may infringe or otherwise violate the patents we rely on, or our other intellectual property rights. To counter infringement or unauthorized use, we may be required to file infringement claims, which can be expensive and time-consuming. Any claims that we assert against perceived infringers could also provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent we are asserting is invalid or unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that the patents we are asserting do not cover the technology in
question. An adverse result in any litigation proceeding could put one or more patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly. Furthermore, because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure during this type of litigation.
Interference or derivation proceedings provoked by third parties or brought by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, or any foreign patent authority may be necessary to determine the priority of inventions or other matters of inventorship with respect to patents and patent applications. We may become involved in proceedings, including oppositions, interferences, derivation proceedings inter partes reviews, patent nullification proceedings, or re-examinations, challenging our patent rights or the patent rights of others, and the outcome of any such proceedings are highly uncertain. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could reduce the scope of, or invalidate, important patent rights, allow third parties to commercialize our technology or products and compete directly with us, without payment to us, or result in our inability to manufacture or commercialize products without infringing third-party patent rights. Our business also could be harmed if a prevailing party does not offer us a license on commercially reasonable terms, if any license is offered at all. Litigation or other proceedings may fail and, even if successful, may result in substantial costs and distract our management and other employees.
We may also become involved in disputes with others regarding the ownership of intellectual property rights. If we are unable to resolve these disputes, we could lose valuable intellectual property rights.
Even if resolved in our favor, litigation or other legal proceedings relating to intellectual property claims may cause us to incur significant expenses, and could distract our technical or management personnel from their normal responsibilities. In addition, there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments and if securities analysts or investors perceive these results to be negative, it could have a substantial adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock.common stock. Such litigation or proceedings could substantially increase our operating losses and reduce the resources available for development activities or any future sales, marketing or distribution activities. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of intellectual property litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace.
If we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, the value of our technology could be materially adversely affected, harming our business and competitive position.
In addition to our patented technology and products, we rely upon confidential proprietary information, including trade secrets, unpatented know-how, technology and other proprietary information, to develop and maintain our competitive position. Any disclosure to or misappropriation by third parties of our confidential proprietary information could enable competitors to quickly duplicate or surpass our technological achievements, thus eroding our competitive position in the market. We seek to protect our confidential proprietary information, in part, by confidentiality agreements with our employees and our collaborators and consultants. We also have agreements with our employees and selected consultants that obligate them to assign their inventions to us. These agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information, however, we cannot be certain that our trade secrets and other confidential information will not be disclosed or that competitors will not otherwise gain access to our trade secrets, or that technology relevant to our business will not be independently developed by a person that is not a party to such an agreement. Furthermore, if the employees, consultants or collaborators that are parties to these agreements breach or violate the terms of these agreements, we may not have adequate remedies for any such breach or violation, and we could lose our trade secrets through such breaches or violations. Further, our trade secrets could be disclosed, misappropriated or otherwise become known or be independently discovered by our competitors. In addition, intellectual property laws in foreign countries may not protect trade secrets and
confidential information to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. If we are unable to prevent disclosure of the intellectual property related to our technologies to third parties, we may not be able to establish or maintain a competitive advantage in our market, which would harm our ability to protect our rights and have a material adverse effect on our business.
We may not be able to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights throughout the world.
Filing, prosecuting and defending patents on all of our planned products throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive to us. Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained patent protection to develop their own products and, further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have patent protection but where enforcement is not as strong as in the U.S. These products may compete with our products in jurisdictions where we do not have any issued patents and our patent claims or other intellectual property rights may not be effective or sufficient to prevent them from so competing. Many companies have encountered significant problems in protecting and defending intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries, particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property protection, particularly those relating to biopharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of
our patents or marketing of competing products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.
Intellectual property rights do not necessarily address all potential threats to our competitive advantage.
The degree of future protection afforded by our intellectual property rights is uncertain because intellectual property rights have limitations, and may not adequately protect our business or permit us to maintain our competitive advantage. The following examples are illustrative:
• Others may be able to make products that are similar to our neonatology products or othercurrent and planned products, but that are not covered by claims in our patents;
• The original filers of our patents that we developed or purchased might not have been the first to make the inventions covered by the claims contained in such patents;
• We might not have been the first to file patent applications covering an invention;
•
Others may independently develop similar or alternative technologies or duplicate any of our technologies without infringing our intellectual property rights;
• Pending patent applications may not lead to issued patents;
• Issued patents may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or may be held invalid or unenforceable, as a result of legal challenges by our competitors;
• Our competitors might conduct research and development activities in countries where we do not have patent rights and then use the information learned from such activities to develop competitive products for sale in our major commercial markets;
• We may not develop or in-license additional proprietary technologies that are patentable; and
• The patents of others may have an adverse effect on our business.
Should any of these events occur, they could significantly harm our business, results of operations and prospects.
Obtaining and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, 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.
Periodic maintenance fees, renewal fees, annuity fees and various other governmental fees on patents or applications will be due to be paid by us to the USPTO and various governmental patent agencies outside of the U.S. in several stages over the lifetime of the patents or applications. The USPTO and various non-U.S. governmental patent agencies require compliance with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In many cases, an inadvertent lapse can be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable rules. However, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. In such an event, our competitors might be able to use our technologies and this circumstance would have a material adverse effect on our business.
business
Recent patent reform legislation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of our issued patents.
In March 2013, under the America Invents Act, or AIA, the U.S. moved to a first-to-file system and made certain other changes to its patent laws. The effects of these changes are currently unclear as the USPTO must still implement various regulations, the courts have yet to address these provisions and the applicability of the act and new regulations on specific patents discussed herein have not been determined and would need to be reviewed. Accordingly, it is not yet clear what, if any, impact the AIA will have on the operation of our business. However, the AIA and its implementation could increase the uncertainties and costs surrounding the prosecution of patent applications and the enforcement or defense of issued patents, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
If we do not obtain a patent term extension in the U.S. under the Hatch-Waxman Act and in foreign countries under similar legislation, thereby potentially extending the term of our marketing exclusivity for our planned products, our business may be materially harmed.
Depending upon the timing, duration and specifics of FDA marketing approval of our products, if any, one or more of the U.S. patents covering any such approved product(s) or the use thereof may be eligible for up to five years of patent
term restoration under the Hatch-Waxman Act. The Hatch-Waxman Act allows a maximum of one patent to be extended per FDA approved product. Patent term extension also may be available in certain foreign countries upon regulatory approval of our planned products. Nevertheless, we may not be granted patent term extension either in the U.S. or in any foreign country because of, for example, our failing to apply within applicable deadlines, failing to apply prior to expiration of relevant patents, or otherwise failing to satisfy applicable requirements. Moreover, the term of extension, as well as the scope of patent protection during any such extension, afforded by the governmental authority could be less than we request.
If we are unable to obtain patent term extension or restoration, or the term of any such extension is less than requested, the period during which we will have the right to exclusively market our product will be shortened and our competitors may obtain approval of competing products following our patent expiration, and our revenue could be reduced, possibly materially.
Risks related to government regulation
The regulatory approval process is expensive, time consuming and uncertain, and may prevent us from obtaining approvals for the commercialization of Serenz or our planned products.
The research, testing, manufacturing, labeling, approval, selling, import, export, marketing and distribution of medical devices are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA in the U.S. and other regulatory authorities in other countries, which regulations differ from country to country. We are not permitted to market our planned products in the U.S. until we received the requisite approval or clearance from the FDA. We have not submitted an application or received marketing approval for Serenz or any planned products. Obtaining PMA or 510(k) clearance for a medical device from the FDA can be a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process. In addition, failure to comply with FDA and other applicable U.S. and foreign regulatory requirements may subject us to administrative or judicially imposed sanctions, including the following:
• warning letters;
• civil or criminal penalties and fines;
• injunctions;
• suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approval;
• suspension of any ongoing clinical studies;
• voluntary or mandatory product recalls and publicity requirements;
• refusal to accept or approve applications for marketing approval of new drugs or biologics or supplements to approved applications filed by us;
• restrictions on operations, including costly new manufacturing requirements; or
• seizure or detention of our products or import bans.
Prior to receiving approval to commercialize any of our planned products in the U.S. or abroad, we may be required to demonstrate with substantial evidence from well-controlled clinical studies, and to the satisfaction of the FDA and other regulatory authorities abroad, that such planned products are safe and effective for their intended uses. Results from preclinical studies and clinical studies can be interpreted in different ways. Even if we believe the preclinical or clinical data for our planned products are promising, such data may not be sufficient to support approval by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Administering any of our planned products to humans may produce undesirable side effects, which could interrupt, delay or cause suspension of clinical studies of our planned products and result in the FDA or other regulatory authorities denying approval of our planned products for any or all targeted indications.
Regulatory approval from the FDA is not guaranteed, and the approval process is expensive and may take several years. The FDA also has substantial discretion in the approval process. Despite the time and expense exerted, failure can occur at any stage, and we could encounter problems that cause us to abandon or repeat clinical studies, or perform additional preclinical studies and clinical studies. The number of preclinical studies and clinical studies that will be required for FDA approval varies depending on the planned product, the disease or condition that the planned product is designed to address and the regulations applicable to any particular planned product. The FDA can delay, limit or deny approval of a planned product for many reasons, including, but not limited to, the following:
• a planned product may not be deemed safe or effective;
• FDA officials may not find the data from preclinical studies and clinical studies sufficient;
• the FDA might not approve our or our third-party manufacturer’s processes or facilities; or
• the FDA may change its approval policies or adopt new regulations.
If Serenz or any planned products fail to demonstrate safety and effectiveness in clinical studies or do not gain regulatory approval, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely harmed.
Even if we receive regulatorymarketing approval for a planned product, we will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review, which may result in significant additional expense and subject us to penalties if we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements.
Once regulatorymarketing approval has been obtained, the approved product and its manufacturer are subject to continual review by the FDA or non-U.S. regulatory authorities. Our regulatory approvalThe current clearance for CoSense, as well as any additional regulatory approval that we receive for Serenz or for any planned products may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which the product may be
marketed. Future approvals may contain requirements for potentially costly post-marketing follow-up studies to monitor the safety and effectiveness of the approved product. In addition, we are subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory requirements by the FDA and other regulatory authorities with regard to the labeling, packaging, adverse event reporting, storage, advertising, promotion and recordkeeping for our products. In addition, we are required to comply with cGMP regulations regarding the manufacture of Serenz,our drugs, which include requirements related to quality control and quality assurance as well as the corresponding maintenance of records and documentation. Further, regulatory authorities must approve these manufacturing facilities before they can be used to manufacture drug products, and these facilities are subject to continual review and periodic inspections by the FDA and other regulatory authorities for compliance with cGMP regulations. If we or a third party discover previously unknown problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product is manufactured, a regulatory authority may impose restrictions on that product, the manufacturer or us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market or suspension of manufacturing.
Failure to obtain regulatorymarketing approvals in foreign jurisdictions will prevent us from marketing our products internationally.
We intend to seek a distribution and marketing partner for our neonatology products outside the U.S. and may market planned products in international markets. We have obtained a CE Mark certification for CoSense and Serenz and it isthey are therefore authorized for sale in the E.U.; however, in order to market our plannedthese products in Asia, Latin America and other foreign jurisdictions, we must obtain separate regulatory approvals.
We have had limited interactions with foreign regulatory authorities. The approval procedures vary among countries and can involve additional clinical testing, and the time required to obtain approval may differ from that required to obtain FDA approval. Moreover, clinical studies or manufacturing processes conducted in one country may not be accepted by regulatory authorities in other countries. Approval by the FDA and CE Mark certification does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other countries, and approval by one or more foreign regulatory authorities does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities in other foreign countries or by the FDA. However, a failure or delay in obtaining regulatory approval in one country may have a negative effect on the regulatory process in others. The foreign regulatory approval process may include all of the risks associated with obtaining FDA approval. We may not obtain foreign regulatory approvals on a timely basis, if at all. We may not be able to file for regulatory approvals and even if we file we may not receive necessary approvals to commercialize our products in any market.
Healthcare reform measures could hinder or prevent our planned products’ commercial success.
In the U.S., there have been, and we expect there will continue to be, a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system in ways that could affect our future revenue and profitability and the future revenue and profitability of our potential customers. Federal and state lawmakers regularly propose and, at times, enact legislation that would result in significant changes to the healthcare system, some of which are intended to contain or reduce the costs of medical products and services. For example, one of the most significant healthcare reform measures in decades, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act,of 2010, or PPACA, was enacted in 2010. The PPACA contains a number of provisions, including those governing enrollment in federal healthcare programs, reimbursement changes and fraud and abuse measures, all of which will impact existing government healthcare programs and will result in the development of new programs. The PPACA, among other things:
• imposes a tax of 2.3% on the retail sales price of medical devices sold after December 31, 2012;
• could result in the imposition of injunctions;
• requires collection of rebates for drugs paid by Medicaid managed care organizations; and
• requires manufacturers to participate in a coverage gap discount program, under which they must agree to offer
50% point-of-sale discounts off negotiated prices of applicable branded drugs to eligible beneficiaries during their coverage gap period, as a condition for the manufacturer’s outpatient drugs to be covered under Medicare Part D.
While the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of most elements of the PPACA in June 2012, other legal challenges are still pending final adjudication in several jurisdictions. In addition, Congress has also proposed a number of legislative initiatives, including possible repeal of the PPACA. In December of 2015, Congress passed a two-year suspension of the 2.3% medical device tax. If after two years, the suspension is not extended, at this time we believe the 2.3% tax on sales of medical devices will be applicable to sales of CoSense devices and may be applicable to CoSense consumables and Serenz devices, if it has been approved by the FDA.devices. We cannot assure you that after the two-year suspension, the reinstatement of the 2.3% medical device tax would not
adversely affect our business and financial results and we cannot predict how future federal or state legislative or administrative changes relating to healthcare reform will affect our business.
In addition, other legislative changes have been proposed and adopted since the PPACA was enacted. For example, the Budget Control Act of 2011, among other things, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to recommend proposals for spending reductions to Congress. The Joint Select Committee did not achieve a targeted deficit reduction of at least $1.2 trillion for the years 2013 through 2021, which triggered the legislation’s automatic reduction to several government programs, including aggregate reductions to Medicare payments to providers of up to 2% per fiscal year, starting in 2013. In January 2013, former President Obama signed into law the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, or the ATRA, which delayed for another two months the budget cuts mandated by the sequestration provisions of the Budget Control Act of 2011. The ATRA, among other things, also reduced Medicare payments to several providers, including hospitals, and increased the statute of limitations period for the government to recover overpayments to providers from three to five years. In March 2013, the President signed an executive order implementing sequestration, and in April 2013, the 2% Medicare reductions went into effect. We cannot predict whether any additional legislative changes will affect our business.
There likely will continue to be legislative and regulatory proposals at the federal and state levels directed at containing or lowering the cost of health care. We cannot predict the initiatives that may be adopted in the future or their full impact. The continuing efforts of the government, insurance companies, managed care organizations and other payors of healthcare services to contain or reduce costs of health care may adversely affect:
• our ability to set a price that we believe is fair for our products;
• our ability to generate revenue and achieve or maintain profitability; and
• the availability of capital.
Further, changes in regulatory requirements and guidance may occur and we may need to amend clinical study protocols to reflect these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical study protocols IRBs for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing or successful completion of a clinical study. In light of widely publicized events concerning the safety risk of certain drug products, regulatory authorities, members of Congress, the Governmental Accounting Office, medical professionals and the general public have raised concerns about potential drug safety issues. These events have resulted in the recall and withdrawal of drug products, revisions to drug labeling that further limit use of the drug products and establishment of risk management programs that may, for instance, restrict distribution of drug products or require safety surveillance or patient education. The increased attention to drug safety issues may result in a more cautious approach by the FDA to clinical studies and the drug approval process. Data from clinical studies may receive greater scrutiny with respect to safety, which may make the FDA or other regulatory authorities more likely to terminate or suspend clinical studies before completion, or require longer or additional clinical studies that may result in substantial additional expense and a delay or failure in obtaining approval or approval for a more limited indication than originally sought.
Given the serious public health risks of high-profile adverse safety events with certain drug products, the FDA may require, as a condition of approval, costly risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, which may include safety surveillance, restricted distribution and use, patient education, enhanced labeling, special packaging or labeling, expedited reporting of certain adverse events, preapproval of promotional materials and restrictions on direct-to-consumer advertising.
If we fail to comply with healthcare regulations, we could face substantial penalties and our business, operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.
Even though we do not and will not control referrals of healthcare services or bill directly to Medicare, Medicaid or other third-party payors, certain federal and state healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to fraud and abuse and
patients’ rights are and will be applicable to our business. We could be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse and patient privacy regulation by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct our business. The regulations that may affect our ability to operate include, without limitation:
• the federal healthcare program Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, any person from knowingly and willfully offering, soliciting, receiving or providing remuneration, directly or indirectly, in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
•
indirectly, to induce either the referral of an individual, for an item or service or the purchasing or ordering of a good or service, for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
• the federal False Claims Act, which prohibits, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, false claims, or knowingly using false statements, to obtain payment from the federal government, and which may apply to entities like us which provide coding and billing advice to customers;
• federal criminal laws that prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters;
• the federal transparency requirements under the Health Care Reform Law requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies to report to the Department of Health and Human ServicesHHS information related to physician payments and other transfers of value and physician ownership and investment interests;
• HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which governs the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and protects the security and privacy of protected health information; and
• state law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers.
The PPACA, among other things, amends the intent requirement of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and criminal healthcare fraud statutes. A person or entity no longer needs to have actual knowledge of this statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the PPACA provides that the government may assert that a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the False Claims Act.
If our operations are found to be in violation of any of the laws described above or any other governmental regulations that apply to us, we may be subject to penalties, including civil and criminal penalties, damages, fines and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations. Any penalties, damages, fines, curtailment or restructuring of our operations could adversely affect our ability to operate our business and our financial results. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. Moreover, achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable federal and state privacy, security and fraud laws may prove costly.
Risks related to ownership of our securities
Our stock price may be volatile, and purchasers of our securities could incur substantial losses.
Our stock price has been and is likely to continue to be volatile. The stock market in general, and the market for biotechnology and medical device companies in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. During the period covered by this report,from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2016, the reported high and low prices of our Common Stockcommon stock ranged from $0.90$0.73 to $1.19.$1.85. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their Common Stockcommon stock at or above the purchase price. The market price for our Common Stockcommon stock may be influenced by many factors, including the following:
• our ability to successfully commercialize, and realize significant revenues from sales of Serenz in the E.U. or our neonatology products worldwide;products;
• the success of competitive products or technologies; • results of clinical studies of Serenz in the U.S. or our planned products or those of our competitors;
• regulatory or legal developments in the U.S. and other countries, especially changes in laws or regulations applicable to our products;
• introductions and announcements of new products by us, our commercialization partners, or our competitors, and the timing of these introductions or announcements;
• actions taken by regulatory agencies with respect to our products, clinical studies, manufacturing process or sales and marketing terms;
• variations in our financial results or those of companies that are perceived to be similar to us;
• the success of our efforts to acquire or in-license additional products or planned products;
•
developments concerning our collaborations, including but not limited to those with our sources of manufacturing supply and our commercialization partners;
• developments concerning our ability to bring our manufacturing processes to scale in a costeffective manner;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;
• developments or disputes concerning patents or other proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters and our ability to obtain patent protection for our products;
• our ability or inability to raise additional capital and the terms on which we raise it;
• the recruitment or departure of key personnel;
• changes in the structure of healthcare payment systems;
• market conditions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors;
• actual or anticipated changes in earnings estimates or changes in stock market analyst recommendations regarding our Common Stock,common stock, other comparable companies or our industry generally;
• trading volume of our Common Stock;common stock;
• sales of our Common Stockcommon stock by us or our stockholders;
• general economic, industry and market conditions; and
• the other risks described in this “Risk Factors��Factors” section.
These broad market and industry factors may seriously harm the market price of our Common Stock,common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted against companies. Such litigation, if instituted against us, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management’s attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Future sales of our Common Stock,common stock, or the perception that future sales may occur, may cause the market price of our Common Stockcommon stock to decline, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of substantial amounts of our Common Stockcommon stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales may occur, could materially and adversely affect the price of our Common Stockcommon stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. All of our shares of Common Stockcommon stock are freely tradable, without restriction, in the public market, except for any shares held by our affiliates or the shares of Common Stock underlying the securities issued under the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement.
affiliates.
We have issued 13,780 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, which are convertible into 13,780,000 shares of our Common Stock,common stock, based on a fixed conversion price of $1.00 per share on an as-converted basis. Under the terms of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, in no event shall shares of Common stock be issued to Sabby upon conversion of the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock to the extent such issuance of shares of Common Stockcommon stock would result in Sabby having ownership in excess of 4.99%. We have also entered into separate registration rights agreements with each of Aspire Capital and Sabby in which we agreed to file and maintain one or more registration statements, as permissible and necessary to register under the Securities Act, registering the sale of the shares of the Company’s Common Stock that have been and may be issued to Aspire Capital under the Aspire Purchase Agreement or the shares of Common Stock underlying the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock issued to Sabby pursuant to the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement.
In connection with the sale and issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock to Sabby pursuant to the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement, we also amended the Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants that were issued to Sabby under the 2015 Sabby Purchase Agreement. The per share exercise price of the Common Stockcommon stock underlying the Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants was reduced from $2.46 per share to $1.75 per share, which, if exercised, may result in sales of substantial amounts of the underlying Common Stockcommon stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales may occur, and which could materially and adversely affect the price of our Common Stockcommon stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.
In addition, on March 7, 2017, as contemplated by the Merger Agreement, we issued 8,333,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $8 million from the completion of the concurrent financing, which shares may, in the future, be available for resale upon the filing of a registration statement that covers such shares and which has been declared effective by the SEC, and issued 2,083,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $2 million from Aspire Capital pursuant to the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement. Aspire Capital may ultimately purchase all, some or none of the $17.0 million worth of common stock, of which $2 million was sold on March 7, 2017, issuable under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement, including the 708,333
commitment shares. All the shares issued under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement are eligible for future resale under a registration statement on Form S-1 on February 1, 2017 that was declared effective by the SEC on February 15, 2017.
We are an “emerging growth company,” and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Common Stockcommon stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act, which was enacted in April 2012. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of theour initial public offering, or IPO, (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.0 billion, (3) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common Stockcommon stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior June 30th, and (4) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stockcommon stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stockcommon stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stockcommon stock and our stock price may suffer or be more volatile.
Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act.
Our executive officers, directors and principal stockholders may continue to maintain the ability to control or significantly influence all matters submitted to stockholders for approval and under certain circumstances Vivo Ventures, Technology Partners, Forward Ventures and its affiliates may have control over key decision making.
Our executive officers, directors and stockholders own a majority of our outstanding Common Stock.common stock. Entities associated with Vivo Ventures, Forward Ventures, Technology Partners and our Chairman, Ernest Mario, as of September 30, 2016,March 31, 2017, own approximately 58%64.7% of our Common Stock.common stock. As a result, the forgoing group of stockholders are able to control all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these stockholders will control the election of directors and the approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other stockholders may desire.
We have incurred and will continue to incur significant increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management has devoted and will be required to continue to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.
We have incurred and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses as a public company. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the other rules and regulations of the SEC, and the rules and regulations of The NASDAQ Capital Market, or NASDAQ. The expenses of being a public company are material, and compliance with the various reporting and other requirements applicable to public companies requires considerable time and attention of management. For example, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules of the SEC and national securities exchanges have imposed various requirements on public companies, including requiring establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls. Our management and other personnel need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. These rules and regulations will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, these rules and regulations may make it difficult and expensive for us to obtain adequate director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits on coverage or incur substantial costs to maintain the same or similar coverage. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel to serve on our Board of Directors, our board committees, or as executive officers.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. In particular, we must perform system and process evaluation and testing of our internal control over financial reporting to allow management to report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, beginning with our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, which was filed March 13, 2015. In addition, we will be required to have our independent registered public accounting firm attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting beginning with our annual report on Form 10-K following the date on which we are no longer an emerging growth company. Our compliance with Section 404 will require that we incur substantial accounting expense and expend significant management efforts. We currently do not have an internal audit group, and we will need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge.
If we are not able to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner, or if we or our independent registered public accounting firm identify deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses, the market price of our stock could decline and we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by NASDAQ, the SEC or other regulatory authorities, which would require additional financial and management resources.
Our ability to successfully implement our business plan and comply with Section 404 requires us to be able to prepare timely and accurate financial statements. We expect that we will need to continue to improve existing, and implement new operational and financial systems, procedures and controls to manage our business effectively. Any delay in the implementation of, or disruption in the transition to, new or enhanced systems, procedures or controls, may cause our operations to suffer and we may be unable to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective and to obtain an unqualified report on internal controls from our auditors as required under Section 404. This, in turn, could have an adverse impact on trading prices for our Common Stock,common stock, and could adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets.
We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014 and through the quarter ended September 30, 2015. Although the material weakness was remediated as of December 31, 2015, we may identify additional material weaknesses in the future that may cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations or result in material misstatements of our financial statements. If we fail to establish and maintain effective control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results could be adversely affected.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed 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. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Prior to the completion of our IPO, we were a private company with limited accounting personnel and other resources to address our internal control over financial reporting. During the course of preparing for our IPO, we determined that material adjustments to various accounts were necessary, which required us to restate the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2012, which had been previously audited by another independent audit firm. These adjustments leading to a restatement of those financial statements led us to conclude that we had a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012. The material weakness that we identified was that we did not maintain a sufficient complement of resources with an appropriate level of accounting knowledge, experience and training commensurate with our structure and financial reporting requirements. We also found that the weakness persisted through the year ended December 31, 2014 and the quarter ended September 30, 2015.
This material weakness contributed to adjustments to previously issued financial statements principally, but not limited to, the following areas: equity accounting in connection with our issuance of Preferred Stock while we were a private company, and period-end cutoff for development-related expenses, and equity and liability accounting for certain of our warrants. The Company instituted a remediation plan during 2014, which continued in 2015 and which was remediated as of December 31, 2015. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards and certain other tax attributes maywill be limited.
Our ability to utilize our federal net operating loss, carryforwards and federal tax credit maywill be limited under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code. The limitations apply if an “ownership change,” as defined by Section 382, occurs. Generally, an ownership change occurs if the percentage of the value of the stock that is owned by one or more direct or indirect “five percent shareholders” increases by more than 50% over their lowest ownership percentage at any time during the applicable testing period (typically three years). IfDuring the year ended December 31, 2016, we have experienced an “ownership change” at any time since our formation, we may already be subject to limitations on, which will limit our ability to utilize our existing net operating losses and other tax attributes to offset taxable income. In addition, future changes in our stock ownership, which may be outside of our control, may trigger an “ownership change” and,
consequently, Section 382 and 383 limitations. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change net operating loss carryforwards and other tax attributes to offset U.S. federal taxable income maywill be subject to limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us.
All of our Common StockOur common stock is eligible for sale and as a result, any such sales could depress the market price of our Common Stock.
common stock.
As of September 30, 2016,March 31, 2017, we had Series A Warrants outstanding exercisable for an aggregate of 2,425,605 shares of Common Stock,common stock, Series C Warrants outstanding exercisable for an aggregate of 590,415 shares of Common Stock,common stock, Series D Warrants outstanding exercisable for an aggregate of 2,930,8112,930,812 shares of Common Stockcommon stock and other warrants exercisable for an aggregate of 571,906 shares of Common Stock.common stock. As of September 30,December 31, 2016, we had 13,78012,780 shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding exercisable for an aggregate of 13,780,00012,780,000 shares of Common Stock.common stock. As of September 30, 2016, 2,938,161March 31, 2017, 2,934,847 options to purchase shares of our Common Stockcommon stock were issued and outstanding with a weighted average exercise price of $3.41$3.35 per share. The sale or even the possibility of sale of the shares of Common Stock,common stock, or the exercise of options or warrants to purchase shares of our Common Stockcommon stock and subsequent sale thereof could substantially reduce the market price for our Common Stockcommon stock or our ability to obtain future financing.
In connection with the sale and issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock to Sabby pursuant to the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement, we also amended the 2,702,704 Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants issued to Sabby under the 2015 Sabby Purchase Agreement. The per share exercise price of the Common Stockcommon stock underlying the Series D Common Stockcommon stock Warrants was reduced from $2.46 per share to $1.75 per share. The sale or even the possibility of sale of the Common Stockcommon stock or the underlying shares of Common Stockcommon stock issuable upon the conversion of the Series A Convertible Preferred Stock or the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, or upon exercise of the amended Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants could substantially reduce the market price for our Common Stockcommon stock or our ability to obtain future financing.
In addition, on March 7, 2017, as contemplated by the Merger Agreement, we issued 8,333,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $8 million from the completion of the concurrent financing, which shares may, in the future, be available for resale upon the filing of a registration statement that covers such shares and which has been declared effective by the SEC, and issued 2,083,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $2 million from Aspire Capital pursuant to the 2017 Aspire
Purchase Agreement. Aspire Capital may ultimately purchase all, some or none of the $17.0 million worth of common stock, of which $2 million was sold on March 7, 2017, issuable under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement, including the 708,333 commitment shares. All the shares issued under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement are eligible for future resale under a registration statement on Form S-1 on February 1, 2017 that was declared effective by the SEC on February 15, 2017.
As our warrant holders exercise their warrants into shares of our Common Stock,common stock, our stockholders will be diluted.
The exercise of some or all of our warrants results in issuance of common sharesstock that dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders. Any sales of the Common Stockcommon stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our Common Stock.
common stock.
If holders of our warrants elect to exercise their warrants and sell material amounts of our Common Stockcommon stock in the market, such sales could cause the price of our Common Stockcommon stock to decline, and the potential for such downward pressure on the price of our Common Stockcommon stock may encourage short selling of our Common Stockcommon stock by holders of our warrants or other parties.
If there is significant downward pressure on the price of our Common Stock,common stock, it may encourage holders of our warrants, or other parties, to sell shares by means of short sales or otherwise. Short sales involve the sale, usually with a future delivery date, of Common Stockcommon stock the seller does not own. Covered short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the number of shares subject to the short seller’s right to acquire Common Stock,common stock, such as upon exercise of warrants. A holder of warrants may close out any covered short position by exercising all, or a portion, of its warrants, or by purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, a holder of warrants will likely consider, among other things, the price of Common Stockcommon stock available for purchase in the open market as compared to the exercise price of the warrants. The existence of a significant number of short sales generally causes the price of Common Stockcommon stock to decline, in part because it indicates that a number of market participants are taking a position that will be profitable only if the price of the Common Stockcommon stock declines.
In connection with the sale and issuance of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock to Sabby pursuant to the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement, we also amended the 2,702,704 Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants issued to Sabby under the 2015 Sabby Purchase Agreement. The per share exercise price of the Common Stock underlying the Series D Common Stock Warrants was reduced from $2.46 per share to $1.75 per share. The exercise of some or all of the amended Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants will result in the issuance of Common Stock that dilutes the ownership interests of existing stockholders. Any sales of the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our Common Stock.
Under certain circumstances we may be required to settle the value of the Series A Warrants and Series C Warrants in cash.
If, at any time while the Series A Warrants and Series C Warrants are outstanding, we enter into a “Fundamental Transaction” (as defined in the Series A Warrant and Series C Warrant Agreements), which includes, but is not limited to, a purchase offer, tender offer or exchange offer, a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination (including, without limitation, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or other scheme of arrangement), then each registered holder of outstanding Series A Warrants and Series C Warrants as at any time prior to the consummation of the Fundamental Transaction, may elect and require us to purchase the Series A and Series C Warrants held by such person immediately prior to the consummation of such Fundamental Transaction by making a cash payment in an amount equal to the Black Scholes Value of the remaining unexercised portion of such registered holder’s Series A Warrants and Series C Warrants.
We might not be able to maintain the listing of our securities on The NASDAQ Capital Market.
We have listed our Common Stockcommon stock and Series A Warrants on the NASDAQ Capital Market.NASDAQ. We might not be able to maintain the listing standards of that exchange, which includes requirements that we maintain our shareholders’ equity, total value of shares held by unaffiliated shareholders, market capitalization above certain specified levels and minimum bid requirement of $1.00 per common share. On October 24, 2016, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of NasdaqNASDAQ indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of our common stock for the last 30 consecutive business days, the Companywe did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on NasdaqNASDAQ pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). The letter also indicated that we will be provided with a compliance period of 180 calendar days, or until April 24, 2017, in which to regain compliance pursuant to NasdaqNASDAQ Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A). In addition, we do not expect to become profitable for some time and there is a risk that our shareholders’ equity could fall below the $2.5 million level required by Nasdaq.NASDAQ. If we do not regain compliance with the minimum bid requirement or our shareholders' equity falls below $2.5 million, it will cause us to fail to conform to the NasdaqNASDAQ listing requirements on an ongoing basis, which in turn could cause our Common Stockcommon stock to cease to trade on the NasdaqNASDAQ exchange, and be required to move to the Over the Counter Bulletin Board or the “pink sheets” exchange maintained by OTC Markets Group, Inc. The OTC Bulletin Board and the “pink sheets” are generally considered to be markets that are less efficient, and to provide less liquidity in the shares, than the NASDAQ market.
On April 24, 2017, we received a letter from Nasdaq market.indicating that we were eligible for an additional 180-day period, or until October 23, 2017, to regain compliance with the minimum bid requirement.
Due to the speculative nature of warrants, there is no guarantee that it will ever be profitable for holders of the warrants to exercise the warrants.
The warrants we have issued and outstanding do not confer any rights of Common Stockcommon stock ownership on their holders, such as voting rights or the right to receive dividends, but rather merely represent the right to acquire shares of Common Stockcommon stock at a fixed price for a limited period of time. Specifically, holders of Series A Warrants may exercise their right to acquire the Common Stockcommon stock and pay an exercise price of $6.50 per share prior to the expiration of the five-year term on November 12, 2019, after which date any unexercised Series A Warrants will expire and have no further value. Holders of Series C Warrants may exercise their right to acquire Common Stockcommon stock and pay an exercise price of $6.25 per share prior to the expiration of the five-year term on March 4, 2020. Following amendment of the Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants, the holders may exercise their right to acquire Common Stockcommon stock and pay an amended exercise price of $1.75 per share prior to the expiration of the five-year term on October 15, 2020. In certain circumstances, the Series A Warrants, Series C Warrants, and Series D Warrants may be exercisable on a cashless basis. There can be no assurance that the market price of the Common Stockcommon stock will ever equal or exceed the exercise price of the warrants, and, consequently, whether it will ever be profitable for holders of the warrants to exercise the warrants.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research, about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Common Stockcommon stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. In addition, if our operating results fail to meet the forecast of analysts, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our Common Stockcommon stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Provisions in our corporate charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.
Provisions in our corporate charter and our bylaws may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other change in control of us that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might
otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions could also limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our Common Stock,common stock, thereby depressing the market price of our Common Stock.common stock. In addition, these provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our Board of Directors. Because our Board of Directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team. Among others, these provisions include the following:
• our Board of Directors is divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms which may delay or prevent a change of our management or a change in control;
• our Board of Directors has the right to elect directors to fill a vacancy created by the expansion of our Board of Directors or the resignation, death or removal of a director, which will prevent stockholders from being able to fill vacancies on our Board of Directors;
• our stockholders are not able to act by written consent or call special stockholders’ meetings; as a result, a holder, or holders, controlling a majority of our capital stock cannot take certain actions other than at annual stockholders’ meetings or special stockholders’ meetings called by our Board of Directors, the chairman of our board, the chief executive officer or the president;
• our certificate of incorporation prohibits cumulative voting in the election of directors, which limits the ability of minority stockholders to elect director candidates;
• amendments of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws require the approval of 66 2/3% of our outstanding voting securities;
• our stockholders are required to provide advance notice and additional disclosures in order to nominate individuals for election to our Board of Directors or to propose matters that can be acted upon at a stockholders’ meeting, which may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquiror’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company; and
•
our Board of Directors are able to issue, without stockholder approval, shares of undesignated preferred stock, which makes it possible for our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to acquire us.
Moreover, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a person who owns in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock from merging or combining with us for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person acquired in excess of 15% of our outstanding voting stock, unless the merger or combination is approved in a prescribed manner.
Our employment agreements with our executive officers may require us to pay severance benefits to any of those persons who are terminated in connection with a change in control of us, which could harm our financial condition or results.
Certain of our executive officers are parties to employment agreements that contain change in control and severance provisions providing for aggregate cash payments of up to approximately $2.3$2.6 million for severance and other benefits and acceleration of vesting of stock options with a value of approximately $1.1$0.4 million, in the event of a termination of employment in connection with a change in control of us. The accelerated vesting of options could result in dilution to our existing stockholders and harm the market price of our Common Stock.common stock. The payment of these severance benefits could harm our financial condition and results. In addition, these potential severance payments may discourage or prevent third parties from seeking a business combination with us.
Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our Common Stockcommon stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be our stockholders’ sole source of gain.
We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our Common Stock.common stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. In addition, the terms of existing or any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our Common Stockcommon stock will be our stockholders’ sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.
The sale of our Common Stockcommon stock to Aspire Capital and Sabby may cause substantial dilution to our existing stockholders and the sale of Common Stockcommon stock by Aspire Capital and Sabby could cause the price of our Common Stockcommon stock to decline.
We have registered for sale 2,428,1099,291,667 shares of Common Stockcommon stock that we have or may sell to Aspire Capital under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement plus 71,891708,333 shares of Common Stockcommon stock that were commitment shares that we issued to Aspire
Capital. As of September 30, 2016, we have sold 505,585 shares of our Common Stock to Aspire Capital. The shares that were issued or may be issued to Aspire Capital pursuant to the Aspire Purchase Agreement were registered and may be sold immediately after purchase by Aspire. The number of shares ultimately offered for sale by Aspire Capital is dependent upon the number of shares we elect to sell to Aspire Capital under the Aspire Purchase Agreement. Depending upon market liquidity at the time, sales of shares of our Common Stockcommon stock under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement, which we have previously registered for resale, may cause the trading price of our Common Stockcommon stock to decline. Aspire Capital may sell all, some or none of our shares that it holds or comes to hold under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement, including the 708,333 commitment shares issued to it under the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement. Sales by Aspire Capital or any of the purchasers of our common stock in the concurrent financing may result in dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. The sale of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stockcommon stock by Aspire Capital, or anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales. However, except as limited by the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement, we have the right to control the timing and amount of sales of our shares to Aspire Capital, and the 2017 Aspire Purchase Agreement may be terminated by us at any time at our discretion without any penalty or cost to us.
We have also registered for sale the shares of Common Stockcommon stock underlying the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock sold and issued, or available for sale and issuance, to Sabby pursuant to the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement. Sabby may sell all, some or none of our shares that it holds or comes to hold under the 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement. The issuance of of the shares of Common Stockcommon stock underlying the Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and the amended Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrants to Sabby may cause substantial dilution to our existing stockholders, and the sale of the underlying shares of Common Stockcommon stock by Sabby could cause the price of our Common Stockcommon stock to decline. The sale of a substantial number of shares of our Common Stockcommon stock by Sabby, or anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales. The 2016 Sabby Purchase Agreement also contains certain covenants restricting our ability to issue equity securities (subject to certain carveouts), and provides Sabby a right to participate in any future sale of our equity securities.
In addition, on March 7, 2017, as contemplated by the Merger Agreement, we issued 8,333,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $8 million from the completion of the concurrent financing, which shares are being registered in this offering.
Risks Associated with a proposed Reverse Stock Split
On May 8, 2017, we received stockholder approval for a reverse stock split of our common stock at a ratio between one-for-two (1:2) and one-for-ten (1:10), or the Reverse Split, pursuant to the proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 29, 2017. The Reverse Split could result in a significant devaluation of our market capitalization and trading price of the common stock. Our board of directors expects that the Reverse Split of the outstanding common stock will increase the market price of the common stock. However, we cannot be certain whether the Reverse Split would lead to a sustained increase in the trading price or the trading market for our common stock. The history of similar stock split combinations for companies in like circumstances is varied. There is no assurance that:
the market price per share of the common stock after the Reverse Split will rise in proportion to the reduction in the number of pre-split shares of common stock outstanding before the Reverse Split;
the Reverse Split will result in a per share price that will attract brokers and investors, including institutional investors, who do not trade in lower priced stocks;
the Reverse Split will result in a per share price that will increase our ability to attract and retain employees and other service providers;
the market price per share post Revise Split will remain in excess of the $1.00 minimum closing bid price as required by the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules or that we would otherwise meet the requirements of Nasdaq for continued inclusion for trading on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or The Nasdaq Capital Market; and
the Reverse Split will increase the trading market for our common stock, particularly if the stock price does not increase as a result of the reduction in the number of shares of common stock available in the public market.
The market price of the common stock will also be based on our performance and other factors, some of which are unrelated to the number of shares outstanding. If the Reverse Split is consummated and the trading price of our common stock declines, the percentage decline as an absolute number and as a percentage of our overall market capitalization may be greater than would occur in the absence of the Reverse Split. Furthermore, the liquidity of the common stock could be adversely affected by the reduced number of shares that would be outstanding after the Reverse Split and this could have an adverse effect on the market price of the common stock. If the market price of the common stock declines subsequent to the effectiveness of the Reverse Split, this will detrimentally impact our market capitalization and the market value of our public float. The Reverse Split may result in some stockholders owning “odd lots” that may be more difficult to sell or require greater transaction costs per share to sell. The Reverse Split may result in some stockholders owning “odd lots” of less than 100 shares of common stock on a post-split basis. These odd lots may be more difficult to sell, or require greater transaction costs per share to sell, than shares in “round lots” of even multiples of 100 shares. Depending on the Reverse Split ratio, certain stockholders may no longer have any equity interest in us. Based on the Reverse Split of all of the outstanding shares of our common stock at a ratio between one-for-two (1:2) and one-for-ten (1:10), certain stockholders might be fully cashed out in the Reverse Split and thus, after the Reverse Split takes effect, such stockholders would no longer have any equity interest in us and therefore would not participate in our future earnings or growth, if any. The Reverse Split may not help generate additional investor interest .There can be no assurance that the Reverse Split will result in a per share price that will attract institutional investors or investment funds or that such share price will satisfy the investing guidelines of institutional investors or investment funds. As a result, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not necessarily improve.
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Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
NoneOn March 7, 2017, we completed the Merger with Essentialis and issued 18,916,940 shares of common stock to stockholders of Essentialis. We held back 913,379 shares of common stock as partial recourse to satisfy indemnification claims, and such shares will be issued to Essentialis stockholders on the 1 year anniversary of the closing of the Merger. We are also obligated to issue an additional 4,566,948 shares of common stock to Essentialis stockholders upon the achievement of a development milestone. Assuming that we issue all of the shares of our common stock held back and the development milestone is achieved, we would issue a total of 24,397,267 shares of common stock to Essentialis stockholders. On April 21, 2017, we filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act in connection with the offering of these shares our common stock.
In addition, we issued 8,333,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $8 million from the completion of the concurrent financing and issued 2,083,333 shares of common stock for an investment of $2 million from Aspire Capital. These shares were registered on a Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on February 1, 2017, and declared effective on February 14, 2017.
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Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities |
None.
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Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures |
Not applicable.
None.
See the Exhibit Index on the page immediately preceding the exhibits for a list of exhibits filed as part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
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Date: | November 14, 2016May 11, 2017 | | CAPNIA, INC. |
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| | | By: | /s/ David D. O’Toole |
| | | | David D. O’Toole |
| | | | Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer (principal financial and accounting officer) |
EXHIBIT INDEX
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| | | | | | | | | |
| | Incorporated by Reference from |
Exhibit Number | Description of Document | Registrant’s Form | | Date Filed with the SEC | | Exhibit Number | | Filed Herewith |
3.1 | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Capnia, Inc. | S-1/A | | August 7, 2014 | | 3.2 |
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3.2 | Amended and Restated Bylaws of Capnia, Inc. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 3.4 |
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3.3 | Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 3.1 |
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4.1 | Form of the Common Stock certificate. | S-1/A | | August 5, 2014 | | 4.1 |
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4.2 | Amended And Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, dated March 20, 2008, by and among Capnia, Inc. and certain holders of the Capnia, Inc.’s capital stock named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.2 |
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4.3 | Form of Series A Warrant Agreement. | S-1/A | | August 7, 2014 | | 4.3 |
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4.4 | Form of the Series A Warrant certificate. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 4.4 |
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4.5 | Form of Underwriters’ Compensation Warrant. | S-1/A | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.5 |
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4.6 | Form of Convertible Promissory Note issued in February 2010 and March 2010 in connection with the 2010 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.6 |
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4.7 | Form of Warrant to Purchase Shares issued in February 2010 and March 2010 in connection with the 2010 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.7 |
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4.8 | Form of Convertible Promissory Note issued in November 2010 in connection with the 2010 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.8 |
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4.9 | Form of Warrant to Purchase Shares issued in November 2010 in connection with the 2010 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.9 |
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4.10 | Form of Convertible Promissory Note issued in January 2012 in connection with the 2012 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.10 |
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4.11 | Form of Warrant to Purchase Shares issued in January 2012 in connection with Capnia, Inc.’s 2012 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.11 |
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4.12 | Form of Convertible Promissory Note issued in July 2012 and August 2012 in connection with the 2012 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.12 |
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4.13 | Form of Warrant to Purchase Shares issued in July 2012 and August 2012 in connection with the 2012 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.13 |
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4.14 | Form of Convertible Promissory Note issued in April, August and October 2014 in connection with the 2014 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.14 |
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4.15 | Form of Warrant to Purchase Shares issued in April, August and October 2014 in connection with the 2014 convertible note financing. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 4.15 |
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4.16 | Form of unit certificate. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 4.16 |
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4.17 | Form of Series B Warrant Agreement. | S-1/A | | August 7, 2014 | | 4.17 |
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4.18 | Form of the Series B Warrant certificate. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 4.18 |
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4.19 | Form of the Series C Warrant Agreement. | S-4 | | April 1, 2015 | | 4.19 |
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4.20 | Form of the Series C Warrant certificate. | S-4 | | April 1, 2015 | | 4.20 |
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4.21 | Form of Series D Common Stock Purchase Warrant. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 4.1 |
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| | | | | | | | | |
| | Incorporated by Reference from |
Exhibit Number | Description of Document | Registrant’s Form | | Date Filed with the SEC | | Exhibit Number | | Filed Herewith |
4.22 | Form of Placement Agent Warrant. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 4.2 |
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4.23 | Form of Series D Common Stock Warrant Certificate. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 4.3 |
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4.24 | Form of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock Certificate. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 4.4 |
| | |
4.25 | Form of Placement Agent Warrant. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 4.1 |
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4.26 | Form of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock Certificate. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 4.2 |
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9.10 | Form of Voting Agreement. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 9.1 |
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9.2 | Form of Voting Agreement. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 4.2 |
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10.1 | Form of Indemnification Agreement between the Registrant and each of its directors and executive officers. | S-1/A | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.1 |
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10.2 | 1999 Incentive Stock Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.2 |
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10.3 | 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.3 |
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10.4 | 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 10.4 |
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10.5 | 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 10.5 |
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10.6 | Offer Letter, dated June 22, 2007, by and between Capnia, Inc. and Ernest Mario, Ph.D. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.6 |
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10.7 | Employment Agreement, dated April 6, 2010, by and between Capnia, Inc. and Anish Bhatnagar. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.7 |
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10.8 | Offer Letter, dated May 29, 2013, between Capnia, Inc. and Anthony Wondka. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.8 |
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10.9 | Offer Letter, dated April 17, 2014, by and between Capnia, Inc. and Antoun Nabhan. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.9 |
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10.10 | Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 11, 2010, by and between Capnia, Inc. and BioMedical Drug Development Inc. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.10 |
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10.11 | Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated February 10, 2010, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.11 |
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10.12 | Amendment No. 1 to Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants to Purchase Shares, dated November 10, 2010, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.12 |
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10.13 | 2010 Equity Incentive Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.3 |
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10.14 | 2014 Equity Incentive Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 10.4 |
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10.15 | 2014 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and forms of agreements thereunder. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 10.5 |
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10.16 | Offer Letter, dated June 22, 2007, by and between Capnia, Inc. and Ernest Mario, Ph.D. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.6 |
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10.17 | Employment Agreement, dated April 6, 2010, by and between Capnia, Inc. and Anish Bhatnagar. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.7 |
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10.18 | Offer Letter, dated May 29, 2013, between Capnia, Inc. and Anthony Wondka. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.8 |
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|
| | | | | | | | | |
| | Incorporated by Reference from |
Exhibit Number | Description of Document | Registrant’s Form | | Date Filed with the SEC | | Exhibit Number | | Filed Herewith |
10.19 | Offer Letter, dated April 17, 2014, by and between Capnia, Inc. and Antoun Nabhan. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.9 |
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10.20 | Asset Purchase Agreement dated May 11, 2010, by and between Capnia, Inc. and BioMedical Drug Development Inc. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.10 |
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10.21 | Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated February 10, 2010, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.11 |
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10.22 | Amendment No. 1 to Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants to Purchase Shares, dated November 10, 2010, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.12 |
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10.23 | Amendment No. 2 to Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants to Purchase Shares, dated January 17, 2012, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.13 |
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10.24 | Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated January 16, 2012, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.14 |
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10.25 | Omnibus Amendment to Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants to Purchase Shares, dated July 31, 2012, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.15 |
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10.26 | Omnibus Amendment to Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants to Purchase Shares, dated April 28, 2014, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.16 |
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10.27 | Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, dated April 28, 2014, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.17 |
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10.28 | Omnibus Amendment to Convertible Note and Warrant Purchase Agreement, Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants to Purchase Shares, dated May 5, 2014, by and among Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein. | S-1 | | June 10, 2014 | | 10.18 |
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10.29 | Sublease, dated May 20, 2014, by and among Capnia, Inc. and Silicon Valley Finance Group. | S-1/A | | July 1, 2014 | | 10.19 |
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10.30 | Offer Letter, dated June 24, 2014, by and between Capnia, Inc. and David D. O’Toole. | S-1/A | | July 22, 2014 | | 10.20 |
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10.31 | Loan Agreement by and between Capnia, Inc. and the investors named therein, dated September 29, 2014. | S-1/A | | September 29, 2014 | | 10.21 |
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10.32 | Revised Second Tranche Closing Notice and Letter Amendment dated August 18, 2014 relating to the August 2014 Notes. | S-1/A | | November 4, 2014 | | 10.22 |
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10.33 | Second Tranche Subsequent Closing Notice and Letter Amendment dated October 22, 2014 relating to the October 2014 Notes. | S-1/A | | November 4, 2014 | | 10.23 |
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10.34 | Form of Warrant Exercise Agreement. | 8-K/A | | March 6, 2015 | | 10.1 |
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10.35 | Advisory Agreement by and between Capnia, Inc. and Maxim Group LLC, dated March 4, 2015. | S-4 | | April 1, 2014 | | 10.25 |
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10.36 | Agreement and First Amendment to Asset Purchase Agreement between the Company, BDDI and affiliate of BDDI, dated June 30, 2015. | 8-K | | July 7, 2015 | | 10.1 |
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10.37 | Common Stock Purchase Agreement between the Company and an affiliate of BDDI, dated June 30, 2015. | 8-K | | July 7, 2015 | | 10.2 |
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10.38 | Registration Rights Agreement between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, dated July 24, 2015. | 8-K | | July 27, 2015 | | 4.1 |
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10.39 | Common Stock Purchase Agreement between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, dated July 24, 2015. | 8-K | | July 27, 2015 | | 10.1 |
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10.40 | Engagement Letter dated September 17, 2015, between Capnia, Inc. and Maxim Group, LLC. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 1.1 |
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10.41 | Securities Purchase Agreement dated October 12, 2015. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 10.1 |
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| | | | Incorporated by Reference from | | Incorporated by Reference from |
Exhibit Number | Description of Document | Registrant’s Form | | Date Filed with the SEC | | Exhibit Number | | Filed Herewith | Description of Document | Registrant’s Form | | Date Filed with the SEC | | Exhibit Number | | Filed Herewith |
10.42 | Form of Registration Rights Agreement. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 10.2 |
| | Form of Registration Rights Agreement. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 10.2 |
| |
10.43 | Form of Lock-Up Agreement. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 10.3 |
| | Form of Lock-Up Agreement. | 8-K | | October 15, 2015 | | 10.3 |
| |
10.44 | Amendment No. 1 to Securities Purchase Agreement dated October 29, 2015. | S-1/A | | December 22, 2015 | | 10.34 |
| | Amendment No. 1 to Securities Purchase Agreement dated October 29, 2015. | S-1/A | | December 22, 2015 | | 10.34 |
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10.45 | Transfer and Distribution Agreement: United States: by and between Capnia, Inc. and Bemes, Inc. signed January 26, 2016. | 8-K | | January 28, 2016 | | 10.1 |
| | Transfer and Distribution Agreement: United States: by and between Capnia, Inc. and Bemes, Inc. signed January 26, 2016. | 8-K | | January 28, 2016 | | 10.1 |
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10.46 | Engagement Letter dated June 26, 2016, between Capnia, Inc. and Maxim Group, LLC. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 1.1 |
| | Engagement Letter dated June 26, 2016, between Capnia, Inc. and Maxim Group, LLC. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 1.1 |
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10.47 | Securities Purchase Agreement dated June 29, 2016. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 10.1 |
| | Securities Purchase Agreement dated June 29, 2016. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 10.1 |
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10.48 | Form of Registration Rights Agreement dated June 29, 2016. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 10.2 |
| | Form of Registration Rights Agreement dated June 29, 2016. | 8-K | | July 6, 2016 | | 10.2 |
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10.49 | Amendment No. 1 to Securities Purchase Agreement dated September 20, 2016. | S-1/A | | September 23, 2016 | | 10.49 |
| | Amendment No. 1 to Securities Purchase Agreement dated September 20, 2016. | S-1/A | | September 23, 2016 | | 10.49 |
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10.50 | | Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization, dated as of December 22, 2016, by and among Capnia, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Essentialis, Inc., a Delaware corporation, Company E Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Capnia, and Neil Cowen as the stockholders’ representative. | 8-K | | December 27, 2016 | | 2.10 |
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10.51 | | Registration Rights Agreement between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, dated January 27, 2017. | S-1 | | February 1, 2017 | | 10.5 |
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10.52 | | Common Stock Purchase Agreement between the Company and Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, dated January 27, 2017. | S-1 | | February 1, 2017 | | 10.5 |
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31.1 | Certification of Principal Executive Officer Required Under Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | | | | X | Certification of Principal Executive Officer Required Under Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | | | | X |
31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer Required Under Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | | | | X | Certification of Principal Financial Officer Required Under Rule 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. | | | | X |
32.1* | Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Required Under Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and 18 U.S.C. §1350. | | | | X | Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Required Under Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and 18 U.S.C. §1350. | | | | X |
101.INS | XBRL Instance Document. | | | | X | XBRL Instance Document. | | | | X |
101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | | | | X | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | | | | X |
101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | | | | X | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | | | | X |
101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | | | | | | | X | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | | | | | | | X |
101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. | | | | | | | X | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. | | | | | | | X |
101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | | | | | | | X | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | | | | | | | X |
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* | The certifications attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Capnia, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing. | The certifications attached as Exhibit 32.1 that accompany this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are not deemed filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not to be incorporated by reference into any filing of Capnia, Inc. under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing. |