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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

 

Form 10-Q

 

ý

 

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

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2003

 

OR

 

 

o

 

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

For the transition period from
                                 to                                 

 

Commission File No. 0-29608

 

GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware

 

33-0969592

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

11199 SORRENTO VALLEY ROAD
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA  92121-1334

(ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES)(ZIP CODE)

 

 

 

(858) 597-6006

(COMPANY’S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE)

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Company (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Company was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes  ý   No  o

 

The number of shares outstanding of the Company’s Common Stock, par value $ 0.001 per share, was 58,764,529 as of October 31, 2003.

 

 



 

GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

 

FORM 10-Q

 

For the Quarter Ended September 30, 2003

 

INDEX

 

Part I. Financial Information

 

 

 

Item 1.  Financial Statements

 

 

 

a)

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2003 (Unaudited) and December 31, 2002

 

 

 

b)

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three Months and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 (Unaudited)

 

 

 

c)

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 (Unaudited)

 

 

 

d)

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

 

Item 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

 

Item 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

 

 

Item 4.  Controls and Procedures

 

 

Part II.  Other Information

 

 

 

Item 6.  Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

 

Signatures

 



 

Part I. Financial Information

 

Item 1. Financial Statements

 

GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

 

September 30,
2003

 

December 31,
2002

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

Current

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

7,358,786

 

$

875,444

 

Receivables, net

 

 

75,588

 

Prepaid expenses and other

 

79,420

 

229,384

 

Assets of discontinued operations

 

 

1,517,496

 

Total current assets

 

7,438,206

 

2,697,912

 

Fixed assets, net

 

198,135

 

295,321

 

Patents and other assets, net

 

2,316,629

 

2,425,992

 

Total assets

 

$

9,952,970

 

$

5,419,225

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

Current

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued expenses

 

$

814,617

 

$

1,032,939

 

Current portion of obligations under capital leases

 

 

20,642

 

Deferred revenue

 

194,242

 

202,654

 

Liabilities of discontinued operations

 

 

401,769

 

Total current liabilities

 

1,008,859

 

1,658,004

 

Deferred rent

 

26,632

 

35,851

 

Total liabilities

 

1,035,491

 

1,693,855

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred stock, $0.001 par value

 

2

 

 

Common stock, $0.001 par value

 

53,324

 

50,398

 

Additional paid in capital

 

78,838,465

 

57,137,202

 

Receivable from preferred stock investors and executive

 

(7,500,000

)

(33,445

)

Accumulated comprehensive income

 

 

(102,238

)

Accumulated deficit

 

(62,474,312

)

(53,326,547

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

 

8,917,479

 

3,725,370

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

 

$

9,952,970

 

$

5,419,225

 

 

See accompanying notes

 

1



 

GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF
OPERATIONS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

2003

 

2002

 

2003

 

2002

 

REVENUE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

License fee and milestone payments

 

$

1,471

 

$

1,471

 

$

4,412

 

$

4,412

 

Revenues under collaborative research and development

 

20,840

 

66,416

 

38,040

 

108,916

 

Total Revenue

 

22,311

 

67,887

 

42,452

 

113,328

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPENSES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

643,433

 

593,705

 

1,548,401

 

1,851,425

 

General and administrative

 

1,076,320

 

946,358

 

3,319,345

 

2,754,669

 

Interest income, net

 

(17,129

)

(10,566

)

(2,452

)

(24,029

)

Total Expenses

 

1,702,624

 

1,529,497

 

4,865,294

 

4,582,065

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

(1,680,313

)

(1,461,610

)

(4,822,842

)

(4,468,737

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discontinued operations:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gain on disposal

 

 

 

2,034,078

 

 

Income (loss) from operations

 

 

70,705

 

(110,740

)

78,709

 

Net loss

 

(1,680,313

)

(1,390,905

)

(2,899,504

)

(4,390,028

)

Imputed and declared dividends on preferred stock

 

(6,248,261

)

 

(6,248,261

)

 

Net loss attributable to common stockholders

 

$

(7,928,574

)

$

(1,390,905

)

$

(9,147,765

)

$

(4,390,028

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amounts per common share - basic and diluted:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

$

(0.03

)

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.10

)

$

(0.12

)

Income from discontinued operations

 

 

 

0.04

 

 

Inputed and declared dividends on preferred stock

 

(0.12

)

 

(0.12

)

 

Net loss per common share

 

$

(0.15

)

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.18

)

$

(0.12

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average number of common shares

 

51,581,301

 

40,172,661

 

50,832,863

 

37,812,744

 

 

See accompanying notes

 

2



 

GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF
CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Nine Months Ended September 30,

 

 

 

2003

 

2002

 

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from continuing operations

 

$

(4,822,842

)

$

(4,468,737

)

Adjustments to reconcile loss from continuing operations to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

Compensation for services paid in stock options

 

35,486

 

53,479

 

Valuation of warrants issued in connection with debt

 

19,800

 

 

Recovery of uncollectible accounts

 

(6,058

)

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

430,399

 

474,241

 

Provision for inventory obsolescence

 

 

52,630

 

Gain on disposal of fixed assets

 

 

717

 

Deferred rent

 

(9,219

)

(8,005

)

Realized loss on foreign currency translation adjustment

 

102,236

 

 

Deferred revenue

 

(8,412

)

86,588

 

Changes in non-cash working capital items:

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

81,646

 

155,329

 

Inventories

 

 

(52,632

)

Prepaid expenses and other

 

149,964

 

(23,703

)

Accounts payable and accrued expense

 

(218,322

)

(125,766

)

Cash used in operating activities

 

(4,245,322

)

(3,855,859

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase of short term investments

 

 

(994,260

)

Disposal of capital assets

 

(33,583

)

(1,127

)

Increase in other assets

 

(190,265

)

(242,223

)

Cash used in investing activities

 

(223,848

)

(1,237,610

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of bridge loan

 

1,000,000

 

 

Repayment of bridge loan

 

(1,000,000

)

 

Payments on obligations under capital leases

 

(20,642

)

(22,275

)

Proceeds from issuance of common and preferred shares – net

 

7,934,089

 

4,639,732

 

Cash provided by financing activities

 

7,913,447

 

4,617,457

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net cash provided by discontinued operations

 

3,039,065

 

27,894

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

6,483,342

 

(448,118

)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

 

875,444

 

1,813,100

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

 

$

7,358,786

 

$

1,364,982

 

 

See accompanying notes

 

3



 

GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

 

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

 

1.                                      Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Genetronics Biomedical Corporation (“Company”, “we” or “us”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for complete financial statements. The consolidated balance sheet as of September 30, 2003, consolidated statements of operations for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 and the consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002 are unaudited, but include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) which Genetronics Biomedical Corporation considers necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 shown herein are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ended December 31, 2003 or for any other period. For more complete information, these financial statements, and notes thereto, should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002 included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

The financial statements included herein have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business for the foreseeable future.  The Company’s independent auditors issued a report on our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002 that includes an explanatory paragraph regarding our ability to continue as a going concern. The Company had net loss of $7,928,574 and $9,147,765 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively, has working capital of $6,429,347 and an accumulated deficit of $62,474,312 at September 30, 2003. On January 31, 2003, we completed the sale of substantially all of the properties and assets that are primarily used in our BTX Division. Genetronics Biomedical’s stockholders, in a Special Stockholder’s Meeting held on January 31, 2003, voted to approve the proposed sale to Harvard Bioscience, Inc. The terms of the sale were $3.7 million in cash and royalties on net sales of BTX products above certain sales targets for a period of four years.  The net gain on the sale of the BTX Division was $2,034,078.  The Company incurred a net loss from continuing operations of $1,680,313 and $4,822,842 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively. On July 16, 2003, the Company announced it had raised an aggregate of $15.67 million through the sale of $8.17 million of its Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and $7.50 million of its Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, to institutional and accredited investors.  Proceeds from the sale of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock were received on July 16, 2003.  Proceeds of $7.5 million from the sale of Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock were payable upon achievement of certain milestones, which the Company achieved in October 2003.  Including the cash proceeds

 

4



 

received from the July 2003 financing, the exercises of employee stock options and investor warrants, and the sale of the BTX Division, we believe we have sufficient funds to fund operations through April 2005. The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to achieve profitable operations and to obtain future capital. The Company will continue to rely on outside sources of financing to meet its capital needs. The outcome of these matters cannot be predicted at this time. Further, there can be no assurance, assuming the Company successfully raises additional funds, that the Company will achieve positive cash flow. If the Company is not able to secure additional funding, it will be required to further scale back its research and development programs, pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, and general and administrative activities and may not be able to continue in business. These consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments to the specific amounts and classifications of assets and liabilities, which might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue in business.

 

Certain reclassifications have been made to the financial statements for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002 to conform to the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003 presentation.

 

2.                                      Principles of Consolidation

 

These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Genetronics Biomedical Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Genetronics, Inc.  All material intercompany accounts have been eliminated.

 

3.                                      Stockholders’ Equity

 

Authorized and Issued Stock as of September 30, 2003:

 

Authorized:                                 300,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of  $ 0.001 per share and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $ 0.001 per share

 

Issued:                                                         776 Shares of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock with a par value of $1.

700 Shares of Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock with a par value of $1.

53,324,059 shares of common stock with a par value of  $53,324.

 

On July 16, 2003 the Company closed a preferred share private placement and raised an aggregate of $15.67 million, through the sale of $8.17 million of its Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and $7.50 million of its Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, to institutional and accredited investors. The terms of the two series of preferred stock differ slightly. The Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $0.60 per share, and there is no escrow provision. In connection with the sale of the Series A Preferred Stock, the Company recorded a one-time imputed dividend charge of $6,045,799 related to the beneficial conversion feature of the stock. The Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $0.70 per share, and the proceeds from the sale of the Series B Preferred Stock will remain in escrow to be released to the Company

 

5



 

upon the achievement of specific milestones. At September 30, 2003, the Company recorded a receivable in the amount of $7.5 million related to the funds held in escrow.   In October 2003, the Company achieved these milestones and the $7.5 million was released form escrow.  Since the funds were released in October 2003, the Company will record a similar imputed dividend charge in the fourth quarter of 2003.  Upon conversion, Preferred Stock will convert into 24,330,953 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company will pay the holders of Series A and Series B Preferred Stock an annual dividend rate of 6%, in shares of common stock or cash payable quarterly, and each holder received 40% warrant coverage at an exercise price of $0.75 per share exercisable through July 13, 2008. Warrants granted to Preferred Stock holders entitle investors the right to acquire 9,732,381 shares of the Company’s common stock.  On September 30, 2003, the Company’s Board of Directors declared dividends to the Preferred Stockholders, which were paid in the Company’s common stock.  A total of 204,507 common shares valued at $202,000 were issued.  The placement agents for the Series A and B Preferred Stock were also granted warrants entitling the agents to acquire 1,944,428 shares of common stock of the Company. Each placement agent’s warrant entitles the holder to acquire one share of common stock at a price between $0.60 and $0.75 per share, exercisable through July 13, 2008.  Through September 30, 2003, the Company has incurred a total of $992,441 in expenses related to this offering.

 

Stock Options

 

The 2000 Stock Option Plan, effective July 31, 2000 (the “2000 Plan”), was approved by the shareholders on August 7, 2000, pursuant to which 10,000,000 shares of common stock are reserved for issuance. The 2000 Plan supercedes all previous stock option plans. As of September 30, 2003, 978,913 shares of common stock were available for grant under the 2000 Plan. At December 31, 2002, there were 1,817,151 stock options available for grant under the 2000 Plan.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2003, the Company granted 1,466,563 stock options with a weighted average exercise price of $0.65.

 

At September 30, 2003, 7,474,513 stock options remain outstanding at exercise prices ranging from $0.18 to $5.50 with a weighted average remaining life of 7.3 years, of which 4,689,065 are vested as of September 30, 2003.

 

Warrants

 

On January 21, 2003, the Company entered into a $1,000,000 bridge loan with a major shareholder.  Warrants to purchase 60,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $.01 per share were granted in lieu of interest being charged to the loan.  The warrants expire in January 2005.  The warrants were valued at $19,800 using a fair value model and were charged to interest expense.  In February 2003, the bridge loan was paid in full with proceeds from the sale of the BTX Division.

 

6



 

Special Warrants

 

On June 6, 2002, the Company closed a private placement of 10,225,891 special warrants. 7,985,574 special warrants were issued at a subscription price of $0.42 per special warrant and 2,240,317 special warrants were issued at a subscription price of $0.47 per special warrant, for gross proceeds of $4,406,890. Each $0.42 special warrant is exercisable, without additional payment, into one share of common stock and a warrant for the purchase of one-third of one share of common stock.  Each full common stock purchase warrant is exercisable at $0.70. Total warrants at $0.70 are 2,661,851.  Each $0.47 special warrant is exercisable, without additional payment, into one share of common stock and a warrant for the purchase of forty percent of one share of common stock. Each full common stock purchase warrant is exercisable at $0.65.  Total warrants at $0.65 are 896,125.  The gross proceeds of this financing were reduced by issuance costs including the agent’s commission of 6.0% of the gross proceeds of $264,413 and other issue costs of $306,708. In October 2002, these special warrants were converted into 10,225,891 shares of common stock and 3,557,976 common stock purchase warrants.  On June 9, 2003, the Board of Directors of the Company approved an extension of the expiration date from June 6, 2003 until July 7, 2003 for the exercise of each of the $0.65 warrants and the $0.70 warrants that were issued in June 2002.  Total warrants exercised were 779,093 totaling $539,803 in gross proceeds.    All remaining warrants, expired on July 7, 2003.

 

In connection with the issuance of the special warrants described in the preceding paragraph, the Company granted Series A special warrants to the placement agent to acquire 665,000 shares of common stock for $0.47 per share.  In September 2003, 120,000 of these warrants were exercised totaling $56,400 in gross proceeds.  All remaining warrants expire on June 6, 2005.

 

In November 2001, the Company entered into a note receivable agreement with one of its executive officers in the amount of $65,000, to enable the executive to purchase 144,000 special warrants offered through the Company’s private placement. The loan plus accrued interest, at an interest rate of 5.0%, is payable on or before November 9, 2004. In March 2002, the Company received a partial repayment of the loan balance in the amount of $33,847.  In March 2003, the loan was paid in full with proceeds from the executive officer’s 2002 bonus.

 

4.                                      Net Loss Per Share

 

Net loss per share is calculated in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 128 “Earnings per Share”. Basic net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing the net income (loss) for the period by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted income (loss) per share reflects the potential dilution that would occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted to common stock by application of the treasury stock method. Since the effect of the assumed exercise of common stock options and other convertible

 

7



 

securities was anti-dilutive, the number of shares used in calculation of basic and diluted loss per share are the same for both periods.

 

5.                                      Discontinued Operations

 

The Company’s Board of Directors decided to focus the attention and resources of the Company on its Drug and Gene Delivery Division.  In connection with this decision, the Company decided to sell the assets of the BTX Division.  On January 31, 2003, we completed the sale of substantially all of the properties and assets that are primarily used in our BTX Division.  Accordingly, the BTX Division, which was previously classified as a separate segment, has been classified as discontinued operations for financial reporting purposes.

 

Operating results of the Company’s discontinued operations are shown separately as a single line item in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.  The BTX Division did not have any sales due to the division being sold in January 2003 for the three months ended September 30, 2003 and had $900,249 in sales for the three months ended September 30, 2002.  Sales of $162,060 and $2,663,998 were recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, respectively.  These amounts are not included in sales in the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations.

 

6.                                      Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (“FIN 46”), Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities.  FIN 46 requires a variable interest entity to be consolidated by a company if that company is subject to a majority of the risk of loss from the variable interest entity’s activities or entitled to receive a majority of the entity’s residual returns or both. A variable interest entity either (a) does not have equity investors with voting rights or (b) has equity investors that do not provide sufficient financial resources to the entity to support its activities.   FIN 46 is effective immediately for all new variable interest entities created or acquired after January 31, 2003.  For variable interest entities created or acquired prior to February 1, 2003, the provisions of FIN 46 must be applied for the first interim or annual period ending after December 15, 2003 if certain defined conditions are met.  The adoption of FIN 46 is not expected to have a material impact on our financial statements.

 

In May 2003, the FASB issued SFAS No. 150, “Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Both Liabilities and Equity.” SFAS No. 150 requires that certain financial instruments, which under previous guidance were accounted for as equity, must now be accounted for as liabilities. The financial instruments affected include mandatorily redeemable stock, certain financial instruments that require or may require the issuer to buy back some of its shares in exchange for cash or other assets and certain obligations that can be settled with shares of stock. SFAS No. 150 is effective for all financial instruments entered into or modified after May 31, 2003 and must be applied to the Company’s existing financial instruments effective August 1, 2003, the beginning of the first fiscal period after June 15, 2003. The Company has not determined the impact of the adoption of SFAS No. 150 on its results of operations or financial condition.

 

8



 

7.                                      Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in Canada

 

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial statements, which, in the case of the Company, conform in all material respects with those in Canada (Canadian GAAP), except as described in the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

The impact of significant variations to Canadian GAAP on the consolidated statements of operations is as follows:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

2003

 

2002

 

2003

 

2002

 

Net loss for the period, U.S. GAAP

 

$

(7,928,574

)

$

(1,390,905

)

$

(9,147,765

)

$

(4,390,028

)

Adjustment for stock based compensation and imputed dividends

 

6,081,285

 

(5,030

)

6,135,261

 

53,479

 

Net loss for the period, Canadian GAAP

 

$

(1,847,289

)

$

(1,395,935

)

$

(3,012,504

)

$

(4,336,549

)

Net loss per common share, Canadian GAAP – basic and diluted

 

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.06

)

$

(0.12

)

Weighted average number of common shares, Canadian GAAP

 

51,581,301

 

40,172,661

 

50,832,863

 

37,812,744

 

 

The impact of significant variations to Canadian GAAP on the consolidated balance sheet items is as follows:

 

 

 

September 30,
2003

 

December 31,
2002

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

Additional paid in capital

 

$

69,674,065

 

$

54,108,063

 

Accumulated deficit

 

$

(53,309,912

)

$

(50,297,408

)

 

8.                                      Stock-based compensation

 

The Company follows Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (APB25) and related interpretations, in accounting for its employee stock options. Under APB25, because the exercise price of the Company’s options for common shares granted to employees is not less than the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date of grant, no compensation expense has been recognized. Options awarded to non-employees, including consultants, are recorded at their fair values using the Black Scholes option pricing model based on the vesting terms of the options.  The Company has also adopted the disclosure-only alternative of FASB Statement No.123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation (SFAS 123).

 

9



 

Pro forma information regarding net income and earnings per share is required by SFAS 123, which also requires that the information be determined as if the Company has accounted for its employee stock options granted under the fair value method of that statement. The fair value for these options was estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes pricing model.

 

The Black Scholes options valuation model was developed for use in estimating the fair value of trade options which have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. In addition, option valuation models require the input of highly subjective assumptions including the expected stock price volatility. Because the Company’s employee stock options have characteristics significantly different from those of traded options, and because changes in the subjective input assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, in management’s opinion, the existing models do not necessarily provide a reliable single measure of the fair value of its employee stock options.

 

Supplemental disclosure of pro forma net loss and net loss per common share is as follows:

 

 

 

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

2003

 

2002

 

2003

 

2002

 

Pro forma net income (loss)

 

$

(8,102,961

)

$

(1,509,747

)

$

(9,800,139

)

$

(4,700,251

)

Pro forma basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share

 

$

(0.16

)

$

(0.04

)

$

(0.19

)

$

(0.12

)

 

9.                                      Subsequent Event

 

On October 20, 2003, the Company announced that it has entered into an agreement with Vical Incorporated (NASDAQ: VICL) wherein Vical has an option to a worldwide exclusive license for the use of Genetronics’ proprietary in vivo electroporation delivery technology in combination with Vical’s vaccine and therapeutic DNA technology for undisclosed targets.  Upon completion of a collaborative research program, this partnership could lead to a definitive licensing agreement, encompassing multiple indications with the potential for commercialization.

 

Item 2.                                   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve risk and uncertainty, including those statements related to development plans, intentions to seek licensing partners and additional sources of capital, intended inventory levels, expectations concerning the adequacy of existing cash resources and anticipated sources of future revenues, and other financial, clinical, business environment and trend projections. Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our goals will be achieved. The important factors that could cause

 

10



 

actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements herein include, without limitation, potential changes in strategy and focus of potential collaborative partners, competitive conditions and demand for its products, the current stage of development of both us and our  products, the timing and uncertainty of results of both research and regulatory processes, the extensive government regulation applicable to our business, the unproven safety and efficacy of our device products, our significant additional financing requirements, the volatility of our stock price, the uncertainty of future capital funding, our potential exposure to product liability or recall, uncertainties relating to patents and other intellectual property, including whether we will obtain sufficient protection or competitive advantage therefrom, our dependence  upon a  limited number of key personnel and  consultants and our significant reliance upon our collaborative partners for achieving our goals, and other factors detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

General

 

We formerly conducted our operations through two separate divisions, the Drug and Gene Delivery Division and the BTX Division. The Drug and Gene Delivery Division is developing drug and gene delivery systems based on electroporation to be used in the treatment of disease. Our Board of Directors, however, has decided to focus our attention and resources on our Drug and Gene Delivery Division and to sell substantially all of the assets of the BTX Division. On January 31, 2003, we completed the sale of substantially all of the properties and assets that are primarily used in our BTX Division.  Accordingly, the BTX Division, which was previously classified as a separate segment, has been classified as discontinued operations for financial reporting purposes. BTX developed, manufactured and sold electroporation and electrofusion equipment to the research laboratory market. In the past, our revenues reflected product sales to the research market through the BTX Division and collaborative research arrangements and research grants through the Drug and Gene Delivery Division.

 

On October 20, 2003, the Company announced that it has entered into an agreement with Vical Incorporated (NASDAQ: VICL) wherein Vical has an option to a worldwide exclusive license for the use of Genetronics’ proprietary in vivo electroporation delivery technology in combination with Vical’s vaccine and therapeutic DNA technology for undisclosed targets.  Upon completion of a collaborative research program, this partnership could lead to a definitive licensing agreement, encompassing multiple indications with the potential for commercialization.

 

We will continue to seek new licensing partners for the use of electroporation for the delivery of drugs in the treatment of cancer and delivery of genes into cells. We will not receive any additional milestone or licensing payments for development or sale of our products until a new strategic alliance is in place and we achieve the milestones specified in the new agreement, or product sales commence under the new agreement. There can be no assurance that we will be able to contract with such a partner or that we can achieve the milestones set out in a new agreement.

 

Until the commercialization of clinical products, we expect revenues to continue to be attributable to collaborative research arrangements, licensing fees, grants and interest income.

 

Due to the expenses incurred in the development of the drug and gene delivery systems, we have been unprofitable in the last eight years. As of September 30, 2003, we have an accumulated

 

11



 

deficit of $62,474,312. We expect to continue to incur substantial operating losses in the future due to continued spending on research and development programs, the funding of preclinical studies, clinical trials and regulatory activities and the costs of administrative activities.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

There have been no changes in our critical accounting policies as discussed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2002.

 

Revenue recognition

 

We have adopted a strategy of co-developing or licensing our gene delivery technology for specific genes or specific medical indications. Accordingly, we have entered into collaborative research and development agreements. Payments under these agreements, which are non-refundable, are recorded as revenue as the related research expenditures are incurred pursuant to the terms of the revelant agreement and provided collectibility is reasonably assured.

 

License fees comprise initial fees and milestone payments derived from collaborative licensing arrangements. Non-refundable milestone payments continue to be recognized upon (i) the achievement of specified milestones when we have earned the milestone payment, (ii) the milestone payment is substantive in nature and the achievement of the milestone was not reasonably assured at the inception of the agreement. We defer payments for milestone events which are reasonably assured and recognize them ratably over the minimum remaining period of our performance obligations.  Payments for milestones which are not reasonably assured are treated as the culmination of a separate earnings process and are recognized as revenue when the milestones are achieved.

 

Patent and license costs

 

Patents are recorded at cost and amortized using the straight-line method over the expected useful lives of the patents or 17 years, whichever is less.  Cost is comprised of the consideration paid for patents and related legal costs.  If we determine that development of products to which patent costs relate is not reasonably certain or that costs exceed recoverable value, such costs are charged to operations.

 

License costs are recorded based on the fair value of consideration paid and amortized using the straight-line method over the expected useful life of the underlying patents.

 

Long-lived assets

 

We assess the recoverability of the affected long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of such assets can be recovered through undiscounted future operating cash flows.  If impairment is indicated, we reduce the carrying value of the asset to fair value.  While our current and historical operating and cash flow losses are potential indicators of impairment, we believe the future cash flows to be received from the long-lived assets will exceed the assets’ carrying value, and accordingly, we have not recognized any impairment losses through September 30, 2003.

 

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Research and Development Expenses

 

Since our inception, virtually all of our activities have consisted of research and development efforts related to developing our electroporation technologies.  Accordingly, the large majority of our transactions to date have related to research and development spending.  We expense all such expenditures in the period incurred.

 

Results of Operations

 

Revenues

 

We had total revenues of $22,311 and $42,452 for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively, compared to $67,887 and $113,328 for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002, respectively.  Total revenues decreased $45,576, or 67%, and decreased by $70,876, or 63%, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively, as compared to the same period last year.  Revenues consist of license fees, milestone payments and amounts received from collaborative research and development arrangements.  Revenues under license fees and milestone payments for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003 were $1,471 and $4,412, respectively, compared to $1,471 and $4,412, respectively, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002. The licenses fees which were recorded for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003 and 2002, resulted from the amortization of a $100,000 license fee received according to a non-exclusive license and supply agreement entered into with Valentis, Inc. We will receive further payments, in the form of cash and stock of Valentis, if certain milestones are achieved under the agreement. In October 2002, we received an additional milestone payment of $100,000, which has been recorded as deferred revenue.  We continue to seek new licensing partners for the use of electroporation for the delivery of drugs in the treatment of cancer and delivery of genes into cells. Until a new strategic alliance is in place with a new partner and we achieve the milestones specified in the new agreement, or product sales commence under the new agreement, we will not receive any significant milestone or licensing payments for development or sale of its products.

 

During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, we recorded revenues under collaborative research and development arrangements in the amounts of $20,840 and $38,040, respectively, compared to $66,416 and $108,916, respectively, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002, respectively.  Research and development collaborative revenues decreased $45,576, or 69%, and $70,876, or 65%, for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to the same periods in the prior year.  The decrease was primarily due to the absence of additional collaborative research agreements.

 

Research and Development

 

Research and development expenses, which include clinical trial costs, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, were $643,433 and $1,548,401, respectively, compared to $593,705 and $1,851,425, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002, respectively.  Research and development expenses increased by $49,728, or 8%, for the three months ended September 30, 2003 as compared to the same periods the prior year.  For the nine months ended September 30, 2003, expenses decreased by $303,024, or 16%, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2002.  The increase in research and development expenses for the

 

13



 

three months ended September 30, 2003, is primarily due to clinical/regulatory outside consultants and additional traveling expenses associated with potential European sites. We are currently planning to enter two Phase III head and neck clinical trials by the end of the year in the United States and Europe.  These trials compare Electroporation Therapy (EPT) to surgery using a primary endpoint of function preservation and secondary endpoints of local tumor control, disease free survival and overall survival.  Shifting from a primary endpoint of survival to a quality of life outcome allows Genetronics to carry out clinical trials that will be faster, less costly and have a higher likelihood of success.  As a result, previously announced Phase III head and neck trials focusing on survival as a primary endpoint have been discontinued.  In addition, the Company is planning two Phase IV product pre-marketing seeding trials in Europe for skin and head and neck cancer to gather additional clinical and pharmacoeconomic data.  The Phase IV trials are expected to allow adoption of the technology by thought leaders and allow us to apply for reimbursement.  Clinical/regulatory expenses will increase substantially when these clinical trials are initiated. The decrease in research and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, reflects a reduction in research and development activities and lower salary expense.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

General and administrative expenses, which consist of business development expenses, and general administrative expenses, for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, were $1,076,320 and $3,319,345, respectively, compared to $946,358 and $2,754,669 for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002, respectively.  General and administrative expenses increased by $129,962, or 14%, from $946,358 to $1,076,320 for the three months ended September 30, 2003 as compared to the same period in the prior year.   For the nine months ended September 30, 2003, general and administrative expense increased by $564,676, or 20%, from $2,754,669 to $3,319,345 as compared to the same period in the prior year. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to the same period in the prior year, mainly reflects increased salary and travel expense, increased severance cost resulting from the sale of our BTX division, increased corporate insurance cost, the absorption of certain BTX fixed costs, and increased business development efforts as well.  In addition, during the first quarter of 2003, we recorded a realized loss of $102,238, associated with a foreign currency translation adjustment.

 

Interest Income, Net

 

Interest income, net for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, were $17,129 and $2,452, respectively, compared to $10,566 and $24,029 for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002, respectively. The increase in interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2003, was due to the receipt of the July 2003 investment funds.  The decrease for nine months ended September 30, 2003 was due to a charge to interest expense of $19,800 related to a bridge loan in the first quarter of 2003.  In  addition, the decrease in interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 2003, resulted primarily from the diminishing availability of investment funds due to the continuing operating losses as well as an overall decline in interest rates.

 

14



 

Net Income (Loss)

 

We reported net loss of $7,928,574 and $9,147,765 for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2003, respectively, compared to net loss of $1,390,905 and $4,390,028 for the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2002.  The increased net loss for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2003, as compared to the same period in the prior year, was the result of charges related to imputed and declared dividends on preferred stock, lower revenues under collaborative research and development agreements, increased general and administrative expense. Expenses related to imputed and declared dividend on Preferred Stock amounted to $6,248,261 in the third quarter of 2003 and increased the net loss substantially.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

During the last six fiscal years, our primary uses of cash have been to finance research and development activities and clinical trial activities in the Drug and Gene Delivery Division. Since inception, we have satisfied our cash requirements principally from proceeds from the sale of equity securities.

 

As of September 30, 2003, we had working capital of $6,429,347 as compared to $1,039,908 as of December 31, 2002.  The change was primarily a result of an improvement in working capital resulting from the July 2003 sale of Preferred Stock and from the sale of the BTX Division in January 2003.

 

On July 16, 2003 we closed a preferred share private placement and raised an aggregate of $15.67 million, through the sale of $8.17 million of our Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and $7.50 million of our Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, to institutional and accredited investors. The terms of the two series of preferred stock differ slightly. The Series A Preferred Stock is convertible into our common stock at a conversion price of $0.60 per share, and there is no escrow provision. In connection with the sale of the Series A Preferred Stock, we recorded a one-time imputed dividend charge of $6,045,799 related to the beneficial conversion feature of the stock. The Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into our common stock at a conversion price of $0.70 per share, and the proceeds from the sale of the Series B Preferred Stock will remain in escrow to be released to us upon the achievement of specific milestones. At September 30, 2003, we recorded a receivable in the amount of $7.5 million related to the funds held in escrow.   In October 2003, we achieved these milestones and the $7.5 million was released form escrow.  Since the funds were released in October 2003, we will record a similar imputed dividend charge in the fourth quarter of 2003.  Upon conversion, Preferred Stock will convert into 24,330,953 shares of our common stock. We will pay the holders of Series A and Series B Preferred Stock an annual dividend rate of 6%, in shares of common stock or cash payable quarterly, and each holder received 40% warrant coverage at an exercise price of $0.75 per share exercisable through July 13, 2008. Warrants granted to holders of our Preferred Stock entitle these investors the right to acquire 9,732,381 shares of our common stock.  On September 30, 2003, our Board of Directors declared dividends payable to the holders of our Preferred Stock which were paid in our common stock.  A total of 204,507 common shares valued at $202,000 were issued.  The placement agents for the Series A and B Preferred Stock were also granted warrants entitling the agents to acquire 1,944,428 shares of our common stock.  Each placement agent’s warrant entitles the holder to acquire one share of common stock at a price between $0.60 and $0.75 per share, exercisable

 

15



 

through July 13, 2008.  Through September 30, 2003, we have incurred a total of $992,441 in expenses related to this offering.

 

On January 21, 2003, we entered into a $1,000,000 bridge loan with a major stockholder.  In February 2003, the bridge loan was paid in full with proceeds from the sale of the BTX Division. Warrants to purchase 60,000 shares of our common stock at $0.01 per share were granted in lieu of interest being charged on the loan.  The warrants expire in January 2005.

 

On January 31, 2003, we completed the sale of substantially all of the properties and assets that are primarily used in our BTX Division. Our stockholders, in a special stockholder’s meeting held on January 31, 2003, voted to approve the proposed sale to Harvard Bioscience, Inc. The terms of the sale were $3.7 million in cash, subject to certain adjustments, and royalty on net sales of BTX products above certain sales targets for a period of four years.  The net gain on the sale of our BTX Division was $2,034,078.

 

On June 6, 2002, we closed a private placement of 10,225,891 special warrants. 7,985,574 special warrants were issued at a subscription price of $0.42 per special warrant and 2,240,317 special warrants were issued at a subscription price of $0.47 per special warrant, for gross proceeds of $4,406,890. Each $0.42 special warrant is exercisable, without additional payment, into one share of common stock and a warrant for the purchase of one-third of one share of common stock.  Each full common stock purchase warrant is exercisable at $0.70. Total warrants at $0.70 are 2,661,851.  Each $0.47 special warrant is exercisable, without additional payment, into one share of common stock and a warrant for the purchase of forty percent of one share of common stock. Each full common stock purchase warrant is exercisable at $0.65.  Total warrants at $0.65 are 896,125.  The gross proceeds of this financing were reduced by issuance costs including the placement agent’s commission of 6.0% of the gross proceeds of $264,413 and other issue costs of $306,708. In October 2002, these special warrants were converted into 10,225,891 shares of common stock and 3,557,976 common stock purchase warrants.  On June 9, 2003, our Board of Directors approved an extension of the expiration date from June 6, 2003 until July 7, 2003 for the exercise of each of the $0.65 warrants and the $0.70 warrants that were issued in June 2002.  Total warrants exercised were 779,093 totaling $539,803 in gross proceeds.    All remaining warrants expired on July 7, 2003.

 

In connection with the issuance of the special warrants described in the preceding paragraph, we granted Series A special warrants to the placement agent to acquire 665,000 shares of common stock for $0.47 per share.  In September 2003, 120,000 warrants were exercised totaling $56,400 in gross proceeds.  All remaining warrants expire on June 6, 2005.

 

As of September 30, 2003, we had an accumulated deficit of $62,474,312. We have operated at a loss since 1994, and we expect this to continue for some time. The amount of the accumulated deficit will continue to grow, as it will be expensive to continue clinical, research and development efforts. If these activities are successful and if we receive approval from the FDA to market equipment, then additional funding will be required to market and sell the equipment.

 

We will continue to rely on outside sources of financing to meet our future capital needs. The outcome of these matters cannot be predicted at this time. Further, there can be no assurance, assuming we successfully raise additional funds, that we will achieve positive cash flow.  Including the cash proceeds received from the July 2003 financing, the exercise of employee stock options

 

16



 

and investor warrants, and the sale of the BTX Division, we believe we have sufficient funds to fund operations through April 2005.  If we are not able to secure additional funding, we will be required to further scale back our research and development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials, and selling, general, and administrative activities, and we may not be able to continue in business.

 

Our long term capital requirements will depend on numerous factors including:

 

                  The progress and magnitude of the research and development programs, including preclinical and clinical trials;

 

                  The time involved in obtaining regulatory approvals;

 

                  The cost involved in filing and maintaining patent claims;

 

                  Competitor and market conditions;

 

                  The ability to establish and maintain collaborative arrangements;

 

                  The ability to obtain grants to finance research and development projects; and

 

                  The cost of manufacturing scale-up and the cost of commercialization activities and arrangements.

 

                  The ability to generate substantial funding to continue research and development activities, preclinical and clinical studies and clinical trials and manufacturing, scale-up, and selling, general, and administrative activities is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and will depend on numerous factors including:

 

                  The ability to raise funds in the future through public or private financings, collaborative arrangements, grant awards or from other sources;

 

                  The potential for us to obtain equity investments, collaborative arrangements, license agreements or development or other funding programs in exchange for manufacturing, marketing, distribution or other rights to products developed by us; and

 

                  The ability to maintain existing collaborative arrangements.

 

We cannot guarantee that additional funding will be available when needed or on favorable terms. If additional funding is not available on favorable terms, assuming it is available at all, we will be required to scale back our research and development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials, and selling, general, and administrative activities, or otherwise reduce or cease operations, and our business and financial results and condition would be materially adversely affected.

 

17



 

Certain Risk Factors Related To Our Business

 

We Have Operated At A Loss And We Expect To Continue To Accumulate A Deficit; Our Auditors Have Included In Their Report On Our 2002 Financial Statements An Explanatory Paragraph Describing Conditions That Raise Substantial Doubt About Our Ability To Continue As A “Going Concern”.

 

As of September 30, 2003, we had a deficit of $62,474,312. We have operated at a loss since 1994, and we expect this to continue for some time. The amount of our accumulated deficit will continue to grow, as it will be expensive to continue our clinical, research, and development efforts. If these activities are successful, and if we receive approval from the FDA to market human-use equipment, then even more money will be required to market and sell the equipment.

 

The cash we have received during the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2003, came from the sale of our BTX Division, exercise of employee stock options and investor warrants, and the sale of preferred stock.  Other funds came from collaborative research arrangements, and interest income on our investments.  Because we did not have access to sufficient committed capital to meet our projected operating needs at December 31, 2002, our auditor has included in their report on the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2002, an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. On July 16, 2003, we announced that we had raised an aggregate of $15.67 million, through the sale of $8.17 million of our Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and $7.50 million of our Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, to institutional and accredited investors.  All proceeds from the sale of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock were received.  The proceeds from the sale of the Series B Preferred Stock will remained in escrow to be released to us upon the achievement of specific milestones. In October 2003, the Company achieved these milestones and the $7.5 million was released to the Company.  Including the cash proceeds received from the July 2003 financing, the exercise of employee stock options and investor warrants, and the sale of the BTX Division, we believe we have sufficient funds to fund operations through April 2005.

 

We Will Have A Need For Significant Amounts Of Money In The Future And There Is No Guarantee That We Will Be Able To Obtain The Amounts We Need.

 

As discussed, we have operated at a loss, and expect that to continue for some time in the future. Our plans for continuing clinical trials, conducting research, furthering development and, eventually, marketing our human-use equipment will involve substantial costs. The extent of these costs will depend on many factors, including some of the following:

 

                  The progress and breadth of preclinical testing and the size of our drug delivery programs, all of which directly influence cost;

 

                  The costs involved in complying with the regulatory process to get our human-use products approved, including the number, size, and timing of necessary clinical trials and costs associated with the current assembly and review of existing clinical and pre-clinical information;

 

                  The costs involved in patenting our technologies, maintaining, and defending them;

 

                  Changes in our existing research and development relationships and our ability to enter into new agreements;

 

18



 

                  The cost of manufacturing our human-use equipment; and

 

                  Competition for our products and our ability, and that of our partners, to commercialize our products.

 

We plan to fund operations by several means. We will attempt to enter into contracts with partners that will fund either general operating expenses or specific programs or projects. Some funding also may be received through government grants. We cannot promise that we will enter into any such contracts, or receive such grants, or, if we do, that these transactions will provide enough money to meet our needs.

 

In the past, we have raised funds by public and private sale of our stock, and we may do this in the future to raise needed funds. Sale of our stock to new private or public investors usually results in existing stockholders becoming “diluted”. The greater the number of shares sold, the greater the dilution. A high degree of dilution can make it difficult for the price of our stock to rise rapidly, among other things. Dilution also lessens a stockholder’s voting power.

 

We cannot assure you that we will be able to raise money needed to fund operations, or that we will be able to raise money under terms that are favorable to us.

 

If We Do Not Have Enough Money To Fund Operations, Then We Will Have To Cut Costs Or Raise More Money Or Change Strategic Direction.

 

If we are not able to raise needed money under acceptable terms, then we will have to take measures to cut costs, such as:

 

                  Delay, scale back or discontinue one or more of our drug or gene delivery programs or other aspects of operations, including laying off some personnel or stopping or delaying clinical trials;

 

                  Sell or license some of our technologies that we would not otherwise give up if we were in a better financial position;

 

                  Sell or license some of our technologies under terms that are a lot less favorable than they otherwise might have been if we were in a better financial position; and

 

                  Consider merging with another company or positioning ourselves to be acquired by another company.

 

If it became necessary to take one or more of the above-listed actions, then we may have a lower valuation that would cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

 

 

19



 

If We Are Not Successful Developing Our Current Products, Our Business Model May Change As Our Priorities and Opportunities Change; And Our Business May Never Develop To Be Profitable or Sustainable.

 

There are many products and programs that to us seem promising and that we could pursue. However, with limited resources, we may decide to change priorities and shift programs away from those that we had been pursuing, for the purpose of exploiting our core technology of electroporation. The choices we may make will be dependent upon numerous factors, which we cannot predict. We cannot assure you that our business model, as it currently exists or as it may evolve, will enable us to become profitable or to sustain operations.

 

If We Do Not Successfully Commercialize Products From Our Drug and Gene Delivery Division, Then Our Business Will Suffer.

 

Our Drug and Gene Delivery Division is in the early development stage and our success depends on the success of the technology being developed by the Drug and Gene Delivery Division. Although we have received various regulatory approvals which apply to Europe for our equipment for use in treating solid tumors, the products related to such regulatory approval have not yet been commercialized. In addition, we have not yet received any regulatory approvals to sell our clinical products in the United States and further clinical trials are still necessary before we can seek regulatory approval to sell our products in the United States for treating solid tumors. We cannot assure you that we will successfully develop any products. If we fail to develop or successfully commercialize any products, then our business will suffer.  Additionally, much of the commercialization efforts for our products must be carried forward by a licensing partner.  We may not be able to obtain such a partner.

 

Pre-Clinical And Clinical Trials Of Human-Use Equipment Are Unpredictable; If We Experience Unsuccessful Trial Results Our Business Will Suffer.

 

Before any of our human-use equipment can be sold, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or applicable foreign regulatory authorities, must determine that the equipment meets specified criteria for use in the indications for which approval is requested. The FDA will make this determination based on the results from our pre-clinical testing and clinical trials.

 

Clinical trials are unpredictable, especially human-use trials. Results achieved in early stage clinical trials may not be repeated in later stage trials, or in trials with more patients. When early, positive results are not repeated in later stage trials, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have suffered significant setbacks. Not only are commercialization timelines pushed back, but some companies, particularly smaller biotechnology companies with limited cash reserves, have gone out of business after releasing news of unsuccessful clinical trial results.

 

If we experience unexpected, inconsistent or disappointing results in connection with a clinical or pre-clinical trial our business will suffer. If any of the following events arise during our clinical trials or data review, then we would expect this to have a serious negative effect on our company and your investment:

 

                  The electroporation-mediated delivery of drugs or other agents may be found to be ineffective or to cause harmful side effects, including death;

 

                  Our clinical trials may take longer than anticipated, for any of a number of reasons including a scarcity of subjects that meet the physiological or pathological criteria for

 

20



 

entry into the study, a scarcity of subjects that are willing to participate through the end of the trial, or data and document review;

 

                  The reported clinical data may change over time as a result of the continuing evaluation of patients or the current assembly and review of existing clinical and pre-clinical information;

 

                  Data from various sites participating in the clinical trials may be incomplete or unreliable, which could result in the need to repeat the trial or abandon the project; and

 

                  The FDA and other regulatory authorities may interpret our data differently than we do, which may delay or deny approval.

 

Clinical trials are generally quite expensive. A delay in our trials, for whatever reason, will probably require us to spend additional funds to keep the product(s) moving through the regulatory process. If we do not have or cannot raise the needed funds, then the testing of our human-use products could be shelved. In the event the clinical trials are not successful, we will have to determine whether to put more money into the program to address its deficiencies or whether to abandon the clinical development programs for the products in the tested indications. Loss of the human-use product line would be a significant setback for our company.

 

Because there are so many variables inherent in clinical trials, we cannot predict whether any of our future regulatory applications to conduct clinical trials will be approved by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, whether our clinical trials will commence or proceed as planned, and whether the trials will ultimately be deemed to be successful.  To date, our experience has been that submission and approval of clinical protocols has taken longer than desired or expected.

 

Our Business Is Highly Dependent On Receiving Approvals From Various United States And International Government Agencies And Will Be Dramatically Affected If Approval To Manufacture And Sell Our Human-Use Equipment Is Not Granted Or Is Not Granted In A Timely Manner.

 

The production and marketing of our human-use equipment and the ongoing research, development, preclinical testing, and clinical trial activities are subject to extensive regulation. Numerous governmental agencies in the United States and internationally, including the FDA, must review our applications and decide whether to grant approval. All of our human-use equipment must go through an approval process, in some instances for each indication in which we want to label it for use (such as, use for dermatology, use for transfer of a certain gene to a certain tissue, or use for administering a certain drug to a certain tumor type in a patient having certain characteristics). These regulatory processes are extensive and involve substantial costs and time.

 

We have limited experience in, and limited resources available for, regulatory activities. Failure to comply with applicable regulations can, among other things, result in non-approval, suspensions of regulatory approvals, fines, product seizures and recalls, operating restrictions, injunctions and criminal prosecution.

 

Any of the following events can occur and, if any did occur, any one could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations:

 

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                  As mentioned earlier, clinical trials may not yield sufficiently conclusive results for regulatory agencies to approve the use of our products;

 

                  There can be delays, sometimes long, in obtaining approval for our human-use devices, and indeed, we have experienced such delays in obtaining FDA approval of our clinical protocols;

 

                  The rules and regulations governing human-use equipment such as ours can change during the review process, which can result in the need to spend time and money for further testing or review;

 

                  If approval for commercialization is granted, it is possible the authorized use will be more limited than we believe is necessary for commercial success, or that approval may be conditioned on completion of further clinical trials or other activities; and

 

                  Once granted, approval can be withdrawn, or limited, if previously unknown problems arise with our human-use product or data arising from its use.

 

We Rely On Collaborative And Licensing Relationships To Fund A Portion Of Our Research And Development Expenses; If We Are Unable To Maintain Or Expand Existing Relationships, Or Initiate New Relationships, We Will Have To Defer Or Curtail Research And Development Activities In One Or More Areas.

 

Our partners and collaborators fund a portion of our research and development expenses and assist us in the research and development of our human-use equipment.  These collaborations and partnerships can help pay the salaries and other overhead expenses related to research. Our largest partner at this time is Valentis, Inc. In November 2001, we entered into a non-exclusive license and supply agreement with Valentis, whereby Valentis obtained rights to use our electroporation technology in the development of certain Genemedicine products. We received a cash payment of $100,000 from Valentis in the first quarter of 2002 and fourth quarter of 2002, and we may receive additional revenues from this partnership depending on various regulatory approvals and other events outside of our control. In the past, we encountered operational difficulties after the termination of a similar agreement by a former partner. Because this partnership was terminated, we did not receive significant milestone payments which we had expected and were forced to delay some clinical trials as well as some product development. The Valentis partnership is not of the same size and scope and termination of the Valentis partnership would not present operational difficulties.

 

Our clinical trials to date have used our equipment with the anti-cancer drug bleomycin. We do not currently intend to package bleomycin together with the equipment for sale, but if it should be necessary or desirable to do this, we would need a reliable source of the drug. In 1998, we signed a supply agreement with Abbott Laboratories under which Abbott would sell us bleomycin. If it becomes necessary or desirable to include bleomycin in our package, and this relationship with Abbott should be terminated, then we would have to form a relationship with another provider of this generic drug before any product could be launched.

 

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We also rely on scientific collaborators at universities and companies to further our research and test our equipment. In most cases, we lend our equipment to a collaborator, teach him or her how to use it, and together design experiments to test the equipment in one of the collaborator’s fields of expertise. We aim to secure agreements that restrict collaborators’ rights to use the equipment outside of the agreed upon research, and outline the rights each of us will have in any results or inventions arising from the work.

 

Nevertheless, there is always risk that:

 

                  Our equipment will be used in ways we did not authorize, which can lead to liability and unwanted competition;

 

                  We may determine that our technology has been improperly assigned to us or a collaborator may claim rights to certain use of our technology, which may require us to pay license fees or milestone payments and, if commercial sales of the underlying product is achieved, royalties;

 

                  We may lose rights to inventions made by our collaborators in the field of our business, which can lead to expensive legal fights and unwanted competition;

 

                  Our collaborators may not keep our confidential information to themselves, which can lead to loss of our right to seek patent protection and loss of trade secrets, and expensive legal fights; and

 

                  Collaborative associations can damage a company’s reputation if they go awry and, thus, by association or otherwise, the scientific or medical community may develop a negative view of us.

 

We cannot guarantee that any of the results from these collaborations will be fruitful. We also cannot tell you that we will be able to continue to collaborate with individuals and institutions that will further our work, or that we will be able to do so under terms that are not too restrictive. If we are not able to maintain or develop new collaborative relationships, then it is likely the research pace will slow down and it will take longer to identify and commercialize new products, or new indications for our existing products.

 

We Could Be Substantially Damaged If Physicians And Hospitals Performing Our Clinical Trials Do Not Adhere To Protocols Or Promises Made In Clinical Trial Agreements.

 

Our company also works and has worked with a number of hospitals to perform clinical trials, primarily in oncology. We depend on these hospitals to recruit patients for the trials, to perform the trials according to our protocols, and to report the results in a thorough, accurate and consistent fashion. Although we have agreements with these hospitals, which govern what each party is to do with respect to the protocol, patient safety, and avoidance of conflict of interest, there are risks that the terms of the contracts will not be followed, such as:

 

Risk of Deviations from Protocol. The hospitals or the physicians working at the hospitals may not perform the trial correctly. Deviations from protocol may make the clinical data not useful and the trial could be essentially worthless.

 

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Risk of Improper Conflict of Interest. Physicians working on protocols may have an improper economic interest in our company, or other conflict of interest. When a physician has a personal stake in the success of the trial, such as can be inferred if the physician owns stock, or rights to purchase stock, of the trial sponsor, it can create suspicion that the trial results were improperly influenced by the physician’s interest in economic gain. Not only can this put the clinical trial results at risk, but it can also do serious damage to a company’s reputation.

 

Risks Involving Patient Safety and Consent. Physicians and hospitals may fail to secure formal written consent as instructed or report adverse effects that arise during the trial in the proper manner, which could put patients at unnecessary risk. This increases our liability, affects the data, and can damage our reputation.

 

If any of these events were to occur, then it could have a material adverse effect on our ability to receive regulatory authorization to sell our human-use equipment, not to mention on our reputation. Negative events that arise in the performance of clinical trials sponsored by biotechnology companies of our size and with limited cash reserves similar to ours have resulted in companies going out of business. While these risks are ever present, to date our contracted physicians and clinics have been successful in collecting significant data regarding the clinical protocols under which they have operated, and we are unaware of any conflicts of interest or improprieties regarding our protocols.

 

We Rely Heavily On Our Patents And Proprietary Rights To Attract Partnerships And Maintain Market Position.

 

Another factor that will influence our success is the strength of our patent portfolio. Patents give the patent holder the right to prevent others from using its patented technology. If someone infringes upon the patented material of a patent holder, then the patent holder has the right to initiate legal proceedings against that person to protect the patented material. These proceedings, however, can be lengthy and costly. We are in the process of performing an ongoing review of our patent portfolio to confirm that our key technologies are adequately protected. If we determine that any of our patents require either additional disclosures or revisions to existing information, we may ask that such patents be reexamined or reissued, as applicable, by the United States patent office.

 

The patenting process, enforcement of issued patents, and defense against claims of infringement are inherently risky. Because our Drug and Gene Delivery Division relies heavily on patent protection, for us, the risks are significant and include the following:

 

Risk of Inadequate Patent Protection for Product.  The United States or foreign patent offices may not grant patents of meaningful scope based on the applications we have already filed and those we intend to file. If we do not have patents that adequately protect our human-use equipment and indications for its use, then we will not be competitive.

 

Risk Important Patents Will Be Judged Invalid.  Some of the issued patents we now own or license may be determined to be invalid. If we have to defend the validity of any of our patents, the costs of such defense could be substantial, and there is no guarantee of a successful outcome. In the event an important patent related to our drug delivery technology is found to be invalid, we may

 

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lose competitive position and may not be able to receive royalties for products covered in part or whole by that patent under license agreements.

 

Risk of Being Charged With Infringement. Although we, and our partners, try to avoid infringement, there is the risk that we will use a patented technology owned by another person and/or be charged with infringement. Defending or indemnifying a third party against a charge of infringement can involve lengthy and costly legal actions, and there can be no guarantee of a successful outcome. Biotechnology companies of roughly our size and financial position have gone out of business after fighting and losing an infringement battle. If we, or our partners, were prevented from using or selling our human-use equipment, then our business would be seriously affected.

 

Freedom to Operate Risks. We are aware that patents related to electrically assisted drug delivery have been granted to, and patent applications filed by, our potential competitors. We or our partners have taken licenses to some of these patents, and will consider taking additional licenses in the future. Nevertheless, the competitive nature of our field of business and the fact that others have sought patent protection for technologies similar to ours, makes these significant risks.

 

In addition to patents, we also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how. We try to protect this information with appropriate confidentiality and inventions agreements with our employees, scientific advisors, consultants, and collaborators. We cannot assure you that these agreements will not be breached, that we will be able to do much to protect ourselves if they are breached, or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. If any of these events occurs, then we run the risk of losing control over valuable company information, which could negatively affect our competitive position.

 

We Run The Risk That Our Technology Will Become Obsolete Or Lose Its Competitive Advantage.

 

The drug delivery business is very competitive, fast moving and intense, and expected to be increasingly so in the future. Other companies and research institutions are developing drug delivery systems that, if not similar in type to our systems, are designed to address the same patient or subject population. Therefore, we cannot promise you that our products will be the best, the safest, the first to market, or the most economical to make or use. If competitors’ products are better than ours, for whatever reason, then we could make less money from sales and our products risk becoming obsolete.

 

There are many reasons why a competitor might be more successful than us, including:

 

Financial Resources. Some competitors have greater financial resources and can afford more technical and development setbacks than we can.

 

Greater Experience. Some competitors have been in the drug delivery business longer than we have. They have greater experience than us in critical areas like clinical testing, obtaining regulatory approval, and sales and marketing. This experience or their name recognition may give them a competitive advantage over us.

 

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Superior Patent Position. Some competitors may have a better patent position protecting their technology than we have or will have to protect our technology. If we cannot use our patents to prevent others from copying our technology or developing similar technology, or if we cannot obtain a critical license to another’s patent that we need to make and use our equipment, then we would expect our competitive position to lessen. However, we feel that our patent position adequately protects our technology portfolio.

 

Faster to Market. Some companies with competitive technologies may move through stages of development, approval, and marketing faster than us. If a competitor receives FDA approval before us, then it will be authorized to sell its products before we can sell ours. Because the first company “to market” often has a significant advantage over late-comers, a second place position could result in less than anticipated sales.

 

Reimbursement Allowed. In the United States, third party payers, such as Medicare, may reimburse physicians and hospitals for competitors’ products but not for our human-use products. This would significantly affect our ability to sell our human-use products in the United States and would have a serious effect on revenues and our business as a whole. Outside of the United States, reimbursement and funding policies vary widely.

 

Our Ability To Achieve Significant Revenue From Sales Or Leases Of Human-Use Equipment Will Depend On Establishing Effective Sales, Marketing And Distribution Capabilities Or Relationships And We Lack Substantial Experience In These Areas.

 

We have no experience in sales, marketing and distribution of clinical and human-use products. If we want to be direct distributors of the human-use products, then we must develop a marketing and sales force. This would involve substantial costs, training, and time. Alternatively, we may decide to rely on a company with a large distribution system and a large direct sales force to undertake the majority of these activities on our behalf. This route could result in less profit for us, but may permit us to reach market faster. In any event, we may not be able to undertake this effort on our own, or contract with another to do this at a reasonable cost.  Regardless of the route we take, we may not be able to successfully commercialize any product.

 

The Market For Our Stock Is Volatile, Which Could Adversely Affect An Investment In Our Stock.

 

Our share price and volume are highly volatile. This is not unusual for biomedical companies of our size, age, and with a discrete market niche. It also is common for the trading volume and price of biotechnology stocks to be unrelated to a company’s operations, i.e., to go up or down on positive news and to go up or down on no news. Our stock has exhibited this type of behavior in the past, and may well exhibit it in the future. The historically low trading volume of our stock, in relation to many other biomedical companies of about our size, makes it more likely that a severe fluctuation in volume will affect the stock price.

 

Some factors that we would expect to depress the price of our stock include:

 

                  Adverse clinical trial results;

 

                  Our inability to obtain additional capital;

 

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                  Announcement that the FDA denied our request to approve our human-use product for commercialization in the United States, or similar denial by other regulatory bodies which make independent decisions outside the United States. To date, Europe is the only foreign jurisdiction in which we have sought approval for commercialization;

 

                  Announcement of legal actions brought by or filed against us for patent or other matters, especially if we do not win such actions;

 

                  Cancellation of important corporate partnerships or agreements;

 

                  Public concern as to the safety or efficacy of our human-use products including public perceptions regarding gene therapy in general;

 

                  Stockholders’ decisions, for whatever reasons, to sell large amounts of our stock;

 

                  Adverse research and development results;

 

                  A decreasing cash-on-hand balance to fund operations, or other signs of apparent financial uncertainty; and

 

                  Significant advances made by competitors that are perceived to limit our market position.

 

Our Dependence Upon Non-Marketed Products, Lack Of Experience In Manufacturing And Marketing Human-Use Products, And Our Continuing Deficit May Result In Even Further Fluctuations In Our Trading Volume And Share Price.

 

Successful approval, marketing, and sales of our human-use equipment are critical to the financial future of our company. Our human-use products are not yet approved for sale in the United States and some other jurisdictions and we may never obtain those approvals.  Even if we do obtain approvals to sell our human-use products in the United States, those sales may not be as large or timely as we expect. These uncertainties may cause our operating results to fluctuate dramatically in the next several years. We believe that quarter-to-quarter or annual comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance. Nevertheless, these fluctuations may cause us to perform below the expectations of the public market analysts and investors. If this happens, the price of our common stock would likely fall.

 

There Is A Risk Of Product Liability With Human-Use Equipment

 

The testing, marketing and sale of human-use products expose us to significant and unpredictable risks of equipment product liability claims. These claims may arise from patients, clinical trial volunteers, consumers, physicians, hospitals, companies, institutions, researchers or others using, selling, or buying our equipment. Product liability risks are inherent in our business and will exist even after the products are approved for sale. If and when our human-use equipment is commercialized, we run the risk that use (or misuse) of the equipment will result in personal injury.  The chance of such an occurrence will increase after a product type is on the market.

 

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We possess liability insurance in connection with ongoing business and products, and we will purchase additional policies if such policies are determined by management to be necessary.  The insurance we purchase may not provide adequate coverage in the event a claim is made, however, and we may be required to pay claims directly. If we did have to make payment against a claim, then it would impact our financial ability to perform the research, development, and sales activities we have planned.

 

If and when our human-use equipment is commercialized, there is always the risk of product defects. Product defects can lead to loss of future sales, decrease in market acceptance, damage to our brand or reputation, and product returns and warranty costs. These events can occur whether the defect resides in a component we purchased from a third party or whether it was due to our design and/or manufacture. We expect that our sales agreements will contain provisions designed to limit our exposure to product liability claims. However, we do not know whether these limitations are enforceable in the countries in which the sale is made. Any product liability or other claim brought against us, if successful and of sufficient magnitude, could negatively impact our financial performance, even if we have insurance.

 

We Cannot Be Certain That We Will Be Able To Manufacture Our Human-Use Products In Sufficient Volumes At Commercially Reasonable Rates.

 

Our manufacturing facilities for human-use products will be subject to quality systems regulations, international quality standards and other regulatory requirements, including pre-approval inspection for the human-use equipment and periodic post-approval inspections for all human-use products. While we have undergone and passed a quality systems review from an international body, we have never undergone a quality systems inspection by the FDA. We may not be able to pass an FDA inspection when it occurs. If our facilities are not up to the FDA standards in sufficient time, prior to United States launch of product, then it will result in a delay or termination of our ability to produce the human-use equipment in our facility. Any delay in production will have a negative effect on our business. There are no immediate dates set forth for launch of our products in the United States.  We plan on launching these products once we successfully perform a Phase III clinical study, obtain the requisite regulatory approval, and engage a partner who has the financial resources and marketing capacity to bring our products to market.

 

Our products must be manufactured in sufficient commercial quantities, in compliance with regulatory requirements, and at an acceptable cost to be attractive to purchasers. We rely on third parties to manufacture and assemble most aspects of our equipment.

 

Disruption of the manufacture of our products, for whatever reason, could delay or interrupt our ability to manufacture or deliver our products to customers on a timely basis. This would be expected to affect revenues and may affect our long-term reputation, as well. In the event we provide product of inferior quality, we run the risk of product liability claims and warranty obligations, which will negatively affect our financial performance.

 

We Depend On The Continued Employment Of Qualified Personnel.

 

Our success is highly dependent on the people who work for us. If we cannot attract and retain top talent to work in our company, then our business will suffer.  Our staff may not decide to

 

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stay with our company, and we may not be able to replace departing employees or build departments with qualified individuals.

 

We have an employment agreement in place for Avtar Dhillon, our President and Chief Executive Officer. If Dr. Dhillon leaves us, that might pose significant risks to our continued development and progress. Our progress may also be curtailed if Dietmar Rabussay, Ph.D., our Vice President of Research and Development, were to leave us.

 

We May Not Meet Environmental Guidelines, And As A Result Could Be Subject To Civil And Criminal Penalties.

 

Like all companies in our line of work, we are subject to a variety of governmental regulations relating to the use, storage, discharge and disposal of hazardous substances. Our safety procedures for handling, storage and disposal of such materials are designed to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Nevertheless, if we are found to not comply with environmental regulations, or if we are involved with contamination or injury from these materials, then we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties. This would have a negative impact on our reputation, our finances, and could result in a slowdown, or even complete cessation of our business.

 

A Majority Of Our Directors Are Canadian Citizens And Service And Enforcement Of Legal Process Upon Them May Be Difficult.

 

A majority of our directors are residents of Canada and most, if not all, of these persons’ assets are located outside of the United States. It may be difficult for a stockholder in the United States to effect service or realize anything from a judgment against these Canadian residents as a result of any possible civil liability resulting from the violation of United States federal securities laws. We currently have five directors, four of whom are Canadian citizens.

 

Our Actual Results Could Differ Materially From Those Anticipated In Our Forward-Looking Statements.

 

Any statements in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “should,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “expects,” “estimates,” “projects,” “positioned,” “strategy,” “outlook” and similar expressions. Accordingly, these statements involve estimates, assumptions and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in the statements. Any forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the factors discussed throughout this quarterly report.  The following cautionary statements identify important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements made in this quarterly report.   Among the key factors that have a direct impact on our results of operations are:

 

                  the risks and other factors described under the caption “Risk Factors” in this quarterly report;

 

                  general economic and business conditions;

 

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                  industry trends;

 

                  our assumptions about customer acceptance, overall market penetration and competition from providers of alternative products and services;

 

                  our actual funding requirements; and

 

                  availability, terms and deployment of capital.

 

Because the risk factors referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

 

Item 3.                                                           Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

 

Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to the increase or decrease in the amount of interest income that we can earn on our cash equivalents.  We are subject to interest rate risk on our cash equivalents which at September 30, 2003 had an average interest rate of approximately 1.4%.  Under our current policies, we do not use interest rate derivative instruments to manage exposure to interest rate changes.  We ensure the safety and preservation of our invested principal funds by limiting default risk, market risk and reinvestment risk.  We mitigate default risk by investing in investment grade securities.  A hypothetical 100 basis point adverse move in interest rates along the entire interest rate yield curve would not materially affect the fair value of our interest sensitive financial instruments.  Declines in interest rates over time will, however, reduce the interest income.

 

Item 4.                                                           Controls and Procedures

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

The term “disclosure controls and procedures” refers to the controls and procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files under Rule 13a – 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within required time periods.  As of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report on Form 10-Q (the “Evaluation Date”), we carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures.  Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date, such controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that required

 

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information will be disclosed on a timely basis in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commision under the Exchange Act.

 

Changes in Internal Controls

 

There were no significant changes in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls subsequent to the Evaluation Date.

 

Part II.     Other Information

 

Items 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are not applicable and have been omitted.

 

Item 6.                                                           Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

 

(a)                                  Exhibits

 

Exhibit Number

 

Description of Document

31.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a).

31.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-14(a).

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Certification pursuant to 18  U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of  2002.

 

(b)                                 Reports on Form 8-K

 

During the three-month period ending September 30, 2003, the registrant filed one current report on Form 8-K.

 

On July 16, 2003 under Item 5 – Other Events, the registrant announced that it had raised an aggregate of $15.67 million, through the sale of $8.17 million of its Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and $7.50 million of its Series B Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, to institutional and accredited investors.

 

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GENETRONICS BIOMEDICAL CORPORATION

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Genetronics Biomedical Corporation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date:   November 12, 2003

By:

/s/ Peter Kies

 

 

 

Peter Kies, Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

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