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EX-32.1 - EX-32.1 - Timber Pharmaceuticals, Inc.bpmx-20170430ex321f5984f.htm
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EX-31.1 - EX-31.1 - Timber Pharmaceuticals, Inc.bpmx-20170430ex311c9c4ce.htm
EX-10.1 - EX-10.1 - Timber Pharmaceuticals, Inc.bpmx-20170430ex101743392.htm

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

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

 

For the quarterly period ended April 30, 2017

or

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. 001-37411

 

BIOPHARMX CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

Delaware

 

59-3843182

(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

 

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

 

 

 

1505 Adams Drive, Suite D, Menlo Park, California

 

94025

(Address of principal executive offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 650-889-5020

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting, or a emerging growth company.

 

 

 

 

Large accelerated filer  ☐

 

Accelerated filer  ☐

Non-accelerated filer  ☐

 

Smaller reporting company  ☒

 

 

Emerging growth company  ☐

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

 

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

 

As of May 31, 2017, there were outstanding 74,129,835 shares of the registrant’s common stock, $0.001 par value.

 

 

 

 

 


 

BIOPHARMX CORPORATION

 

Form 10-Q

 

Table of Contents

 

 

 

 

PART I  — Financial Information

 

    

    

 

Item 1 

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

3

 

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017

3

 

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations and Comprehensive Loss for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016

4

 

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016

5

 

Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

6

Item  2 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

17

Item 3 

Qualitative and Quantitative Disclosures About Market Risk

21

Item 4 

Controls and Procedures

21

 

 

 

PART II  — Other Information

 

 

 

 

Item 1 

Legal Proceedings

22

Item 1A 

Risk Factors

22

Item 2 

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

56

Item 3 

Defaults Upon Senior Securities

56

Item 4 

Mine Safety Disclosures

57

Item 5 

Other Information

57

Item 6 

Exhibits

58

 

 

 

SIGNATURES 

60

 

 

2


 

PART I

 

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

 

BioPharmX Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 

 

January 31, 

 

 

    

2017

    

2017

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current assets:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

 

$

6,709

 

$

6,501

 

Accounts receivable, net

 

 

3

 

 

 4

 

Inventories

 

 

30

 

 

38

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

 

240

 

 

284

 

Total current assets

 

 

6,982

 

 

6,827

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Property and equipment, net

 

 

118

 

 

120

 

Other assets

 

 

154

 

 

154

 

Total assets

 

$

7,254

 

$

7,101

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts payable

 

$

2,308

 

$

2,551

 

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 

 

1,776

 

 

1,176

 

Total current liabilities

 

 

4,084

 

 

3,727

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Long-term liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warrant liability

 

 

767

 

 

403

 

Total liabilities

 

 

4,851

 

 

4,130

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies (Note 5)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Series A convertible preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,515 issued and outstanding as of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017

 

 

1,515

 

 

1,515

 

Common stock, $0.001 par value; 450,000,000 shares authorized; 74,129,835 and 67,719,577 shares issued and outstanding as of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017, respectively

 

 

74

 

 

68

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

50,849

 

 

46,026

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(50,035)

 

 

(44,638)

 

Total stockholders' equity

 

 

2,403

 

 

2,971

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders' equity

 

$

7,254

 

$

7,101

 

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

 

3


 

BioPharmX Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (unaudited)

(in thousands, except share and per share data)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

 

April 30, 

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Revenues, net

 

$

19

 

$

33

 

Cost of goods sold

 

 

11

 

 

20

 

Gross margin

 

 

 8

 

 

13

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Research and development

 

 

2,941

 

 

2,173

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

797

 

 

1,107

 

General and administrative

 

 

1,303

 

 

1,193

 

Total operating expenses

 

 

5,041

 

 

4,473

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loss from operations

 

 

(5,033)

 

 

(4,460)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Change in fair value of warrant liability

 

 

(364)

 

 

 —

 

Other income

 

 

 1

 

 

 1

 

Loss before income taxes

 

 

(5,396)

 

 

(4,459)

 

Provision for income taxes

 

 

 1

 

 

 2

 

Net loss and comprehensive loss

 

$

(5,397)

 

$

(4,461)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per share

 

$

(0.08)

 

$

(0.17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share

 

 

67,670,000

 

 

26,202,000

 

 

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

 

4


 

BioPharmX Corporation

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended

 

 

 

April 30, 

 

 

 

2017

 

2016

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(5,397)

 

$

(4,461)

 

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock-based compensation expense

 

 

385

 

 

273

 

Depreciation expense

 

 

12

 

 

16

 

Amortization expense

 

 

 

 

 7

 

Change in fair value of warrant liability

 

 

364

 

 

 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accounts receivable

 

 

 1

 

 

 1

 

Inventories

 

 

 8

 

 

24

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

44

 

 

 —

 

Accounts payable

 

 

(243)

 

 

617

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

600

 

 

(74)

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(4,226)

 

 

(3,597)

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchases of property and equipment

 

 

(10)

 

 

(5)

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

 

(10)

 

 

(5)

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from the issuance of common stock and warrants, net of issuance costs

 

 

4,444

 

 

3,583

 

Proceeds from exercises of stock options

 

 

 —

 

 

18

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

4,444

 

 

3,601

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

 

 

208

 

 

(1)

 

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

 

 

6,501

 

 

4,039

 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

 

$

6,709

 

$

4,038

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

5


 

BIOPHARMX CORPORATION

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(UNAUDITED)

 

1. DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Description of Business

 

BioPharmX Corporation (the “Company”) is incorporated under the laws of the state of Delaware and originally incorporated on August 30, 2010 in Nevada under the name Thompson Designs, Inc. The Company has one wholly-owned subsidiary, BioPharmX, Inc., a Nevada corporation. The Company is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on utilizing its proprietary drug delivery technologies to develop and commercialize novel prescription and over-the-counter, or OTC, products that address large markets in dermatology and women’s health. The Company’s objective is to develop products that treat health or age-related conditions that (1) are not presently being addressed or treated at all or (2) are currently treated with drug therapies or drug delivery approaches that are suboptimal. The Company’s strategy is designed to bring new products to market by identifying optimal delivery mechanisms and/or alternative applications for FDA-approved active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs, and biological materials, while, in appropriate circumstances, reducing the time, cost and risk typically associated with new product development by repurposing drugs with demonstrated safety profiles and, when applicable, taking advantage of the regulatory approval pathway under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The Company believes these approaches may reduce drug development risk and could reduce the time and resources it spends during development.  Its current platform technologies include innovative delivery mechanisms for antibiotics, biologic materials and molecular iodine (I2).

Since the Company’s inception, substantially all of the Company’s efforts have been devoted to developing its product candidates, including conducting preclinical and clinical trials, and providing general and administrative support for its operations. The Company commercially launched its breast health supplement at the end of 2014, although to-date the Company has not generated significant revenue from product sales. The Company is not dependent on sales to any one customer. The Company has financed its operations primarily through the sale of equity and convertible debt securities.  In April 2017, the Company raised net proceeds of $4.4 million in a registered direct offering.

 

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

 

These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) and applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) regarding interim financial reporting and include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiary. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations. Accordingly, these unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2017, filed on April 21, 2017. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of January 31, 2017, included herein, was derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of that date.

 

The unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary and have been prepared on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements and include all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s statement of financial position as of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017, and the Company’s results of operations and its cash flows for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016.  The results for the three months ended April 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending January 31, 2018 or any future period.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and reported amounts of revenues and expenses recognized during the reported period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

6


 

Inventories

 

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the standard cost method which approximates actual cost on a first-in, first-out basis. Market value is determined as the lower of replacement cost or net realizable value. The Company regularly reviews inventory quantities in consideration of actual loss experiences, projected future demand and remaining shelf life to record a provision for inventory, which may have become obsolete or are in excess of anticipated demand or net realizable value. If future demand or market conditions for the products are less favorable than forecasted, the Company may be required to record additional write-downs, which would negatively affect its results of operations in the period when the write-downs were recorded.

The Company must order components for its products and build inventory in advance of product shipments. The Company has a purchase commitment relating to the manufacturing of VI2OLET finished product (iodine supplement tablets), which is non-cancelable as detailed in Note 5. The Company assesses its purchase commitment based on demand forecasts and establishes a liability for quantities deemed in excess of these forecasts.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

 

The Company reviews long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset might not be recoverable. When such an event occurs, management determines whether there has been an impairment by comparing the anticipated undiscounted future net cash flows to the related asset’s carrying value. If an asset is considered impaired, the asset is written down to fair value, which is determined based either on discounted cash flows or appraised value, depending on the nature of the asset. The Company did not identify any impairment losses for the three months ended April 30, 2017.

 

Advertising Expenses

 

The Company expenses the costs of advertising, including promotional expenses, as incurred. Advertising expenses were approximately $15,000 and $219,000 for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

 

Net Loss per Share

 

Basic net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated based on the weighted-average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding during the period. The weighted-average shares outstanding for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016 excludes 193,333 shares of unvested common stock. Diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders is calculated based on the weighted-average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding and other dilutive securities outstanding during the period. The potential dilutive shares of common stock resulting from the assumed exercise of outstanding stock options, warrants and the assumed conversion of preferred stock are determined under the treasury stock method.

 

For the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016, approximately 57,222,000 and 7,744,000 potentially dilutive securities, respectively, were excluded from the computation of diluted loss per share because their effect on net loss per share would be anti-dilutive.

 

Warrant Liability

 

The Company accounts for certain of its warrants as derivative liabilities based on provisions relating to cash settlement options.  The Company recorded a liability for the fair value of the warrants at the time of issuance, and at each reporting date the warrants are revalued to the instrument’s fair value. The fair value of the warrants are estimated using the Black-Scholes pricing model. This liability is subject to fair value re-measurement until the warrants are exercised or expired, and any change in fair value is recognized as other income or expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

These unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes should be read in conjunction with the Company’s annual financial statements and notes thereto contained in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017. There have been no significant changes in the Company’s significant 

7


 

accounting policies for the three months ended April 30, 2017, as compared to the significant accounting policies described in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In July 2015, FASB issued ASU No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330), Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory, which applies to all inventory except that which is measured using last-in, first-out (LIFO) or the retail inventory method. Inventory measured using first-in, first-out (FIFO) or average cost is included in the new amendment. The amendment took effect for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted this standard on February 1, 2017, and there was no material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation: Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which relates to the accounting for employee share-based payments. This standard provides guidance on simplifying several aspects of the accounting for employee share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, accounting for forfeitures and classification of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows.  This standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted this standard on February 1, 2017, and there was no material impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases, which requires entities to recognize assets and liabilities for leases with lease terms greater than twelve months. The new guidance also requires quantitative and qualitative disclosures regarding the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The standard is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted upon issuance. The Company is in the process of evaluating the impact of adoption on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

In May 2014, as part of its ongoing efforts to assist in the convergence of US GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The new guidance sets forth a new five-step revenue recognition model which replaces the prior revenue recognition guidance in its entirety and is intended to eliminate numerous industry-specific pieces of revenue recognition guidance that have historically existed in US GAAP. The underlying principle of the new standard is that a business or other organization will recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects what it expects in exchange for the goods or services. The standard also requires more detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for transactions that were not addressed completely in the prior accounting guidance. The ASU provides alternative methods of initial adoption and is effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The FASB has issued several updates to the standard which i) defer the original effective date, while allowing for early adoption (ASU 2015-14); ii) clarify the application of the principal versus agent guidance (ASU 2016-08); iii) clarify the guidance on inconsequential and perfunctory promises and licensing (ASU 2016-10); and clarify the guidance on certain sections of the guidance providing technical corrections and improvements (ASU 2016-10). In May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients”, to address certain narrow aspects of the guidance including collectability criterion, collection of sales taxes from customers, noncash consideration, contract modifications and completed contracts. This issuance does not change the core principle of the guidance in the initial topic issued in May 2014. We are currently evaluating the impact that this standard will have on our condensed consolidated financial statements

 

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. This amendment gives guidance and reduces diversity in practice with respect to certain types of cash flows. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. An entity that elects early adoption must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its condensed consolidated financial statements.  

The Company has reviewed other recent accounting pronouncements and concluded they are either not applicable to the business, or no material effect is expected on the consolidated financial statements as a result of future adoption. 

8


 

2. GOING CONCERN

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern and will continue to conduct operations for the foreseeable future and realize assets and discharge liabilities in the ordinary course of operations. As of April 30, 2017, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $6.7 million and working capital of $2.9 million.

 

The Company has incurred recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and has funded its operating losses through the sale of common stock, preferred stock, warrants to purchase common stock and the issuance of convertible notes. The Company incurred a net loss of $5.4 million and $4.5 million for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and had an accumulated deficit of $50.0 million as of April 30, 2017.

The Company has a limited operating history and its prospects are subject to risks, expenses and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in its industry. The Company continues its research and development efforts for its product candidates, which will require significant funding. If the Company is unable to obtain additional financing in the future or research and development efforts require higher than anticipated capital, there may be a negative impact on the financial viability of the Company.  The Company plans to increase working capital by managing its cash flows and expenses and raising additional capital through either private or public equity or debt financing. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available or on terms which are favorable to the Company. While management of the Company believes that it has a plan to fund ongoing operations, there is no assurance that its plan will be successfully implemented. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, raise additional capital through one or more financings, or reduce certain discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to achieve its intended business objectives. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not contain any adjustments that might result from the resolution of any of the above uncertainties.

3. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

The Company recognizes and discloses the fair value of its assets and liabilities using a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to valuations based upon unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to valuations based upon unobservable inputs that are significant to the valuation (Level 3 measurements). Each level of input has different levels of subjectivity and difficulty involved in determining fair value.

 

·

Level 1—Inputs used to measure fair value are unadjusted quoted prices that are available in active markets for the identical assets or liabilities as of the reporting date.

 

·

Level 2— Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

 

·

Level 3— Unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the measurement of the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

 

As of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017, the Company held $6.4 million and $5.5 million, respectively, in money market funds, which are classified as Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy. No unrealized gains or losses are recorded in connection with these amounts. 

 

The fair value of the warrant liability was classified as a Level 3 liability, as the Company uses unobservable inputs to value it.  The table below presents the activity within Level 3 of the fair value hierachy (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

    

Warrant Liability

Balance as of January 31, 2017

$

403

Change in fair value of warrants

 

364

Balance as of April 30, 2017

$

767

 

 

9


 

4. BALANCE SHEET DETAILS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 30, 

 

January 31, 

 

   

    

2017

    

2017

 

   

 

(in thousands)

 

Inventories:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Work in process

 

$

18

 

$

23

 

Finished goods

 

 

7

 

 

 8

 

Channel inventory

 

 

5

 

 

 7

 

   

 

$

30

 

$

38

 

 

 

 

5. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

Commitments

 

The following table summarizes the Company’s commitments as of April 30, 2017 (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

Total

    

2018

    

2019

    

2020

    

2021

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Operating lease

 

$

410

 

$

410

 

$

 

$

 

$

 

 

Purchase commitment

 

 

1,053

 

 

264

 

 

263

 

 

263

 

 

263

 

 

Total

 

$

1,463

 

$

674

 

$

263

 

$

263

 

$

263

 

 

 

On December 14, 2016, the Company signed a lease for 12,066 square feet of office and laboratory space in Menlo Park, California. The lease expires in December 2017. Rent expense for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016 was $145,000 was $86,000, respectively.

The purchase commitment relates to the manufacturing of VI2OLET finished product (iodine supplement tablets) and is non-cancelable. The Company assesses its purchase commitments based on demand forecasts and establishes a liability for quantities deemed in excess of these forecasts. During the year ended January 31, 2017, the Company recorded a charge of approximately $343,000 as its demand forecast indicated such inventory was deemed excess. The Company continues to pursue additional channel distribution expansion for VI2OLET by way of partnerships and/or sublicense with women’s health and/or consumer companies.  The expected increase in demand generated from these partnerships is included in the Company’s demand forecast. If the Company is unsuccessful in securing such partnerships or sublicensee, it is possible that a loss contingency related to the excess purchase commitments will be required to record additional write-downs, which would negatively affect its results of operations in the period when the write-downs were recorded.

Legal Proceedings

 

The Company is not a party to any material legal proceeding that the Company believes is likely to have a material adverse effect on its consolidated financial position or results of operations. From time to time the Company may be subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. These claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant financial resources and diversion of management efforts.

 

Indemnification

 

The Company enters into standard indemnification arrangements in the ordinary course of business. Pursuant to these arrangements, the Company indemnifies, holds harmless, and agrees to reimburse the indemnified parties for losses suffered or incurred by the indemnified party, in connection with any trade secret, copyright, patent or other intellectual property infringement claim by any third-party with respect to the Company’s technology. The term of these indemnification agreements is generally perpetual. The maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these agreements is not determinable because it involves claims that may be made against the Company in the future, but have not yet been made.

 

The Company has entered into indemnification agreements with its directors and officers that may require the Company to indemnify its directors and officers against liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as

10


 

directors or officers, other than liabilities arising from willful misconduct of the individual. The Company has not incurred costs to defend lawsuits or settle claims related to these indemnification agreements. No liability associated with such indemnifications has been recorded to date.

 

License Agreement

 

In March 2013, the Company entered into an amended and restated collaboration and license agreement with Iogen LLC, which provides the Company with a license to certain rights to label, market, and resell the finished inventory and ongoing manufacturing of the Iogen molecular iodine technology for future product formulation development and commercialization. New formulation patents developed by the Company will be solely owned by the Company. The agreement gives the Company a perpetual, fully paid-up, exclusive license to make, have made, use, sell and offer for sale and import products.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the license, the Company must pay:

 

·

a fee for the exclusive license to the IP.

 

·

30% of net profit associated with direct commercialization of an OTC product or 30% of net royalties received from any sub-licensee.

 

·

a royalty of 3% of net sales for the first 24 months of commercialization and 2% of net sales thereafter for a prescription iodine tablet developed and commercialized under the license.

 

·

a royalty of 3% of net sales for the first 12 months of commercialization for other products developed and commercialized under the license and 2% of net sales thereafter until expiration of applicable patents covering such products and 1% thereafter.

 

·

a fixed royalty fee for the protection and indemnification of licensed intellectual property right (“IP rights”) for the prescription product developed, marketed and sold from newly developed formulations as long as the patents are valid and cover the prescription product.

 

·

a fixed royalty fee for the protection and indemnification of licensed IP rights for the other products utilizing the molecular iodine technology developed, marketed and sold from newly developed formulations as long as the patents are valid and cover the prescription product.

 

No royalties have been paid as of April 30, 2017.

 

6. CONVERTIBLE REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY 

 

Common Stock

 

In June 2015, the Company uplisted to the NYSE MKT and simultaneously completed a public offering in which it issued 3,636,384 shares of common stock resulting in net proceeds of $7.8 million. Pursuant to the terms of a convertible note previously issued, immediately prior to the closing of the offering, the principal amount and all accrued and unpaid interest converted into 182,266 shares of common stock.  Pursuant to a subscription agreement dated October 24, 2014, Korea Investment Partners Overseas Expansion Platform Fund (“KIP”), an existing stockholder, agreed to purchase 1,081,081 shares of common stock from the Company at a price of $1.85 per share in a private placement (the “KIP private placement”) upon the earlier to occur of (i) the Company receiving revenues from VI2OLET of $2,000,000 or (ii) receipt by the Company of approval to list on any tier of the NYSE or Nasdaq stock market at a market price of at least $3.70 per share. In addition, KIP has previously informed the Company of its intention to complete the KIP private placement even if the Company’s stock price was not at least $3.70 per share. As of the date of this report, this private placement has not closed, and the Company does not expect the private placement to close. As consideration for Ping Wang’s service as a director of the Company (Mr. Wang is no longer a director of the Company), 290,000 shares of the Company’s common stock were issued, of which 96,667 shares vested immediately and 193,333 shares will vest immediately upon completion of the $2.0 million investment. The Company does not expect these shares to vest.

11


 

In December 2015, the Company sold 4,100,000 shares of common stock at a price per share of $1.43 resulting in net proceeds of $5.5 million in a private placement to investment funds managed by Franklin Advisers. For a period of five years, Franklin Advisers has the right to purchase up to an aggregate of 20% of the securities offered by the Company in any subsequent private placement.

In April 2016, the Company issued 3,600,000 shares of common stock at a price per share of $1.195 resulting in net proceeds of $3.6 million and warrants to purchase 1,952,000  shares of common stock in a public offering. These warrants have an exercise price of $1.20 per share and expire on April 1, 2021. As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding.

In August 2016, the Company issued 2,423,077 shares of common stock at a price per share of $0.65 resulting in net proceeds of $1.3 million in a private offering.

In September 2016, the Company issued 1,550,000 shares of common stock at a price per share of $0.60 resulting in net proceeds of $0.8 million and warrants to purchase 1,286,501 shares of common stock in a registered direct offering.  These warrants have an exercise price of $0.80 per share and expire in five years. As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding.

On August 17, 2016, the Company issued a secured convertible promissory note (“Secured Note”) in the principal amount of $1.0 million.  The Secured Note included a term to maturity of 36 months and an interest rate of 10% per annum.  On August 17, 2016, the Company issued an unsecured convertible promissory note (“Unsecured Note”) in the principal amount of $0.5 million.  The Unsecured Note included a term to maturity of 6 months and an interest rate of 10% per annum.  Both the Secured Note and Unsecured Note (together, “Notes”) were convertible into the Company’s common stock at a conversion price of $0.80 per share.  Upon issuance of the Notes, debt discounts of approximately $88,000 resulting from a beneficial conversion feature and debt issuance costs of approximately $16,000 were recorded and expensed to interest expense when converted to common stock.  Pursuant to the conversion features included in the Notes, the Notes’ principal amount and unpaid accrued interest automatically converted into 1,926,711 shares of common stock immediately prior to the completion of the Company’s public offering on November 28, 2016.

In November 2016, the Company issued 31,489,429 shares of common stock at a price per share of $0.35, 1,515 shares of Series A convertible preferred stock at a price per share of $1,000 and warrants to purchase 31,499,725 shares of common stock in a public offering resulting in net proceeds of $10.6 million. In December 2016, the underwriters exercised their option to purchase an additional 1,390,676 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments resulting in net proceeds of $0.4 million.

 

In April 2017, the Company issued 6,410,258 shares of common stock at a price per share of $0.78 resulting in net proceeds of $4.4 million and warrants to purchase 3,365,385 shares of common stock in a registered direct offering. These warrants have an exercise price of $0.90 per share and expire in five years.  As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding.

 

Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock

 

During 2014, the Company entered into subscription agreements for the private placement of 4,207,987 shares of its Series A preferred stock and warrants to purchase 2,042,589  shares of common stock at an exercise price of $3.70 per share. In connection with the uplisting to the NYSE MKT, the Series A preferred stock, including accrued and unpaid interest, converted into 4,319,426 shares of common stock. The warrant exercise agreements included a provision such that if the public offering price related to the offering was less than $3.125 per share, then immediately prior to the closing of the offering, additional shares of common stock would be issued at no additional consideration to each holder equal to: (i) the product of (A) the difference between $2.50 per share and 80% of the public offering price and (B) such holder’s shares of common stock received pursuant to exercise of the amended warrants, divided by (ii) 80% of the public offering price in the offering. Based on a public offering price of $2.75 per share, 77,006 shares of common stock were issued pursuant to this provision.

 

In March and April 2015, the Company amended certain of the warrants issued in connection with the Series A preferred stock financing to reduce the exercise price of such warrants from $3.70 to $2.50 per share with a corresponding increase in the number of shares of common stock exercisable under the warrants so that the aggregate exercise value of such warrants remained the same. As of January 31, 2017, certain holders had exercised such warrants for an aggregate of 564,662 shares of common stock for an aggregate cash exercise price of  $1,411,655.  The Company

12


 

recorded a charge for the incremental fair value of $436,000 in other expense related to the amended warrants in the first quarter of fiscal year 2016. The fair value of the warrants exercised was computed as of the date of modification using the following assumptions: dividend rate of 0%, risk-free rate of 1.6%, contractual term of four to five years and expected volatility of 85.9%.  As of April 30, 2017, of the warrants issued in connection with the Series A preferred stock financing, warrants to purchase 1,661,055 shares of common stock remain outstanding.

 

Pursuant to the Certificate of Elimination filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on March 17, 2016, all shares of Series A preferred stock previously designated were returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock, without designation as to series or rights, preferences, privileges or limitations. As of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017, there were 10,000,000 shares of Series A convertible redeemable preferred stock authorized and none were outstanding.

 

Series A Convertible Preferred Stock

In November 2016, the Company issued 1,515 shares of Series A convertible preferred stock (“Preferred Stock”), which included warrants to purchase 3,246,429 shares of common stock. The Preferred Stock had a purchase price of $1,000 per share and are convertible into common stock at a conversion rate of $0.35 per share.  For the first 18 months after issuance, the Preferred Stock are immediately convertible at the option of the holder up to the holder’s pro rata share of 19.99% of the Company’s common stock outstanding at the time of conversion.  After the first 18 months after issuance, the ownership limitation expires and, at the option of the holder, the Preferred Stock can be converted into common stock. The Preferred Stock contained a beneficial conversion feature valued at $0.1 million, which was recorded as a deemed dividend at the time of issuance, which is considered to be the earliest time of conversion. As of April 30, 2017, all the Preferred Stock and related warrants remain outstanding.

Warrants

 

In addition to the warrants issued in conjunction with the Series A preferred stock subscription agreements, the Company issued warrants on May 15, 2014, to a service provider for 316,395 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $2.035 per share, which were valued at $99,000 and expensed. As of October 31, 2016, all were outstanding. On May 14, 2014, the Company also issued warrants valued at $105,000 for 343,559 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.85 per share to a qualified investor as a part of his convertible loan package. These warrants expire five years after the date of issuance.  These warrants are immediately exercisable, and in June 2015, a portion of the warrants were exercised for 54,054 shares of common stock.  As of April 30, 2017, warrants exercisable for 289,505 shares of common stock remain outstanding.

 

In connection with the offering completed in June 2015, warrants to purchase 109,091 shares of common stock were issued to the underwriters at the public offering price of $2.75 per share.  These warrants expire five years after the date of issuance.  As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding.

 

In connection with the sale of common stock in April 2016, warrants to purchase 1,952,000 shares of common stock were issued at an exercise price of $1.20 per share.  As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding.

 

In connection with the sale of common stock in September 2016, warrants to purchase 1,286,501 shares of common stock were issued at an exercise price of $0.80 per share.  As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding. These warrants included a cash settlement option requiring the Company to record a liability for the fair value of the warrants at the time of issuance and at each reporting period with any change in the fair value reported as other income or expense.  At the time of issuance, approximately $566,000 was recorded as a warrant liability.  To value the warrant liability, the Company used the Black-Scholes pricing model with the following assumptions: risk-free interest rate of 1.1%, contractual term of 5 years, expected volatility of 95.8% and a dividend rate of 0%.  As of April 30, 2017, the fair value of the warrant liability was approximately $767,000 and was included as a long-term liability.

 

In connection with the sale of common stock in November 2016, warrants to purchase 31,499,725 shares of common stock were issued at exercise prices ranging from $0.33 to $0.44 and expire five to seven years from the date of exercisability.  As of April 30, 2017, all of these warrants were outstanding.

13


 

Equity Incentive Plan

 

On July 5, 2016, the Company adopted the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (“2016 Plan”), which permits the Company to grant equity awards to directors, officers, employees and consultants. In connection with the adoption of the 2016 Plan, the Company ceased to grant equity awards under its 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (“2014 Plan”), which was adopted on January 23, 2014. All grants and awards under the 2014 Plan, including stock options previously issued under BioPharmX, Inc.’s 2011 Equity Incentive Plan that were substituted with stock options issued under the 2014 Plan, remain in effect in accordance with their terms. Stock options generally vest in one to four years and expire ten years from the date of grant.  In March 2017, the 2016 Plan was amended and the shares reserved for issuance was increased by 20,000,000 shares to a total of 24,000,000 shares.  The 2014 Plan and 2016 Plan are referred to collectively as the “Plans.”

 

The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activities under the Plans:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Remaining

 

Aggregate

 

 

 

Available for

 

 

 

Exercise

 

Contractual

 

Intrinsic

 

 

    

Grant

    

Shares

    

Prices

    

Life

    

Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Balance at February 1, 2017

 

252,379

 

6,465,829

 

$

0.77

 

8.77

 

$

238

 

Shares authorized for issuance

 

20,000,000

 

 —

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Granted

 

(5,095,000)

 

5,095,000

 

$

0.73

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance at April 30, 2017

 

15,157,379

 

11,560,829

 

$

0.75

 

9.16

 

$

2,062

 

Vested and exercisable

 

 

 

2,495,905

 

$

0.98

 

7.39

 

$

487

 

Vested and expected to vest

 

 

 

10,208,093

 

$

0.76

 

9.09

 

$

1,839

 

 

Inducement Grants

 

The Company has also awarded inducement option grants to purchase common stock to new employees outside of the 2016 Plan as permitted under Section 711(a) of the NYSE MKT Company Guide. Such options vest at the rate of 25% of the shares on the first anniversary of the commencement of such employee’s employment with the Company, and then one

14


 

forty-eighth (1/48) of the shares monthly thereafter subject to such employee’s continued service.  The following table summarizes the Company’s inducement grant stock options:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Remaining

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise

 

Contractual

 

Aggregate

 

 

    

Shares

    

Prices

    

Life

    

Intrinsic Value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(in thousands)

 

Balance at April 30, 2017

 

660,000

 

$

1.44

 

8.47

 

$

 —

 

Vested and exercisable

 

244,791

 

$

1.44

 

8.45

 

$

 —

 

Vested and expected to vest

 

610,721

 

$

1.44

 

8.47

 

$

 —

 

 

There was no activity related to these inducement grant stock options during the quarter ended April 30, 2017.

 

The following table summarizes significant ranges of outstanding and exercisable options as of April 30, 2017:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Options Outstanding

 

Options Vested and Exercisable

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Average

 

Weighted

 

 

 

Weighted

 

 

 

 

 

Remaining

 

Average

 

Number

 

Average

 

 

 

Number

 

Contractual

 

Exercise

 

Vested and

 

Exercise

 

Range of Exercise Prices

    

Outstanding

    

Life (in Years)

    

Prices

    

Exercisable

    

Prices

 

$0.20 - $0.35

 

658,108

 

6.42

 

$

0.31

 

566,440

 

$

0.31

 

$0.36 - $0.65

 

4,273,667

 

9.37

 

$

0.53

 

731,042

 

$

0.58

 

$0.66 - $1.09

 

5,649,054

 

9.62

 

$

0.76

 

479,261

 

$

0.89

 

$1.10 - $1.85

 

1,540,000

 

7.85

 

$

1.68

 

863,953

 

$

1.70

 

$1.86 - $3.00

 

100,000

 

8.01

 

$

3.00

 

100,000

 

$

3.00

 

 

 

12,220,829

 

9.12

 

$

0.79

 

2,740,696

 

$

1.02

 

 

There were no stock options exercised during the three months ended April 30, 2017.  The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the three months ended April 30, 2016 was approximately $34,000. 

 

7. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

 

The following table summarizes the stock-based compensation expenses included in the condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss (in thousands):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended

 

 

 

April 30, 

 

 

    

2017

    

2016

 

Research and development

 

$

108

 

$

76

 

Sales and marketing

 

 

82

 

 

84

 

General and administrative

 

 

195

 

 

113

 

Total

 

$

385

 

$

273

 

 

The Company estimates the fair value of stock options granted using  the Black-Scholes pricing model. This model also requires subjective assumptions, including future stock price volatility and expected time to exercise, which greatly affect the calculated values. For employee grants, the fair value is amortized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service periods of the awards, which is generally the vesting period. As of April 30, 2017, total compensation costs related to unvested, but not yet recognized, stock-based awards was $4.6 million, net of estimated forfeitures. This cost will be amortized on a straight-line basis over a weighted average remaining period of 3.1 years and will be adjusted for subsequent changes in estimated forfeitures.

 

15


 

Valuation Assumptions

 

During the three months ended April 30, 2017, the grant date fair value of stock options granted was $0.56 per share.  The following assumptions were used to calculate the estimated fair value of awards granted for the periods ended:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the three months ended

 

 

 

April 30, 

 

 

    

2017

    

Expected volatility

 

95.50% - 96.78%

 

Expected term in years

 

6.0

 

Risk-free interest rate

 

1.80% - 1.97%

 

Expected dividend yield

 

 —

 

 

Expected Term

 

The expected term represents the period that the Company’s stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. For awards granted subject only to service vesting requirements, the Company utilizes the simplified method for estimating the expected term of the stock-based award, instead of historical exercise data.

 

Expected Volatility

 

The Company uses the historical volatility of the price of shares of common stock of selected public companies, including the Company’s stock price, in the biotechnology sector due to its limited trading history.

 

Risk-Free Interest Rate

 

The Company bases the risk-free interest rate used in the Black-Scholes pricing model upon the implied yield curve currently available on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with a remaining term equal to the expected term used as the assumption in the model.

 

Expected Dividend

 

The Company has never paid dividends on its shares of common stock and currently does not intend to do so and, accordingly, the dividend yield percentage is zero for all periods.

 

8. INCOME TAXES

 

The Company evaluates its ability to recover deferred tax assets, in full or in part, by considering all available positive and negative evidence, including past operating results and its forecast of future taxable income on a jurisdictional basis. The Company bases its estimate of current and deferred taxes on the tax laws and rates that are currently in effect in the appropriate jurisdiction. Changes in laws or rates may affect the tax provision as well as the amount of deferred tax assets or liabilities.

 

Current tax laws impose substantial restrictions on the utilization of net operating loss and credit carry-forwards in the event of an “ownership change,” as defined by the Internal Revenue Code. If there should be an ownership change, the Company’s ability to utilize its carry-forwards could be limited.

 

As of April 30, 2017 and January 31, 2017, the Company has not recorded any liability for unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions. The 2010 to 2017 tax years remain open for examination by the federal and state authorities.

 

 

 

 

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

 

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other written reports and oral statements made from time to time by the Company may contain so-called “forward-looking statements,” all of which are subject to risks and uncertainties. One can identify these forward-looking statements by their use of words such as “expect,” “plan,” “will,” “may,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “should,” “intend,” “forecast,” “project” the negative or plural of these words, and other comparable terminology. One can identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements are likely to address the Company’s growth strategy, financial results and product and development programs. One must carefully consider any such statement and should understand that many factors could cause actual results to differ from the Company’s forward-looking statements. These factors include inaccurate assumptions and a broad variety of other risks and uncertainties, including some that are known and some that are not. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. One should carefully evaluate such statements in light of factors described in the Company’s filings with the SEC, especially the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. In various filings the Company has identified important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expected or historic results. One should understand that it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors. Consequently, the reader should not consider any such list to be a complete list of all potential risks or uncertainties.

 

The following discussion is presented on a consolidated basis and analyzes our financial condition and results of operations for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016. Unless the context indicates or suggests otherwise, reference to “we”, “our”, “us” and the “Company” in this section refers to the consolidated operations of BioPharmX Corporation, as defined in Note 1 —Description of Business.

 

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, or MD&A, is intended to help the reader understand our results of operations and financial condition. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our financial statements and the accompanying notes to the financial statements and other disclosures included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Our financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and are presented in U.S. dollars.

 

Overview

 

We are a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on utilizing our proprietary drug delivery technologies to develop and commercialize novel prescription and over‑the‑counter, or OTC, products that address large markets in dermatology and women’s health. Our objective is to develop products that treat health or age‑related conditions that: (1) are not presently being addressed or treated or (2) are currently treated with drug therapies or drug delivery approaches that are sub‑optimal. Our strategy is designed to bring new products to market by identifying optimal delivery mechanisms and/or alternative applications for United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, approved active pharmaceutical ingredients, or APIs, and biological materials, while, in appropriate circumstances, reducing the time, cost and risk typically associated with new product development by repurposing drugs with demonstrated safety profiles and, when applicable, taking advantage of the regulatory approval pathway under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDC Act. Section 505(b)(2) permits an applicant for a new product, such as a new or improved formulation or a new use of an approved product, to rely in part on literature and/or the FDA’s findings of safety and/or effectiveness for a similar previously-approved product.  We believe these approaches may reduce drug development risk and could reduce the time and resources we spend during development. Our current platform technologies include innovative delivery mechanisms for antibiotics, biological materials and molecular iodine (I2).

Since inception, we have developed our product candidates, including conducting preclinical and clinical trials, and providing general and administrative support for these operations. We began shipping VI2OLET through online stores in December 2014. We continue to pursue additional channel distribution expansion for VI2OLET by way of partnerships and/or sublicensing opportunities with women’s health and/or consumer companies to provide broader access to consumers. To date, we have generated a de minimis amount of revenue from product sales while we focus on product acceptance and partnering opportunities.

In April 2017, we raised net proceeds of $4.4 million in a registered direct offering of 6,410,258 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase up to 3,365,385 shares of our common stock.

17


 

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

Our financial statements and related public financial information are based on the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP. GAAP requires the use of estimates, assumptions, judgments and subjective interpretations of accounting principles that have an impact on the assets, liabilities, revenues and expense amounts reported. These estimates can also affect supplemental information contained in our external disclosures including information regarding contingencies, risk and financial condition. We believe our use of estimates and underlying accounting assumptions adhere to GAAP and are consistently applied. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We continue to monitor significant estimates made during the preparation of our condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

Our significant accounting policies are summarized in Note 1 of our audited consolidated financial statements, which are included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2017. While all of these significant accounting policies impact our financial condition and results of operations, we view the revenue recognition, inventory, warrant liability and stock-based compensation policies as critical. Policies determined to be critical are those policies that have the most significant impact on our financial statements and require management to use a greater degree of judgment and estimates. Actual results may differ from those estimates. Our management believes that given current facts and circumstances, it is unlikely that applying any other reasonable judgments or estimate methodologies would cause an effect on our results of operations, financial position or liquidity for the periods presented in this report.

 

Going Concern

 

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming we will continue as a going concern, meaning we will continue in operation for the foreseeable future and will be able to realize assets and discharge liabilities in the ordinary course of operations. As of April 30, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $6.7 million and working capital of $2.9 million. In April 2017, we raised net proceeds of $4.4 million in a registered direct offering of 6,410,258 shares of our common stock and warrants to purchase up to 3,365,385 shares of our common stock. 

 

We have incurred recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations since inception and have funded our operating losses through the sale of common stock in public and private offerings and the issuance of convertible notes, Series A convertible preferred stock and warrants. We incurred a net loss available to common stockholders of $5.4 million and $4.5 million for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and had an accumulated deficit of $50.0 million as of April 30, 2017.

 

We have a limited operating history and our prospects are subject to risks, expenses and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in our industry. To date, we have generated a de minimis amount of revenue from the sale of VI2OLET, our iodine dietary supplement. We continue our research and development efforts for our product candidates, which will require significant funding. If we are unable to obtain additional financing in the near‑term or research and development efforts require higher than anticipated capital, there may be a negative impact on our financial viability. We plan to increase working capital by managing our cash flows and expenses and raising additional capital through either private or public equity or debt financing. We also continue to pursue additional channel distribution expansion for VI2OLET through partnerships with women’s health companies to provide broader access to consumers. Risks include, but are not limited to, the uncertainty of availability of additional financing and the uncertainty of achieving future profitability.  We have an effective shelf registration statement on file with the SEC to allow us to sell up to $81.0 million of our securities from time to time prior to February 2019, subject to regulatory limitations. For example, pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities pursuant to the shelf registration statement with a value of more than one third of the aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates in any 12 month period, so long as the aggregate market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $75.0 million. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available or on terms which are favorable to us. While our management believes that we have a plan to fund ongoing operations, there is no assurance that our plan will be successfully implemented. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, raise additional capital through one or more financings, or reduce certain discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going

18


 

concern. The condensed consolidated financial statements do not contain any adjustments that might result from the resolution of any of the above uncertainties.

Results of Operations

 

Three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016

 

Revenue

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

    

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

19

 

$

33

 

$

(14)

 

(42)

%

 

We recognize revenue on a sell-through basis if we do not have sufficient historical information to estimate product returns, pricing discounts or other concessions. If sufficient historical information is available, we recognize revenue upon shipment, net of reserves. The decrease in revenues in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 compared to the prior year period was primarily due to the timing of revenue recognized using the sell-through basis.

 

Cost of Goods Sold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

    

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

11

 

$

20

 

$

(9)

 

(45)

%

 

Cost of goods sold includes direct costs related to the sale of VI2OLET, our iodine dietary supplement, write-downs of excess and obsolete inventories and amortization of our intangible assets. The decrease in cost of goods sold in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 compared to the prior year period was primarily related to the decrease in recognized revenue related to our product.

 

Research and Development Expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

    

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

2,941

 

$

2,173

 

$

768

 

35

%  

 

Research and development expenses primarily include headcount-related costs, stock-based compensation and both internal and external research and development expenses. Research and development expenses are expensed as incurred. Research and development expenses increased $0.8 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 compared to the prior year period primarily due to increased clinical studies and product development costs, partially offset by lower consulting expenses.  In June 2017, we announced the results of our Phase 2b clinical study for BPX01.

 

Sales and Marketing Expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

    

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

797

 

$

1,107

 

$

(310)

 

(28)

%  

 

Sales and marketing expenses primarily include headcount-related costs, stock-based compensation, costs related to establishing our corporate brand and efforts related to promoting VI2OLET and the market development related to our acne drug candidate, BPX01. Sales and marketing expenses are expensed as incurred.  Sales and marketing expenses decreased $0.3 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 compared to the prior year period primarily due to

19


 

decreased advertising and promotional activities related to VI2OLET, offset by higher costs related to the market development activities of BPX01.

 

General and Administrative Expenses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

    

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

1,303

 

$

1,193

 

$

110

 

 9

%  

 

General and administrative expenses primarily include headcount-related costs, stock-based compensation and costs of our executive, finance and other administrative functions. General and administrative expenses increased $0.1 million for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 compared to the prior year period primarily due to higher professional service fees and stock-based compensation costs, partially offset by lower headcount-related costs. 

 

Change in Fair Value of Warrant Liability

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

 

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

(364)

 

$

 —

 

$

(364)

 

100

%

 

The change in fair value of the warrant liability reflects the fair value re-measurement of certain warrants granted in 2017 that are accounted for as derivative liabilities.

 

Other Income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended April 30, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017

    

2016

    

Change

    

%

 

($ in thousands)

 

 

 

$

 1

 

$

 1

 

$

 —

 

 —

%

 

Other income includes interest income earned on our cash and cash equivalents.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Historically, we have financed our operations primarily through the sale of debt and equity securities. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended April 30, 2017 have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern, meaning we will continue in operation for the foreseeable future and will be able to realize assets and discharge liabilities in the ordinary course of operations. As of April 30, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $6.7 million and working capital of $2.9 million. We will require significant additional financing in the future. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available or on terms which are favorable to us. While our management believes that we have a plan to fund ongoing operations, there is no assurance that our plan will be successfully implemented. Failure to generate sufficient cash flows from operations, raise additional capital through one or more financings, form strategic partnerships or reduce certain discretionary spending could have a material adverse effect on our ability to achieve our intended business objectives. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

In June 2015, we completed a public offering of our common stock, which generated net proceeds of $7.8 million. We also issued an unsecured convertible note with a principal amount of $0.5 million, which was automatically converted into common stock upon our uplisting to the NYSE MKT. In December 2015 we raised net proceeds of $5.5 million in a private offering of our common stock and, in April 2016, we raised net proceeds of $3.6 million from the issuance of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock in a public offering.  In August 2016, we raised net proceeds of $2.8 million in a private offering of our common stock and through the sale of convertible promissory notes.  In September 2016, we raised net proceeds of $0.8 million in a registered direct offering of our common stock. In November 2016, we raised net proceeds of $10.6 million from a public offering. In December 2016, the underwriters

20


 

exercised their option to purchase additional shares of common stock to cover over-allotments resulting in net proceeds of $0.4 million.  In April 2017, we raised net proceeds of $4.4 million in a registered direct offering of our common stock.

 

Our primary capital requirements are to fund working capital, including the development of our products and product candidates, and any acquisitions or investments in businesses, products or technologies that are complementary to our own that we make that require cash consideration or expenditures.

Net cash used for operating activities for the three months ended April 30, 2017 was $4.2 million, which primarily resulted from a net loss of $5.4 million, partially offset by non-cash expenses of $0.8 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $0.4 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities was primarily attributable to timing of payments to vendors.

 

Net cash used for operating activities for the three months ended April 30, 2016 was $3.6 million, which primarily resulted from a net loss of $4.5 million, partially offset by non-cash expenses of $0.3 million and changes in operating assets and liabilities of $0.6 million. Changes in operating assets and liabilities were primarily attributable to timing of payments to vendors.

 

Net cash used in investing activities for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016 was approximately $10,000 and $5,000, respectively, resulting from the purchase of property and equipment. 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended April 30, 2017 was $4.4 million resulting from the issuance of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock in our registered direct offering.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities for the three months ended April 30, 2016 was $3.6 million, which was due to $3.6 million of net proceeds from the issuance of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock in our public offering and the exercise of stock options.

 

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, financings, or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons, also known as “special purpose entities.”

 

ITEM 3. QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Pursuant to Item 305(e) of Regulation S-K the Company, as a smaller reporting company, is not required to provide the information required by this item.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures.

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our company’s reports filed under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our President and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Based upon that evaluation, our President and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report. This conclusion was based on the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, which are common in many small companies with small staff: (i) inadequate segregation of duties; and (ii) insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting and financial reporting with respect to the requirements and application of both GAAP and SEC guidelines. These material weaknesses are more fully described in Item 9A of our Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2017.

 

21


 

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

 

During the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

PART II

 

OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

We may become subject to legal proceedings, claims and litigation arising in the ordinary course of business. In addition, we may receive letters alleging infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights. We are not a party to any material legal proceedings, nor are we aware of any pending or threatened litigation that would have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, cash flows or financial condition should such litigation be resolved unfavorably.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

 

We have identified the following risks and uncertainties that may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, future prospects and the trading price of our common stock. Our business could be harmed by any of these risks. In assessing these risks, you should also refer to the other information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes.

 

Risks Related to our Financial Position and Need for Additional Capital

 

We have experienced losses since inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur losses, which makes it difficult to assess our future prospects and financial results.

 

We are a specialty pharmaceutical company with a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. Pharmaceutical product development is a highly speculative and costly undertaking and involves a substantial degree of uncertainty. We have never been profitable and, as of April 30, 2017, we had an accumulated deficit of $50.0 million and incurred net losses of $5.4 million and $4.5 million for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. We expect to continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future as we advance our current and potential additional product candidates through clinical development, seek regulatory approval for them and prepare for and proceed to commercialization. Because of the risks and uncertainties associated with developing and commercializing our product candidates, we are unable to predict when we may introduce additional products commercially, the extent of any future losses or when we will become profitable, if at all. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.

 

We will need substantial additional funding. If we are unable to raise capital when needed, we may need to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates.

 

We incurred a net loss of $5.4 million and $4.5 million for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of April 30, 2017, we had cash and cash equivalents of $6.7 million and significant liabilities and obligations. In April 2017, we raised net proceeds of $4.4 million through the sale of common stock and warrants to purchase common stock. Our existing resources may not be adequate to permit us to complete clinical development of BPX01 or fund our operations over the longer term. We will need to secure significant additional resources to complete such development and to support our continued operations. Absent additional funding, we believe that our cash will be sufficient to fund our operations only for a relatively short period of time.

 

The development of our business will require substantial additional capital in the future to conduct research and develop our other product candidates, as well as to fund our ongoing operations and satisfy our obligations and liabilities. We have historically relied upon both private and public sales of equity or debt securities to fund our operations. Our clinical studies for our product candidates may not be successful or may not generate results that are compelling enough to support future funding or strategic partnerships. Delays in obtaining funding could adversely affect

22


 

our ability to develop and commercially introduce products and cause us to be unable to comply with our obligations. Our ability to obtain additional financing will be subject to a number of factors, including market conditions, our operating performance and investor sentiment. If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates, restrict our operations or obtain funds by entering into agreements on unattractive terms, which would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, stock price and our relationships with third parties with whom we have business relationships, at least until additional funding is obtained. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue operations, we could be required to seek bankruptcy protection or other alternatives that would likely result in our stockholders losing some or all of their investment in us.

 

Our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, and in order to fund our operations and execute our business plan we will require additional financing.

 

Since inception, we have experienced recurring operating losses and negative cash flows and we expect to continue to generate operating losses and consume significant cash resources for the foreseeable future. Without additional financing, these conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, meaning that we may be unable to continue operations for the foreseeable future or realize assets and discharge liabilities in the ordinary course of operations. As a result, our independent registered public accounting firm included an explanatory paragraph in its report on our consolidated financial statements for the years ended January 31, 2017 and 2016 with respect to this uncertainty. Such an opinion may materially and adversely affect the price per share of our common stock and/or otherwise limit our ability to raise additional funds through the issuance of debt or equity securities or otherwise. Further, the perception that we may be unable to continue as a going concern may impede our ability to raise additional funds or operate our business due to concerns regarding our ability to discharge our contractual obligations.

 

We have prepared our condensed consolidated financial statements on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. Our condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended April 30, 2017 and 2016 do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classification of liabilities that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Without additional funds, however, we may be unable to continue as a viable entity, in which case our stockholders may lose all or some of their investment in us.

 

The terms of our registered direct offering, which was consummated in September 2016, may materially and adversely impact our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.

 

We are subject to certain restrictions and obligations in connection with our registered direct offering, or RDO, that was consummated in September 2016, which may materially and adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing in the future. These restrictions and obligations include:

 

·

for 18 months following the closing of the RDO, a prohibition on issuances of convertible securities with variable or adjustable conversion rates, subject to certain exceptions;

·

participation rights whereby the investors in the registered direct offering, or RDO investors, are entitled to purchase up to 50% in the aggregate of the securities sold in any subsequent issuance of common stock and common stock equivalents, for 18 months following the closing of the RDO;

·

certain rescission rights if we do not act in a timely manner with respect to our obligations related to the various documents executed in connection with the registered direct offering, or the RDO Transaction Documents;

·

our obligation to purchase warrants issued to the RDO investors, based on the warrants’ Black Scholes value, in the event of certain fundamental transactions, including, but not limited to, any sale, license, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets, any purchase, tender or exchange offer that has been accepted by the holders of 50% or more of our then outstanding shares of common stock, a reclassification, reorganization or recapitalization, or the consummation of a business combination (including, but not limited to, a reorganization, recapitalization, spin-off or scheme of arrangement) involving the acquisition of more than 50% of our then outstanding shares of common stock;

·

indemnification obligations; and

23


 

·

our obligation to pay liquidated damages in connection with certain events, including failure to comply with the public information requirements under Rule 144 of the Securities Act or to remove restrictive legends in a timely manner.

 

We have also provided the RDO investors with various representations and warranties in connection with the RDO Transaction Documents, including those related to solvency, no integrated offerings, maintenance of stock exchange listing, internal controls, and absence of liens, among others. In the event any of our representations or warranties in the RDO Transaction Documents are determined to be inaccurate, or if we are deemed to have otherwise violated any provisions of the RDO Transaction Documents, we may be found to be in breach of the RDO Transaction Documents. This in turn may result in litigation against us, which could be costly and time-consuming, divert management’s attention and resources, damage our reputation and otherwise harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

We have a limited operating history and have yet to recognize more than a de minimis amount of revenue from sales of VI2OLET and have yet to obtain regulatory approvals for any of our product candidates, which makes it difficult to evaluate our future prospects and viability.

 

Our operations to date have been primarily limited to researching and developing our product candidates and undertaking preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates. While VI2OLET went on the market in December 2014 in online stores and in drug, grocery and retail chains throughout the United States, we have only recognized a de minimis amount of revenue from sales to date. We have also not yet obtained regulatory approvals for any of our product candidates. Consequently, the ability to accurately assess and predict our future operating results or business prospects is more limited than if we had a longer operating history or FDA-approved products on the market. Our manufacturing agreement for VI2OLET with UPM, requires a minimum annual purchase of approximately $263,000 of iodine supplement tablets. This agreement expires in 2020, and we are required to purchase the minimum annual amount regardless of market demand.  The remaining minimum purchase commitment is $1.1 million through 2020.  We have not recorded an obligation for the minimum purchase amount remaining, since we have determined that a loss on this obligation is not probable based on our market demand analysis.  In the future, we may conclude that an obligation is required as the result of our market demand analysis and record such obligation.  The recording of such obligation would negatively impact the results of our operations in the period recorded.

 

Our business is dependent on the successful development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates, in particular BPX01 and BPX03.

 

Our portfolio of product candidates includes two clinical-stage drug product candidates, BPX01, a topical antibiotic for the treatment of acne, and BPX03, a molecular iodine tablet for the treatment of moderate to severe, periodic breast pain associated with FBC and cyclic mastalgia. The success of our business, including our ability to finance our company, form strategic partnerships and generate revenues in the future, will primarily depend on the successful development, regulatory approval and commercialization of these clinical-stage product candidates. In the future, we may become dependent on one or more of our early-stage product candidates or any of our product candidates that we may in-license, acquire or develop. The clinical and commercial success of our product candidates will depend on a number of factors, including the following:

 

·

the ability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all;

 

·

timely completion of our clinical trials, which may be significantly slower or cost more than we currently anticipate and will depend substantially upon the performance of third-party contractors;

 

·

whether we are required by the FDA or similar foreign regulatory agencies to conduct additional clinical trials beyond those planned to support the approval and commercialization of our product candidates or any future product candidates;

 

·

acceptance of our proposed indications and primary endpoint assessments relating to the proposed indications of our product candidates by the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities;

 

·

our ability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities the safety and efficacy of our product candidates or any future product candidates;

 

24


 

·

the prevalence, duration and severity of potential side effects experienced in connection with the use of our product candidates or future approved products, if any;

 

·

the timely receipt of necessary marketing approvals from the FDA and similar foreign regulatory authorities;

 

·

achieving and maintaining, and, where applicable, ensuring that our third-party contractors achieve and maintain, compliance with our contractual obligations and with all regulatory requirements applicable to our product candidates or any future product candidates or approved products, if any;

 

·

the ability of third parties with whom we contract to (i) manufacture clinical trial and commercial supplies of our product candidates or any future product candidates, (ii) remain in good standing with regulatory agencies and (iii) develop, validate and maintain commercially viable manufacturing processes that are compliant with cGMPs;

 

·

a continued acceptable safety profile during clinical development and subsequent to approval of our product candidates or any future product candidates, if any;

 

·

our ability to successfully commercialize our product candidates or any future product candidates in the United States and internationally, if approved, for marketing, sale and distribution in such countries or territories, whether alone or in collaboration with others;

 

·

acceptance by physicians and patients of the benefits, safety and efficacy of our product candidates or any future product candidates, if approved, including relative to alternative and competing treatments;

 

·

our ability to establish and enforce intellectual property rights in and to our product candidates or any future product candidates;

 

·

our ability to avoid third-party patent interference or intellectual property infringement claims; and

 

·

our ability to in-license or acquire additional product candidates or commercial-stage products that we believe we can successfully develop and commercialize.

 

If we are unable to achieve any of the above factors, many of which are beyond our control, in a timely manner or at all, we could experience significant delays or fail to obtain regulatory approvals or commercialize our product candidates. Even if we obtain the necessary regulatory approvals, we may never successfully commercialize any of our product candidates. Accordingly, we may not generate revenue through the sale of our product candidates or any future product candidates sufficient to continue operations.

 

Given the passage of time since we entered into the subscription agreement for the sale of shares to KIP, it is doubtful that the private placement will close, and therefore, we may not receive the proceeds from this sale.

 

Pursuant to a subscription agreement dated October 24, 2014, Korea Investment Partners Overseas Expansion Platform Fund, or KIP, an existing stockholder, agreed to purchase 1,081,081 shares of common stock from us at a price of $1.85 per share in a private placement, or the KIP private placement, upon the earlier to occur of (i) our receiving revenues from VI2OLET of $2,000,000 or (ii) our receipt of approval to list on any tier of the NYSE or Nasdaq stock market at a market price of at least $3.70 per share. In addition, KIP previously informed us of its intention to complete the KIP private placement even if our stock price was not at least $3.70 per share. As of the date of this report, this private placement has not closed, and we do not expect it to close. As a consequence, we do not expect to receive the proceeds from this sale and will need to rely upon other financing sources to support our operations.

 

We currently have limited marketing and sales capabilities. If we are unable to establish sales and marketing capabilities on our own or through third parties, we will be unable to successfully commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or generate product revenue.

 

To successfully commercialize our product candidates, if approved, in the United States, Canada, the European Union and other jurisdictions we seek to enter, we must build our marketing, sales, distribution, managerial and other non-technical capabilities or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services, and we may not be successful in doing so. Although our employees have experience in the marketing, sale and distribution of

25


 

pharmaceutical products from prior employment at other companies, we, as a company have limited prior experience in the marketing, sale and distribution of pharmaceutical products, and there are significant risks involved in building and managing a sales organization, including our ability to hire, retain and incentivize qualified individuals, generate sufficient sales leads, provide adequate training to sales and marketing personnel and effectively manage a geographically dispersed sales and marketing team. Any failure or delay in the development of our internal sales, marketing and distribution capabilities would adversely impact the commercialization of these products. We may choose to collaborate with additional third parties that have direct sales forces and established distribution systems, either to augment or in lieu of our own sales force and distribution systems. If we are unable to enter into such arrangements on acceptable terms or at all, we may not be able to successfully commercialize our product candidates. If we are unable to successfully commercialize our product candidates, either on our own or through collaborations with one or more third parties, our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects would suffer.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate significantly, which makes our future operating results difficult to predict and could cause our operating results to fall below expectations.

 

Our operating results may fluctuate due to a variety of other factors, many of which are outside of our control and may be difficult to predict, including the following:

 

·

delays in the commencement, enrollment and the timing of clinical testing for our product candidates;

 

·

the timing and success or failure of clinical trials for our product candidates or competing product candidates, or any other change in the competitive landscape of our industry, including consolidation among our competitors or partners;

 

·

any delays in regulatory review and approval of product candidates in clinical development;

 

·

the timing and cost of, and level of investment in, research and development activities relating to our product candidates, which may change from time to time;

 

·

the cost of manufacturing our product candidates, which may vary depending on FDA guidelines and requirements, and the quantity of production;

 

·

our ability to obtain additional funding to develop our product candidates;

 

·

expenditures that we will or may incur to acquire or develop additional product candidates and technologies;

 

·

the level of demand for our product candidates, should they receive approval, which may vary significantly;

 

·

potential side effects of our product candidates that could delay or prevent commercialization or cause the dietary supplement or an approved drug to be taken off the market;

 

·

the ability of patients or healthcare providers to obtain coverage of or sufficient reimbursement for our product candidates, if approved;

 

·

our dependency on third-party manufacturers to supply or manufacture our product candidates;

 

·

our ability to establish and maintain an effective sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure;

 

·

market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved, and our ability to forecast demand for those product candidates;

 

·

our ability to receive approval and commercialize our product candidates outside of the United States;

 

·

our ability to establish and maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements;

 

·

our ability and third parties’ abilities to protect intellectual property rights;

26


 

 

·

costs related to and outcomes of potential litigation or other disputes;

 

·

our ability to adequately support future growth;

 

·

our ability to attract and retain key personnel to manage our business effectively;

 

·

potential liabilities associated with hazardous materials;

 

·

our ability to maintain adequate insurance policies; and

 

·

future accounting pronouncements or changes in our accounting policies.

 

In addition, we measure compensation cost for stock-based awards made to employees at the grant date of the award, based on the fair value of the award as determined by our board of directors, and recognize the cost as an expense over the employee’s requisite service period. As the variables that we use as a basis for valuing these awards change over time, including our underlying stock price and stock price volatility, the magnitude of the expense that we must recognize may vary significantly.

 

Our ability to utilize our net operating loss, or NOL, carryforwards and research and development income tax credit carryforwards may be limited.

 

We have significant NOL carryforwards available to reduce future taxable income, if any, for federal and California state income tax purposes. If not utilized, both the federal and California state NOL carryforwards will begin expiring in 2030. Under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or Code, if a corporation undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change (by value) in its equity ownership over a three-year period, the corporation’s ability to use its pre-change NOL carryforwards and other pre-change tax attributes (such as research tax credits) to offset its post-change income may be limited. We believe that, with the transactions that have occurred over the past three years, we may have triggered an “ownership change” limitation. We have not conducted a formal NOL carryforward analysis.  We may also experience ownership changes in the future as a result of subsequent shifts in our stock ownership. As a result, if we earn net taxable income, our ability to use our pre-change NOL carryforwards to offset U.S. federal taxable income may be subject to limitations, which could potentially result in increased future tax liability to us. In addition, at the state level, there may be periods during which the use of NOL carryforwards is suspended or otherwise limited, which could accelerate or permanently increase state taxes owed.

 

Risks Related to Development and Commercialization of Our Product Candidates and Regulatory Approval and Other Legal Compliance Matters

 

We rely on a single, qualified supplier to manufacture each of our products or product candidates.

 

We rely on one third-party manufacturer for our product and product candidate manufacturing needs. Currently, we engage with DPT, a subsidiary of Mylan N.V., as our clinical Phase 2 contract manufacturer for BPX01.  We have identified a qualified second vendor to carry out the manufacturing and testing of our clinical and commercial supplies and are working on final vendor assessments.  UPM manufactures iodine supplement tablets for VI2OLET.

 

Each of these third-party manufacturers is required by law to comply with the FDA’s regulations, including the applicable cGMP regulations for the type of product manufactured. These regulations set forth standards for both quality assurance and quality control. Third-party manufacturers also must maintain records and other documentation as required by applicable laws and regulations. In addition to a legal obligation to comply, the manufacturer is contractually obligated to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. However, although we are responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including cGMPs, we cannot guarantee that each of our manufacturing partners will so comply. Failure of either manufacturer to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations could result in decreased sales of our products, decreased revenues and reputational harm to us and may subject us to sanctions by the FDA, including a request for a voluntary recall, warning letter, seizure of products, injunctions prohibiting some or all further sales and/or recalling product already on the market, possible decree imposing substantial fines, preclusion of government contracts, import alerts and criminal liability for us and our individual employees. In

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addition, failure of a contract manufacturer for a product undergoing review by the FDA to maintain an acceptable cGMP compliance status could result in a decision by the FDA not to approve any pending NDA.

 

Our manufacturing contract with DPT is a short-term agreement.  Our commercial supply agreement with UPM is through 2020. We are dependent upon renewing agreements with each of our third-party manufacturers or finding replacement manufacturers to satisfy our requirements. If we do not renew our agreements with our manufacturing partners, there can be no assurance that we will be able to find or engage a replacement manufacturer on a timely basis on acceptable terms, if at all. As a result, we cannot be certain that manufacturing sources will continue to be available or that we can continue to outsource the manufacturing of our products on commercially reasonable or acceptable terms. Further, due to the short-term nature of our agreement, our expenses for manufacturing are not fixed and may change from contract to contract. If the cost of production increases, our gross margins could be negatively affected.

 

In addition, we rely on our outside manufacturers to provide us with an adequate and reliable supply of our products on a timely basis and in accordance with good manufacturing standards and applicable product specifications. As a result, we are subject to and have little or no control over delays and quality control lapses that our third-party manufacturers may suffer.

 

We and our third-party manufacturers rely on a limited number of suppliers of the raw materials of our products. A disruption in supply of raw material would be disruptive to our inventory supply.

 

We and the manufacturers of our products rely on suppliers of raw materials used in the production of our products. Some of these materials are available from only one source. We try to maintain inventory levels that are no greater than necessary to meet our current projections, which could have the effect of exacerbating supply problems. Any interruption in the supply of finished products could hinder our ability to distribute timely our finished products. If we are unable to obtain adequate product supplies to satisfy our customers’ orders, we may lose such orders and, possibly, our customers. This, in turn, could result in a loss of our market share and a corresponding reduction in our revenues. In addition, any disruption in the supply of raw materials or an increase in the cost of raw materials to our manufacturers could have a significant effect on their ability to supply us with our products, which would adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

 

Our only commercialized product, VI2OLET, is subject to regulation by U.S. regulatory authorities.

 

Our first and only commercialized product, launched in December 2014, is our women’s health dietary supplement distributed under the brand name “VI2OLET” iodine. The processing, formulation, safety, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, advertising and distribution of VI2OLET is subject to federal laws and regulation by one or more federal agencies, including the FDA, the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. These activities are also regulated by various state, local and international laws and agencies of the states and localities in which our products are or may be sold including non-governmental entities such as the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, or NAD. NAD oversees an industry sponsored, self-regulatory system that permits competitors to resolve disputes over advertising claims. The NAD has no enforcement authority of its own, but may refer matters that appear to violate the FTC Act or the FDC Act to the FTC or the FDA for further action, as appropriate.

 

All facilities that manufacture, process, package, or store food for human consumption must register with the FDA as a food facility under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 or the Bioterrorism Act. A dietary supplement is considered a food substance under the FDC Act and FDA regulations. We are registered with the FDA as a food facility and we renew our registration every two years. The FDA annually schedules inspections at a number of registered food facilities to determine whether the inspected facilities are in compliance with

food-related FDA regulations. While the FDA has not yet inspected or scheduled an upcoming inspection at our facility, the FDA could choose to conduct such an inspection at any time. If the FDA observed any evidence of violation or noncompliance during an inspection, we would be required to respond adequately to the observations, typically by developing and executing appropriate corrective and preventive actions. Any inspection of our facility could entail inspection of our third-party manufacturer, UPM, which is responsible for production of VI2OLET under the terms of our commercial supply agreement. Any observations related to the third-party manufacturer as a

result of an FDA inspection may require the third-party manufacturer to implement significant corrective or preventive measures related to its production process, which could impact our commercial supply of VI2OLET. Any uncorrected violation or noncompliance could lead to further regulatory action by the FDA.

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Although dietary supplements may generally be marketed without FDA premarket review and approval, the FDA regulates, among other things, the manufacturing, labeling, and claims for such products. We cannot represent, expressly or implicitly, that a dietary supplement will diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent a disease, or the FDA will consider such products as drugs. The FDA could determine that a particular statement of nutritional support is an unacceptable drug claim, is not substantiated, is an unauthorized version of a health claim or that the product is otherwise misbranded and/or adulterated. In addition, claims on labeling and promotional materials for our dietary supplement products could be challenged by the FDA, the FTC, self-regulatory bodies such as the NAD, competitors or consumers. For example, we make certain claims relating to VI2OLET that may be alleged to be non-compliant with FDA or FTC regulations. If the FDA or the FTC determines that particular claims relating to our products are violative, we could be subject to regulatory action, such as investigations, warning or untitled letters and cease and desist orders, corrective labeling or advertising orders, consumer redress (for example, offers to repurchase products previously sold to consumers), injunctive relief or product seizures, civil penalties or criminal prosecution. Enforcement action by the FDA or the FTC, or class action lawsuits stemming from an enforcement action or allegation, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position and operating results and could cause the market value of our common stock to decline.

 

In addition, the FDA regulates the manufacturing and safety of dietary supplements. The manufacturing of dietary supplements is subject to dietary supplement cGMPs. We are also required to submit to the FDA serious advent reports, and the FDA may determine that a particular dietary supplement or ingredient presents an unacceptable health risk based on the required submission of this information or other information about the product. During development of BPX03 by the prior sponsor, the FDA expressed concern about the potential for teratogenicity of molecular iodine in a use similar to that of VI2OLET. If the FDA determines that our dietary supplement is unsafe or adulterated or otherwise in violation of FDA requirements, the FDA could take regulatory action as described above.

 

From time to time, the above-mentioned agencies and lawmakers consider the implementation of more stringent laws and regulations of dietary supplements and other products. These developments could require reformulation of some products to meet new standards, recalls or discontinuance of some products unsusceptible to reformulation, additional recordkeeping requirements, increased documentation of the properties of some products, additional or different labeling, additional scientific substantiation or other new requirements. Any of these developments could increase our costs significantly. In addition, regulators’ evolving interpretation of existing laws could have similar effects. For example, in August 2016, the FDA issued updated draft guidance explaining its interpretation of the requirement for the notification to the FDA of certain new dietary ingredients. Although FDA guidance is not mandatory, and companies are free to use an alternative approach if the approach satisfies the requirements of applicable laws and regulations, FDA guidance is a strong indication of the FDA’s current thinking on the topic discussed in the guidance, including its position on enforcement. At this time, it is difficult to determine whether the draft guidance, if finalized, would have a material impact on our operations. However, if the FDA were to enforce the applicable statutes and regulations in accordance with the draft guidance as written, we would incur significant additional expenses, which could materially and adversely affect our business in several ways, including, but not limited to, the enjoinment of manufacturing of our products if and until the FDA determines that we are in compliance and can resume manufacturing, which would reduce our growth prospects.

 

Clinical drug development is costly, time-consuming and uncertain, and we may suffer setbacks in our clinical development program that could harm our business.

 

Clinical drug development for our product candidates is costly, time-consuming and uncertain. Our product candidates are in various stages of development and while we expect that clinical trials for these product candidates will continue for several years, such trials may take significantly longer than expected to complete. In addition, we, the FDA, an IRB or other regulatory authorities, including state and local agencies and counterpart agencies in foreign countries, may suspend, delay, require modifications to or terminate our clinical trials at any time, for various reasons, including:

 

·

discovery of safety or tolerability concerns, such as serious or unexpected toxicities or side effects or exposure to otherwise unacceptable health risks, with respect to study participants;

 

·

lack of effectiveness of any product candidate during clinical trials or the failure of our product candidates to meet specified endpoints;

 

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·

delays in subject recruitment and enrollment in clinical trials or inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients in clinical trials to ensure adequate statistical ability to detect statistically significant treatment effects;

 

·

difficulty in retaining subjects and volunteers in clinical trials;

 

·

difficulty in obtaining IRB approval for studies to be conducted at each clinical trial site;

 

·

delays in manufacturing or obtaining, or inability to manufacture or obtain, sufficient quantities of materials for use in clinical trials;

 

·

inadequacy of or changes in our manufacturing process or the product formulation or method of delivery;

 

·

delays or failure in reaching agreement on acceptable terms in clinical trial contracts or protocols with prospective contract research organizations, or CROs, clinical trial sites and other third-party contractors;

 

·

inability to add a sufficient number of clinical trial sites;

 

·

uncertainty regarding proper formulation and dosing;

 

·

failure by us, our employees, our CROs or their employees or other third-party contractors to comply with contractual and applicable regulatory requirements or to perform their services in a timely or acceptable manner;

 

·

scheduling conflicts with participating clinicians and clinical institutions;

 

·

failure to design appropriate clinical trial protocols;

 

·

inability or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow our clinical protocols;

 

·

difficulty in maintaining contact with subjects during or after treatment, which may result in incomplete data; or

 

·

changes in applicable laws, regulations and regulatory policies.

 

As with other pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, we may suffer significant setbacks in our clinical trials despite promising results in earlier trials. In the event that we abandon or experience delays in the clinical development efforts related to our product candidates, we may not be able to execute on our business plan effectively and our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects may be harmed.

 

We may be unable to obtain regulatory approval for our clinical-stage product candidates or other early-stage product candidates under applicable regulatory requirements. The FDA and foreign regulatory bodies have substantial discretion in the approval process, including the ability to delay, limit or deny approval of product candidates. The delay, limitation or denial of any regulatory approval would adversely impact commercialization, our potential to generate revenue, our business and our operating results.

 

We are not permitted to market any of our current product candidates in the United States until we receive approval of an NDA or BLA from the FDA. We are also not permitted to market any of our current product candidates in any foreign countries until we receive the requisite approval from the applicable regulatory authorities of such countries. Failure to obtain such regulatory approvals will delay or prevent us from commercializing any of our current or future product candidates.

 

To gain approval to market a new drug, we must provide the FDA and/or foreign regulatory authorities with, among other things, extensive preclinical and clinical data that adequately demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the drug in its intended indication and information to demonstrate the adequacy of the manufacturing methods to assure the drug’s identity, strength, quality and purity. The development and approval of new drug product candidates involves a long, expensive and uncertain process, and delay or failure can occur at any stage. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries have suffered significant setbacks in clinical trials, including in Phase 3 clinical development, even after promising results in earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials. These setbacks have been caused by, among other things, observations during clinical trials regarding safety or efficacy, such as previously

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unreported adverse events.  Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure success in later clinical trials, and the results of clinical trials by other parties may not be indicative of the results in trials we may conduct. Further, different results may be achieved depending upon which analysis population is used to analyze results. Regardless of the outcome of any Phase 2 trials, our Phase 3 trials may not be successful. For example, we reported that findings on a secondary endpoint in our Phase 2b clinical trial of BPX-01, the reduction in Investigator’s Global Assessment, or IGA, which was defined as the proportion of subjects with at least a two-grade reduction in IGA to clear “0” or almost clear “1”, were not statistically significant.  While the BPX-01 2% arm demonstrated a clear numerical trend compared to vehicle, the BPX-01 1% arm showed a smaller separation from vehicle.  While this trial was not powered to demonstrate statistical significance for IGA and, therefore, IGA was not expected to be statistically significant, there is no guarantee that our Phase 3 trial will produce statistically significant results on IGA, which will serve as a co-primary endpoint with inflammatory lesion reduction.  In addition, topline results of a clinical trial do not necessarily predict final results. For example, the topline results of the Phase 2b clinical study of BPX-01 1% and 2% reported that both concentrations statistically significantly reduced inflammatory lesions, the primary endpoint.  The information reflected our preliminary review of the topline primary efficacy results based solely upon information available to us at that time.  Since topline reporting, adjustments for multiple comparisons were made, resulting in a change to the p-value for the 1% and 2% concentrations, rendering the results of the 1% concentration no longer statistically significant.  It is always a risk that further review of results may change the conclusions drawn from the preliminary review to less positive results than we anticipated. 

 

In the case of our topical product candidate, BPX01, we are seeking to deliver sufficient concentrations of the API through the skin barrier to the targeted dermal tissue to achieve the intended therapeutic effect. The topical route of administration may involve new dosage forms, which can be difficult to develop and manufacture and may raise novel regulatory issues and result in development or review delays. For example, the antibiotic delivered in BPX01 is difficult to stabilize and prone to epimerization in most formulations and delivery systems and, as such, presents great challenges for transepidermal delivery. We believe potential competitors have attempted to resolve these problems by stabilizing the antibiotic in certain lipophilic formulation, but the solutions either failed to adequately deliver the antibiotic or required overly high concentration (i.e., dosage) for clinical efficacy. As a result, safety and efficacy of BPX01 may be difficult to establish.

 

In the case of our research-phase product candidate, BPX02, because it is a biological product, it may be difficult to characterize the clinically active component(s) by testing methods available in the laboratory, and some of the components of the finished product may be unknown. Therefore, to ensure product consistency, quality, and purity, we must ensure the manufacturing process remains substantially the same over time. The systems used to produce biological products can be sensitive to very minor changes in the manufacturing process. Small process differences can significantly affect the nature of the finished biological product, and more importantly, the way it functions in the body. We will have to tightly control the source and nature of starting materials, and consistently employ hundreds of process controls that assure predictable manufacturing outcomes. Our ability to ensure that the manufacturing process remains stable over time may be difficult to establish. In addition, for a novel biological product, there may be uncertainties regarding the size and design of the clinical trials to establish safety, efficacy, purity or potency, and there are no assurances that data generated in any clinical trials we might conduct will be acceptable to the FDA or foreign regulatory bodies to support marketing approval.

 

The FDA and foreign regulatory bodies have substantial discretion in the drug approval process, including the ability to delay, limit or deny approval of product candidates for many reasons. The FDA or the applicable foreign regulatory body may:

 

·

disagree with the design or implementation of one or more clinical trials;

 

·

decline to deem a product candidate safe and effective for its proposed indication, or deem a product candidate’s safety or other perceived risks to outweigh its clinical or other benefits. For example, the FDA has expressed concern over the risk-benefit profile of BPX03 and indicated to the prior sponsor that, due to potential thyroid toxicity and teratogenic effects, BPX03 should be used primarily for the management of severe breast pain that does not respond adequately to treatment with OTC analgesics and other conservative measures and that the proportion of responders in the treatment group should be at least two-fold greater than the proportion of responders in the placebo group;

 

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·

find the data from preclinical studies and clinical trials does not sufficiently support approval, or the results of clinical trials may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required for approval;

 

·

disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials performed by us or third parties;

 

·

determine the data collected from clinical trials are insufficient to support the submission or approval of an NDA or other applicable regulatory filing. For example, the FDA has stated that two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials would be required for submission of an NDA for BPX03 and that it would require a safety database of at least 1,500 patients exposed to the proposed formulation;

 

·

require additional preclinical studies or clinical trials;

 

·

identify deficiencies in the formulation, quality control, labeling or specifications of our current or future product candidates;

 

·

grant approval contingent on the performance of costly additional post-approval clinical trials;

 

·

approve our current or any future product candidates for a more limited indication or a narrower patient population than we originally requested or with strong warnings that may affect marketability;

 

·

decline to approve the labeling that we believe is necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates;

 

·

require a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, or REMS, with monitoring requirements or distribution limitations. For example, it is possible that the FDA could require distribution controls in the approval, if any, of our product candidates to prevent inadvertent exposure to pregnant women;

 

·

decline to approve of the manufacturing processes, controls or facilities of third-party manufacturers or testing labs with whom we contract; or

 

·

change its approval policies or adopt new regulations in a manner rendering our clinical data or regulatory filings insufficient for approval.

 

Any delay, limitation or denial of any regulatory approval would adversely impact commercialization, our potential to generate revenue, our business and our operating results.

 

Delays or difficulties in the enrollment of patients in clinical trials may result in additional costs and delays in our ability to generate significant revenues, and may delay or prevent our receipt of any regulatory approvals necessary to commercialize our planned and future products.

 

We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to locate and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials as required by the FDA or similar regulatory authorities outside the United States. In addition, some of our competitors are currently conducting clinical trials for product candidates that treat the same indications as our product candidates, and patients who are otherwise eligible for our clinical trials may instead enroll in clinical trials of our competitors’ product candidates.

 

Patient enrollment is affected by other factors including:

 

·

the severity of the disease under investigation;

 

·

the eligibility criteria for the study in question;

 

·

the perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study;

 

·

the efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials;

 

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·

the patient referral practices of physicians;

 

·

the ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment; and

 

·

the proximity and availability of clinical trial sites for prospective patients.

 

Our inability to enroll a sufficient number of patients for our clinical trials would result in significant delays, could require us to abandon one or more clinical trials altogether and could delay or prevent our receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. Enrollment delays in our clinical trials may result in increased development costs for our product candidates, which would cause the value of our company to decline and impede our ability to obtain additional financing.

 

We intend to pursue Section 505(b)(2) regulatory approval filings with the FDA for at least one of our product candidates. If the FDA concludes that certain of our product candidates fail to satisfy the requirements under Section 505(b)(2), or if the requirements for such product candidates under Section 505(b)(2) are not as we expect, the approval pathway for such product candidates may take significantly longer, cost substantially more and entail greater complications and risks than anticipated and, in either case, may not be successful.  In addition, if under certain circumstances, exclusivity of competitors would delay approval of our product candidates, then we may pursue approval through the Section 505(b)(1) regulatory pathway, which may require us to conduct additional preclinical or clinical trials or obtain a right to reference the preclinical or clinical data of others.

 

We are currently developing one product candidate, BPX01, for which we intend to seek FDA approval through the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway, and may decide to seek FDA approval for other early-phase products through the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway in the future. A Section 505(b)(2) NDA is a special type of NDA that enables the applicant to rely, in part, on the FDA’s findings of safety and efficacy of an existing previously approved product, or published literature, in support of its application. Section 505(b)(2) NDAs often provide an alternate path to FDA approval for new or improved formulations or new uses of previously approved products. Such filings involve significant filing costs, including filing fees.

 

BPX01 is a topical formulation of minocycline (Solodyn), a previously approved oral antibiotic. Reliance on safety findings made by the FDA in approving Solodyn, the antibiotic we will reference in our NDA, could expedite the development program for our product candidates by decreasing the amount of preclinical or clinical data that we would need to generate in order to obtain FDA approval. BPX01’s route of administration and dosage form, however, differs from Solodyn’s and, as a result, the FDA may not permit us to use this approach to regulatory approval. If the FDA does not allow us to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway as anticipated, or if the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway fails to significantly decrease the amount of testing we must conduct, we may need to conduct additional preclinical or clinical trials, provide additional data and information and meet additional standards to obtain regulatory approval. In such case, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA approval for BPX01, or any other product candidate for which we seek approval pursuant to the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway in the future, and complications and risks associated with these product candidates, likely would increase substantially. Moreover, our inability to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway could prevent us from introducing our product candidates into the market prior to our competitors, which could harm our competitive position and prospects. Further, even if the FDA allows us to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway, we cannot guarantee that it would ultimately lead to faster product development, and our product candidates may not receive the requisite approvals for commercialization.

 

In addition, notwithstanding the approval of a number of products by the FDA under Section 505(b)(2) over the last few years, certain competitors and others have objected to the FDA’s interpretation of Section 505(b)(2). If the FDA’s interpretation of Section 505(b)(2) is successfully challenged, the FDA may be required to change its Section 505(b)(2) policies and practices, which could delay or even prevent the FDA from approving any NDA that we submit under Section 505(b)(2).

 

Furthermore, the pharmaceutical industry is highly competitive, and Section 505(b)(2) NDAs are subject to special requirements designed to protect the patent rights of sponsors of previously approved drugs referenced in a Section 505(b)(2) NDA. As part of any NDA we would submit to the FDA for BPX01, we would be required to make certifications to all patents listed in the Orange Book for Solodyn, the listed drug we intend to reference in our NDA. There are currently six patents listed in the Orange Book for Solodyn. If we make a Paragraph IV certification to any of the patents listed in the Orange Book, those patent certifications may give rise to patent litigation and mandatory delays in approval of our NDA for up to 30 months depending on the outcome of any litigation. It is not uncommon for a

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