Dare Bioscience, Inc.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, in particular ITEM 1. "BUSINESS," ITEM 7. "MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS,” and the information incorporated by reference herein contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this report, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, projected revenue, funding and expenses, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, in some cases, can be identified by terms such as “aim," "goal," "prepare,", "believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “design,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “pursue,” “should,” “would,” “contemplate,” “project,” “target,” “tend to,” or the negative version of these words and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those factors described in PART I, ITEM 1A, "RISK FACTORS,” in this report, and elsewhere in this report. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. The following factors are among those that may cause such differences:

•Inability to raise additional capital, under favorable terms or at all, to fund our operating needs and continue as a going concern;

•Failure to maintain the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market or another nationally recognized exchange;

•Inability to generate significant revenue from sales of DARE to PLAY and other potential compounded drugs under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA;

•Inability to maintain and enter into arrangements with outsourcing facilities on commercially reasonable terms required to compound and distribute the compounded drugs that we seek to make available under Section 503B of the FDCA;

•The removal of sildenafil citrate or any other bulk drug substance needed to compound the compounded drugs that we seek to make available under Section 503B of the FDCA from the FDA’s list of bulk drug substances that can be compounded under Section 503B of the FDCA;

•The performance of third parties on which we will rely to bring to market, or assist us in bringing to market, compounded drugs;

•A change in regulatory requirements related to compounded drugs under Section 503B of the FDCA;

•Difficulties or delays in commencement or completion, or the termination or suspension, of our current or planned clinical or preclinical studies;

•Clinical trial outcomes and results of preclinical development;

•Failure to complete development of our product candidates or submit and obtain United States Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, or foreign regulatory authority approval for our product candidates on projected timelines or budgets, or at all;

•Challenges and delays in obtaining timely supplies of our product candidates, including their components as well as the finished product, in the quantities needed in accordance with current good manufacturing practices, our specifications and other applicable requirements;

•The performance of third parties on which we rely to conduct nonclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidates;

•Our failure, or a failure of a strategic collaborator, to successfully commercialize our product candidates, if approved, or our failure to otherwise monetize our portfolio programs and assets;

•The number and scope of product development programs we pursue;

•Termination by Organon of our out-license agreement for commercialization of XACIATO® (clindamycin phosphate) vaginal gel 2%, or XACIATO;

•The timing and amount of future upside-sharing milestone payments from XOMA under our traditional and synthetic royalty purchase agreements, if any;

•The performance of third parties on which we rely to commercialize, or assist us in commercializing, XACIATO and any future product;

•Difficulties with maintaining existing collaborations relating to the development and/or commercialization of our product candidates, or establishing new ones on a timely basis or on acceptable terms, or at all;

•The terms and conditions of any future strategic collaborations relating to our product candidates;

•The degree of market acceptance that XACIATO and any future product achieves;

•Coverage and reimbursement levels for XACIATO and any future product by government health care programs, private health insurance companies and other third-party payors;

•Our loss of, or inability to attract, key personnel;

•A change in the FDA's prior determination that the Center for Devices and Radiological Health would lead the review of a premarket approval application for potential marketing approval of Ovaprene;

•A change in regulatory requirements for our product candidates, including the development pathway pursuant to Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA, or the FDA's 505(b)(2) pathway;

•Unfavorable differences between preliminary, interim or topline clinical study data reported by us and final study results;

•Communication from the FDA or another regulatory authority, including a complete response letter, that such agency does not accept or agree with our assumptions, estimates, calculations, conclusions or analyses of clinical or nonclinical study data regarding a product candidate, or that such agency interprets or weighs the importance of study data differently than we have in a manner that negatively impacts the candidate's prospects for regulatory approval in a timely manner, or at all;

•Failure to select product candidates that capitalize on the most scientifically, clinically or commercially promising or profitable indications or therapeutic areas within women's health including due to our limited financial resources;

•Loss or impairment of our in-licensed rights to develop and commercialize XACIATO, our product candidates, and DARE to PLAY or potential other Section 503B compounded drugs;

•The timing and amount of our payment and other obligations under our in-license and acquisition agreements for XACIATO, our product candidates, and DARE to PLAY or potential other Section 503B compounded drugs;

•Developments by our competitors that make XACIATO, or any potential product we develop, less competitive or obsolete;

•Unfavorable or unanticipated macroeconomic factors, geopolitical events or conflicts, public health emergencies, or natural disasters;

•Weak interest in women's health relative to other healthcare sectors from the investment community or from pharmaceutical companies and other potential development and commercialization collaborators;

•Cyber-attacks, security breaches or similar events compromising our technology systems and data, our financial resources and other assets, or the technology systems and data of third parties on which we rely;

•Difficulty in introducing branded products in a market made up of generic products;

•Inability to adequately protect or enforce our, or our licensor’s, intellectual property rights;

•Lack of patent protection for the active ingredients in XACIATO and certain of our product candidates that expose them to competition from other formulations using the same active ingredients;

•Higher risk of failure associated with product candidates in preclinical stages of development that may lead investors to assign them little to no value and make these assets difficult to fund;

•Dependence on grants and other financial awards from governmental entities and private foundations to advance the development of several of our product candidates;

•Disputes or other developments concerning our intellectual property rights;

•Actual and anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results or results that differ from investors' expectations for such results;

•Price and volume fluctuations in the stock market, and in our stock in particular, which could cause investors to experience losses and subject us to securities class-action litigation;

•Development of safety, efficacy or quality concerns related to our product or product candidates (or third-party products or product candidates that share similar characteristics or drug substances), whether or not scientifically justified, leading to delays in or discontinuation of product development, product recalls or withdrawals, diminished sales, and/or other significant negative consequences;

•Product liability claims or governmental investigations;

•Changes in government laws and regulations in the United States and other jurisdictions, including laws and regulations governing the research, development, approval, clearance, manufacturing, supply, distribution, pricing and/or marketing of our products, product candidates and related intellectual property, health care information and data privacy and security laws, transparency laws and fraud and abuse laws, and the enforcement thereof affecting our business; and

•Increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and substantial time devoted by our management to compliance initiatives and corporate governance practices.

In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this report, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.

All forward-looking statements in this report are current only as of the date of this report. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

The terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “Daré” or the “Company” refer collectively to Daré Bioscience, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, unless otherwise stated or the context otherwise requires. All information in this report is based on our fiscal year. Unless otherwise stated, references to particular years, quarters, months or periods refer to our fiscal years ending December 31 and the associated quarters, months and periods of those fiscal years.

Overview

We are a purpose-driven health biotech company solely focused on closing the gap in women's health between promising science and real-world solutions. Every innovation we advance is based in advanced science and backed by rigorous, peer-reviewed research. From contraception to menopause, pelvic pain to fertility, vaginal health to infectious disease, we’re working to close critical gaps in care using science that serves her needs.

For decades, women have been told to “wait it out” or “live with it,” while innovations that could improve their quality of life languish in the regulatory or funding pipeline.

With growing awareness around menopause, sexual health, and vaginal health, the conversation is shifting. However, access to real, evidence-based solutions continues to lag. Daré was founded to change that. As a female-led health biotech company, we are accelerating the development of credible, science-based solutions that meet the high standards of clinical rigor–randomized, controlled trials; validated endpoints; peer-reviewed publications; and current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.

We regularly hear from healthcare providers, researchers, and women themselves about the urgent need for expanded access to evidenced-based and convenient options. Our goal is to fulfill that need by bringing innovative products to market as soon as practicable, whether as FDA-approved therapies or through alternative regulatory pathways that enable earlier availability, such as Section 503B compounding. Through a pipeline of investigational products and near-commercial, alternative pathway products, we aim to close persistent gaps in care and deliver clinically meaningful advances that redefine standards in women’s health.

In March 2025, we announced an expansion of our business model to include a dual-path approach to bringing new products to market. For select proprietary formulations, we are pursuing both traditional FDA approval and earlier market access via outsourcing facilities registered under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), which may compound and distribute certain drugs without patient-specific prescriptions. We believe this strategy allows us to respond to clinician and patient demand for timely access while continuing to generate the data necessary to seek FDA approval and support long-term value creation. In addition to prescription-based offerings — both FDA-approved products and compounded drugs— we intend to bring to market select consumer health products that do not require a physician’s prescription, where appropriate based on product profile and market opportunity, the first of which, as discussed below, will be our DARE to RESTORE™ product offerings.

In December 2025 we initiated commercialization of DARE to PLAY™ Sildenafil Cream, which we also refer to as DARE to PLAY, a first-of-its-kind, topically applied formulation of sildenafil designed to improve female sexual arousal. We believe the product’s positioning – science-backed, evidence-driven, and female-focused – sets a new benchmark for credibility in the female sexual wellness category.

The first product in our DARE to RESTORE™ vaginal probiotic suppositories product line, Flora Sync LF5™, is expected to become commercially available in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2026. The products we plan to bring to market under our DARE to RESTORE offerings align with our broader vision to integrate clinically credible, evidence-based products into women’s health routines, including select consumer health products.

Our near-term commercial initiatives are designed not only to drive revenue but also to create a self-reinforcing ecosystem for growth. The commercial experience, brand awareness, and provider engagement generated through these products can position us to efficiently introduce additional pipeline candidates, including potential future FDA-approved products. By pursuing a balanced strategy that integrates short-term commercial execution with long-term R&D investment, we aim to reduce reliance on dilutive capital and build a financially sustainable model for innovation in women’s health.

We are pursuing a capital-efficient path to commercialization that leverages targeted direct-to-consumer and healthcare professional marketing initiatives to build awareness of our women’s health portfolio, including digital campaigns, webinars, social media education, and advocacy programs. We do not have sales, marketing or distribution infrastructure, and currently, we do not intend to build our own sales force or marketing and distribution infrastructure. However, reflecting the shift in our business model, we have been and will be allocating resources to support commercial execution activities, including third-party manufacturing, market preparation, and strategic partnerships.

Prior to 2025, we were solely pursuing traditional FDA approval pathways to market for our product candidates. We began assembling our diverse portfolio of assets in 2017 through acquisitions, exclusive in-licenses and other collaborations. Our portfolio targets product categories we believe represent meaningful opportunities to improve women's health and quality of life. These include contraception, sexual health, pelvic pain, fertility, infectious disease, vaginal health, and menopause.

The first FDA-approved product to emerge from our portfolio is XACIATO® (clindamycin phosphate) vaginal gel 2%, or XACIATO (pronounced zah-she-AH-toe). We achieved FDA approval of XACIATO three years after acquiring rights to the program. XACIATO was approved by the FDA in December 2021 as a single-dose prescription medication for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis in females 12 years of age and older. In 2022, we entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Organon & Co., Organon International GmbH, or Organon, whereby Organon licensed exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize XACIATO. In January 2024, Organon announced that XACIATO was available nationwide in the United States. As described below, to provide funding for the development of the product candidates in our pipeline, in April 2024, we entered into an agreement with XOMA (US) LLC, or XOMA, whereby we sold our rights to all royalty and potential milestone payments based on net sales of XACIATO under our agreement with Organon, net of our obligations to certain third parties, until XOMA receives a specified return on its investment, after which we will share equally in the royalty and milestone payments earned on net sales of XACIATO from Organon.

Our product candidates are in various stages of development, from pre-clinical through a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study. The most advanced product candidates we are developing are: Ovaprene®, an investigational, hormone-free, monthly intravaginal contraceptive currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical study; Sildenafil Cream, 3.6%, a novel cream formulation of sildenafil for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD); DARE-HRT1, an intravaginal ring designed to deliver combination menopausal hormone therapy, bio-identical 17β-estradiol and progesterone together, continuously, over a 28-day period for the treatment of moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, also known as hot flashes; and DARE-HPV, a proprietary fixed-dose formulation of lopinavir and ritonavir in a soft gel vaginal insert being developed as a non-surgical, localized, self-administered therapy for clearance of persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.