Ensysce Biosciences Inc
For the period ended Sep 30, 2024. Filed Nov 12, 2024.
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A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Sep 30, 2024 · Filed Nov 12, 2024
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 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 September 30,2024
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 Number:001-38306
Ensysce Biosciences, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
| Delaware | 82-2755287 |
|---|---|
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| 7946 Ivanhoe Avenue, Suite 201 La Jolla, California | 92037 |
|---|---|
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:(858) 263-4196
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
|---|---|---|
| Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share | ENSC | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| 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 November 11, 2024, the registrant had 19,574,014 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will” and “would,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions intended to identify statements about the future. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about:
| ● | our estimates regarding expenses, revenue, capital requirements and timing and availability of and the need for additional financing will almost certainly not match actual amounts and timing; |
| ● | our ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months; |
| ● | the risk that our lead product candidate PF614 and PF614-MPAR may not be successful in limiting or impeding abuse, overdose, or misuse or providing additional safety upon commercialization; |
| ● | the need for substantial additional funding to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates; |
| ● | the risk that our clinical trials may fail to replicate positive results from earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted by us or third parties; |
| ● | the risk that the potential product candidates that we develop may not progress through clinical development or receive required regulatory approvals within expected timelines or at all; |
| ● | the risk that clinical trials may not confirm any safety, potency, or other product characteristics described or assumed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q; |
| ● | the risk that we will be unable to successfully market or gain market acceptance of our product candidates; |
| ● | the risk that our product candidates may not be beneficial to patients or successfully commercialized; |
| ● | the risk that we have overestimated the size of the target market, patients’ willingness to try new therapies, and the willingness of physicians to prescribe these therapies; |
| ● | effects of competition; |
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| ● | the risk that third parties on which we depend for laboratory, clinical development, manufacturing, and other critical services will fail to perform satisfactorily; |
| ● | the risk that we will be unable to obtain and maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for its investigational products or will infringe the intellectual property protection of others; |
| ● | the loss of key members of our management team; |
| ● | changes in our regulatory environment; |
| ● | the ability to attract and retain key scientific, medical, commercial, or management personnel; |
| ● | changes in our industry; |
| ● | our ability to remediate any material weaknesses or establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting; |
| ● | the risk that our common stock will be delisted from Nasdaq; |
| ● | The risk that we may not be able to regain or maintain compliance with applicable listing standards of Nasdaq; |
| ● | other factors disclosed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q; and |
| ● | other factors beyond our control. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are based on Ensysce’s current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on Ensysce. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Ensysce will be those that Ensysce has anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond Ensysce’s control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Moreover, the occurrence of the events described in the “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K may adversely affect Ensysce. Ensysce will not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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GLOSSARY
| Definitions: | |
|---|---|
| 2021 Notes | The senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate original principal amount of $15.9 million, sold in two closings on September 24, 2021, and November 5, 2021, respectively, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on September 24, 2021 |
| 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan | Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. Amended and Restated 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan |
| 2022 Notes | The senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate original principal amount of $8.48 million, sold in two closings on June 30, 2022, and August 8, 2022, respectively, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on June 30, 2022 |
| 2023 Notes | The senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate original principal amount of $1.8 million, sold in two closings on October 25, 2023, and November 28, 2023, respectively, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on October 23, 2023 |
| 2022 December Offering | The Company’s December 2022 registered direct offering of common stock (including pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof). The Offering closed on December 9, 2022, for aggregate consideration of $4.1 million |
| 2023 February Offering | The Company’s February 2023 registered direct offering of common stock and private placement warrants for aggregate consideration of $3.0 million |
| 2023 May Offering | The Company’s May 2023 registered direct offering of common stock (including pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) for aggregate consideration of $7.0 million |
| 2024 February Warrant Inducement | The Company’s February 2024 transaction including the cash exercise of certain existing warrants at a reduced price and the issuance of new warrants |
| 2024 August Warrant Inducement | The Company’s August 2024 transaction including the cash exercise of certain existing warrants at a reduced price and the issuance of new warrants |
| 2024 August Offering | The Company’s August 2024 registered direct offering of common stock, issuance of private placement warrants and the cash exercise of certain existing warrants at a reduced price and the issuance of new warrants. |
| Abeyance shares | Shares issued to certain holders and held at the Company’s transfer agent to be delivered to those holders at their request. Shares held in abeyance have not been issued and are not outstanding. |
| August Inducement Letter | Inducement offer letter entered into with certain holders of existing warrants to purchase 7,203,504 shares of the Company’s common stock (issued in February of 2024) to reduce the exercise price from $1.06 per share to $0.47 per share. The Company also agreed to amend certain existing warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,000,000 shares of common stock that were previously issued in November 2023 and had an exercise price of $1.5675 per share such that the amended warrants have a reduced exercise price of $0.47 per share. |
| Board | Board of directors of Ensysce, or a committee thereof, as applicable |
| Business Combination | The definitive merger agreement among LACQ, Merger Sub and Former Ensysce, dated January 31, 2021, providing for, among other things, and subject to terms and conditions therein, the business combination between LACQ and Former Ensysce pursuant to the merger of Merger Sub with and into Former Ensysce, with Former Ensysce continuing as the surviving entity and as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LACQ |
| CMOs | Contract manufacturing organizations |
| Company | Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries |
| COVID-19 | Novel coronavirus disease |
| Covistat | A subsidiary renamed EBIR, Inc. |
| CROs | Contract research organizations |
| EBIR | Previously known as Covistat, Inc., EBIR, Inc. is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company that is developing a compound utilized in the Company’s overdose protection program for the treatment of COVID-19 and 79.2%-owned subsidiary of the Company |
| Ensysce | Ensysce Biosciences Inc. |
| Exchange Act | Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended |
| FDA | United States Food and Drug Administration |
| February Inducement Letter | Inducement offer letter entered into with certain holders of existing warrants to purchase 3,601,752 shares of the Company’s common stock (issued on May 12, 2023) to reduce the exercise price from $3.637 per share to $1.31 per share. |
| Former Ensysce | Ensysce Biosciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation, prior to the consummation of the merger with and into Merger Sub |
| GAAP | Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America |
| GCP | Good Clinical Practices |
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| Investor Notes | The 2021 Notes, 2022 Notes and 2023 Notes, collectively |
|---|---|
| LACQ | Leisure Acquisition Corp., a Delaware Corporation |
| LACQ Warrants | Warrants that relate to the Business Combination or were issued prior to it and are exercisable for 21,993 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $2,725.90 per share |
| Merger | The merger of Merger Sub with and into Former Ensysce, with Former Ensysce continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary of LACQ, which changed its name to Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. following consummation of the Merger. |
| Merger Agreement | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of January 31, 2021, by and among LACQ, Merger Sub and Former Ensysce, providing for, among other things, and subject to the terms and conditions therein, a business combination between Former Ensysce and LACQ pursuant to the proposed merger of Merger Sub with and into Former Ensysce, with Former Ensysce surviving the transaction as a wholly-owned subsidiary of LACQ, which changed its name to Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. following consummation of the Merger |
| Merger Sub | EB Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LACQ prior to the consummation of the Merger |
| MPAR Grant | Research and development grant related to the development of its MPAR® overdose prevention technology awarded to the Company by NIH through NIDA in September 2018 |
| Nasdaq | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
| NIDA | National Institute of Drug Abuse |
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| OUD Grant | Research and development grant related to the development of its TAAP/MPAR® abuse deterrent technology for Opioid Use Disorder awarded to the Company by NIH/NIDA in September 2019 |
| Prior Warrants | Warrants issued pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement. The Prior Warrants issued in (i) 2021 are exercisable for an aggregate of 4,518 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $3.64 per share and in (ii) 2022 are exercisable for an aggregate of 38,900 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $3.64 per share |
| Public Warrants | The redeemable warrants issued by us and sold as part of the units in the LACQ IPO (whether they were purchased in the LACQ IPO or thereafter in the open market). The Public Warrants are exercisable for an aggregate of approximately 41,666 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2,760.00 per share |
| Registered Direct Offering | August 2024 registered direct offering of common stock (3,553,194 shares), private placement warrants (to purchase up to 7,106,388 shares) and the cash exercise of certain existing warrants (7,203,504 warrant shares) at a reduced price and the issuance of new warrants (to purchase up to 21,610,512 shares). |
| R&D | Research and Development |
| SEC | U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |
| Securities Act | Securities Act of 1933, as amended |
| Securities Purchase Agreement | The Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 24, 2021, June 30, 2022, October 23, 2023, or August 28, 2024, as the context dictates, by and between Ensysce and the institutional investors party thereto |
| SPA | A Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 24, 2021, June 30, 2022, October 23, 2023, or August 28, 2024 as the context dictates, by and between Ensysce and the institutional investors party thereto |
| TAAP | Trypsin Activated Abuse Protection |
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Table of Contents
| Page | ||
|---|---|---|
| Forward-Looking Statements | i | |
| Glossary | iii | |
| PART I. | FINANCIAL INFORMATION | 1 |
| Item 1. | Financial Statements (Unaudited) | 1 |
| Consolidated Balance Sheets | 1 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Operations | 2 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit) | 3 | |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows | 4 | |
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) | 5 | |
| Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 17 |
| Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 29 |
| Item 4. | Controls and Procedures | 29 |
| PART II. | OTHER INFORMATION | 30 |
| Item 1. | Legal Proceedings | 30 |
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 30 |
| Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds | 30 |
| Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities | 30 |
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 30 |
| Item 5. | Other Information | 30 |
| Item 6. | Exhibits | 31 |
| Signatures | 32 | |
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