Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc.

Current report

Recent and future acquisitions may have a material adverse effect on our ability to manage our business and our results of operations and financial condition.

Current report

We may acquire assets, businesses, technologies, services, or products which are complementary to our operations. Recent and future acquisitions, including the now completed asset acquisition of Molecule.ai pursuant to that certain Asset Purchase Agreement with 1563868 B.C. Ltd., a Canadian limited corporation, and the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary, 1542770 BC Ltd., a Canadian limited corporation, and the related employment contract with Zhitian (Andy) Zhang, an individual residing in Vancouver, Canada (the “Asset Purchase”), may expose us to potential risks, including risks associated with our inability to realize the intended benefits of the Asset Purchase, the costs and expenses incurred in connection with such acquisitions, or the potential loss of or harm to relationships with future suppliers, employees, and potential customers resulting from our integration of a new asset class. If any of these risks were to occur, our operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Current report

If we are unable to acquire and retain customers for our Molecule.ai platform or if any of such customers renew licenses at lower prices, our future revenues may be negatively impacted.

Current report

Currently, we do not have any customers for our Molecule.ai platform. We expect to derive a significant portion of our revenues from future license agreements with new customers related to our Molecule.ai platform. As a result, acquiring new customers and maintaining the renewal rate of those new customers is critical to our future operating results. Factors that may affect the acquisition of new customers and renewal rates for future customers include:

Current report

If we fail to acquire customers, and once acquired, if we are unable to successfully renew agreements with such clients or if clients renew such agreements upon less favorable terms or at lower fee levels, our future revenues may be negatively impacted.

Current report

Following the March 2025 $5.75 million equity financing, on March 14, 2025, Nasdaq acknowledged that we had regained compliance with the Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) but indicated that if we failed to evidence compliance upon filing the March 31, 2025 Form 10-Q, we may have been subject to delisting.

Current report

On June 16, 2025, in order to maintain the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, we effectuated a 1-for-25 reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding common stock, rounding up to account for any fractional shares. The reverse stock split had no effect on our authorized shares of common stock or preferred stock and the par value will remain unchanged at $0.00001, respectively. All common stock share, option, warrant and per share amounts (except our authorized but unissued shares and previously reserved shares) have been retroactively adjusted in these consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. We evidenced compliance through maintaining a minimum closing bid price of our common stock of $1.00 per share or greater from June 16, 2025 to July 1, 2025. Accordingly, we regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).

Current report

On July 2, 2025, we received notification from Nasdaq acknowledging that we maintained the requisite minimum closing bid price of our common stock of $1.00 per share or greater. Accordingly, we regained compliance with Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), and the matter was closed.

Current report

We reported stockholders’ equity of $1,394,161 in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2025, and, as a result, were not in compliance with the Stockholders’ Equity Requirement. We believe as of November 17, 2025, we regained compliance with the Stockholders’ Equity Requirement based upon our private placement consummated on November 4, 2025, pursuant to which we raised aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $2.5 million, before deducting placement agent fees and offering expenses payable by us.

Current report

For the year ended December 31, 2025, we report herein stockholders’ equity of $2,254,446, and, as a result, were not in compliance with the Stockholders’ Equity Requirement. We believe, as of March 9, 2026, we regained compliance with the Stockholders’ Equity Requirement based upon our underwritten public offering of 2,238,800 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $0.50 per share, resulting in gross proceeds of $3,500,000 and net proceeds of approximately $3,360,000 after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and estimated offering expenses of $140,000. The offering included 4,761,000 pre-funded warrants at a price of $0.499 per warrant, each exercisable for one share of common stock at a nominal exercise price of $0.001 per share.

Current report

Should we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements for remaining listed on Nasdaq Capital Market, such as the minimum closing bid price requirement or the stockholders’ equity requirement, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we would take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock, prevent our common stock from dropping below Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with such listing requirements.

Current report

If we cannot maintain the listing of our common stock for trading on Nasdaq, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

Current report

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following our initial public offering, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Current report

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30.

Previous report

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements and related notes elsewhere, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business. Certain statements below are forward-looking statements.

Previous report

Summary Risk Factors

Previous report

The risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 25 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K may cause us not to realize the full benefits of our strengths and/or may cause us to be unable to successfully execute all or part of our strategy. Some of the more significant challenges we face include:

Previous report

RISK FACTORS

Previous report

In September 2022, the Company completed its initial public offering of common stock, generating net proceeds of approximately $10.0 million. Additionally, in January 2023, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with an institutional investor through which the Company sold a convertible note with a principal value of $4.3 million, along with a four-year warrant to purchase 127,260 shares of common stock, exercisable at $18.80 per share, providing the Company with approximately $3.6 million in net proceeds. As a consequence of the October 2024 Equity Financing (as defined below), the exercise price of the warrant was adjusted to $0.48 per share.

Previous report

In October 2024, the Company completed an equity raise that provided $4.0 million in cash, net of placement agent fees of $0.5 million, for the issuance of 2.9 million shares/pre-funded warrants, and by 2.9 million warrants with an exercise price of $1.40 per share. In addition, in October 2024, the Company completed an offering of senior secured convertible bridge notes, receiving $790 thousand in cash. The notes have a term of one-year and were accompanied by 329,461 warrants with a weighted-average exercise price of $1.42 per share. To date, none of the above-listed warrants have been exercised. However, the Company’s existing cash resources, marketable securities and the cash received from the Company’s offerings are not expected to provide sufficient funds to support the Company’s operations and clinical trials through the next 12 months.

Previous report

The capital raise has supported operations leading up to the manufacture of drug product and FDA approval of the IND for the Phase II clinical trial of Ropidoxuridine and radiation therapy in glioblastoma. The FDA recommended and the company agreed to an expansion of the clinical trial, necessitating additional capital expenditures to complete the trial. Management intends to initiate additional follow-on offerings and has submitted SBIR applications for non-dilutive NIH funding for our pre-clinical project. The ability of the Company to continue as a going concern is dependent upon our ability to successfully conduct clinical trials, bring a drug candidate to commercialization, generate revenues, and to raise additional equity or debt financing to fund our operations.

Previous report

Our success is primarily dependent on the successful development, regulatory approval and commercialization of our product candidates, all of which are in the early stages of development.

Previous report

Our product candidates include Ropidoxuridine, a Phase II, clinical-stage radiation sensitizer, a platform of HDAC inhibitors (SP-1-161, SP-2-225 and SP-1-303) and two preclinical, prostate cancer-oriented diagnostics assets – the PC-RAD Test, a blood test to predict clinical response to radiation therapy and the PSMA-B ligand for potential use as a theranostic agent. None of our product candidates have gained marketing approval for sale in the United States or any other country, and we cannot guarantee that we will ever have marketable products. To date, we have invested substantially all of our efforts and financial resources in the research and development and commercial planning for our current product candidate and our HDAC small molecule delivery platform. Our near-term prospects, including our ability to finance our Company and generate revenue, as well as our future growth, will depend heavily on the development, marketing approval and commercialization of our product candidates. The clinical and commercial success of product candidates will depend on a number of factors, including the following:

Previous report

Many of the risk factors detailed herein are beyond our control. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will ever be able to generate revenue through the sale of our product candidates. Any one of these factors or other factors discussed in this Annual Report could affect our ability to commercialize product candidates, which could impact our ability to earn sufficient revenues to transition from a developmental stage company and continue our business. If we do not obtain marketing approval of and commercialization of our product candidates, or are significantly delayed in doing so, our business will be materially harmed. We have a limited operating history and have incurred significant losses since our inception, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for the foreseeable future and may never achieve or maintain profitability.

Previous report

We are a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, have only recently commenced our Phase II clinical trials of our lead drug candidate, and have a limited operating history upon which you can evaluate our business and prospects. Specialty pharmaceutical product development is a highly speculative undertaking and involves a substantial degree of risk. We do not currently have any product candidates in advanced clinical trials or approved for sale, and we continue to incur significant research and development and general and administrative expenses related to our operations. In addition, we have limited experience and have not yet demonstrated an ability to successfully overcome many of the risks and uncertainties frequently encountered by companies in new and rapidly evolving fields, particularly in the specialty pharmaceutical industry. We have not generated any revenue to date and have incurred losses in each year since our founding in December 2012. Our accumulated deficit as of December 31, 2024 was $34.6 million. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. Even if we achieve profitability in the future, we may not be able to sustain profitability in subsequent periods.

Previous report

We currently have no source of product sales revenue.

Previous report

We have not yet completed clinical trials and thus do not yet have commercial sales of our products and have not yet generated any revenues from commercial sales of our product candidates. Our ability to generate product revenue depends upon our ability to develop and commercialize products, including any of our current product candidates or other product candidates that we may develop, in-license or acquire in the future. We do not anticipate generating revenue from the sale of products for the foreseeable future and are reliant on our ability to raise financing through third parties, including the sale of securities. Our ability to generate future product revenue from our current or future product candidates also depends on a number of additional factors, including our ability to:

Previous report

In addition, because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with clinical product development, including that our product candidates may not advance through development or achieve the endpoints of applicable clinical trials, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of any potential future product sales revenues. Our expenses also could increase beyond expectations if we decide to or are required by the FDA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, to perform studies or trials in addition to those that we currently anticipate. Even if we complete the development and regulatory processes described above, we anticipate incurring significant costs associated with launching and commercializing these products.

Previous report

The market may not be receptive to our product candidates based on our novel therapeutic modality, and we may not generate any future revenue from the sale or licensing of product candidates.

Previous report

Even if approval is obtained for a product candidate, we may not generate or sustain revenue from sales of the product due to factors such as whether the product can be sold at a competitive cost and otherwise accepted in the market. The product candidates that we are developing are based on new delivery platform therapeutic approaches (there currently is no drug which has FDA approval for indications of radiation sensitization). Market participants with significant influence over acceptance of new treatments, such as physicians and third-party payors, may not accept our delivery platform, and we may not be able to convince the medical community and third-party payors to accept and use, or to provide favorable reimbursement for, any product candidates developed by us. Market acceptance of our product candidates will depend on, among other factors:

Previous report

We will require substantial additional financing in order to obtain marketing approval of our product candidates and commercialize our product candidates; a failure to obtain this necessary capital when needed on acceptable terms, or at all, could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development, other operations or commercialization efforts.

Previous report

Since our inception, substantially all of our resources have been dedicated to the preclinical and clinical development of our HDAC small molecule delivery platform and our initial product candidate, Ropidoxuridine. Our capital needs to date have been met by contributions from existing stockholders, as well as through private offerings and IPO of our securities and our SBIR contracts. We believe that we will continue to expend substantial resources for the foreseeable future on the completion of clinical development and regulatory preparedness of our product candidates, preparations for a commercial launch of our product candidates, if approved, and development of any other current or future product candidates we may choose to further develop. These expenditures will include costs associated with research and development, conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, obtaining marketing approvals, and, if we are not able to enter into planned collaborations, manufacturing and supply as well as marketing and selling any products approved for sale. In addition, other unanticipated costs may arise. Because the outcome of any drug development process is highly uncertain, we cannot reasonably estimate the actual amounts necessary to complete the development and commercialization of our current product candidates, if approved, or future product candidates, if any.

Previous report

We believe that the proceeds we received in the $4.0 million, net of $0.5 million in placement agent fees, October 2024 offering and the $790 thousand senior secured convertible note offering, along with our existing capital resources, will not be sufficient to fund our operations one year after the date that the consolidated financial statements are issued without additional capital infusion. We anticipate we will need to seek additional funding through public or private equity or debt financings or other sources, such as through a rights offering, strategic collaborations or grants and contracts. Such financing may result in dilution to stockholders, imposition of debt covenants and repayment obligations, or other restrictions that may adversely affect our business. In addition, we may seek additional capital due to favorable market conditions or strategic considerations even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans.

Previous report

We may seek additional capital through a combination of public and private equity offerings, debt financings, strategic collaborations and alliances and licensing arrangements. To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, your ownership interest will be diluted, and the terms may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a stockholder. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased fixed payment obligations and could involve certain restrictive covenants, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. If we raise additional funds through strategic collaborations and alliances and licensing arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies or product candidates or grant licenses on terms unfavorable to us.

Previous report

Unfavorable and/or unstable global market and economic conditions, including those caused by the ongoing conflict between the Ukraine and Russia, as well as in the Middle East, and the COVID-19 pandemic, could have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Previous report

The global economy, including credit and financial markets, has experienced extreme volatility and disruptions as a result of the ongoing conflict between the Ukraine and Russia, as well as in the Middle East, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates, increases in inflation rates and uncertainty about economic stability. Our results of operations could be adversely affected by the general conditions of the global economy and the global financial markets. In addition, any such volatility and disruptions may have adverse consequences on us or the third parties upon whom we rely. For example, in 2008, the global financial crisis caused extreme volatility and disruptions in the capital and credit markets and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant volatility and uncertainty in U.S. and international markets. Inflation rates, particularly in the United States, have increased recently to levels not seen in years. Increased inflation may result in increased operating costs (including our labor costs), reduced liquidity, and limitations on our ability to access credit or otherwise raise debt and equity capital. In addition, the United States Federal Reserve has raised, and may again raise, interest rates in response to concerns about inflation. Increases in interest rates, especially if coupled with reduced government spending and volatility in financial markets, may have the effect of further increasing economic uncertainty and heightening these risks, which may impact our ability to raise additional capital in the future. The March 2023 failure of Silicon Valley Bank, the pressure such failure has placed on other mid-sized banks, and its potential near- and long-term effects on the biotechnology industry and its participants such as our vendors, suppliers and investors, may also adversely affect our operations and stock price. In addition, U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began with a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by Russian Troops on February 24, 2022, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which began on with a terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2024. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict is highly unpredictable, these conflicts could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain disruptions. For example, various of Russia’s actions have led to sanctions and other penalties being levied by the United States, Australia, the European Union, and other countries, as well as other public and private actors and companies, against Russia and certain other geographic areas, including agreement to remove certain Russian financial instit…

Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.

Previous report

Our product candidates are in the early stages of development and may fail in development or suffer delays that materially adversely affect their commercial viability.

Previous report

We have no products on the market and all of our product candidates are in the early stages of development. Our ability to achieve and sustain profitability depends on obtaining regulatory approvals, including IRB approval, for and commercializing our product candidates, either alone or with third parties. Before obtaining regulatory approval for the commercial distribution of our product candidates, we or one of our collaborators must conduct extensive preclinical tests and clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy in humans of our product candidates, the final determination of which rests solely in the authority of the FDA. Preclinical testing and clinical trials are expensive, difficult to design and implement, can take many years to complete and are uncertain as to outcome. The start or end of a clinical study is often delayed or halted due to changing regulatory requirements, manufacturing challenges, required clinical trial administrative actions, slower than anticipated patient enrollment, changing standards of care, availability or prevalence of use of a comparative drug or required prior therapy, clinical outcomes or financial constraints. For instance, delays or difficulties in patient enrollment or difficulties in retaining trial participants can result in increased costs, longer development times or termination of a clinical trial. Clinical trials of a new product candidate require the enrollment of a sufficient number of patients, including patients who are suffering from the disease the product candidate is intended to treat and who meet other eligibility criteria. Rates of patient enrollment are affected by many factors, including the size of the patient population, the eligibility criteria for the clinical trial, the age and condition of the patients, the stage and severity of disease, the nature of the protocol, the proximity of patients to clinical sites and the availability of effective treatments for the relevant disease.

Previous report

A product candidate can unexpectedly fail at any stage of preclinical and clinical development. The historical failure rate for product candidates is high due to scientific feasibility, lack of quality and effectiveness, changing standards of medical care and other variables. The results from preclinical testing or early clinical trials of a product candidate may not predict the results that will be obtained in later phase clinical trials of the product candidate. We, the FDA or other applicable regulatory authorities may suspend clinical trials of a product candidate at any time for various reasons, including a belief that subjects participating in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. We may not have the financial resources to continue development of, or to enter into collaborations for, a product candidate if we experience any problems or other unforeseen events that delay or prevent regulatory approval of, or our ability to commercialize, product candidates, including:

Previous report

If third parties on which we depend to conduct our preclinical studies, or any future clinical trials, do not perform as contractually required, fail to satisfy regulatory or legal requirements or miss expected deadlines, our development program could be delayed with materially adverse effects on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Previous report

We are relying on third party collaborators to conduct our efficacy clinical trials for Ropidoxuridine and plan to rely on third party clinical investigators, CROs, clinical data management organizations and consultants to design, conduct, supervise and monitor preclinical studies of our product candidates and will do the same for any clinical trials. Because we plan to largely rely on third parties and do not have the ability to conduct preclinical studies or clinical trials independently, we have less control over the timing, quality and other aspects of preclinical studies and clinical trials than we would if we conducted them on our own. These investigators, CROs, and consultants are not our employees and we have limited control over the amount of time and resources that they dedicate to our programs. These third parties may have contractual relationships with other entities, some of which may be our competitors, which may draw time and resources from our programs. The third parties with whom we contract might not be diligent, careful or timely in conducting our preclinical studies or clinical trials, resulting in the preclinical studies or clinical trials being delayed or unsuccessful.

Previous report

If we cannot contract with acceptable third parties on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or if these third parties do not carry out their contractual duties, satisfy legal and regulatory requirements for the conduct of preclinical studies or clinical trials or meet expected deadlines, our clinical development programs could be delayed and otherwise adversely affected. In all events, we are responsible for ensuring that each of our preclinical studies and clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the general investigational plan and protocols for the trial. The FDA requires clinical trials to be conducted in accordance with good clinical practices, including for conducting, recording and reporting the results of preclinical studies and clinical trials to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of clinical trial participants are protected. Our reliance on third parties that we do not control does not relieve us of these responsibilities and requirements. Any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or prospects.

Previous report

Because we rely on third party manufacturing and supply partners, our supply of research and development, and preclinical and clinical development materials, may become limited or interrupted or may not be of satisfactory quantity or quality.

Previous report

We rely on third party supply and manufacturing partners to supply the materials and components for, and manufacture, our research and development, preclinical and clinical trial drug supplies. We do not own manufacturing facilities or supply sources for such components and materials. There can be no assurance that our supply of research and development, preclinical and clinical development drugs and other materials will not be limited, interrupted, restricted in certain geographic regions or of satisfactory quality or continue to be available at acceptable prices. In particular, any replacement of any drug product formulation manufacturer we may use could require significant effort and expertise in the event there are a limited number of qualified replacements for a particular product candidate.

Previous report

The manufacturing process for a product candidate is subject to FDA and foreign regulatory authority review. Suppliers and manufacturers must meet applicable manufacturing requirements and undergo rigorous facility and process validation tests required by regulatory authorities in order to comply with regulatory standards, such as cGMP. In the event that any of our suppliers or manufacturers fail to comply with such requirements or to perform its obligations to us in relation to quality, timing or otherwise, or if our supply of components or other materials becomes limited or interrupted for other reasons, we may be forced to manufacture the materials ourselves, for which we currently do not have the capabilities or resources, or enter into an agreement with another third party, which we may not be able to do on reasonable terms, if at all. In some cases, the technical skills or technology required to manufacture our product candidates may be unique or proprietary to the original manufacturer, and we may have difficulty, or there may be contractual restrictions prohibiting us from, transferring such skills or technology to another third party and a feasible alternative may not exist. These factors would increase our reliance on such manufacturer or require us to obtain a license from such manufacturer in order to have another third party manufacture our product candidates. If we are required to change manufacturers for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations and guidelines. The delays associated with the verification of a new manufacturer could negatively affect our ability to develop product candidates in a timely manner or within budget.

Previous report

We expect to continue to rely on third party manufacturers if we receive regulatory approval for any product candidate. To the extent that we have existing or future manufacturing arrangements with third parties, we will depend on these third parties to perform their obligations in a timely manner consistent with contractual and regulatory requirements, including those related to quality control and assurance. If we are unable to obtain or maintain third-party manufacturing for product candidates, or to do so on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to fully develop and commercialize our product candidates. Our or a third party’s failure to execute on our manufacturing requirements could adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including:

Previous report

We may be unsuccessful in engaging in strategic transactions which could adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize product candidates, impact our cash position, increase our expense and present significant distractions to our management.

Previous report

From time to time, we may consider strategic transactions, such as collaborations, acquisitions of companies, asset purchases and out- or in- licensing of product candidates or technologies. In particular, we will evaluate and, if strategically attractive, seek to enter into additional collaborations, including with major biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies to complete development and marketing of our product candidates, if approved. The competition for collaborators is intense, and the negotiation process is time-consuming and complex. Any proposed collaboration may be on terms that are not optimal for us, and we may not be able to maintain any new or existing collaboration if, for example, development or approval of a product candidate is delayed, sales of an approved product candidate do not meet expectations or the collaborator terminates the collaboration. Any such collaboration, or other strategic transaction, may require us to incur non-recurring or other charges, increase our near- and long-term expenditures and pose significant integration or implementation challenges or disrupt our management or business. These transactions would entail numerous operational and financial risks, including exposure to unknown liabilities, disruption of our business and diversion of our management’s time and attention in order to manage a collaboration or develop acquired products, product candidates or technologies, incurrence of substantial debt or dilutive issuances of equity securities to pay transaction consideration or costs, higher than expected collaboration, acquisition or integration costs, write-downs of assets or goodwill or impairment charges, increased amortization expenses, difficulty and cost in facilitating the collaboration or combining the operations and personnel of any acquired business, impairment of relationships with key suppliers, manufacturers or customers of any acquired business due to changes in management and ownership and the inability to retain key employees of any acquired business. Accordingly, although there can be no assurance that we will undertake or successfully complete any transactions of the nature described above, any transactions that we do complete may be subject to the foregoing or other risks and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects. Conversely, any failure to enter into any collaboration or other strategic transaction that would be beneficial to us could delay the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates and have a negative impact on the competitiveness of any product candidate that reaches market.

Previous report

We face competition from entities that have developed or may develop product candidates for our target disease indications, including companies developing novel treatments and technology platforms based on modalities and technology similar to ours. If these companies develop technologies or product candidates more rapidly than we do or their technologies, including delivery technologies, are more effective, our ability to develop and commercialize product candidates may be adversely affected.

Previous report

The development and commercialization of drugs is highly competitive. We compete with a variety of multinational pharmaceutical companies and specialized biotechnology companies, as well as with universities and other research institutions which are developing new technology. Our competitors have developed, are developing or will develop product candidates and processes competitive with our product candidates. Competitive therapeutic treatments include those that have already been approved and accepted by the medical community and any new treatments that enter the market. We believe that a significant number of products are currently under development, and may become commercially available in the future, for the treatment of conditions for which we may try to develop product candidates.

Previous report

Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing, sales and supply resources or experience than we have. If we obtain approval for any product candidate, we will face competition based on many different factors, including the quality and effectiveness of our products, the ease with which our products can be administered and the extent to which patients accept relatively new routes of administration, the timing and scope of regulatory approvals for these products, the availability and cost of manufacturing, marketing and sales capabilities, price, reimbursement coverage and patent position. Competing products could present superior treatment alternatives, including by being more effective, safer, less expensive or marketed and sold more effectively than any products we may develop. Competitive products may make any products we develop obsolete or noncompetitive before we recover the expense of developing and commercializing our product candidates. Such competitors could also recruit our employees, which could negatively impact our level of expertise and our ability to execute our business plan.

Previous report

Our success largely depends on the continued service of certain key management and other specialized personnel, including Anatoly Dritschilo, M.D., our Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Lorber, our Chief Financial Officer, Mira Jung, Ph.D., our Chief Scientific Officer, Michael Vander Hoek, our Vice President Operations and Regulatory, and Peter Dritschilo, our President and Chief Operating Officer. The loss of one or more members of our management team or other key employees or advisors could delay our research and development programs and materially harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The relationships that our key managers have cultivated within our industry make us particularly dependent upon their continued employment with us. We are dependent on the continued service of our technical personnel because of the highly technical nature of our product candidates and technologies and the specialized nature of the regulatory approval process. Because our management team and key employees are not obligated to provide us with continued service, they could terminate their employment with us at any time without penalty. We do not maintain key person life insurance policies on any of our management team members or key employees. Our future success will depend in large part on our continued ability to attract and retain other highly qualified scientific, technical and management personnel, as well as personnel with expertise in clinical testing, manufacturing, governmental regulation and commercialization. We face competition for personnel from other companies, universities, public and private research institutions, government entities and other organizations.

Previous report

If our product candidates advance into Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, we may experience difficulties in managing our growth and expanding our operations.

Previous report

As our product candidates enter into and advance through preclinical studies and any clinical trials, we will need to expand our development, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities or contract with other organizations to provide these capabilities for us. In the future, we expect to have to manage additional relationships with collaborators or partners, suppliers and other organizations. Our ability to manage our operations and future growth will require us to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures. We may not be able to implement improvements to our management information and control systems in an efficient or timely manner and may discover deficiencies in existing systems and controls.

Previous report — wording carried elsewhere

If we fail to comply with the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, it could result in our common stock being delisted, which could adversely affect the market price and liquidity of our securities and could have other adverse effects.