ABEONA THERAPEUTICS INC.

Previous wording

The ability of FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, FDA’s ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. Disruptions at FDA and other agencies may also increase the time necessary to meet with and provide feedback to entities developing drug products, review and/or approve our submissions, conduct inspections, issue regulatory guidance, or otherwise authorize our actions requiring regulatory approval, which would adversely affect our business. In addition, government funding of FDA and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities, is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. For example, the executive branch recently established the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), which implemented a federal government hiring freeze and large scale layoffs of current federal employees and also announced additional efforts to reduce federal government employee headcount and the size of the federal government. It is unclear how these executive actions or other potential actions by the executive branch will impact the regulatory authorities that oversee our business. These budgetary pressures may reduce FDA’s ability to perform its responsibilities. If a significant reduction in FDA’s workforce occurs, FDA’s budget is significantly reduced, or there are other disruptions at FDA and other agencies, more time may be necessary for biological products, or biologics, or modifications to approved biologics to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which could increase our costs and would adversely affect our business. In addition, if a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. For example, over the last several years, the United States government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as FDA, have had to furlough critical FDA employees and stop critical activities. Additionally, Congress may introduce and ultimately pass healthcare related legislation that could impact the drug approval process.

Current wording

The ability of FDA to review and approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, FDA’s ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the agency have fluctuated in recent years as a result. Disruptions at FDA and other agencies may also increase the time necessary to meet with and provide feedback to entities developing drug products, review and/or approve our submissions, conduct inspections, issue regulatory guidance, or otherwise authorize our actions requiring regulatory approval, which would adversely affect our business. In addition, government funding of FDA and other government agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities, is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. For example, the executive branch recently established the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”), which implemented a federal government hiring freeze and large scale layoffs of current federal employees and also announced additional efforts to reduce federal government employee headcount and the size of the federal government. It is unclear how these executive actions or other potential actions by the executive branch will impact the regulatory authorities that oversee our business. These budgetary pressures may reduce FDA’s ability to perform its responsibilities. If a significant reorganization or reduction in FDA’s workforce occurs, FDA’s budget is significantly reduced, or there are other disruptions at FDA and other agencies, more time may be necessary for biological products, or biologics, or modifications to approved biologics to be reviewed and/or approved by necessary government agencies, which could increase our costs and would adversely affect our business. In addition, if a prolonged government shutdown occurs, it could significantly impact the ability of FDA to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. For example, over the last several years, the United States government has shut down several times and certain regulatory agencies, such as FDA, have had to furlough critical employees and stop critical activities. Additionally, Congress may introduce and ultimately pass healthcare-related legislation that could impact the drug approval process.

Previous wording

Further, the current federal administration has announced that it is looking for opportunities to improve efficiency and identify fraud and ineffective use of resources at government agencies, including through the DOGE, This includes government agencies we may interact with like the FDA. There is a possibility that changes will be made at the FDA, and other governmental agencies that we may interact with, and that these changes could have a material adverse impact on our business.

Current wording

Further, the current federal administration has announced that it is looking for opportunities to improve efficiency and identify fraud and ineffective use of resources at government agencies, including through DOGE. This includes government agencies we may interact with like the FDA. There is a possibility that changes will be made at the FDA, and other governmental agencies that we may interact with, and that these changes could have a material adverse impact on our business.