Alto Neuroscience, Inc.
For the period ended Dec 31, 2025. Filed Mar 16, 2026.
View on SEC.govAbout this filing
A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2025 · Filed Mar 16, 2026
ANRO$25.16+15.0%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
What changed in Risk Factors?
Read the current filingPrevious report: 10-K
Period ended 2024-12-31; filed 2025-03-20.
0001999480-25-000025
Item 1A. Risk FactorsCurrent report: 10-K
Period ended 2025-12-31; filed 2026-03-16.
0001999480-26-000002
Item 1A. Risk FactorsThe baseline is this issuer’s latest earlier reporting period of the same form that was filed before the current report. A previous 10-Q is a different quarter, not a year-over-year comparison. Amendments are excluded.
Compared 455 previous paragraphs and 475 current paragraphs.
372 unchanged; 77 reworded; 24 added; 3 removed; 3 previous and 2 current paragraphs rearranged.
Tables are not compared: 0 previous and 0 current tables excluded. Dates, whitespace, punctuation and numbering changes are ignored; changes to financial figures remain significant.
A changed paragraph is not evidence that risk increased or decreased. An unchanged paragraph does not establish that risk stayed the same.
Added paragraphs (24)
Current report
•We are currently subject to and may be subject to additional future securities class action litigation and derivative claims.
Current report
•Failure or perceived failure to comply with existing or future laws, regulations, contracts, self-regulatory schemes, standards, and other obligations related to data privacy and security (including security incidents) could harm our business. Compliance or the actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could increase the costs of our product candidates, limit their use or adoption, and otherwise negatively affect our operating results and business.
Current report
Under the terms of certain of our license and acquisition agreements, the counterparties to such agreements are entitled to substantial contingent payments upon the occurrence of certain events. For example, under the terms of our asset purchase agreement with Chase, we will be obligated to pay Chase up to an aggregate of $71.5 million in clinical, regulatory, and sales milestone payments with respect to ALTO-207, of which $41.0 million in aggregate are tied to commercial success of the product candidates, and certain of these potential milestone payments may be made, at Chase’s election, as restricted shares of our common stock, subject to an overall limitation of a maximum of 5,387,353 shares of common stock that may be issued pursuant to this agreement. Under the terms of our license agreement with Sanofi, we will be required to pay
Current report
•IRBs refusing to approve, suspending, or terminating the trial at an investigational site, precluding enrollment of additional subjects, or withdrawing their approval of the trial, and similar measures from ethics committees;
Current report
If the FDA does not conclude that ALTO-207 satisfies the requirements for the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory approval pathway, or if the requirements under Section 505(b)(2) are not as we expect, the approval pathway for ALTO-207 will likely take significantly longer, cost significantly more and entail significantly greater complications and risks than anticipated and may not be successful.
Current report
We intend to seek FDA approval of ALTO-207 through the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway. The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, or the Hatch-Waxman Amendments, added Section 505(b)(2) to the FDCA. Section 505(b)(2) permits the filing of an NDA where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies that were not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference. Section 505(b)(2) allows an NDA we submit to FDA to rely in part on data in the public domain or the FDA’s prior conclusions regarding the safety and effectiveness of approved compounds, which could expedite the development program for ALTO-207 by potentially decreasing the amount of clinical data that we would need to generate in order to obtain FDA approval. If the FDA does not allow us to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway as anticipated, we may need to conduct additional clinical trials, provide additional data and information and meet additional standards for regulatory approval. If this were to occur, the time and financial resources required to obtain FDA approval would likely substantially increase. Moreover, inability to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway could result in new competitive products reaching the market more quickly than ALTO-207, which would likely materially adversely impact our competitive position and prospects. Even if we are allowed to pursue the Section 505(b)(2) regulatory pathway, we cannot assure you that ALTO-207 will receive the requisite approvals for commercialization.
Current report
In addition, notwithstanding the approval of a number of products by the FDA under Section 505(b)(2), certain brand-name pharmaceutical companies 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 change its 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). In addition, 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 that are referenced in a Section 505(b)(2) NDA. These requirements may give rise to patent litigation and mandatory delays in approval of our NDAs for up to 30 months or longer depending on the outcome of any litigation. It is not uncommon for a manufacturer of an approved product to file a citizen petition with the FDA seeking to delay approval of, or impose additional approval requirements for, pending competing products. If successful, such petitions can significantly delay, or even prevent, the approval of the new product. However, even if the FDA ultimately denies such a petition, the FDA may substantially delay approval while it considers and responds to the petition.
Current report
•we may be unable to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities that our product candidates are safe and effective for any of their proposed indications;
Current report
•such authorities may not accept clinical data from trials that are conducted at clinical facilities or in countries where the standard of care is potentially different from that of their own country, due to data integrity issues, or unfavorable findings during a regulatory inspection;
Current report
•the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with our interpretation of data from preclinical studies or clinical trials;
Current report
Further, ALTO-207 is a fixed-dose combination of pramipexole, which is approved for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease with demonstrated antidepressant effect, and ondansetron, which is approved for the prevention of nausea and vomiting. If there is a recall, safety concern, or adverse regulatory action with respect to either approved drug, it could adversely affect our ability to obtain regulatory approval for ALTO-207.
Current report
If we do not achieve our projected development goals in the time frames we announce and expect, the commercialization of our products may be delayed.
Current report
From time to time, we may estimate the timing of the accomplishment of various scientific, clinical, regulatory, manufacturing and other product development goals, which we sometimes refer to as milestones. These milestones may include the commencement or completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials and the submission of regulatory filings. From time to time, we may publicly announce the expected timing of some of these milestones. All of these milestones are, and will be, based on a variety of assumptions. The actual timing of these milestones can vary significantly compared to our estimates, in some cases for reasons beyond our control. We may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, any future clinical trials that we conduct that could delay or prevent our ability to receive marketing approval or commercialize our product candidates.
Current report
It may be difficult and/or costly to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate a security incident. Our efforts to do so may not be successful. Actions taken by us or our collaborators, CROs, CMOs, clinical sites, third-party logistics providers, distributors, and other contractors and consultants, or other third parties with whom we work to detect, investigate, mitigate, contain, and remediate a security incident could result in outages, data losses, and disruptions of our business. Threat actors may also gain access to other networks and systems after a compromise of our networks and systems. For example, threat actors may use an initial compromise of one part of our environment to gain access to other parts of our environment, or leverage a compromise of our networks or systems to gain access to the networks or systems of third parties with whom we work, such as through phishing or supply chain attacks.
Current report
The current administration is pursuing policies to reduce regulations and expenditures across government including at HHS, the FDA, CMS and related agencies. These actions, presently directed by executive orders or memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget, may propose policy changes that create additional uncertainty for our business. For example, the current administration has announced agreements with several pharmaceutical companies that require the drug manufacturers to offer, through a direct to consumer platform, U.S. patients and Medicaid programs prescription drug Most-Favored Nation pricing equal to or lower than those paid in other developed nations, with additional mandates for direct-to-patient discounts and repatriation of foreign revenues. Other recent actions, for example, include (1) directives to reduce agency workforce and cut programs; (2) directing HHS and other agencies to lower prescription drug costs through a variety of initiatives, including by improving upon the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program and establishing Most-Favored-Nation pricing for pharmaceutical products; (3) imposing tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products; and (4) as part of the MAHA Commission’s recent Strategy Report, working across government agencies to increase enforcement on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. These actions and policies may significantly reduce U.S. drug prices, potentially impacting manufacturers’ global pricing strategies and profitability, while increasing their operational costs and compliance risks. In June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision greatly reduced judicial deference to regulatory agencies, which could increase successful legal challenges to federal regulations affecting our operations. Congress may introduce and ultimately pass health care related legislation that could impact the drug approval process and make changes to the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program created under the IRA. The current administration is pursuing policies to reduce regulations and expenditures across government including at HHS, the FDA, CMS and related agencies. These actions, presently directed by executive orders or memoranda from the Office of Management and Budget, may propose policy changes that create additional uncertainty for our business. For example, the current administration has announced agreements with several pharmaceutical companies that require the drug manufacturers to offer, through a direct to consumer platform, U.S. patients and Medicaid programs prescription drug Most-Favored Nation pricing equal to or lower than those paid in other developed nations, with additional mandates for direct-to-patient discounts and repatriation of foreign revenues. Other recent actions, for example, include (1) directives to reduce agency workforce and cut programs; (2) directing HHS and other agencies to lower prescription drug costs through a variety of initiatives, including by improvin…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Current report
The United Kingdom’sregulatory framework in relation to clinical trials is derived from existing legislation of the EU (as implemented into the United Kingdom’s law of the United Kingdom, through secondary legislation). On April 11, 2025, the UK adopted an amendment to the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 intended to support a more streamlined and flexible regulation of clinical trials, remove unnecessary administrative burdens on trial sponsors, and protect the interests of trial participants. It also intends to bring the UK regulatory framework for clinical trials into closer alignment with the CTR. The changes include risk-proportionate regulation of clinical trials, with low-risk trials able to receive faster approval through automatic authorization, a streamlined approval process that integrates both regulatory and ethics committee approvals, leading to a single UK decision for clinical trials, and new legal obligations mandating the registration of clinical trials in public registries and the publication of trial results within 12 months of trial conclusion. The amendment will become applicable on April 28, 2026 following a one-year transition period. To support a smooth transition, the MHRA and the Health Research Authority, or HRA, are working together to provide updated guidance and information about key changes for industry. While the intent of the UK’s regulatory framework is to accelerate clinical trials, such new rules may not lead to improved processes and could lead to longer approval timelines.
Current report
Our employees and personnel use generative AI technologies to perform their work, and the disclosure and use of personal data in generative AI technologies is subject to various laws, regulations, and other obligations. Several jurisdictions around the globe, including Europe and certain U.S. states, have proposed enacted, or are considering laws governing the development and use of AI. We expect other jurisdictions will adopt similar laws. Governments have passed and are likely to pass additional laws regulating generative AI. Our use of this technology could result in additional compliance costs, regulatory investigations and actions, and lawsuits. If we are unable to use generative AI, it could make our business less efficient and result in competitive disadvantages.
Current report
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a rule entitled the Preventing Access to U.S. Sensitive Personal Data and Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern or Covered Persons, which places additional restriction on certain data transactions involving countries of concern (e.g., China, Russia, Iran) and covered persons (i.e., individuals and entities who are designated as such by the U.S. Attorney General or considered “foreign persons” and are majority owned by, organized under the laws of, a primary resident in, or a contractor of, a covered person or country of concern, as applicable) that may impact certain business activities such as vendor engagements, sale or sharing of data, employment of certain individuals, and investor agreements. Violations of the rule could lead to significant civil and criminal fines and penalties. The rule applies regardless of whether data is anonymized, key-coded, pseudonymized, de-identified or encrypted, which presents particular challenges for companies like ours, if it were to be applicable to our operations, and could impact our ability to enter into transactions or agreements with certain third parties in the future.
Current report
•litigation or arbitration, including current or additional future securities class action litigation or derivative claims;
Current report
We are currently subject to and may be subject to additional future securities class action litigation.
Current report
Securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities. For example, on July 21, 2025, a purported stockholder of the Company filed a putative class action lawsuit against us, certain executive officers, and certain current and former directors in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California alleging violations of the Securities Act and Exchange Act related to our IPO and subsequent public disclosures. In addition, a consolidated stockholder derivative action was filed on behalf of the Company against certain executive officers and certain current and former directors for breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and violations of the federal securities laws, which claims arise out of the same factual allegations as the putative class action described above. See “Part I, Item 3. Legal Proceedings” in this Annual Report for additional information regarding this matter. It is possible that additional lawsuits will be filed, or allegations received from stockholders, with respect to these same or other matters and also naming us and/or our officers and directors as defendants. This litigation, as well as any additional securities litigation (including the cost to defend against, and any potential adverse outcome resulting from any such proceeding), can be expensive, time-consuming, damage our reputation, and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
Current report
Our principal stockholders and management own a signif icant percentage of our stock and will be able to exert significant control over matters subject to stockholder approval.
Current report
As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company, we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Securities Act, the Exchange Act,
Current report
Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, we expect these rules and regulations to substantially increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more time consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and we may be required to incur substantial costs to maintain sufficient coverage. We cannot predict or estimate the amount or timing of additional costs we may incur to respond to these requirements. The impact of these requirements could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees, or as executive officers. The increased costs may require us to reduce costs in other areas of our business. Moreover, these rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices.
Removed paragraphs (3)
Previous report
Various laws, regulations, and executive orders also restrict the use and dissemination outside of the United States, or the sharing with certain non-U.S. nationals, of information classified for national security purposes, as well as certain products and technical data relating to those products. If we expand our presence outside of the United States, it will require us to dedicate additional resources to comply with these laws, and these laws may preclude us from developing, manufacturing, or selling certain products and product candidates outside of the United States, which could limit our growth potential and increase our research and development costs.
Previous report
The market price of our common stock is likely to be volatile, and has been volatile following our announcement regarding our Phase 2b trial of ALTO-100 in MDD in October 2024. The stock market in general, and the New York Stock Exchange and biopharmaceutical companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their stock have been subject to securities class action litigation. We may be the target of this type of litigation in the future. Securities litigation (including the cost to defend against, and any potential adverse outcome resulting from any such proceeding) can be expensive, time-consuming, damage our reputation, and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns, which could seriously harm our business.
Reworded paragraphs (77)
Previous wording
•The terms of our Amended Loan Agreement and the Convertible Grant Agreement place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility and may cause dilution to our stockholders. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business or result in further dilution to investors in our common stock.
Current wording
•The terms of our Loan and Security Agreement, as amended, and the Convertible Grant Agreement place restrictions on our operating and financial flexibility and may cause dilution to our stockholders. If we raise additional capital through debt financing, the terms of any new debt could further restrict our ability to operate our business or result in further dilution to investors in our common stock.
Previous wording
•If we are unable to obtain and maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for our Platform, technologies, and product candidates and any future product candidates we may develop, or if the scope of the intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors or other third parties could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates may be adversely affected. Further, our issued composition of matter patents covering our pharmaceutical product candidates may expire at such a date that our patents may not prevent competitors from developing, making, and marketing a product that is identical to our product candidates after expiration of any applicable regulatory exclusivities. For example, our composition of matter patents covering ALTO-100 expired and patents covering its method of manufacturing are due to expire in 2030; our composition of matter patents in ALTO-202 (compound) expired (in foreign countries) and are due to expire in 2026 (in the United States), and our polymorph composition of matter patents in ALTO-202 are due to expire in 2035; and our composition of matter patents in ALTO-203 are due to expire in 2027, in all cases without taking into account patent term extensions or adjustments, and assuming payment of all applicable maintenance, renewal, and annuity fees.
Current wording
•If we are unable to obtain and maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for our Platform, technologies, and product candidates and any future product candidates we may develop, or if the scope of the intellectual property protection obtained is not sufficiently broad, our competitors or other third parties could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully develop and commercialize our product candidates may be adversely affected. Further, our issued composition of matter patents covering our pharmaceutical product candidates may expire at such a date that our patents may not prevent competitors from developing, making, and marketing a product that is identical to our product candidates after expiration of any applicable regulatory exclusivities.
Previous wording
For the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, our net losses were approximately $61.4 million and $36.3 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $138.4 million. Substantially all of our losses have resulted from expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition and development of our pipeline and Platform, research and development, and clinical trial costs, and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase as we continue our development of our product candidates. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if, and as, we:
Current wording
For the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, our net losses were approximately $63.2 million and $61.4 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $201.6 million. Substantially all of our losses have resulted from expenses incurred in connection with the acquisition and development of our pipeline and Platform, research and development, and clinical trial costs, and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect these losses to increase as we continue our development of our product candidates. We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially if, and as, we:
Previous wording
•conduct further clinical trials for ALTO-100, ALTO-300, ALTO-101, ALTO-203, ALTO-202, and advance our preclinical programs into the clinic;
Current wording
•conduct further clinical trials for ALTO-207, ALTO-100, ALTO-300, ALTO-101, ALTO-203, and ALTO-202, and advance our preclinical programs into the clinic;
Previous wording
Successful commercialization will require achievement of many key milestones, including demonstrating safety and efficacy in clinical trials, obtaining regulatory, including marketing approval for these product candidates, manufacturing, marketing, and selling those products for which we, or any of our future collaborators, may obtain regulatory approval, satisfying any post-marketing requirements, and obtaining reimbursement for our products from private insurance or government payors. Because of the uncertainties and risks associated with these activities, we are unable to accurately and precisely predict the timing and amount of revenues, the extent of any further losses, or if or when we might achieve profitability. We and any future collaborators may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, or any future collaborators do, we may never generate revenues that are large enough for us to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Additionally, our expenses could increase if we are required by the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority to perform clinical trials in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in completing our clinical trials or the development of any of our product candidates.
Current wording
Successful commercialization will require achievement of many key milestones, including demonstrating safety and efficacy in clinical trials, obtaining regulatory, including marketing approval for these product candidates, manufacturing, marketing, and selling those products for which we, or any of our future collaborators, may obtain regulatory approval, satisfying any post-marketing requirements, and obtaining reimbursement for our products from private insurance or government payors. Because of the uncertainties and risks associated with these activities, we are unable to accurately and precisely predict the timing and amount of revenues, the extent of any further losses, or if or when we might achieve profitability. We and any future collaborators may never succeed in these activities and, even if we do, or any future collaborators do, we may never generate revenues that are large enough for us to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Additionally, our expenses could increase if we are required by the FDA, MHRA, or any comparable foreign regulatory authority to perform clinical trials in addition to those currently expected, or if there are any delays in completing our clinical trials or the development of any of our product candidates.
Previous wording
Asof December 31, 2024, we had $168.7 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Based upon our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents as of the date of filing of this Quarterly Report, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. Our future capital requirements and the period for which our existing resources will support our operations may vary significantly from what we expect, and we will in any event require additional capital in order to complete clinical development of any of our current programs. Our monthly spending levels will vary based on new and ongoing development and corporate activities. Because the length of time and activities associated with development of our programs and product candidates is highly uncertain, we are unable to estimate the actual funds we will require for development and any approved marketing and future commercialization activities, if any. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
Current wording
Asof December 31, 2025, we had $177.0 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Based upon our current operating plan, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents as of the date of filing of this Annual Report, will enable us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements for at least the next 12 months. Our future capital requirements and the period for which our existing resources will support our operations may vary significantly from what we expect, and we will in any event require additional capital in order to complete clinical development of any of our current programs. Our monthly spending levels will vary based on new and ongoing development and corporate activities. Because the length of time and activities associated with development of our programs and product candidates is highly uncertain, we are unable to estimate the actual funds we will require for development and any approved marketing and future commercialization activities, if any. Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including:
Previous wording
•our ability to mitigate the impact of adverse macroeconomic conditions or other geopolitical events, the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East, geopolitical tensions in China, inflation, fluctuating interest rates, tariffs, or other factors on our preclinical and clinical development or operations;
Current wording
•our ability to mitigate the impact of adverse macroeconomic conditions or other geopolitical events, the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East, geopolitical tensions, inflation, fluctuating interest rates, tariffs, or other factors on our preclinical and clinical development or operations;
Previous wording
We will require substantial additional capital to achieve our business objectives. Additional funds may not be available on a timely basis, on favorable terms or at all, and such funds, if raised, may not be sufficient to enable us to continue to implement our long-term business strategy. Market volatility resulting from adverse macroeconomic conditions or geopolitical events, including the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East, geopolitical tensions in China, inflation, fluctuating interest rates, proposed tariffs, or other factors may further adversely impact our ability to access capital as and when needed. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through equity offerings, debt financings, or other capital sources, including potential collaborations, licenses, and other similar 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 of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of our common stock. Any future debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, selling or licensing our assets, making capital expenditures, declaring dividends, or encumbering our assets to secure future indebtedness. Such restrictions could adversely impact our ability to conduct our operations and execute our business plan.
Current wording
We will require substantial additional capital to achieve our business objectives. Additional funds may not be available on a timely basis, on favorable terms or at all, and such funds, if raised, may not be sufficient to enable us to continue to implement our long-term business strategy. Market volatility resulting from adverse macroeconomic conditions or geopolitical events, including the ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Middle East, geopolitical tensions, inflation, fluctuating interest rates, tariffs, or other factors may further adversely impact our ability to access capital as and when needed. Until such time, if ever, as we can generate substantial product revenue, we expect to finance our cash needs through equity offerings, debt financings, or other capital sources, including potential collaborations, licenses, and other similar 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 of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect your rights as a holder of our common stock. Any future debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, selling or licensing our assets, making capital expenditures, declaring dividends, or encumbering our assets to secure future indebtedness. Such restrictions could adversely impact our ability to conduct our operations and execute our business plan.
Previous wording
Under the terms of certain of our license and acquisition agreements, the counterparties to such agreements are entitled to substantial contingent payments upon the occurrence of certain events. For example, under the terms of our license agreement with Sanofi, we will be required to pay Sanofi up to an aggregate amount in the low-mid double digit millions upon the achievement of certain one-time development and regulatory approval milestones with respect to ALTO-101, and, if regulatory approval is achieved, up to an aggregate amount of $102.0 million in commercial milestone payments and a tiered royalty on aggregate annual worldwide net sales at percentages ranging from the mid-to-high single digits. Under the terms of our license agreement with Cerecor, we will be required to pay Cerecor or Merck, depending on the milestone, up to an aggregate of $59.1 million if we achieve certain development, regulatory, and first commercial sale milestones for ALTO-202. If we successfully commercialize ALTO-202, we will be required to pay Merck sales milestones in an amount of up to $15.0 million. Beginning on the date of our first commercial sale of ALTO-202, we will also be obligated to pay Merck and Cerecor tiered royalties on aggregate annual worldwide net sales at percentages in the high single digits, in addition to potential payments in respect of a companion diagnostic product. Pursuant to our asset purchase agreement with Teva, pursuant to which we acquired the rights to ALTO-203, we may be required to pay up to an aggregate of $27.0 million upon the achievement of certain development and regulatory approval milestones ($0.5 million of which was paid to Teva in connection with the initiation of our Phase 2 POC trial evaluating ALTO-203), and up to $35.0 million for the achievement of certain tiered sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on worldwide annual net sales at percentages ranging from the mid-single-digit to ten percent. Pursuant to our joint development and license agreement with MedRx, we are required to pay MedRx up to an aggregate of $11.0 million for the achievement of certain development and first commercial sale milestones for ALTO-101 with respect to a first indication, an additional milestone in the mid single digit millions for each additional approved distinct indication for ALTO-101, aswell as sales milestones based on the achievement of specified levels of aggregate annual worldwide net sales of up to $110.0 million in the aggregate and a mid-single digit royalty on annual, worldwide net sales. In April 2024, we achieved a milestone under the MedRx Agreement and paid MedRx approximately $0.8 million in cash and issued MedRx 46,875 shares of our common stock. If we achieve certain development and regulatory approval milestones for a product that contains ALTO-100 or is otherwise derived from assets we acquired from Palisade we will be required to pay Palisade up to an aggregate of $4.5 million. See “Item 7. Management's D…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Current wording
Sanofi up to an aggregate amount in the low-mid double digit millions upon the achievement of certain one-time development and regulatory approval milestones with respect to ALTO-101, and, if regulatory approval is achieved, up to an aggregate amount of $102.0 million in commercial milestone payments and a tiered royalty on aggregate annual worldwide net sales at percentages ranging from the mid-to-high single digits. Under the terms of our license agreement with Cerecor, we will be required to pay Cerecor or Merck, depending on the milestone, up to an aggregate of $59.1 million if we achieve certain development, regulatory, and first commercial sale milestones for ALTO-202. If we successfully commercialize ALTO-202, we will be required to pay Merck sales milestones in an amount of up to $15.0 million. Beginning on the date of our first commercial sale of ALTO-202, we will also be obligated to pay Merck and Cerecor tiered royalties on aggregate annual worldwide net sales at percentages in the high single digits, in addition to potential payments in respect of a companion diagnostic product. Pursuant to our asset purchase agreement with Teva, pursuant to which we acquired the rights to ALTO-203, we may be required to pay up to an aggregate of $27.0 million upon the achievement of certain development and regulatory approval milestones ($0.5 million of which was paid to Teva in connection with the initiation of our Phase 2 POC trial evaluating ALTO-203), and up to $35.0 million for the achievement of certain tiered sales milestones, as well as tiered royalties on worldwide annual net sales at percentages ranging from the mid-single-digit to ten percent. Pursuant to our joint development and license agreement with MedRx, we are required to pay MedRx up to an aggregate of $11.0 million for the achievement of certain development and first commercial sale milestones for ALTO-101 with respect to a first indication, an additional milestone in the mid single digit millions for each additional approved distinct indication for ALTO-101, aswell as sales milestones based on the achievement of specified levels of aggregate annual worldwide net sales of up to $110.0 million in the aggregate and a mid-single digit royalty on annual, worldwide net sales. In April 2024, we achieved a milestone under the MedRx Agreement and paid MedRx approximately $0.8 million in cash and issued MedRx 46,875 shares of our common stock. If we achieve certain development and regulatory approval milestones for a product that contains ALTO-100 or is otherwise derived from assets we acquired from Palisade we will be required to pay Palisade up to an aggregate of $4.5 million. See “Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Contractual Obligations and Commitments” in this Annual Report for additional information regarding these agreements.
Previous wording
All of our product candidates are in preclinical or clinical development and their risk of failure is high. In particular, our approach to utilizing our Platform to identify biomarkers and conducting clinical trials in patient populations expressing certain biomarkers has not been validated and may not prove to be successful. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will receive regulatory approval. To obtain the requisite regulatory approvals to commercialize any product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex, and expensive clinical trials that our product candidates are safe and effective in patient populations identified by our Platform for the relevant indication. Preclinical and clinical testing can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. There is typically a high rate of failure of product candidates proceeding through clinical trials, and failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process, despite promising preclinical or clinical results. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials, and results in one indication may not be predictive of results to be expected for the same product candidate in another indication. For example, in October 2024, we reported that our Phase 2b trial of ALTO-100 in patients with MDD did not meet its primary endpoint. Differences in trial design between early-stage clinical trials and later-stage clinical trials make it difficult to extrapolate the results of earlier clinical trials to later clinical trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or unfavorable safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Certain of our product candidates were previously subject to all-comer population studies and were not progressed for further development or did not achieve statistically significant outcomes. For example, ALTO-100 demonstrated numerical improvements in MADRS scores but did not achieve statistically significant outcomes in a prior all-comer population study. There can be no assurance that our results to date for these product candidates in our biomarker-characterized patient populations will continue or that the results of our trials will continue to differ from the outcomes of prior all-comer studies. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are often susceptible to varying interpretations and analyses, and many companies that have believed their product candidates achieved promising results have nonetheless failed to obtain marketing approval of such product candidates. We may be unable to establish clinical endpoints that applicable regulatory authorities would consider clinically meaningful.
Current wording
All of our product candidates are in preclinical or clinical development and their risk of failure is high. In particular, our approach to utilizing our Platform to identify biomarkers and conducting clinical trials in patient populations expressing certain biomarkers has not been validated and may not prove to be successful. It is impossible to predict when or if any of our product candidates will receive regulatory approval. To obtain the requisite regulatory approvals to commercialize any product candidates, we must demonstrate through lengthy, complex, and expensive clinical trials that our product candidates are safe and effective in patient populations identified by our Platform for the relevant indication. Preclinical and clinical testing can take many years to complete, and its outcome is inherently uncertain. There is typically a high rate of failure of product candidates proceeding through clinical trials, and failure can occur at any time during the preclinical study or clinical trial process, despite promising preclinical or clinical results. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials of our product candidates may not be predictive of the results of later-stage clinical trials, and results in one indication may not be predictive of results to be expected for the same product candidate in another indication. For example, in October 2024, we reported that our Phase 2b trial of ALTO-100 in patients with MDD did not meet its primary endpoint. Differences in trial design between early-stage clinical trials and later-stage clinical trials make it difficult to extrapolate the results of earlier clinical trials to later clinical trials. A number of companies in the biopharmaceutical industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials due to lack of efficacy or unfavorable safety profiles, notwithstanding promising results in earlier trials. Additionally, because ALTO-207 is a fixed combination drug product, we will need to demonstrate that each component of the product candidate makes a contribution to the claimed effect for TRD. Under the 505(b)(2) pathway, existing safety from the approved reference listed drugs will be taken into account, and FDA will still need to consider the two drugs in combination for the TRD indication as part of their safety review. Certain of our product candidates were previously subject to all-comer population studies and were not progressed for further development or did not achieve statistically significant outcomes. For example, ALTO-100 demonstrated numerical improvements in MADRS scores but did not achieve statistically significant outcomes in a prior all-comer population study. There can be no assurance that our results to date for these product candidates in our biomarker-characterized patient populations will continue or that the results of our trials will continue to differ from the outcomes of prior all-comer studies. Moreover, preclinical and clinical data are ofte…
Excerpt shortened here; the source contains the full paragraph.
Previous wording
In addition, our approach of identifying biomarkers and conducting clinical trials in patient populations expressing those biomarkers is unique, unproven, and does not have significant precedent with the FDA and the FDA has, thus far, not affirmatively adopted our approach. Commencing any future clinical trials is subject to finalizing the trial protocol and submitting an IND to the FDA or similar application to initiate a clinical study to a comparable foreign regulatory authority. Even after we make our submission, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could disagree that we have satisfied their requirements to commence our clinical trials or disagree with our study design, which may require us to complete additional preclinical studies or amend our protocols or impose stricter conditions on the commencement of clinical trials, which may lead to delays and increase the costs of our preclinical development programs. The FDA also has the authority to require a panel of experts, referred to as an Advisory Committee, to deliberate on the adequacy of the safety and efficacy data to support approval. The opinion of the Advisory Committee, although not binding, could have a significant impact on our ability to obtain approval of any product candidates. Similar decisions may also be made by foreign regulatory authorities and have similar impact.
Current wording
In addition, our approach of identifying biomarkers and conducting clinical trials in patient populations expressing those biomarkers is unique, unproven, and does not have significant precedent with the FDA and the FDA has, thus far, not affirmatively adopted our approach. Commencing any future clinical trials is subject to finalizing the trial protocol and submitting an IND to the FDA or similar application to initiate a clinical study to a comparable foreign regulatory authority. Even after we make our submission, the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities could disagree that we have satisfied their requirements to commence our clinical trials or disagree with our study design, which may require us to complete additional preclinical studies or amend our protocols or impose stricter conditions on the commencement of clinical trials, which may lead to delays and increase the costs of our preclinical development programs. The FDA also has the authority to require a panel of experts, referred to as an Advisory Committee, to deliberate on the adequacy of the safety and efficacy data to support approval. The opinion of the Advisory Committee, although not binding, could have a significant impact on our ability to obtain approval of any product candidates. Similar decisions may also be made by foreign regulatory authorities and have similar impact.
Previous wording
•regulators, such as the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory agencies, Institutional Review Boards, or IRBs, or ethics committees may impose additional requirements before permitting us to initiate a clinical trial, may not authorize us or our investigators to commence or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site, may not allow us to amend trial protocols, or regulators may disagree as to the design or implementation of our clinical trials and require that we modify or amend our clinical trial protocols;
Current wording
•regulators, such as the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory agencies, IRBs, or ethics committees may impose additional requirements before permitting us to initiate a clinical trial, may not authorize us or our investigators to commence or conduct a clinical trial at a prospective trial site, may not allow us to amend trial protocols, or regulators may disagree as to the design or implementation of our clinical trials and require that we modify or amend our clinical trial protocols;
Previous wording
•a facility manufacturing our product candidates or any of their components being ordered by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to temporarily or permanently shut down due to violations of current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP, regulations or other applicable requirements, or cross-contaminations of product candidates in the manufacturing process;
Current wording
•a facility manufacturing our product candidates or any of their components being ordered by the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to temporarily or permanently shut down due to violations of cGMP, regulations or other applicable requirements, or cross-contaminations of product candidates in the manufacturing process;
Previous wording
•third-party clinical investigators may lose the licenses or permits necessary to perform our clinical trials and may fail to perform our clinical trials on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical trial protocol, good clinical practices, or GCP, or other regulatory requirements;
Current wording
•third-party clinical investigators may lose the licenses or permits necessary to perform our clinical trials and may fail to perform our clinical trials on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical trial protocol, GCP, or other regulatory requirements;
Previous wording
Clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with the FDA and other applicable regulatory authorities’ legal requirements, regulations, and guidelines, and remain subject to oversight by these governmental agencies and ethics committees or IRBs at the medical institutions where such clinical trials are conducted. We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, the IRBs of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, or the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or the DSMB, for such trial. A suspension or termination may be imposed due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical trial protocols, adverse findings from inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to establish or achieve clinically meaningful trial endpoints, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions, or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements and policies may occur, and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols to comply with these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical trial protocols to regulators or to IRBs for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing, or successful completion of a clinical trial. For example, recently the FDA informed us of a partial clinical hold related to a limit on the exposure level of ALTO-101 in our ongoing Phase 2 POC trial, which we subsequently resolved by amending the dosing paradigm to evaluate broader exposure levels of ALTO-101.
Current wording
Clinical trials must be conducted in accordance with the FDA and other applicable regulatory authorities’ legal requirements, regulations, and guidelines, and remain subject to oversight by these governmental agencies and ethics committees or IRBs at the medical institutions where such clinical trials are conducted. We could encounter delays if a clinical trial is suspended or terminated by us, the IRBs or ethics committees of the institutions in which such trials are being conducted, the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, or the Data Safety Monitoring Board, or the DSMB, for such trial. A suspension or termination may be imposed due to a number of factors, including failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements or our clinical trial protocols, adverse findings from inspection of the clinical trial operations or trial site by the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, unforeseen safety issues or adverse side effects, failure to establish or achieve clinically meaningful trial endpoints, changes in governmental regulations or administrative actions, or lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements and policies may occur, and we may need to amend clinical trial protocols to comply with these changes. Amendments may require us to resubmit our clinical trial protocols to regulators or to IRBs or ethics committees for reexamination, which may impact the costs, timing, or successful completion of a clinical trial.
Previous wording
We currently conduct preclinical testing of our patch formulation drug/device combination product candidate with our collaborator MedRx and may in the future, conduct preclinical and clinical research in collaboration with other academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology entities in which we combine our development efforts with those of our collaborators.
Current wording
We currently conduct preclinical testing of our patch formulation drug/device combination product candidate with our collaborator MedRx and may in the future, conduct preclinical and clinical research in collaboration with other academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology entities in which we combine our development efforts with those of our collaborators. Such collaborations may be subject to additional delays because of the management of the trials, contract negotiations, the need to obtain agreement from multiple parties, and may increase our future costs and expenses.
Previous wording
In addition, certain of our primary or secondary endpoints in our clinical trials, including our currently ongoing Phase 2b clinical trials of ALTO-100 in patients with bipolar depression and ALTO-300, our currently ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of ALTO-101 in patients with CIAS, and our currently ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of ALTO-203 in patients with MDD, involve subjective assessments by physicians and/or patients, which can increase the uncertainty of clinical trial outcomes. For example, primary endpoints include the change in MADRS score from baseline to week six, which requires patients or examiners to undertake a questionnaire regarding ten symptoms at the beginning and end of the trial. This and other assessments are inherently subjective, which can increase the variability of clinical results across clinical trials and create a significant degree of uncertainty in determining overall clinical benefit. Such subjectivity may cause the indications we study to be more difficult to evaluate than indications for which clinical trials are structured with more objective endpoints, as such indications are often subject to high placebo effect which may make it more challenging to isolate the beneficial effects of our product candidates. Accordingly, these subjective assessments can complicate clinical trial design, adversely impact the ability of a study to show a statistically significant improvement, and generally adversely impact a clinical development program by introducing additional uncertainties.
Current wording
In addition, certain of our primary or secondary endpoints in our clinical trials, including our currently ongoing Phase 2b clinical trials of ALTO-100 in patients with bipolar depression and ALTO-300, and our currently ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of ALTO-101 in patients with CIAS, involve subjective assessments by physicians and/or patients, which can increase the uncertainty of clinical trial outcomes. For example, primary endpoints include the change in MADRS score from baseline to week six, which requires patients or examiners to undertake a questionnaire regarding ten symptoms at the beginning and end of the trial. This and other assessments are inherently subjective, which can increase the variability of clinical results across clinical trials and create a significant degree of uncertainty in determining overall clinical benefit. Such subjectivity may cause the indications we study to be more difficult to evaluate than indications for which clinical trials are structured with more objective endpoints, as such indications are often subject to high placebo effect which may make it more challenging to isolate the beneficial effects of our product candidates. Accordingly, these subjective assessments can complicate clinical trial design, adversely impact the ability of a study to show a statistically significant improvement, and generally adversely impact a clinical development program by introducing additional uncertainties.
Previous wording
Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials, and the timing of our clinical trials depends, in part, on the speed at which we can recruit patients to participate in our trials, as well as completion of required follow-up periods. We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to identify and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials to such trial’s conclusion as required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Subject enrollment is affected by many factors including the size and nature of the patient population, competing clinical trials in the same or similar indications or at the same trial site, the severity of the disease or condition under investigation, the availability and efficacy of approved drugs and diagnostics for the disease or condition under investigation, the number and location of clinical sites, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, willingness of patients to parti cipate in a decentralized clinical trial, should we conduct future trials in this manner, the eligibility and exclusion criteria for the trial, perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study, the design of the clinical trial, continued enrollment of prospective patients by clinical trial sites, the risk that enrolled patients will not complete a clinical trial, our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience, efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials, patient referral practices of physicians, the ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment, competing clinical trials, and clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and risks of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new products that may be approved for, or any product candidates under investigation for, the indications we are investigating.
Current wording
Patient enrollment is a significant factor in the timing of clinical trials, and the timing of our clinical trials depends, in part, on the speed at which we can recruit patients to participate in our trials, as well as completion of required follow-up periods. For example, we have, and may in the future, delay certain milestones due to enrollment or other factors (see “–If we do not achieve our projected development goals in the time frames we announce and expect, the commercialization of our products may be delayed”). We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials for our product candidates if we are unable to identify and enroll a sufficient number of eligible patients to participate in these trials to such trial’s conclusion as required by the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. Subject enrollment is affected by many factors including the size and nature of the patient population, competing clinical trials in the same or similar indications or at the same trial site, the severity of the disease or condition under investigation, the availability and efficacy of approved drugs and diagnostics for the disease or condition under investigation, the number and location of clinical sites, the proximity of patients to clinical sites, willingness of patients to parti cipate in a decentralized clinical trial, should we conduct future trials in this manner, the eligibility and exclusion criteria for the trial, perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study, the design of the clinical trial, continued enrollment of prospective patients by clinical trial sites, the risk that enrolled patients will not complete a clinical trial, our ability to recruit clinical trial investigators with the appropriate competencies and experience, efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials, patient referral practices of physicians, the ability to monitor patients adequately during and after treatment, competing clinical trials, and clinicians’ and patients’ perceptions as to the potential advantages and risks of the product candidate being studied in relation to other available therapies, including any new products that may be approved for, or any product candidates under investigation for, the indications we are investigating.
Previous wording
We will be required to identify and enroll a sufficient number of subjects for each of our clinical trials. Utilizing our Platform, we plan to focus our development activities on patients characterized by a biomarker that we believe will be most likely to respond to our product candidates. As a result, the potential patient populations for our clinical trials may be narrowed, and we may experience difficulties in identifying and enrolling a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials. We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials if we are unable to locate a sufficient number of eligible subjects to participate in the clinical trials required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, the process offinding and diagnosing subjects may prove costly.
Current wording
We will be required to identify and enroll a sufficient number of subjects for each of our clinical trials. Utilizing our Platform, we plan to focus our development activities on patients characterized by a biomarker that we believe will be most likely to respond to our product candidates. As a result, the potential patient populations for our clinical trials may be narrowed, and we may experience difficulties in identifying and enrolling a sufficient number of patients in our clinical trials. We may not be able to initiate or continue clinical trials if we are unable to locate a sufficient number of eligible subjects to participate in the clinical trials required by the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. In addition, the process offinding and diagnosing subjects may prove costly.
Previous wording
Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or unexpected characteristics. Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay, or halt clinical trials or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, or, if such product candidates are approved, result in a more restrictive label and other post-approval requirements. Any treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial, or could result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition, and prospects significantly.
Current wording
Results of our clinical trials could reveal a high and unacceptable severity and prevalence of side effects or unexpected characteristics. Undesirable side effects caused by our product candidates could cause us or regulatory authorities to interrupt, delay, or halt clinical trials or the delay or denial of regulatory approval by the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, or, if such product candidates are approved, result in a more restrictive label and other post-approval requirements. Any treatment-related side effects could also affect patient recruitment or the ability of enrolled patients to complete the trial, or could result in potential product liability claims. Any of these occurrences may harm our business, financial condition, and prospects significantly.
Previous wording
Patients in our ongoing and planned clinical trials may in the future suffer significant adverse events or other side effects not observed in our preclinical studies or previous clinical trials. If such significant adverse events or other side effects are observed in any of our ongoing or planned clinical trials, we may have difficulty recruiting patients to the clinical trials, or we may be required to abandon the trials or our development efforts of that product candidate altogether. We, the FDA, other comparable regulatory authorities, or an IRB may suspend clinical trials of a product candidate at any time for various reasons, including a belief that subjects in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. Even if the side effects do not preclude the product candidate from obtaining or maintaining regulatory approval, undesirable side effects may inhibit market acceptance due to tolerability concerns as compared to other available therapies. Any of these developments could materially harm our business, financial condition, and prospects.
Current wording
Patients in our ongoing and planned clinical trials may in the future suffer significant adverse events or other side effects not observed in our preclinical studies or previous clinical trials. If such significant adverse events or other side effects are observed in any of our ongoing or planned clinical trials, we may have difficulty recruiting patients to the clinical trials, or we may be required to abandon the trials or our development efforts of that product candidate altogether. We, the FDA, MHRA, other comparable regulatory authorities, an IRB or ethics committee may suspend clinical trials of a product candidate at any time for various reasons, including a belief that subjects in such trials are being exposed to unacceptable health risks or adverse side effects. Even if the side effects do not preclude the product candidate from obtaining or maintaining regulatory approval, undesirable side effects may inhibit market acceptance due to tolerability concerns as compared to other available therapies. Any of these developments could materially harm our business, financial condition, and prospects.
Previous wording
In addition, participants with neuropsychiatric disorders, including MDD, BPD, and schizophrenia, constitute a vulnerable patient population and any adverse side effects or adverse events may be exacerbated in such patient population. Any of these events could diminish the usage or otherwise limit the commercial success of our product candidates and prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of our product candidates, if approved by the FDA or other regulatory authorities.
Current wording
In addition, participants with neuropsychiatric disorders, including MDD, BPD, and schizophrenia, constitute a vulnerable patient population and any adverse side effects or adverse events may be exacerbated in such patient population. Any of
Previous wording
Our ability to generate product revenues, which we do not expect will occur for many years, if ever, will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of our product candidates, along with the companion diagnostic tools needed to leverage our Platform. Our development programs contemplate the use of our Platform, which uses machine learning to identify appropriate patient populations. Our Platform measures biomarkers by analyzing factors such as brain activity patterns detected via EEG readings, cognitive assessment scores, and sleep structure and circadian rhythms captured by wearable data. Analyzing a broad range of biomarkers allows our scientists to develop a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of mental health conditions, and target these accordingly. Companion diagnostics, which come in many forms, are the tests needed to identify these biomarkers and, thus, identify an appropriate patient population for our product candidates. The process of obtaining or creating such diagnostic is time consuming and costly. Absent an exemption, these companion diagnostics will be subject to regulation and marketing approval or clearance as medical devices by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities before we may commercialize our product candidates.
Current wording
Our ability to generate product revenues, which we do not expect will occur for many years, if ever, will depend heavily on the successful development and eventual commercialization of our product candidates, along with the companion diagnostic tools needed to leverage our Platform. Our development programs contemplate the use of our Platform, which uses machine learning to identify appropriate patient populations. Our Platform measures biomarkers by analyzing factors such as brain activity patterns detected via EEG readings, cognitive assessment scores, and sleep structure and circadian rhythms captured by wearable data. Analyzing a broad range of biomarkers allows our scientists to develop a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms of mental health conditions, and target these accordingly. Companion diagnostics, which come in many forms, are the tests needed to identify these biomarkers and, thus, identify an appropriate patient population for our product candidates. The process of obtaining or creating such diagnostic is time consuming and costly. Absent an exemption, these companion diagnostics will be subject to regulation and marketing approval or clearance as medical devices by the FDA, MHRA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities before we may commercialize our product candidates.
Previous wording
•the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials or the use of biomarkers to identify patient populations who will benefit from our product candidates;
Current wording
•the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials or the use of biomarkers to identify patient populations who will benefit from our product candidates;
Previous wording
•negative or ambiguous results from our clinical trials, or results may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval;
Current wording
•negative or ambiguous results from our clinical trials, or results may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities for approval;
Previous wording
•the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to support the submission of an NDA or other comparable submission in foreign jurisdictions or to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere, and such authorities may impose requirements for additional preclinical studies or clinical trials;
Current wording
•the data collected from clinical trials of our product candidates may not be sufficient to the satisfaction of the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities to support the submission of an NDA or other comparable submission in foreign jurisdictions or to obtain regulatory approval in the United States or elsewhere, and such authorities may impose requirements for additional preclinical studies or clinical trials;
Previous wording
•the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may find deficiencies in or fail to approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies.
Current wording
•the FDA, MHRA, or comparable foreign regulatory authorities may find deficiencies in or fail to approve the manufacturing processes or facilities of third-party manufacturers with which we contract for clinical and commercial supplies.
Previous wording
Finally, the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities may change their approval policies and new regulations may be enacted, which could delay or prevent our ability to obtain approval. If any of our product candidates fail to achieve regulatory approval due to the above factors, or otherwise, any such failure would adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, difficulties in obtaining approval of a product candidate in any of the initial indications for which we are developing it could adversely affect our efforts to seek approval from regulatory authorities for other indications.
Current wording
Finally, the FDA, MHRA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities may change their approval policies and new regulations may be enacted, which could delay or prevent our ability to obtain approval. If any of our product candidates fail to achieve regulatory approval due to the above factors, or otherwise, any such failure would adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, difficulties in obtaining approval of a product candidate in any of the initial indications for which we are developing it could adversely affect our efforts to seek approval from regulatory authorities for other indications.
Previous wording
We are developing one of our product candidates, ALTO-101, as a drug/device combination product candidate. While we have not had conversations to date with the FDA regarding whether ALTO-101 would be regulated as a combination product, we anticipate that, if successfully developed, ALTO-101 would be regulated as a combination product by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Combination products require coordination within the FDA and within comparable regulatory agencies for review of their drug and device components. For example, the FDA’s review of a marketing application for ALTO-101 may include the participation of both the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Although the FDA and comparable foreign agencies have or may have systems in place for the review and approval of combination products, we may experience additional delays in the development and commercialization of such product candidates due to regulatory timing constraints and uncertainties in the product development and approval process. Moreover, although we anticipate that the device component of any combination product candidates we develop will be reviewed within the usual time frames expected for the underlying drug component application, and that no separate marketing application for the device components of such product candidates will be required in the United States, the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities may delay approval or require us to conduct additional studies with the device which may delay the approval of the combination product.
Current wording
We are developing one of our product candidates, ALTO-101, as a drug/device combination product candidate. While we have not had conversations to date with the FDA regarding whether ALTO-101 would be regulated as a combination product, we anticipate that, if successfully developed, ALTO-101 would be regulated as a combination product by the FDA and other regulatory authorities. Combination products require coordination within the FDA and within comparable regulatory agencies for review of their drug and device components. For example, the FDA’s review of a marketing application for ALTO-101 may include the participation of both the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Although the FDA, MHRA, and comparable foreign agencies have or may have systems in place for the review and approval of combination products, we may experience additional delays in the development and commercialization of such product candidates due to regulatory timing constraints and uncertainties in the product development and approval process. Moreover, although we anticipate that the device component of any combination product candidates we develop will be reviewed within the usual time frames expected for the underlying drug component application, and that no separate marketing application for the device components of such product candidates will be required in the United States, the FDA or comparable regulatory authorities may delay approval or require us to conduct additional studies with the device which may delay the approval of the combination product.
Previous wording
The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the United States and abroad, is expensive, often takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity, and novelty of the product candidates involved, as well as the target indications and patient populations. Changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize a product candidate in the U.S. or abroad, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, that such product candidates are safe and effective for their intended uses. The FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may delay, limit, or deny approval of a product candidate for many reasons, or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical, or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit, or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. Despite the time and expense invested in clinical development of product candidates, regulatory approval of a product candidate is never guaranteed. Of the large number of drugs in development, only a small percentage successfully complete the FDA or foreign regulatory approval processes and are commercialized. With respect to foreign markets, approval procedures vary among countries and, in addition to the foregoing risks, may involve additional product testing, administrative review periods, and agreements with pricing authorities.
Current wording
The process of obtaining marketing approvals, both in the United States and abroad, is expensive, often takes many years following the commencement of clinical trials, if approval is obtained at all, and can vary substantially based upon a variety of factors, including the type, complexity, and novelty of the product candidates involved, as well as the target indications and patient populations. Changes in marketing approval policies during the development period, changes in or the enactment of additional statutes or regulations, or changes in regulatory review for each submitted product application, may cause delays in the approval or rejection of an application. Prior to obtaining approval to commercialize a product candidate in the U.S. or abroad, we must demonstrate with substantial evidence from adequate and well-controlled clinical trials, and to the satisfaction of the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities, that such product candidates are safe and effective for their intended uses. The FDA, MHRA, and comparable foreign regulatory authorities have substantial discretion in the approval process and may delay, limit, or deny approval of a product candidate for many reasons, or may decide that our data are insufficient for approval and require additional preclinical, clinical, or other studies. In addition, varying interpretations of the data obtained from preclinical and clinical testing could delay, limit, or prevent marketing approval of a product candidate. Despite the time and expense invested in clinical development of product candidates, regulatory approval of a product candidate is never guaranteed. Of the large number of drugs in development, only a small percentage successfully complete the FDA or foreign regulatory approval processes and are commercialized. With respect to foreign markets, approval procedures vary among countries and, in addition to the foregoing risks, may involve additional product testing, administrative review periods, and agreements with pricing authorities.
Previous wording
Although the development and commercialization of our current product candidates for the treatment of MDD, BPD, and schizophrenia are our primary focus, as part of our longer-term growth strategy, we plan to potentially evaluate our current product candidates in other indicationsand develop other product candidates. We intend to evaluate internal opportunities from our current product candidates or other potential product candidates, and also may choose to in-license or acquire other product candidates as well as commercial products to treat patients suffering from other disorders with significant unmet medical needs and limited treatment options. These other potential product candidates will require additional, time-consuming development efforts prior to commercial sale, including preclinical studies, clinical trials, and approval by the
Current wording
Although the development and commercialization of our current product candidates for the treatment of MDD, BPD, and schizophrenia are our primary focus, as part of our longer-term growth strategy, we plan to potentially evaluate our current product candidates in other indicationsand develop other product candidates. We intend to evaluate internal opportunities from our current product candidates or other potential product candidates, and also may choose to in-license or acquire other product candidates as well as commercial products to treat patients suffering from other disorders with significant unmet medical needs and limited treatment options. These other potential product candidates will require additional, time-consuming development efforts prior to commercial sale, including preclinical studies, clinical trials, and approval by the FDA and/or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. All product candidates are prone to the risks of failure that are inherent in pharmaceutical product development, including the possibility that the product candidate will not be shown to be sufficiently safe and effective for approval by regulatory authorities. In addition, we cannot assure you that any such products, if approved, will be manufactured or produced economically, successfully commercialized, or widely accepted in the marketplace, or be more effective than other commercially available alternatives.
Previous wording
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we intend to focus on developing product candidates for specific indications that we identify as most likely to succeed, in terms of both their potential for regulatory approval and commercialization. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that may prove to have greater commercial potential.
Current wording
Because we have limited financial and managerial resources, we intend to focus on developing product candidates for specific indications that we identify as most likely to succeed, in terms of both their potential for regulatory approval and commercialization. We also may acquire product candidates that we identify as promising and expend resources towards their development, including ALTO-207. As a result, we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that may prove to have greater commercial potential.
Previous wording
We may conduct one or more of our clinical trials for our product candidates outside the United States. Although the FDA may accept data from clinical trials conducted outside the United States, acceptance of this data is subject to certain conditions imposed by the FDA. For example, to accept data from a clinical trial that was conducted only at sites outside of the United States and not subject to an IND, the FDA requires such clinical trial to have been conducted in accordance with GCPs, and the FDA must be able to validate the data from the clinical trial through an on-site inspection if the FDA deems such inspection necessary. In cases where data from foreign clinical trials are intended to serve as the sole basis for marketing approval in the United States, the FDA will generally not approve the application on the basis of foreign data alone unless (i) the data are applicable to the U.S. population and U.S. medical practice; (ii) the trials were performed by clinical investigators of recognized competence and pursuant to GCP regulations; and (iii) the data may be considered valid without the need for an on-site inspection by the FDA, or if the FDA considers such inspection to be necessary, the FDA is able to validate the data through an on-site inspection or other appropriate means. For studies not subject to an IND, the FDA generally does not review clinical protocols for the studies, and therefore there is an additional potential risk that the FDA could determine that the study design, protocol, and/or results from a non-U.S. clinical trial were inadequate for the purposes we intend, which could require us to conduct additional clinical trials. Many foreign regulatory authorities have similar requirements for clinical data gathered outside of their respective jurisdictions. In addition, such foreign trials would be subject to the applicable local laws of the foreign jurisdictions where the trials are conducted. There can be no assurance the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority will accept data from clinical trials conducted outside of the United States or the relevant jurisdiction. If the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority does not accept data from our clinical trials of our product candidates, it may result in the need for additional clinical trials, which would be costly and time consuming and delay or permanently halt our development of our therapeutic product candidates.
Current wording
We may conduct one or more of our clinical trials for our product candidates outside the United States. For example, we intend to include sites from the United Kingdom in our clinical trials of ALTO-207 and ALTO-100. Although the FDA may accept data from clinical trials conducted outside the United States, acceptance of this data is subject to certain conditions imposed by the FDA. For example, to accept data from a clinical trial that was conducted only at sites outside of the United States and not subject to an IND, the FDA requires such clinical trial to have been conducted in accordance with GCPs, and the FDA must be able to validate the data from the clinical trial through an on-site inspection if the FDA deems such inspection necessary. In cases where data from foreign clinical trials are intended to serve as the sole basis for marketing approval in the United States, the FDA will generally not approve the application on the basis of foreign data alone unless (i) the data are applicable to the U.S. population and U.S. medical practice; (ii) the trials were performed by clinical investigators of recognized competence and pursuant to GCP regulations; and (iii) the data may be considered valid without the need for an on-site inspection by the FDA, or if the FDA considers such inspection to be necessary, the FDA is able to validate the data through an on-site inspection or other appropriate means. For studies not subject to an IND, the FDA generally does not review clinical protocols for the studies, and therefore there is an additional potential risk that the FDA could determine that the study design, protocol, and/or results from a non-U.S. clinical trial were inadequate for the purposes we intend, which could require us to conduct additional clinical trials. Many foreign regulatory authorities have similar requirements for clinical data gathered outside of their respective jurisdictions. In addition, such foreign trials would be subject to the applicable local laws of the foreign jurisdictions where the trials are conducted. There can be no assurance the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority will accept data from clinical trials conducted outside of the United States or the relevant jurisdiction. If the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority does not accept data from our clinical trials of our product candidates, it may result in the need for additional clinical trials, which would be costly and time consuming and delay or permanently halt our development of our therapeutic product candidates.
Previous wording
In addition, the product candidate we are developing as ALTO-300 is already an approved antidepressant in Europe and Australia with the International Nonproprietary Name agomelatine. While we are developing ALTO-300 solely in the United States, if there is a recall, safety concern, or adverse regulatory action with respect to agomelatine in Europe or Australia, it could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of ALTO-300 or otherwise adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize ALTO-300 in the United States.
Current wording
In addition, the product candidate we are developing as ALTO-300 is already an approved antidepressant in Europe and Australia with the International Nonproprietary Name agomelatine. While we are developing ALTO-300 solely in the United States, if there is a recall, safety concern, or adverse regulatory action with respect to agomelatine in Europe or Australia, it could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of ALTO-300 or otherwise adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize ALTO-300 in the United States. Similarly, any recall, safety concern, or adverse regulatory action with respect to pramipexole or ondansetron could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of ALTO-207 or otherwise adversely affect our ability to successfully commercialize ALTO-207.
Previous wording
In December 2022, we entered into a loan and security agreement, or the Original Loan Agreement, with K2 HealthVentures, as a lender and the other lenders from time to time party thereto, or collectively, the Lender, K2 HealthVentures, as administrative agent for the Lender, and Ankura Trust Company, LLC, ascollateral agent for the Lender. In January 2025, we entered into an amendment to this facility, or the Amendment (and collectively with the Original Loan Agreement, the Amended Loan Agreement), pursuant to which the Lender has agreed to make available to us term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $75.0 million, including a $20.0 million tranche funded on January 13, 2025 (approximately $10.0 million of which was used to refinance all obligations under the Original Loan Agreement and pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Amendment). Based upon the terms of the Amended Loan Agreement, up to an additional $30.0 million is available at our request until December 15, 2025, subject to our achievement of certain milestones as more fully described in the Amended Loan Agreement, and up to an additional $25.0 million is available at our request subject to the Lender’s approval. Our obligations under the Amended Loan Agreement are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets, other than intellectual property assets. The Amended Loan Agreement includes customary affirmative and negative cove nants, as well as standard events of default, including an event of default based on the occurrence of a material adverse event. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on our ability to transfer collateral, incur additional indebtedness, engage in mergers or acquisitions, pay cash dividends or make other distributions, make investments, create liens, sell assets, and make any payment on subordinated debt, in each case subject to certain exceptions. In addition, following an initial period with no financial covenants, beginning January 1, 2026, we must maintain a cash runway of at least five months, provided that this covenant will be waived during any period in which our market capitalization exceeds $700.0 million. These restrictive covenants could limit our flexibility in operating our business and our ability to pursue business opportunities that we or our stockholders may consider beneficial and failure to comply with these restrictive covenants would make us ineligible to receive future additional funding under the Amended Loan Agreement.
Current wording
In December 2022, we entered into a loan and security agreement, or the Original Loan Agreement, with K2 HealthVentures, as a lender and the other lenders from time to time party thereto, or collectively, the Lender, K2 HealthVentures, as administrative agent for the Lender, and Ankura Trust Company, LLC, ascollateral agent for the Lender. In January 2025, we entered into an amendment to this facility, or the Amendment (and collectively with the Original Loan Agreement, the Amended Loan Agreement), pursuant to which the Lender has agreed to make available to us term loans in an aggregate principal amount of up to $75.0 million, including a $20.0 million tranche funded on January 13, 2025 (approximately $10.0 million of which was used to refinance all obligations under the Original Loan Agreement and pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Amendment). Based upon the terms of the Amended Loan Agreement, up to an additional $25.0 million is available at our request subject to the Lender’s approval. Our obligations under the Amended Loan Agreement are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets, other than intellectual property assets. The Amended Loan Agreement includes customary affirmative and negative cove nants, as well as standard events of default, including an event of default based on the occurrence of a material adverse event. The negative covenants include, among others, restrictions on our ability to transfer collateral, incur additional indebtedness, engage in mergers or acquisitions, pay cash dividends or make other distributions, make investments, create liens, sell assets, and make any payment on subordinated debt, in each case subject to certain exceptions. In addition, following an initial period with no financial covenants, beginning January 1, 2026, we must maintain a cash runway of at least five months, provided that this covenant will be waived during any period in which our market capitalization exceeds $700.0 million. These restrictive covenants could limit our flexibility in operating our business and our ability to pursue business opportunities that we or our stockholders may consider beneficial and failure to comply with these restrictive covenants would make us ineligible to receive future additional funding under the Amended Loan Agreement.
Previous wording
In July 2024, we entered into a convertible loan agreement, or the Convertible Grant Agreement, with The Wellcome Trust Limited, or Wellcome. The Convertible Grant Agreement provides for an unsecured convertible loan, or the Convertible Loan, from Wellcome of up to approximately $11.7 million, payable in six tranches, $1.3 million of which was funded upon the execution of the Convertible Grant Agreement, and the remainder of which will be funded upon draw down of the remaining initiation payment or the completion of certain milestones as set forth in the Convertible Grant Agreement, subject to certain conditions described therein which may or may not be met in a timely manner or at all. Proceeds from the Convertible Loan may be used by the Company solely to advance development of ALTO-100 in bipolar depression. The Convertible Grant Agreement also includes customary covenants, representations and warranties, including with respect to the conduct of our Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating ALTO-100 in patients with bipolar depression and certain information and audit rights of Wellcome in connection therewith, as well as with respect to our efforts to develop and exploit ALTO-100.
Current wording
In July 2024, we entered into the Convertible Grant Agreement with Wellcome. The Convertible Grant Agreement provides for the Convertible Loan from Wellcome of up to approximately $11.7 million, payable in six tranches. As of December 31, 2025, we had drawn down $2.0 million under the Convertible Grant Agreement, and the remainder will be funded upon draw down of payments following the completion of certain milestones as set forth in the Convertible Grant Agreement, subject to certain conditions described therein which may or may not be met in a timely manner or at all. In addition to the funds that we have drawn down as of December 31, 2025, we have achieved clinical milestones that allow us to draw down an incremental $3.0 million under the Convertible Grant Agreement. Proceeds from the Convertible Loan may be used by the Company solely to advance development of ALTO-100 in bipolar depression. The Convertible Grant Agreement also includes customary covenants, representations and warranties, including with respect to the conduct of our Phase 2b clinical trial evaluating ALTO-100 in patients with bipolar depression and certain information and audit rights of Wellcome in connection therewith, as well as with respect to our efforts to develop and exploit ALTO-100.
Previous wording
In addition, pursuant to the Amended Loan Agreement, the Lender may, at its option, elect to convert up to $9.0 million of the then outstanding term loan amount into shares of our common stock. The Lender also has warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, and we may be required to issue additional warrants to the Lender in the future. At any time after the second anniversary of the date of the Convertible Grant Agreement, Wellcome has the right, from time to time, to convert some or all of the Convertible Loan into shares of our common stock at a 20% discount to the 30-day volume-weighted average price on the New York Stock Exchange at the date of conversion. Any conversion of debt into equity by the
Current wording
In addition, pursuant to the Amended Loan Agreement, the Lender has converted $4.0 million and may, at its option, elect to convert up to an additional $5.0 million of the then outstanding term loan amount into shares of our common stock. The Lender also has warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, and we may be required to issue additional warrants to the Lender in the future. At any time after the second anniversary of the date of the Convertible Grant Agreement, Wellcome has the right, from time to time, to convert some or all of the Convertible Loan into shares of our common stock at a 20% discount to the 30-day volume-weighted average price on the New York Stock Exchange at the date of conversion. Any conversion of debt into equity by the Lender or Wellcome pursuant to the Amended Loan Agreement or the Convertible Grant Agreement, respectively, or exercise of any warrants held by the Lender now or in the future would cause dilution to our stockholders.
Previous wording
The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by the rapid innovation and intense competition. While we believe that our innovative precision psychiatry approach and pipeline of clinical assets provide us with competitive advantages, we face competition from multiple biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are similarly working to develop therapeutics targeting neuropsychiatry and CNS disorders, as well as from academic institutions, governmental agencies, and public and private research institutions. Many of our potential competitors, either alone or with collaboration partners, have significantly greater financial resources than we do, as well as equal or greater experience in the discovery and development of product candidates, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of products, and the commercialization of those products. Accordingly, our potential competitors may be more successful than we are in achieving regulatory approvals and commercializing their products. We anticipate that we will face intense and increasing competition from existing, approved drugs, as well as new drugs entering the market and emerging technologies that become available. In particular we are developing our product candidates in the areas of major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, and schizophrenia. Notable examples of companies with either approved therapies or product candidates in development in areas that may be competitive in our areas of focus are AbbVie Inc.; Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.; Neumora Therapeutics, Inc.; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; and Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., among others.
Current wording
The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by the rapid innovation and intense competition. While we believe that our innovative precision psychiatry approach and pipeline of clinical assets provide us with competitive advantages, we face competition from multiple biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are similarly working to develop therapeutics targeting neuropsychiatry and CNS disorders, as well as from academic institutions, governmental agencies, and public and private research institutions. Many of our potential competitors, either alone or with collaboration partners, have significantly greater financial resources than we do, as well as equal or greater experience in the discovery and development of product candidates, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of products, and the commercialization of those products. Accordingly, our potential competitors may be more successful than we are in achieving regulatory approvals and commercializing their products. We anticipate that we will face intense and increasing competition from existing, approved drugs, as well as new drugs entering the market and emerging technologies that become available. In particular we are developing our product candidates in the areas of major depressive disorder, bipolar depression, and schizophrenia. Notable examples of companies with either approved therapies or product candidates in development in areas that may be competitive in our areas of focus are AbbVie Inc.; Atai Beckley, Inc.; Axsome Therapeutics, Inc.; Compass Pathways, Inc.; Neumora Therapeutics, Inc.; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; and Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., among others.
Previous wording
As of December 31, 2024, we had 76 total employees. As our development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, and as we transition into fully operating as a public company, we expect to expand our employee base for managerial, operational, financial, and other resources. In addition, we have limited experience in manufacturing and commercialization. As our product candidates enter and advance through clinical trials, we will need to expand our development and regulatory capabilities and contract with other organizations to provide manufacturing and other 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, which may lead to significant costs and may divert management attention. 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.
Current wording
As of December 31, 2025, we had 68 total employees. As our development and commercialization plans and strategies develop, and as we transition into fully operating as a public company, we expect to expand our employee base for managerial, operational, financial, and other resources. In addition, we have limited experience in manufacturing and commercialization. As our product candidates enter and advance through clinical trials, we will need to expand our development and regulatory capabilities and contract with other organizations to provide manufacturing and other 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, which may lead to significant costs and may divert management attention. 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 wording
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other illegal activity by our current and any future employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners, CROs, CMOs, and vendors. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless, and/or negligent conduct that fails to comply with FDA or other regulations, provide true, complete and accurate information to the FDA, European Medicines Agency, and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities, comply with manufacturing standards we may establish, comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations, report financial information or data accurately, or disclose unauthorized activities to us. If we obtain FDA approval of any of our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our potential exposure under these laws will increase significantly, and our costs associated with compliance with these laws are likely to increase. In particular, sales, marketing, and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing, and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs, and other business arrangements. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. Additionally, we are subject to the risk that a person could allege such fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal, and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, loss of eligibility to obtain approvals from the FDA, exclusion from participation in government contracting, healthcare reimbursement or other government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, integrity oversight and reporting obligations, or reputational harm.
Current wording
We are exposed to the risk of employee fraud or other illegal activity by our current and any future employees, independent contractors, consultants, commercial partners, CROs, CMOs, and vendors. Misconduct by these parties could include intentional, reckless, and/or negligent conduct that fails to comply with FDA or other regulations, provide true, complete and accurate information to the FDA, European Medicines Agency, MHRA, and other comparable foreign regulatory authorities, comply with manufacturing standards we may establish, comply with healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations, report financial information or data accurately, or disclose unauthorized activities to us. If we obtain FDA approval of any of our product candidates and begin commercializing those products in the United States, our potential exposure under these laws will increase significantly, and our costs associated with compliance with these laws are likely to increase. In particular, sales, marketing, and business arrangements in the healthcare industry are subject to extensive laws and regulations intended to prevent fraud, kickbacks, self-dealing, and other abusive practices. These laws and regulations may restrict or prohibit a wide range of pricing, discounting, marketing and promotion, sales commission, customer incentive programs, and other business arrangements. Employee misconduct could also involve the improper use of information obtained in the course of clinical trials, which could result in regulatory sanctions and serious harm to our reputation. Additionally, we are subject to the risk that a person could allege such fraud or other misconduct, even if none occurred. It is not always possible to identify and deter employee misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to comply with such laws or regulations. If any such actions are instituted against us, and we are not successful in defending ourselves or asserting our rights, those actions could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects, including the imposition of significant civil, criminal, and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, loss of eligibility to obtain approvals from the FDA, exclusion from participation in government contracting, healthcare reimbursement or other government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, integrity oversight and reporting obligations, or reputational harm.
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Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
Moreover, even if competitor products are not approved for use in our patented indications, and our competitors do not actively promote their product for indications that are covered by our patents, clinicians may prescribe these competitor products “off-label.” Although off-label prescriptions may infringe or contribute to the infringement of method of use patents, such infringement is difficult to prevent or prosecute. Like method of use patents, patents relating to our Platform protect the platform for the method specified in the patent claims. This type of patent does not prevent a competitor from developing alternative technologies to identify biomarkers or target patient populations. Even if competitors copy our Platform, infringement may be difficult to determine, prevent, or prosecute.
Current report — wording carried from elsewhere
In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at and funding of the U.S. Department of
Rearranged previous paragraphs (3)
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
Such collaborations may be subject to additional delays because of the management of the trials, contract negotiations, the need to obtain agreement from multiple parties, and may increase our future costs and expenses.
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
FDA and/or comparable foreign regulatory authorities. All product candidates are prone to the risks of failure that are inherent in pharmaceutical product development, including the possibility that the product candidate will not be shown to be sufficiently safe and effective for approval by regulatory authorities. In addition, we cannot assure you that any such products, if approved, will be manufactured or produced economically, successfully commercialized, or widely accepted in the marketplace, or be more effective than other commercially available alternatives.
Previous report — wording carried elsewhere
Lender or Wellcome pursuant to the Amended Loan Agreement or the Convertible Grant Agreement, respectively, or exercise of any warrants held by the Lender now or in the future would cause dilution to our stockholders.