Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
The following information
should be read in conjunction with ABVC BioPharma, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“we”, “us”, “our”,
or the “Company”) condensed unaudited financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this report. Information
in this Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and elsewhere
in this Form 10-Q that does not consist of historical facts, are “forward-looking statements.” Statements accompanied or
qualified by, or containing words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,”
“intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,”
“outlook,” “forecast,” “anticipates,” “presume,” and “assume” constitute
forward-looking statements, and as such, are not a guarantee of future performance.
Forward-looking statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond our control. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated
as a result of the factors described in the “Risk Factors” and detailed in our other Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
filings. Risks and uncertainties can include, among others, international, national and local general economic and market conditions:
demographic changes; the ability of the Company to sustain, manage or forecast its growth; the ability of the Company to successfully
make and integrate acquisitions; raw material costs and availability; new product development and introduction; existing government regulations
and changes in, or the failure to comply with, government regulations; adverse publicity; competition; the loss of significant customers
or suppliers; fluctuations and difficulty in forecasting operating results; changes in business strategy or development plans; business
disruptions; the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the ability to obtain sufficient financing to continue and expand
business operations; the ability to develop technology and products; changes in technology and the development of technology and intellectual
property by competitors; the ability to protect technology and develop intellectual property; and other factors referenced in this and
previous filings. Consequently, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as predictive of future results.
Because of these risks
and uncertainties, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this report or incorporated by reference might not transpire.
Factors that cause actual results or conditions to differ from those anticipated by these and other forward-looking statements include
those more fully described elsewhere in this report and in the “Risk Factors” section of our annual report on form 10-K.
The Company disclaims
any obligation to update the forward-looking statements in this report.
42
Overview
From its inception, the Company has not generated substantial revenue
from its medical device and new drug development. For the three months ended March 31, 2022, the Company generated $25,660 in revenue,
mainly from the sale of Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (“CDMO”) services.
Business Overview
ABVC BioPharma Inc., which was incorporated in
July 2015 in the State of Delaware, is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on development of new drugs and medical devices,
all of which are derived from plants.
Medicines derived from plants have a long history
of relieving or preventing many diseases and, typically, have exhibited fewer side effects than drugs developed from animals or chemical
ingredients. Perhaps the most famous example is aspirin, which evolved from a compound found in the bark and leaves of the willow tree
and was later marketed by Bayer starting in 1899. Aspirin has very few serious side effects and has proven to be one of the most successful
drugs in medical history. Some 50 years later, scientists identified anticancer compounds in the rosy periwinkle, which Eli Lilly subsequently
produced for the treatment of leukemia and Hodgkins disease. Other well-known examples of successful botanical drugs include the cancer-fighting
Taxol, isolated from the Pacific yew tree.
The Company develops its pipeline by carefully
tracking new medical discoveries or medical device technologies in research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. Pre-clinical, disease
animal model and Phase I safety studies are examined closely by the Company’s scientists and other specialists known to the Company
to identify drugs that it believes demonstrate efficacy and safety based on the Company’s internal qualifications. Once a drug
is shown to be a good candidate for further development and ultimately commercialization, BriVision licenses the drug or medical device
from the original researchers and begins to introduce the drugs clinical plan to highly respected principal investigators in the United
States, Australia and Taiwan. In almost all cases, we have found that research institutions in each of those countries are eager to work
with the Company to move forward with Phase II clinical trials.
Currently, institutions conducting phase II clinical trials in partnership
with ABVC include:
● Medical
Device: ABV-1701, Vitargus® in vitrectomy surgery, Pivotal Study in Australia, Principal
Investigator: Andrew Chang, MD, Ph.D., Sydney Eye Hospital, Australia
● Drug:
ABV-1504, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Phase II, NCE drug Principal Investigators: Charles
DeBattista M.D. and Alan F. Schatzberg, MD, Stanford University Medical Center, Cheng-Ta
Li, MD, Ph.D – Taipei Veterans General Hospital
● Drug:
ABV-1505, Adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Phase II, NCE drug Principal
Investigators: Keith McBurnett, Ph.D. and Linda Pfiffner, Ph.D., University of California
San Francisco (UCSF), School of Medicine
● Drug:
ABV-1601, Major Depression in Cancer Patients, Phase I/II, NCE drug Principal Investigator:
Scott Irwin, MD, Ph.D. – Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC)
● Drug:
ABV-1703, Advanced Inoperable or Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer, Phase II, NCE drug Principal
Investigator: Andrew E. Hendifar, MD – Cedars Sinai Medical Center (CSMC)
● Drug:
ABV-1501, A Phase I/II, Open Label Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of BLEX 404
Oral Liquid Combined with Docetaxel Monotherapy in Patients with Stage IV or Recurrent Breast
Cancer Patients
● Medical
Device: ABV-2002, Class I/II through 510K for market launch, Corneal Storage Media, Technology
Licensing in progress
Upon successful completion of the Phase II trial,
the Company will seek a partner – a large pharmaceutical company – to complete a Phase III study, submit the New Drug Application
(NDA), and commercialize the drug upon approval by the FDA and Taiwan FDAs. The Company expects to seek its first commercialization partner
in 2021 for Vitargus, its vitreous substitute that helps to maintain a round shape and retinal location during vitrectomy surgery.
Another part of the Company’s business
is conducted by BioKey, a wholly owned subsidiary, that is engaged in a wide range of services, including, API characterization, pre-formulation
studies, formulation development, analytical method development, stability studies, IND/NDA/ANDA/510K submissions, and manufacturing
clinical trial materials (phase I through phase III) and commercial manufacturing.
43
On February 8, 2019, the Company, BioLite Holding,
Inc. (“BioLite”), BioKey, Inc. (“BioKey”), BioLite Acquisition Corp., a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Company (“Merger Sub 1”), and BioKey Acquisition Corp., a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Merger Sub
2”) (collectively referred to as the “Parties”) completed the business combination pursuant to that certain Agreement
and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), dated January 31, 2018, pursuant to which the Company acquired BioLite and BioKey
via issuing shares of the Company’s Common Stock to the shareholders of BioLite and BioKey. As a result, BioLite and BioKey became
two wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company on February 8, 2019. The Company issued an aggregate of 104,558,777 shares of Common Stock
(prior to the reverse stock split in 2019) to the shareholders of both BioLite and BioKey under a registration statement on Form S-4
(file number 333-226285), which became effective by operation of law on or about February 5, 2019.
BioLite was incorporated under the laws of the
State of Nevada on July 27, 2016, with 500,000,000 shares authorized, par value $0.0001. BioLite’s key subsidiaries include BioLite
BVI, Inc. (“BioLite BVI”) that was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on September 13, 2016 and BioLite, Inc. (“BioLite
Taiwan”), a Taiwanese corporation that was founded in February 2006. BioLite Taiwan has been in the business of developing new
drugs for over ten years.
BioLite and BioLite BVI are holding companies
and have not carried out substantive business operations of their own.
In January 2017, BioLite, BioLite BVI, BioLite
Taiwan, and certain shareholders of BioLite Taiwan entered into a share purchase / exchange agreement (the “BioLite Share Purchase
/ Exchange Agreement”). Pursuant to the BioLite Share Purchase / Exchange Agreement, the shareholder participants to the BioLite
Share Purchase / Exchange Agreement sold their equity in BioLite Taiwan and used the proceeds from such sales to purchase shares of Common
Stock of BioLite at the same price per share, resulting in their owning the same number of shares of Common Stock as they owned in BioLite
Taiwan. Upon closing of the Share Purchase/ Exchange Agreement in August 2017, BioLite owns, via BioLite BVI, approximately 73% of BioLite
Taiwan. The other shareholders who did not enter this Share Purchase/ Exchange Agreement retain their equity ownership in BioLite Taiwan.
BioKey was incorporated on August 9, 2000 in
the State of California. It is engaged primarily in research and development, manufacturing, and distribution of generic drugs and nutraceuticals
with strategic partners. BioKey provides a wide range of services, including, API characterization, pre-formulation studies, formulation
development, analytical method development, stability studies, IND/NDA/ANDA/510K submissions, and manufacturing clinical trial materials
(phase 1 through phase 3) and commercial manufacturing. It also licenses out its technologies and initiates joint research and development
processes with other biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical companies.
Common Stock Reverse Split
On March 12, 2019, the Board by unanimous written
consent in lieu of a meeting approved to i) effect a stock reverse split at the ratio of 1-for-18 (the “Reverse Split”) of
both the authorized common stock of the Company and the issued and outstanding common stock and ii) to amend the articles of incorporation
of the Company to reflect the Reverse Split. The Board approved and authorized the Reverse Split without obtaining approval of the Company’s
shareholders pursuant to Section 78.207 of Nevada Revised Statutes.
On May 3, 2019, the Company filed a certificate
of amendment to the Company’s articles of incorporation (the “Amendment”) to effect the Reverse Split with the Secretary
of State of the State of Nevada. The Reverse Split took effect on May 8, 2019.
Series A Convertible Preferred Stock
On June 28, 2019, the Company filed a certificate
of designation (the “Series A COD”) of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Series A Stock”) with the Secretary
of the State of Nevada.
44
Pursuant to the Series A COD, the Company designated
3,500,000 shares of preferred stock as Series A Stock, par value of $0.001 per share. Subject to the laws of Nevada, the Company will
pay cumulative dividends on the Series A Stock on each anniversary from the date of original issue for a period of four calendar years.
The Series A Stock will rank senior to the outstanding common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 (the “Common Stock”)
with respect to dividend rights, rights upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up in the amount of accrued but unpaid dividend. Holders
of the Series A Stock will have the same voting rights as the Company’s Common Stock holders. Each share of Series A Stock is initially
convertible at any time at the option of the holder into one share of Common Stock and automatically converts into one share of Common
Stock on the four-year anniversary of its issuance.
As of December 31, 2021, no Series A Convertible
Preferred Stock has been issued by the Company.
Increasing the Authorized Shares
On March 12, 2020, our board of directors approved
and adopted an amendment to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, to increase the authorized shares of the common stock, par
value $0.001 per share, from 20,000,000 to 100,000,000, such that, after including the previously authorized 20,000,000 shares of preferred
stock, par value $0.001 per share, the aggregate number of shares of stock that the Company has authority to issue is 120,000,000 shares.
The amendment became effective on April 2, 2020.
NASDAQ Listing
On August 5, 2021, we closed a public offering
(the “Offering”) of 1,100,000 units (the “Units”), with each Unit consisting of one share of our common
stock (the “Common Stock”), one Series A warrant (the “Series A Warrants”) to purchase one share of common stock
at an exercise price equal to $6.30 per share, exercisable until the fifth anniversary of the issuance date, and one Series B warrant
(the “Series B Warrants,” and together with the Series A Warrants, the “Public Warrants”) to purchase one share
of common stock at an exercise price equal to $10.00 per share, exercisable until the fifth anniversary of the issuance date; the
exercise price of the Public Warrants are subject to certain adjustment and cashless exercise provisions as described therein. The Company
completed the Offering pursuant to its registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-255112), originally filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 8, 2021 (as amended, the “Original Registration Statement”), that
the SEC declared effective on August 2, 2021 and the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-258404) that was filed and automatically
effective on August 4, 2021 (the “S-1MEF,” together with the Original Registration Statement, the “Registration Statement”).
The Units were priced at $6.25 per Unit, before underwriting discounts and offering expenses, resulting in gross proceeds of $6,875,000.
The Offering was conducted on a firm commitment basis. The Common Stock was approved for listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market and commenced
trading under the ticker symbol “ABVC” on August 3, 2021.
Name Change and Cusip Number
The Company’s shareholders approved an
amendment to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation to change the Company’s corporate name to “ABVC BioPharma, Inc.”
and approved and adopted the Certificate of Amendment to affect same at the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders (the “ Annual
Meeting ”). Nevada’s Secretary of State approved the name change on March 8, 2021, but since are still in the FINRA approval
process for such name change, the new name is not yet effective. Stock certificates will remain valid and stockholders are not required
to submit their stock certificates for exchange as a result of the name change. New stock certificates issued by the Company will
be printed with the Company’s new name, ABVC BioPharma, Inc.; existing stock certificates will remain valid.
The Company’s cusip number is 0091F106.
The Company’s stock symbol remains ABVC.
Joint Venture Agreement
On October 6, 2021 (the “ Completion
Date ”), ABVC BioPharma, Inc. (the “ Company ”), Lucidaim Co., Ltd., a Japanese corporation (“ Lucidaim ,”
together with the Company, the “ Shareholders ”), and BioLite Japan K.K., a Japanese corporation (“ Biolite
JP” ) entered into a Joint Venture Agreement (the “ Agreement ”). Biolite JP is a private limited company (a
Japanese Kabushiki Kaisha ) incorporated on December 18, 2018 and at the date of the Agreement has 10,000 ordinary shares
authorized, with 3,049 ordinary shares issued and outstanding (the “ Ordinary Shares ”). Immediately prior to the execution
of the Agreement, Lucidaim owned 1,501 ordinary shares and the Company owned the 1,548 ordinary shares. The Shareholders entered into
the joint venture to formally reduce to writing their desire to invest in and operate Biolite JP as a joint venture. The business of
the joint venture shall be the research and development of drugs, medical device and digital media, investment, fund running and consulting,
distribution and marketing of supplements carried on by Biolite JP and its subsidiaries in Japan, or any other territory or businesses
as may from time to time be agreed by an amendment to the Agreement. The closing of the transaction is conditioned upon the approval
and receipt of all necessary government approvals, which have been received.
45
Pursuant to the Agreement and the related share
transfer agreement, the Company shall transfer 54 of its Ordinary Shares to Lucidaim for no consideration, such that following the transfer,
Lucidaim shall own 1,555 Ordinary Shares (51%) and the Company shall own 1,494 Ordinary Shares (49%). Also pursuant to the Agreement,
there shall be 3 directors of Biolite JP, consisting of 1 director appointed by the Company and 2 appointed by Lucidiam. The Company
shall appoint Eugene Jiang, the Company’s current Chairman and Chief Business Officer and Lucidaim shall appoint Michihito Onishi;
the current director of Biolite JP, Toru Seo (who is also a director of BioLite Japan’s other shareholder), is considered the second
Lucidaim director. The Agreement further provides that the Company and Biolite JP shall assign the research collaboration and license
agreement between them to Biolite JP or prepare the same (the “ License Agreement ”). The aforementioned transactions
occurred on the Completion Date.
As per the Agreement, the Shareholders shall
supervise and manage the business and operations of Biolite JP. The directors shall not be entitled to any renumeration for their services
as a director and each Shareholder can remove and replace the director he/she/it appointed. If a Shareholder sells or disposes of all
of its Ordinary Shares, the director such Shareholder appointed must tender his/her resignation. The Agreement also sets forth certain
corporate actions that must be pre-approved by all Shareholders (the “ Reserved Matters ”). If the Shareholders are
unable to make a decision on any Reserved Matter, then either Shareholder can submit a deadlock notice to the other shareholder, 5 days
after which they must refer the matter to each Shareholder’s chairman and use good faith to resolve the dispute. If such dispute
is not resolved within 10 days thereafter, then either Shareholder can offer to buy all of the other Shareholder’s Ordinary Shares
for cash at a specified price; if there is not affirmative acceptance of the sale, the sale shall proceed as set forth in the sale offer.
Each of the Shareholders maintains a pre-emptive
right to purchase such number of additional Ordinary Shares as would allow such Shareholder to maintain its ownership percentage in Biolite
JP if Biolite JP issues any new Ordinary Shares. However, the Agreement provides that the Company shall lose its pre-emptive rights under
certain conditions. The Shareholders also maintain a right of first refusal if the other Shareholder receives an offer to buy such shareholder’s
Ordinary Shares.
The Agreement also requires Biolite JP to obtain
a bank facility in the amount of JPY 30,460,000 (approximately USD272,000), for its initial working capital purposes. Pursuant to the
Agreement, each Shareholder agrees to guarantee such bank facility if the bank requires a guarantee. Accordingly, the Company may be
liable for the bank facility in an amount up to JPY 14,925,400 (approximately USD134,000), which represents 49% of the maximum bank facility.
The Agreement further provides that Biolite JP shall issue annual dividends at the rate of at least 1.5% of Biolite JP’s profits,
if it has sufficient cash to do so.
Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company and Biolite
JP agree to use their best efforts to execute the License Agreement by the end of December 2021. The Company agreed that any negotiation
on behalf of Biolite JP regarding the terms of the License Agreement shall be handled by the directors appointed by Lucidaim. If the
Company and such Lucidaim directors do not reach agreement on the terms, Biolite JP may at its sole discretion determine not to execute
the License Agreement without any liability to the Company.
The Agreement contains non-solicitation and non-compete
clauses for a period of 2 years after a Shareholder or its subsidiaries ceases to be a Shareholder, with such restrictive covenants limited
to business within the ophthalmologic filed or central neurological field. Any rights to intellectual property that arise from Biolite
JP’s activities, shall belong to Biolite JP.
The Agreement contains standard indemnification
terms, except that no indemnifying party shall have any liability for an individual liability unless it exceeds JPY 500,000 (approximately
USD4,500) and until the aggregate amount of all liabilities exceeds JPY 2,000,000 (approximately USD18,000) and then only to the extent
such liability exceed such limit.
46
The Company paid $150,000 towards the setup of
the joint venture and BioLite Japan’s other shareholder paid $150,000 after the Letter of Intent was signed.
The Agreement shall continue for 10 years, unless
earlier terminated and shall continue until terminated by: (i) either party by giving the other party at least 6 months written notice,
until the end of the 10 years, after which the parties can terminate at any time or (ii) or by written agreement of all Shareholders,
in which case it shall terminate automatically on the date upon which all Ordinary Shares are owned by one Shareholder. The Agreement
also allows a Shareholder to terminate the agreement upon certain defaults committed by another Shareholder, as set forth in the Agreement.
This was a related party transaction
and was conducted at arm’s length. In addition to the Company’s board of directors providing approval for the Company to
enter into the Agreement, the Company’s audit committee approved the Company’s entry into the Agreement. The Board believes
that this joint venture will enhance the Company’s ability to provide therapeutic solutions to significant unmet medical needs
and to develop innovative botanical drugs to treat central nervous system (“CNS”) and oncology/ hematology diseases. The
Company’s Board of Directors believes that the joint venture has the potential to provide the Company with access to additional
early-stage product candidates that it would not otherwise have access to and to introduce the Company to early-stage opportunities,
and therefore the Board believes the joint venture is in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders.
Recent PPP
On April 14, 2020, the Company received a loan
in the amount of $124,400 under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) administered by the United States Small Business
Administration (the “SBA”) from East West Bank. According to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the
“Cares Act”), PPP loan provides for forgiveness of up to the full principal amount and accrued interest if the funds are
used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. However, at least 60% of the forgiven amount must have been used
for payroll. The loan was granted pursuant to a promissory note dated April 14, 2020 issued by the Company, which matures on April 13,
2022 and bears interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. The Company will pay the principal in one payment of all outstanding principal
plus all accrued unpaid interest on that date that is two years after the date of the promissory note. On March 15, 2021 the US Government
approved our application of the loan forgiveness program, so there will be no obligation to pay back this loan.
On January 29, 2021, BioKey received a loan
in the amount of $132,331 under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) administered by the United States Small Business
Administration (the “SBA”) from East West Bank. According to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the
“Cares Act”), PPP loan provides for forgiveness of up to the full principal amount and accrued interest if the funds are
used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. However, at least 60% of the forgiven amount must have been used
for payroll. The loan was granted pursuant to a promissory note dated January 27, 2021 issued by the Company, which matures on January
28, 2026 and bears interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. The Company will pay the principal in one payment of all outstanding principal
plus all accrued unpaid interest on that date that is five years after the date of the promissory note. In addition, on September 28,
2021, the US Government approved our application of the loan forgiveness program, so there will be no obligation to pay back this loan.
On February 7, 2021, the Company received a loan
in the amount of $104,167 under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) administered by the United States Small Business
Administration (the “SBA”) from Cathay Bank. According to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “Cares
Act”), PPP loan provides for forgiveness of up to the full principal amount and accrued interest if the funds are used for payroll
costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. However, at least 60% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll. The
loan was granted pursuant to a promissory note dated February 7, 2021 issued by the Company, which matures on February 6, 2026 and bears
interest at a rate of 1.00% per annum. The Company will pay the principal in one payment of all outstanding principal plus all accrued
unpaid interest on that date that is five years after the date of the promissory note. In addition, on November 15, 2021, the US Government
approved our application of the loan forgiveness program, so there will be no obligation to pay back this loan.
47
Recent Research Results
On May 23, 2019, the Company announced its internal
Phase II clinical study results of ABV-1504 for Major Depression Disorder (“MDD”). The clinical study results showed that
PDC-1421, the active pharmaceutical ingredient of ABV-1504, met the pre-specified primary endpoint of the Phase II clinical trial and
significantly improved the symptoms of MDD.
The Phase II clinical study was a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial, in which 60 adult patients with confirmed moderate to severe MDD were treated with
PDC-1421 in either low dose (380 mg) or high dose (2 x 380 mg) compared with placebo administration, three times a day for six weeks.
PDC-1421 high dose (2 x 380 mg) met the pre-specified primary endpoint by demonstrating a highly significant 13.2-point reduction in
the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score by Intention-To-Treat (ITT) analysis, averaged over the 6-week
treatment period (overall treatment effect) from baseline, as compared to 9.2-point reduction of the placebo group. By Per-Protocol (PP)
analysis, PDC-1421 showed a dose dependent efficacy toward MDD in which high dose (2 x 380 mg) gave 13.4-point reduction in MADRS total
score from baseline and low dose (380 mg) gave 10.4-point reduction as compared to a 8.6-point in the placebo group. The Company has
decided to use the high dose formula in the Phase III clinical trial of ABV-1504.
On September 9, 2020 the Company issued a full
clinical study report (CSR) of Vitargus® First-in-Human Phase I Clinical Trial . The safety and preliminary efficacy findings
from this study, combined with the unique properties of Vitargus® (BFC-1401), are supportive of further development for its use during
vitrectomy surgery in patients requiring vitreous replacement.
The study was an open label, Phase I study undertaken
at a single study center in Sydney, Australia. A total of 11 participants were enrolled for the study in which each participant
had been diagnosed with either (1) a complex or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment or chronic retinal detachment with failure of gas or
silicone oil treatment or (2) a vitreous hemorrhage that requires vitrectomy surgery. The study found that Vitargus® was well-tolerated
as a vitreous substitute without any apparent toxicity to ocular tissues. Further, there was no indication of an increased overall safety
risk with Vitargus®.
On November 9, 2020 the Company issued a full
clinical study report (CSR) of its ABV-1505 Phase II Part I clinical trial conducted at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
for the treatment of adult Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The Phase II Part I clinical study for treating
ADHD found that the PDC-1421 Capsule was safe, well tolerated and efficacious during its treatment and the follow-up period with six
adult patients. For the primary endpoints, the percentages of improvement in Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-Investigator
Rated-IV (ADHD-RS-IV) score from baseline to 8 weeks treatment were 83.3% (N=5) in the Intention-To-Treat (ITT) population and 80.0%
(N=4) in the Per-Protocol (PP) population. Both low and high doses of PDC-1421 Capsule met the primary end points by passing the required
40% population in ADHD-RS-IV test scores.
Overall, the results from this study, which demonstrate
the therapeutic value of PDC-1421, support further clinical development of ABV-1505 for the treatment of adult ADHD.
On November 4, 2020, we executed an amendment
to our collaboration agreement with BioFirst to add BFC-1403 Intraocular Irrigation Solution and BFC-1404 Corneal Storage Solution to
our agreement. BFC-1404 is utilized during a corneal transplant procedure to replace a damaged or diseased cornea while BFC-1403 has
broader utilization during a variety of ocular procedures.
Initially the Company will focus on BFC-1404,
a solution utilized to store a donor cornea prior to either penetrating keratoplasty (full thickness cornea transplant) or endothelial
keratoplasty (back layer cornea transplant). Designated ABV-2002 under the Company’s product identification system, the solution
is comprised of a specific poly amino acid that protects ocular tissue from damage caused by external osmolarity exposure during pre-surgery
storage. The specific polymer in ABV-2002 can adjust osmolarity to maintain a range of 330 to 390 mOsM thereby permitting hydration within
the corneal stroma during the storage period. Stromal hydration results in (a) maintaining acceptable corneal transparency and (b) prevents
donor cornea swelling. ABV-2002 also contains an abundant phenolic phytochemical found in plant cell walls that provides antioxidant
antibacterial properties and neuroprotection.
Early testing by BioFirst indicates that ABV-2002
may be more effective for protecting the cornea and retina during long-term storage than other storage media available today and can
be manufactured at lower cost. Categorized as a Class I Medical Device which has the lowest risk to patients, the Company intends to
submit a Premarket Notification 510(K) submission to the FDA before the end of 2021 to demonstrate the device is at least as safe and
effective as current products on the market.
48
Public Offering & Financings
On August 5, 2021, the Company closed its public
offering (the “Public Offering”) of 1,100,000 units (the “Units”), with each Unit consisting of one share of
the Company’s common stock, one Series A warrant (the “Series A Warrants”) to purchase one share of common stock at
an exercise price equal to $6.30 per share, exercisable until the fifth anniversary of the issuance date, and one Series B warrant (the
“Series B Warrants,” and together with the Series A Warrants, the “Public Warrants”) to purchase one share of
common stock at an exercise price equal to $10.00 per share, exercisable until the fifth anniversary of the issuance date; the exercise
price of the Public Warrants are subject to certain adjustment and cashless exercise provisions as described therein. The Company completed
the Public Offering pursuant to its registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-255112), originally filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 8, 2021 (as amended, the “Original Registration Statement”), that the
SEC declared effective on August 2, 2021 and the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-258404) that was filed and automatically
effective on August 4, 2021 (the “S-1MEF,” together with the Original Registration Statement, the “Registration Statement”).
The Units were priced at $6.25 per Unit, before underwriting discounts and offering expenses, resulting in gross proceeds of $6,875,000.
The Public Offering was conducted on a firm commitment basis.
Financing in November 2020
On November 11, 2020, we conducted a closing
with regard to certain securities purchase agreements (the “ SPAs ”) dated October 23, 2020, separately with two non-U.S.
investors (the “ Investors ”). Each of the Investors agreed to purchase and the Company agreed to sell to each of the
Investors 1,111,112 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, and warrants (the “ November Warrants ”) to purchase
1,111,112 shares of Common Stock, for a purchase price of $2,500,000. The November Warrants are exercisable upon issuance and will expire
three years from the date of issuance. The initial exercise price of the November Warrants is $6.00, subject to stock, splits, stock
dividend and other similar events. In addition, when the closing price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $9.00 per share for twenty
Trading Days (as defined in the SPAs) during any thirty-day period, the Company shall have the right to require the Investors to exercise
all or any portion of the November Warrants for a cash exercise. The aggregate net proceeds were $5,000,000. The Company and the Investors
further agreed to amend the terms of the SPA to permit the closing of the offering to occur on a rolling basis.
The Company paid the following fees to a FINRA
member firm in connection with such offering: (i) a cash success fee of $175,000 and (ii) warrants to purchase a number of shares
of Common Stock equal to 7% of the number of shares of Common Stock sold in the Offering, at an exercise price per share equal to $6.00
subject to adjustment (the “ Comp Warrants ”). The Comp Warrants are exercisable on a cashless basis, at the holder’s
discretion.
Financing in October 2020
On October 23, 2020, we entered into a Securities
Purchase Agreement (the “ October SPA ”) with one accredited investor. Pursuant to the October SPA, the Company sold
and issued a convertible promissory note (the “ October Note ”) in the principal amount of $2,500,000 to the investor
and received the payment from such investor on October 30, 2020.
The October Note was issued on October 23, 2020
and the maturity date of the October Note is the twenty-four (24) month anniversary from the issuance date (the “ Maturity Date ”).
Upon the Maturity Date, the Company shall pay to the holder, in cash, an amount representing all outstanding principal amount and accrued
and unpaid interest under the October Note. The October Note bears an interest rate of ten percent (10%) per annum and may be convertible
into shares of the Company’s common stock at a fixed conversion price of $2.25 per share. The holder of the October Note may elect
to convert part or all of the outstanding balance of the October Note from the issuance date until the Maturity Date. The Company may
prepay the outstanding amount at any time, in whole or in part, without any penalty. On June 3, 2021, the parties to the October SPA
signed Amendment No. 1 to Promissory Note (the “ Amendment ”). Pursuant to the Amendment, the October Note shall now
also automatically convert into shares of the Company’s common stock immediately following the Company’s receipt of conditional
approval to list its common stock on the NASDAQ stock market, if and when we receive such approval, which cannot be guaranteed, at a
conversion price equal to the then current conversion price.
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In connection with the October Note and pursuant
to the terms of an agreement entered into between the Company and a FINRA member firm, such firm shall receive (i) a cash success fee
of $78,750 and (ii) upon conversion of the October Note, warrants equal to 7.0% of the number of shares of Common Stock received by the
investor at the time of conversion (“ Note Warrants ”). The warrants are exercisable on a cashless basis, at the holder’s
discretion.
The issuance and sale of the Common Stock, the
Investor Warrants, Comp Warrants, Note Warrants and the shares of Common Stock underlying the Investor Warrants, the Comp Warrants and
the October Note were made in reliance on an exemption from registration contained in either Regulation D or Regulation
S of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
Financing in May 2020
In May 2020, the Company received capital contributions
of approximately $1,602,040 in cash from 40 investors through private placements with the term of $2.25 per share and a free warrant
attaches with each Common stock that was purchased. The exercise price of the warrant will be at $6.00 with a mandatory exercise price
of $9.00.
Pursuant to the terms of an agreement entered
into between the Company and a FINRA member firm, such firm shall receive (i) a cash success fee of $60,831.65 (ii) a warrant to purchase
37,852 shares of Common Stock with an exercise price of $2.25 per share, and (iii) a warrant to purchase 37,852 shares of Common Stock
with an exercise price of $6.00 per share.
Financing in April 2020
On January 21, 2020, the Company entered into
three note agreements with existing note investors who executed the agreements in 2018. These three investors are Guoliang Yu and Yingfei
Wei Family Trust, Keypoint Technology Ltd., and Yoshinobu Odaira. The new agreements bear the same term as other notes investors who
executed the contract in 2019. On April 5, 2020, the Company entered into exchange agreements with such note holders. Pursuant to the
exchange agreements, the Holders agreed to deliver the Notes to the Company for cancellation, of which the aggregate principal amount
plus accrued interest expenses are $931,584, and the Company agreed to issue to the Holders an aggregate of 506,297 shares of the Company’s
common stock and warrants to purchase 506,297 shares of the Company’s common stock.
On August 28, 2019 and September 4, 2019, the
Company issued convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount plus accrued interest expenses are $515,196 to Kuo, Li
Shen, Chang, Ping Shan, Lin, Shan Tyan, and Liu, Ching Hsuan. On April 20, 2020, the Company entered into separate exchange agreements
with each note holder. Pursuant to the exchange agreements, the note holders agreed to cancel the notes and the Company agreed to issue
to the holders an aggregate of 289,438 shares of the Company’s common stock and warrants to purchase 289,438 shares of the Company’s
common stock.
Strategy
Key elements of our business strategy include:
● Advancing
to the pivotal trial phase of ABV-1701 Vitargus® for the treatments of Retinal Detachment
or Vitreous Hemorrhage, which we expect to generate revenues in the future.
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● Focusing
on licensing ABV-1504 for the treatment of major depressive disorder, MDD, after the successful
completion of its Phase II clinical trials.
● Completing
Phase II, Part 2 clinical trial for ABV-1505 for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, ADHD.
● Out
licensing drug candidates and medical device candidates to major pharmaceutical companies
for phase III and pivotal clinical trials, as applicable, and further marketing if approved
by the FDA.
We plan to augment our core research and development
capability and assets by conducting Phase I and II clinical trials for investigational new drugs and medical devices in the fields of
CNS, Hematology/Oncology and Ophthalmology.
Our management team has extensive experiences
across a wide range of new drug and medical device development and we have in-licensed new drug and medical device candidates from large
research institutes and universities in both the U.S. and Taiwan. Through an assertive product development approach, we expect that we
will build a substantial portfolio of Oncology/ Hematology, CNS and Ophthalmology products. We primarily focus on Phase I and II research
of new drug candidates and out license the post-Phase-II products to pharmaceutical companies; we do not expect to devote substantial
efforts and resources to building the disease-specific distribution channels.
Business Objectives
The Company is operating its core business based
on collaborative activities that can generate current and future revenues through research, development and/or commercialization joint
venture agreements. The terms of these agreements typically include payment to the Company related to one or more of the following:
● nonrefundable
upfront license fees,
● development
and commercial milestones,
● partial
or complete reimbursement of research and development costs and
● royalties
on net sales of licensed products.
Each type of payments results in revenue except
for revenue from royalties on net sales of licensed products, which are classified as royalty revenues. To date, we have not received
any royalty revenues. Revenue is recognized upon satisfaction of a performance obligation by transferring control of a good or service
to the joint venture partner.
As part of the accounting for these arrangements,
the Company applies judgment to determine whether the performance obligations are distinct and develop assumptions in determining the
stand-alone selling price for each distinct performance obligation identified in the collaboration agreements. To determine the stand-alone
selling price, the Company relies on assumptions which may include forecasted revenues, development timelines, reimbursement rates for
R&D personnel costs, discount rates and probabilities of technical and regulatory success.
The Company had multiple deliverables under the
collaborative agreements, including deliverables relating to grants of technology licenses, regulatory and clinical development, and
marketing activities. Estimation of the performance periods of the Company’s deliverables requires the use of management’s
judgment. Significant factors considered in management’s evaluation of the estimated performance periods include, but are not limited
to, the Company’s experience in conducting clinical development, regulatory and manufacturing activities. The Company reviews the
estimated duration of its performance periods under its collaborative agreements on an annually basis, and makes any appropriate adjustments
on a prospective basis. Future changes in estimates of the performance period under its collaborative agreements could impact the timing
of future revenue recognition.
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(i) Nonrefundable upfront payments
If a license to the Company’s intellectual
property is determined to be distinct from the other performance obligations identified in an arrangement, the Company recognizes revenue
from the related nonrefundable upfront payments based on the relative standalone selling price prescribed to the license compared to
the total selling price of the arrangement. The revenue is recognized when the license is transferred to the collaboration partners and
the collaboration partners are able to use and benefit from the license. To date, the receipt of nonrefundable upfront fees was solely
for the compensation of past research efforts and contributions made by the Company before the collaborative agreements entered into
and it does not relate to any future obligations and commitments made between the Company and the collaboration partners in the collaborative
agreements.
(ii) Milestone payments
The Company is eligible to receive milestone
payments under the collaborative agreement with collaboration partners based on achievement of specified development, regulatory and
commercial events. Management evaluated the nature of the events triggering these contingent payments, and concluded that these events
fall into two categories: (a) events which involve the performance of the Company’s obligations under the collaborative agreement
with collaboration partners, and (b) events which do not involve the performance of the Company’s obligations under the collaborative
agreement with collaboration partners.
The former category of milestone payments consists
of those triggered by development and regulatory activities in the territories specified in the collaborative agreements. Management
concluded that each of these payments constitute substantive milestone payments. This conclusion was based primarily on the facts that
(i) each triggering event represents a specific outcome that can be achieved only through successful performance by the Company of one
or more of its deliverables, (ii) achievement of each triggering event was subject to inherent risk and uncertainty and would result
in additional payments becoming due to the Company, (iii) each of the milestone payments is nonrefundable, (iv) substantial effort is
required to complete each milestone, (v) the amount of each milestone payment is reasonable in relation to the value created in achieving
the milestone, (vi) a substantial amount of time is expected to pass between the upfront payment and the potential milestone payments,
and (vii) the milestone payments relate solely to past performance. Based on the foregoing, the Company recognizes any revenue from these
milestone payments in the period in which the underlying triggering event occurs.
(iii) Multiple Element Arrangements
The Company evaluates multiple element arrangements
to determine (1) the deliverables included in the arrangement and (2) whether the individual deliverables represent separate units of
accounting or whether they must be accounted for as a combined unit of accounting. This evaluation involves subjective determinations
and requires management to make judgments about the individual deliverables and whether such deliverables are separate from other aspects
of the contractual relationship. Deliverables are considered separate units of accounting provided that: (i) the delivered item(s) has
value to the customer on a standalone basis and (ii) if the arrangement includes a general right of return relative to the delivered
item(s), delivery or performance of the undelivered item(s) is considered probable and substantially within its control. In assessing
whether an item under a collaboration has standalone value, the Company considers factors such as the research, manufacturing, and commercialization
capabilities of the collaboration partner and the availability of the associated expertise in the general marketplace. The Company also
considers whether its collaboration partners can use the other deliverable(s) for their intended purpose without the receipt of the remaining
element(s), whether the value of the deliverable is dependent on the undelivered item(s), and whether there are other vendors that can
provide the undelivered element(s).
The Company recognizes arrangement consideration
allocated to each unit of accounting when all of the revenue recognition criteria in ASC 606 are satisfied for that particular unit of
accounting. In the event that a deliverable does not represent a separate unit of accounting, the Company recognizes revenue from the
combined unit of accounting over the Company’s contractual or estimated performance period for the undelivered elements, which
is typically the term of the Company’s research and development obligations. If there is no discernible pattern of performance
or objectively measurable performance measures do not exist, then the Company recognizes revenue under the arrangement on a straight-line
basis over the period the Company is expected to complete its performance obligations. Conversely, if the pattern of performance in which
the service is provided to the customer can be determined and objectively measurable performance measures exist, then the Company recognizes
revenue under the arrangement using the proportional performance method. Revenue recognized is limited to the lesser of the cumulative
amount of payments received or the cumulative amount of revenue earned, as determined using the straight-line method or proportional
performance method, as applicable, as of the period ending date.
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At the inception of an arrangement that includes
milestone payments, the Company evaluates whether each milestone is substantive and at risk to both parties on the basis of the contingent
nature of the milestone. This evaluation includes an assessment of whether: (1) the consideration is commensurate with either the Company’s
performance to achieve the milestone or the enhancement of the value of the delivered item(s) as a result of a specific outcome resulting
from its performance to achieve the milestone, (2) the consideration relates solely to past performance and (3) the consideration is
reasonable relative to all of the deliverables and payment terms within the arrangement. The Company evaluates factors such as the scientific,
clinical, regulatory, commercial, and other risks that must be overcome to achieve the particular milestone and the level of effort and
investment required to achieve the particular milestone in making this assessment. There is considerable judgment involved in determining
whether a milestone satisfies all of the criteria required to conclude that a milestone is substantive. Milestones that are not considered
substantive are recognized as earned if there are no remaining performance obligations or over the remaining period of performance, assuming
all other revenue recognition criteria are met.
(iv) Royalties and Profit Sharing Payments
Under the collaborative agreement with the collaboration
partners, the Company is entitled to receive royalties on sales of products, which is at certain percentage of the net sales. The Company
recognizes revenue from these events based on the revenue recognition criteria set forth in ASC 606. Based on those criteria, the Company
considers these payments to be contingent revenues, and recognizes them as revenue in the period in which the applicable contingency
is resolved.
Revenues Derived from Research and Development
Activities Services — Revenues related to research and development and regulatory activities are recognized when the related services
or activities are performed, in accordance with the contract terms. The Company typically has only one performance obligation at the
inception of a contract, which is to perform research and development services. The Company may also provide its customers with an option
to request that the Company provides additional goods or services in the future, such as active pharmaceutical ingredient, API, or IND/NDA/ANDA/510K
submissions. The Company evaluates whether these options are material rights at the inception of the contract. If the Company determines
an option is a material right, the Company will consider the option a separate performance obligation.
If the Company is entitled to reimbursement from
its customers for specified research and development expenses, the Company accounts for the related services that it provides as separate
performance obligations if it determines that these services represent a material right. The Company also determines whether the reimbursement
of research and development expenses should be accounted for as revenues or an offset to research and development expenses in accordance
with provisions of gross or net revenue presentation. The Company recognizes the corresponding revenues or records the corresponding
offset to research and development expenses as it satisfies the related performance obligations.
The Company then determines the transaction price
by reviewing the amount of consideration the Company is eligible to earn under the contracts, including any variable consideration. Under
the outstanding contracts, consideration typically includes fixed consideration and variable consideration in the form of potential milestone
payments. At the start of an agreement, the Company’s transaction price usually consists of the payments made to or by the Company
based on the number of full-time equivalent researchers assigned to the project and the related research and development expenses incurred.
The Company does not typically include any payments that the Company may receive in the future in its initial transaction price because
the payments are not probable. The Company would reassess the total transaction price at each reporting period to determine if the Company
should include additional payments in the transaction price.
The Company receives payments from its customers
based on billing schedules established in each contract. Upfront payments and fees may be recorded as advance from customers upon receipt
or when due, and may require deferral of revenue recognition to a future period until the Company performs its obligations under these
arrangements. Amounts are recorded as accounts receivable when the right of the Company to consideration is unconditional. The Company
does not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component if the expectation at contract inception is such that the period
between payment by the customers and the transfer of the promised goods or services to the customers will be one year or less.
53
Examples of collaborative agreements the Company
has entered into are as follows:
Collaborative agreements with BHK
(i) In
February and December of 2015, BioLite, Inc. entered into a total of three joint venture
agreements with BioHopeKing to jointly develop ABV-1501 for Triple Negative Breast Cancer
(TNBC), ABV-1504 for MDD and ABV-1505 for ADHD. The agreements granted marketing rights to
BioHopeKing for certain Asian countries in return for a series of milestone payments totaling
$10 million in cash and equity of BioHopeKing or equity securities owned by BioHopeKing.
The milestone payments are determined by a schedule
of BioLite development achievements as shown below:
Milestone
Payment
Execution of BHK Co-Development Agreement
$ 1,000,000
Investigational New Drug (IND) Submission
$ 1,000,000
Phase II Clinical Trial Complete
$ 1,000,000
Initiation of Phase III Clinical Trial
$ 3,000,000
New Drug Application (NDA) Submission
$ 4,000,000
Total
$ 10,000,000
(ii) In
December of 2015, BHK paid the initial cash payment of $1 million upon the execution of the
BHK Agreement. The Company concluded that certain deliverables are considered separate units
of accounting as the delivered items have value to the customer on a standalone basis and
recognized this cash payment as collaboration revenue when all research, technical, and development
data was delivered to BHK in 2015. The payment included compensation for past research efforts
and contributions made by BioLite Taiwan before the BHK agreement was signed and does not
relate to any future commitments made by BioLite Taiwan and BHK in the BHK Agreement.
(iii) In
August 2016, the Company received the second milestone payment of $1 million, and recognized
collaboration revenue for the year ended December 31, 2016. As of March 31, 2022, the Company
had completed the phase II clinical trial for ABV-1504 MDD on October 31, 2019, but has not
yet completed the phase II clinical trial for ABV-1505 ADHD.
(iv) In
addition to the milestone payments, BioLite Taiwan is entitled to receive a royalty equal
to 12% of BHK’s net sales related to ABV-1501, ABV-1504 and ABV-1505 Products. As of
March 31, 2022, the Company has not earned royalties under the BHK Co-Development Agreement.
(v) The
BHK Co-Development Agreement will remain in effect for fifteen years from the date of first
commercial sale of the Product in in Asia excluding Japan.
Co-Development agreement with Rgene Corporation,
a related party
On May 26, 2017, the Company entered into a co-development
agreement (the “Rgene Agreement”) with Rgene Corporation (the “Rgene”), a related party under common control
by the controlling beneficiary shareholder of YuanGene Corporation and the Company (See Note 12). Pursuant to the Rgene Agreement, BriVision
and Rgene agreed to co-develop and commercialize ABV-1507 HER2/neu Positive Breast Cancer Combination Therapy, ABV-1703 Pancreatic Cancer
Combination Therapy and ABV-1527 Ovary Cancer Combination Therapy. Under the terms of the Rgene Agreement, Rgene is required to pay
the Company $3,000,000 in cash or stock of Rgene with equivalent value by August 15, 2017 as compensation of BriVision’s past research
efforts and contributions made by BriVision before the Rgene Agreement was executed. The payment does not relate to any future milestones
attained by BriVision. In addition to $3,000,000, the Company is entitled to receive 50% of the future net licensing income or net sales
profit earned by Rgene. All development costs shall be equally shared by both BriVision and Rgene.
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On June 1, 2017, the Company delivered all research,
technical data and development data to Rgene pursuant to the Rgene Agreement in return for a cash payment of $450,000 and 1,530,000 common
shares of Rgene stock valued at $2,550,000, which in 2018 was accounted for using the equity method long-term investment. On December
31, 2018, the Company determined to fully write off this investment based on the Company’s assessment of the severity and duration
of the impairment, and qualitative and quantitative analysis of the operating performance of the investee, adverse changes in market
conditions, the regulatory or economic environment, changes in operating structure of Rgene, additional funding requirements and Rgene’s
ability to remain in business. All research projects that were initiated will be managed and funded equally by the Company and Rgene.
The Company and Rgene signed an amendment to
the Rgene Agreement on November 10, 2020, pursuant to which both parties agreed to delete AB-1507 HER2/neu Positive Breast Cancer Combination
Therapy and AB-1527 Ovary Cancer Combination Therapy and add ABV-1519 EGFR Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Combination Therapy and
ABV-1526 Large Intestine / Colon / Rectal Cancer Combination Therapy to the products to be co-developed and commercialized. Other provisions
of the Rgene Agreement remain in full force and effect.
Collaborative agreement with BioFirst Corporation,
a related party
On July 24, 2017, the Company entered into a
collaborative agreement (the “BioFirst Agreement”) with BioFirst Corporation, a corporation incorporated under the laws of
Taiwan (“BioFirst”), pursuant to which BioFirst granted the Company global licensing rights to medical use of ABV-1701 Vitreous
Substitute for Vitrectomy. BioFirst is a related party to the Company because a controlling beneficiary shareholder of YuanGene Corporation
and the Company is a Director and shareholders of BioFirst (See Note 12).
Pursuant to the BioFirst Agreement, the Company
and BioFirst will co-develop and commercialize BFC-1401. The Company will pay BioFirst a total amount of $3,000,000 in cash or stock
of the Company before September 30, 2018 as payment in full for BioFirst’s past research efforts and contributions made by BioFirst
before the BioFirst Agreement was executed. The Company is entitled to receive 50% of any future net licensing revenue or net profit
associated with Vitargus®. All development cost will be equally shared by both BriVision and BioFirst.
On September 25, 2017, BioFirst delivered all
research, technical, data and development data to the Company. For the year ended September 30, 2017, the Company determined to fully
expense the entire amount of $3,000,000 since the related licensing rights do not have alternative future uses. According to ASC 730-10-25-1,
absent alternative future uses the acquisition of product rights to be used in research and development activities must be charged to
research and development expenses immediately. Hence, the entire amount of $3,000,000 is fully expensed as research and development expense
during the year ended September 30, 2017.
On June 30, 2019, the Company entered into a
Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with BioFirst. Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company issued
428,571 shares of the Company’s common stock to BioFirst as payment for $3,000,000 owed by the Company to BioFirst in connection
with the BioFirst Agreement.
On August 5, 2019, the Company entered into a
second Stock Purchase Agreement with BioFirst whereby the Company issued 414,702 shares of the Company’s common stock to BioFirst
as repayment in full for a loan in the amount of $2,902,911 provided to BriVision from BioFirst.
On November 4, 2020, the Company executed an
amendment to the BioFirst Agreement with BioFirst to add ABV-2001 Intraocular Irrigation Solution and ABV-2002 Corneal Storage Solution
to the agreement. ABV-2002 is utilized during a corneal transplant procedure to replace a damaged or diseased cornea while ABV-2001 has
broader utilization during a variety of ocular procedures.
Initially the Company will focus on ABV-2002,
a solution utilized to store a donor cornea prior to either penetrating keratoplasty (full thickness cornea transplant) or endothelial
keratoplasty (back layer cornea transplant). ABV-2002 is a solution comprised of a specific poly amino acid that protects ocular tissue
from damage caused by external osmolarity exposure during pre-surgery storage. The specific polymer in ABV-2002 can adjust osmolarity
to maintain a range of 330 to 390 mOsM thereby permitting hydration within the corneal stroma during the storage period. Stromal hydration
results in (a) maintaining acceptable corneal transparency and (b) prevents donor cornea swelling. ABV-2002 also contains an abundant
phenolic phytochemical found in plant cell walls that provides antioxidant antibacterial properties and neuroprotection.
55
Early testing by BioFirst indicates that ABV-2002
may be more effective for protecting the cornea and retina during long-term storage than other storage media available today and can
be manufactured at lower cost. Categorized as a lower risk Class I Medical Device, the Company intends to submit a Premarket Notification
510(K) submission to the FDA before the end of 2021 to demonstrate the device is at least as safe and effective as current products on
the market.
Co-Development agreement with BioLite Japan
K.K.
On October 6, 2021 (the “ Completion
Date ”), the Company, Lucidaim Co., Ltd., a Japanese corporation (“ Lucidaim ,” together with the Company,
the “ Shareholders ”), and BioLite Japan K.K., a Japanese corporation (“ Biolite” ) entered into a
Joint Venture Agreement (the “ Agreement ”). Biolite is a private limited company (a Japanese Kabushiki Kaisha )
incorporated on December 18, 2018 and at the date of the Agreement has 10,000 ordinary shares authorized, with 3,049 ordinary shares
issued and outstanding (the “ Ordinary Shares ”). Immediately prior to the execution of the Agreement, Lucidaim owned
1,501 ordinary shares and the Company owned the 1,548 ordinary shares. The Shareholders entered into the joint venture to formally reduce
to writing their desire to invest in and operate Biolite as a joint venture. The business of the joint venture shall be the research
and development of drugs, medical device and digital media, investment, fund running and consulting, distribution and marketing of supplements
carried on by Biolite and its subsidiaries in Japan, or any other territory or businesses as may from time to time be agreed by an amendment
to the Agreement. The closing of the transaction is conditioned upon the approval and receipt of all necessary government approvals,
which have been received.
Pursuant to the Agreement and the related share
transfer agreement, the Company shall transfer 54 of its Ordinary Shares to Lucidaim for no consideration, such that following the transfer,
Lucidaim shall own 1,555 Ordinary Shares (51%) and the Company shall own 1,494 Ordinary Shares (49%). Also pursuant to the Agreement,
there shall be 3 directors of Biolite, consisting of 1 director appointed by the Company and 2 appointed by Lucidiam. The Company shall
appoint Eugene Jiang, the Company’s current Chairman and Chief Business Officer and Lucidaim shall appoint Michihito Onishi; the
current director of Biolite, Toru Seo (who is also a director of BioLite Japan’s other shareholder), is considered the second Lucidaim
director. The Agreement further provides that the Company and Biolite shall assign the research collaboration and license agreement between
them to Biolite or prepare the same (the “ License Agreement ”). The aforementioned transactions occurred on the Completion
Date.
As per the Agreement, the Shareholders shall
supervise and manage the business and operations of Biolite. The directors shall not be entitled to any renumeration for their services
as a director and each Shareholder can remove and replace the director he/she/it appointed. If a Shareholder sells or disposes of all
of its Ordinary Shares, the director such Shareholder appointed must tender his/her resignation. The Agreement also sets forth certain
corporate actions that must be pre-approved by all Shareholders (the “ Reserved Matters ”). If the Shareholders are
unable to make a decision on any Reserved Matter, then either Shareholder can submit a deadlock notice to the other shareholder, 5 days
after which they must refer the matter to each Shareholder’s chairman and use good faith to resolve the dispute. If such dispute
is not resolved within 10 days thereafter, then either Shareholder can offer to buy all of the other Shareholder’s Ordinary Shares
for cash at a specified price; if there is not affirmative acceptance of the sale, the sale shall proceed as set forth in the sale offer.
Each of the Shareholders maintains a pre-emptive
right to purchase such number of additional Ordinary Shares as would allow such Shareholder to maintain its ownership percentage in Biolite
if Biolite issues any new Ordinary Shares. However, the Agreement provides that the Company shall lose its pre-emptive rights under certain
conditions. The Shareholders also maintain a right of first refusal if the other Shareholder receives an offer to buy such shareholder’s
Ordinary Shares.
The Agreement also requires Biolite to obtain
a bank facility in the amount of JPY 30,460,000 (approximately USD272,000), for its initial working capital purposes. Pursuant to the
Agreement, each Shareholder agrees to guarantee such bank facility if the bank requires a guarantee. Accordingly, the Company may be
liable for the bank facility in an amount up to JPY 14,925,400 (approximately USD134,000), which represents 49% of the maximum bank facility.
The Agreement further provides that Biolite shall issue annual dividends at the rate of at least 1.5% of Biolite’s profits, if
it has sufficient cash to do so.
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Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company and Biolite
agree to use their best efforts to execute the License Agreement by the end of December 2021. The Company agreed that any negotiation
on behalf of Biolite regarding the terms of the License Agreement shall be handled by the directors appointed by Lucidaim. If the Company
and such Lucidaim directors do not reach agreement on the terms, Biolite may at its sole discretion determine not to execute the License
Agreement without any liability to the Company.
The Agreement contains non-solicitation and non-compete
clauses for a period of 2 years after a Shareholder or its subsidiaries ceases to be a Shareholder, with such restrictive covenants limited
to business within the ophthalmologic filed or central neurological field. Any rights to intellectual property that arise from Biolite’s
activities, shall belong to Biolite.
The Agreement contains standard indemnification
terms, except that no indemnifying party shall have any liability for an individual liability unless it exceeds JPY 500,000 (approximately
USD4,500) and until the aggregate amount of all liabilities exceeds JPY 2,000,000 (approximately USD18,000) and then only to the extent
such liability exceed such limit.
The Company paid $150,000 towards the setup of
the joint venture; BioLite Japan’s other shareholder also paid $150,000 after the Letter of Intent was signed.
The Agreement shall continue for 10 years, unless
earlier terminated. The Agreement also allows a Shareholder to terminate the agreement upon certain defaults committed by another Shareholder,
as set forth in the Agreement.
This was a related party transaction.
In November 2021, the Company received $4,244,452 in gross proceeds
from the exercise of warrants issued in the Company’s August 3, 2021, public offering of securities. Investors exercised a total
of 673,405 Series A warrants at a price of $6.30 per share, and 200 Series B warrants at a price of $10 per share.
Agreement with
BioLite, Inc.
The Company entered
into a Collaborative Agreement with BioLite, Inc., a company incorporated under the laws of Taiwan, and a subsidiary of the Company,
(“BioLite”) on December 29, 2015, and then entered into two addendums to such agreement (as amended and revised, (the “Agreement”).
The majority shareholder of BioLite is one of the Company’s subsidiaries, the Company’s Chairman is a director of BioLite
and Dr. Jiang, the Company’s Chief Strategy Officer and a director, is the Chairman of BioLite.
Pursuant to the Agreement,
the Company acquired the sole licensing rights to develop and commercialize for therapeutic purposes six compounds from BioLite. In accordance
with the terms of the Agreement, the Company shall pay BioLite (i) milestone payments of up to $100 million in cash and equity of the
Company or equity securities owned by it at various stages on a schedule dictated by BioLite’s achievements of certain milestones,
as set forth in the Agreement (the “Milestone Payments”) and (ii) a royalty payment equal to 5% of net sales of the drug
products when ABV-1501 is approved for sale in the licensed territories. If BioLite fails to reach any of the milestones in a timely
manner, it may not receive the rest of the payments from the Company. According to the Agreement, after Phase II clinical trials are
completed, 15% of the Milestone Payment becomes due and shall be paid in two stages: (i) 5% no later than December 31, 2021 (the “December
2021 Payment”) and (ii) 10% no later than December 31, 2022. On February 12, 2022, the Company’s Board of Directors determined
that the December 2021 Payment, which is equal to $5,000,000, shall be paid via the cancellation of certain outstanding debt, in the
amount of $5,000,000, that BioLite owes the Company as of December 31, 2021. On February 22, 2022, the parties entered into an amendment
to the Agreement allowing the Company to make all payments due under the Agreement via the forgiveness of debt, in equal value, owed
by BioLite to the Company.
57
This was a related party
transaction and was conducted at arm’s length. In addition to the Company’s board of directors approving the modification
of terms of the Agreement, the Company’s audit committee approved them too. The Board believes it is in the Company’s best
interest to cancel outstanding debt and apply it to the December 2021 Payment.
Following such approval,
the Company and BioLite entered into an amendment to the Agreement reflecting the modified payment method.
BioKey Revenues
In addition to collaborative agreements, ABVC
earns revenue through its wholly owned BioKey subsidiary which provides a wide range of Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization
(“CDMO”) services including API characterization, pre-formulation studies, formulation development, analytical method development,
stability studies, IND/NDA/ANDA/510K submissions, and manufacturing clinical trial materials (from Phase I through Phase III) and commercial
manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.
In addition, BioKey provides a variety of regulatory
services tailored to the needs of its customers, which include proofreading and regulatory review of submission documents related to
formulation development, clinical trials, marketed products, generics, nutraceuticals and OTC products and training presentations. In
addition to supporting ABVC’s new drug development, BioKey submits INDs, NDAs, ANDAs, and DMFs to the FDA, on ABVC’s behalf
in compliance with new electronic submission guidelines of the FDA.
Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization
declared the coronavirus outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” and on March 10, 2020, declared it
to be a pandemic. Actions taken around the world to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus include restrictions on travel, and quarantines
in certain areas, and forced closures for certain types of public places and businesses. The coronavirus and actions taken to mitigate
it have had and are expected to continue to have an adverse impact on the economies and financial markets of many countries, including
the geographical area in which the Company operates. While the closures and limitations on movement, domestically and internationally,
are expected to be temporary, if the outbreak continues on its current trajectory the duration of the supply chain disruption could reduce
the availability, or result in delays, of materials or supplies to and from the Company, which in turn could materially interrupt the
Company’s business operations. Given the speed and frequency of the continuously evolving developments with respect to this pandemic,
the Company cannot reasonably estimate the magnitude of the impact to its consolidated results of operations. We have taken every precaution
possible to ensure the safety of our employees.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our revenue for
the fiscal 2020 and 2021 were significantly impacted. As we have not seen a stronger signal to indicate that overall global economies
will be back to normal in the first half of fiscal 2022, our business’s overall revenue stream may be impacted further until the
restrictions of COVID-19 can be released, after which we expect the Company can resume normal operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic, including variants,
has adversely affected, and is expected to continue to adversely affect, elements of our CDMO business sector. The COVID-19 pandemic
government imposed restrictions constrained researcher access to labs globally. These constraints limited scientific discovery capacity
and we observed that demand in those labs fell well below historic levels. As constraints on social distancing were gradually lifted
around the world recently, labs have been able to increase research activity. While we believe that underlying demand is still not yet
at pre-COVID-19 levels since lab operations remain below their normal capacity, we are hopeful that the vaccination programs
that are underway combined with policy changes planned for the summer will further increase research activity and support a return to pre-COVID-19 demand
levels worldwide.
The global pandemic of COVID-19 continues to
evolve rapidly, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely, including its potential effect on our plans and timelines.
Additionally, it is reasonably possible that
estimates made in the financial statements have been, or will be, materially and adversely impacted in the near term as a result of these
conditions, including losses on inventory; impairment losses related to goodwill and other long-lived assets and current obligations.
58
Summary of Critical Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements
have been prepared in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (the “U.S. GAAP”).
All significant intercompany transactions and account balances have been eliminated.
This basis of accounting involves the application
of accrual accounting and consequently, revenues and gains are recognized when earned, and expenses and losses are recognized when incurred.
The Company’s financial statements are expressed in U.S. dollars.
Fiscal Year
The Company changed its fiscal year from the
period beginning on October 1st and ending on September 30th to the period beginning on January 1st and ending on December 31st, beginning
January 1, 2018. All references herein to a fiscal year prior to December 31, 2017 refer to the twelve months ended September 30th of
such year.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated
financial statements and the amount of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ materially from
those results.
Inventory
Inventory consists of raw materials, work-in-process,
finished goods, and merchandise. Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market and valued on a moving weighted average cost basis.
Market is determined based on net realizable value. The Company periodically reviews the age and turnover of its inventory to determine
whether any inventory has become obsolete or has declined in value, and incurs a charge to operations for known and anticipated inventory
obsolescence.
Forward Stock Split
On March 21, 2016, the Board of Directors of
the Company approved an amendment to Articles of Incorporation to effect a forward split at a ratio of 1 to 3.141 and increase the number
of our authorized shares of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, to 360,000,000, which was effective on April 8, 2016.
Stock Reverse Split
On March 12, 2019, the Board of Directors of
the Company by unanimous written consent in lieu of a meeting approved to i) effect a stock reverse split at the ratio of 1-for-18 (the
“Reverse Split”) of both the authorized common stock of the Company (the “Common Stock”) and the issued and outstanding
Common Stock and ii) to amend the articles of incorporation of the Company to reflect the Reverse Split. The Board approved and authorized
the Reverse Split without obtaining approval of the Company’s shareholders pursuant to Section 78.207 of Nevada Revised Statutes.
On May 3, 2019, the Company filed a certificate of amendment to the Company’s articles of incorporation (the “Amendment”)
to effect the Reverse Split with the Secretary of State of Nevada. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”)
informed the Company that the Reverse Split was effective on May 8, 2019. All shares and related financial information in this Form 10-Q
reflect this 1-for-18 reverse stock split.
59
Fair Value Measurements
FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements”
defines fair value for certain financial and nonfinancial assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value, establishes a framework
for measuring fair value and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. It requires that an entity measure its financial instruments
to base fair value on exit price, maximize the use of observable units and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to determine the exit
price. It establishes a hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. This hierarchy increases
the consistency and comparability of fair value measurements and related disclosures by maximizing the use of observable inputs and minimizing
the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that reflect
the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the assets or liabilities based on market data obtained from sources independent
of the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants
would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. The hierarchy prioritizes
the inputs into three broad levels based on the reliability of the inputs as follows:
● Level
1 - Inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access at the
measurement date. Valuation of these instruments does not require a high degree of judgment as the valuations are based on quoted prices
in active markets that are readily and regularly available.
● Level
2 - Inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable as of the measurement date, such
as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable
or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.
● Level
3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and not corroborated by market data. The fair value for such assets and liabilities
is generally determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques that incorporate the assumptions
a market participant would use in pricing the asset or liability.
The carrying values of certain assets and liabilities
of the Company, such as cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, due from related parties, inventory, prepaid
expenses and other current assets, accounts payable, accrued liabilities, and due to related parties approximate fair value due to their
relatively short maturities. The carrying value of the Company’s short-term bank loan, convertible notes payable, and accrued interest
approximates their fair value as the terms of the borrowing are consistent with current market rates and the duration to maturity is
short. The carrying value of the Company’s long-term bank loan approximates fair value because the interest rates approximate market
rates that the Company could obtain for debt with similar terms and maturities.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers highly liquid investments with maturities of
three months or less, when purchased, to be cash equivalents. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company’s cash and
cash equivalents amounted $2,717,936 and $5,828,548, respectively. Some of the Company’s cash deposits are held in financial institutions
located in Taiwan where there is currently regulation mandated on obligatory insurance of bank accounts. The Company believes this financial
institution is of high credit quality.
Restricted Cash Equivalents
Restricted cash equivalents primarily consist
of cash held in a reserve bank account in Taiwan. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company’s restricted cash equivalents
amounted $714,652 and $736,667, respectively.
Concentration of Credit Risk
The Company’s financial instruments that
are exposed to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents. The Company places its cash and temporary
cash investments in high quality credit institutions, but these investments may be in excess of Taiwan Central Deposit Insurance Corporation
and the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s insurance limits. The Company does not enter into financial instruments for
hedging, trading or speculative purposes.
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Revenue Recognition
During the fiscal year 2018, the Company adopted
Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”), Topic 606 (ASC 606), Revenue from Contracts with Customers, using the modified
retrospective method to all contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018, and applying the new revenue standard as an adjustment
to the opening balance of accumulated deficit at the beginning of 2018 for the cumulative effect. The results for the Company’s
reporting periods beginning on and after January 1, 2018 are presented under ASC 606, while prior period amounts are not adjusted and
continue to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the prior period. Based on the Company’s review of existing
collaborative agreements as of January 1, 2018, the Company concluded that the adoption of the new guidance did not have a significant
change on the Company’s revenue during all periods presented.
Pursuant to ASC 606, the Company recognizes revenue
when its customer obtains control of promised goods or services, in an amount that reflects the consideration that the Company expects
to receive in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition for arrangements that the Company determines is
within the scope of ASC 606, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify
the performance obligations in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance
obligations in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation. The Company only
applies the five-step model to contracts when it is probable that the Company will collect the consideration the Company is entitled
to in exchange for the goods or services the Company transfers to the customers. At inception of the contract, once the contract is determined
to be within the scope of ASC 606, the Company assesses the goods or services promised within each contract, determines those that are
performance obligations, and assesses whether each promised good or service is distinct. The Company then recognizes as revenue the amount
of the transaction price that is allocated to the respective performance obligation when (or as) the performance obligation is satisfied.
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment is carried at cost net
of accumulated depreciation. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Expenditures that improve the functionality of the related
asset or extend the useful life are capitalized. When property and equipment is retired or otherwise disposed of, the related gain or
loss is included in operating income. Leasehold improvements are depreciated on the straight-line method over the shorter of the remaining
lease term or estimated useful life of the asset. Depreciation is calculated on the straight-line method, including property and equipment
under capital leases, generally based on the following useful lives:
Estimated Life
in Years
Buildings and
leasehold improvements
5 ~ 50
Machinery and equipment
5 ~ 10
Office equipment
3 ~ 6
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
The Company has adopted Accounting Standards
Codification subtopic 360-10, Property, Plant and Equipment (“ASC 360-10”). ASC 360-10 requires that long-lived assets and
certain identifiable intangibles held and used by the Company be reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company evaluates its long-lived assets for impairment annually
or more often if events and circumstances warrant. Events relating to recoverability may include significant unfavorable changes in business
conditions, recurring losses, or a forecasted inability to achieve break-even operating results over an extended period. Should impairment
in value be indicated, the carrying value of intangible assets will be adjusted, based on estimates of future discounted cash flows resulting
from the use and ultimate disposition of the asset. ASC 360-10 also requires assets to be disposed of be reported at the lower of the
carrying amount or the fair value less costs to sell.
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Long-term Equity Investment
The Company acquires the equity investments to
promote business and strategic objectives. The Company accounts for non-marketable equity and other equity investments for which the
Company does not have control over the investees as:
● Equity
method investments when the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over the investee. Its proportionate
share of the income or loss is recognized monthly and is recorded in gains (losses) on equity investments.
● Non-marketable
cost method investments when the equity method does not apply.
Significant judgment is required to identify
whether an impairment exists in the valuation of the Company’s non-marketable equity investments, and therefore the Company considers
this a critical accounting estimate. Its yearly analysis considers both qualitative and quantitative factors that may have a significant
impact on the investee’s fair value. Qualitative analysis of its investments involves understanding the financial performance and
near-term prospects of the investee, changes in general market conditions in the investee’s industry or geographic area, and the
management and governance structure of the investee. Quantitative assessments of the fair value of its investments are developed using
the market and income approaches. The market approach includes the use of comparable financial metrics of private and public companies
and recent financing rounds. The income approach includes the use of a discounted cash flow model, which requires significant estimates
regarding the investees’ revenue, costs, and discount rates. The Company’s assessment of these factors in determining whether
an impairment exists could change in the future due to new developments or changes in applied assumptions.
Other-Than-Temporary Impairment
The Company’s long-term equity investments
are subject to a periodic impairment review. Impairments affect earnings as follows:
● Marketable
equity securities include the consideration of general market conditions, the duration and extent to which the fair value is below cost,
and our ability and intent to hold the investment for a sufficient period of time to allow for recovery of value in the foreseeable future.
The Company also considers specific adverse conditions related to the financial health of, and the business outlook for, the investee,
which may include industry and sector performance, changes in technology, operational and financing cash flow factors, and changes in
the investee’s credit rating. The Company records other-than-temporary impairments on marketable equity securities and marketable
equity method investments in gains (losses) on equity investments.
● Non-marketable
equity investments based on the Company’s assessment of the severity and duration of the impairment, and qualitative and quantitative
analysis of the operating performance of the investee; adverse changes in market conditions and the regulatory or economic environment;
changes in operating structure or management of the investee; additional funding requirements; and the investee’s ability to remain
in business. A series of operating losses of an investee or other factors may indicate that a decrease in value of the investment has
occurred that is other than temporary and that shall be recognized even though the decrease in value is in excess of what would otherwise
be recognized by application of the equity method. A loss in value of an investment that is other than a temporary decline shall be recognized.
Evidence of a loss in value might include, but would not necessarily be limited to, absence of an ability to recover the carrying amount
of the investment or inability of the investee to sustain an earnings capacity that would justify the carrying amount of the investment.
The Company records other-than-temporary impairments for non-marketable cost method investments and equity method investments in gains
(losses) on equity investments. Other-than-temporary impairments of equity investments were $0 and $0 for the year ended December 31,
2021 and 2020, respectively.
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Goodwill
The Company evaluates goodwill for impairment
annually or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. In
testing goodwill for impairment, the Company may elect to utilize a qualitative assessment to evaluate whether it is more likely than
not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If the qualitative assessment indicates that goodwill impairment
is more likely than not, the Company performs a two-step impairment test. The Company tests goodwill for impairment under the two-step
impairment test by first comparing the book value of net assets to the fair value of the reporting units. If the fair value is determined
to be less than the book value or qualitative factors indicate that it is more likely than not that goodwill is impaired, a second step
is performed to compute the amount of impairment as the difference between the estimated fair value of goodwill and the carrying value.
The Company estimates the fair value of the reporting units using discounted cash flows. Forecasts of future cash flows are based on
our best estimate of future net sales and operating expenses, based primarily on expected category expansion, pricing, market segment
share, and general economic conditions.
The Company completed the required testing of goodwill for impairment
as of March 31, 2022, and determined that goodwill was impaired because of the current financial condition of the Company and the Company’s
inability to generate future operating income without substantial sales volume increases, which are highly uncertain. Furthermore, the
Company anticipates future cash flows indicate that the recoverability of goodwill is not reasonably assured.
Research and Development Expenses
The Company accounts for the cost of using licensing
rights in research and development cost according to ASC Topic 730-10-25-1. This guidance provides that absent alternative future uses
the acquisition of product rights to be used in research and development activities must be charged to research and development expenses
when incurred.
The Company accounts for R&D costs in accordance
with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 730, Research and Development (“ASC 730”). Research and development
expenses are charged to expense as incurred unless there is an alternative future use in other research and development projects or otherwise.
Research and development expenses are comprised of costs incurred in performing research and development activities, including personnel-related
costs, facilities-related overhead, and outside contracted services including clinical trial costs, manufacturing and process development
costs for both clinical and preclinical materials, research costs, and other consulting services. Non-refundable advance payment for
goods and services that will be used in future research and development activities are expensed when the activity has been performed
or when the goods have been received rather than when the payment is made. In instances where the Company enters into agreements with
third parties to provide research and development services, costs are expensed as services are performed.
Post-retirement and post-employment benefits
The Company’s subsidiaries in Taiwan adopted
the government mandated defined contribution plan pursuant to the Labor Pension Act (the “Act”) in Taiwan. Such labor regulations
require that the rate of contribution made by an employer to the Labor Pension Fund per month shall not be less than 6% of the worker’s
monthly salaries. Pursuant to the Act, the Company makes monthly contribution equal to 6% of employees’ salaries to the employees’
pension fund. The Company has no legal obligation for the benefits beyond the contributions made. The total amounts for such employee
benefits, which were expensed as incurred, were $3,337 and $2,503 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Other
than the above, the Company does not provide any other post-retirement or post-employment benefits.
Stock-based Compensation
The Company measures expense associated with all
employee stock-based compensation awards using a fair value method and recognizes such expense in the consolidated financial statements
on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 “Compensation-Stock Compensation”.
Total employee stock-based compensation expenses were $0 and $0 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021.
The Company accounted for stock-based compensation
to non-employees in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 “Compensation-Stock Compensation” and FASB ASC Topic 505-50 “Equity-Based
Payments to Non-Employees” which requires that the cost of services received from non-employees is measured at fair value at the
earlier of the performance commitment date or the date service is completed and recognized over the period the service is provided. Total
non-employee stock-based compensation expenses were $4,692,003 and $225,740 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
63
Beneficial Conversion Feature
From time to time, the Company may issue convertible
notes that may contain an imbedded beneficial conversion feature. A beneficial conversion feature exists on the date a convertible note
is issued when the fair value of the underlying common stock to which the note is convertible into is in excess of the remaining unallocated
proceeds of the note after first considering the allocation of a portion of the note proceeds to the fair value of the warrants, if related
warrants have been granted. The intrinsic value of the beneficial conversion feature is recorded as a debt discount with a corresponding
amount to additional paid in capital. The debt discount is amortized to interest expense over the life of the note using the effective
interest method.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes using the
asset and liability approach which allows the recognition and measurement of deferred tax assets to be based upon the likelihood of realization
of tax benefits in future years. Under the asset and liability approach, deferred taxes are provided for the net tax effects of temporary
differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax
purposes. A valuation allowance is provided for deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not these items will expire before the
Company is able to realize their benefits, or future deductibility is uncertain.
Under ASC 740, a tax position is recognized as
a benefit only if it is “more likely than not” that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with
a tax examination being presumed to occur. The evaluation of a tax position is a two-step process. The first step is to determine whether
it is more-likely-than-not that a tax position will be sustained upon examination, including the resolution of any related appeals or
litigations based on the technical merits of that position. The second step is to measure a tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not
threshold to determine the amount of benefits recognized in the financial statements. A tax position is measured at the largest amount
of benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. Tax positions that previously failed to
meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold should be recognized in the first subsequent period in which the threshold is met.
Previously recognized tax positions that no longer meet the more-likely-than-not criteria should be de-recognized in the first subsequent
financial reporting period in which the threshold is no longer satisfied. Penalties and interest incurred related to underpayment of income
tax are classified as income tax expense in the year incurred. No significant penalty or interest relating to income taxes has been incurred
for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021. GAAP also provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties,
accounting in interim periods, disclosures and transition.
On December 22, 2017, the SEC issued Staff Accounting
Bulletin (“SAB 118”), which provides guidance on accounting for tax effects of the Tax Act. SAB 118 provides a measurement
period that should not extend beyond one year from the Tax Act enactment date for companies to complete the accounting under ASC 740.
In accordance with SAB 118, a company must reflect the income tax effects of those aspects of the Act for which the accounting under
ASC 740 is complete. To the extent that a company’s accounting for certain income tax effects of the Tax Act is incomplete but
it is able to determine a reasonable estimate, it must record a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements. If a
company cannot determine a provisional estimate to be included in the financial statements, it should continue to apply ASC 740 on the
basis of the provision of the tax laws that were in effect immediately before the enactment of the Tax Act. While the Company is able
to make reasonable estimates of the impact of the reduction in corporate rate and the deemed repatriation transition tax, the final impact
of the Tax Act may differ from these estimates, due to, among other things, changes in our interpretations and assumptions, additional
guidance that may be issued by the I.R.S., and actions the Company may take. The Company is continuing to gather additional information
to determine the final impact.
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Valuation of Deferred Tax Assets
A valuation allowance is recorded to reduce the
Company’s deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. In assessing the need for the valuation
allowance, management considers, among other things, projections of future taxable income and ongoing prudent and feasible tax planning
strategies. If the Company determines that sufficient negative evidence exists, then it will consider recording a valuation allowance
against a portion or all of the deferred tax assets in that jurisdiction. If, after recording a valuation allowance, the Company’s
projections of future taxable income and other positive evidence considered in evaluating the need for a valuation allowance prove, with
the benefit of hindsight, to be inaccurate, it could prove to be more difficult to support the realization of its deferred tax assets.
As a result, an additional valuation allowance could be required, which would have an adverse impact on its effective income tax rate
and results. Conversely, if, after recording a valuation allowance, the Company determines that sufficient positive evidence exists in
the jurisdiction in which the valuation allowance was recorded, it may reverse a portion or all of the valuation allowance in that jurisdiction.
In such situations, the adjustment made to the deferred tax asset would have a favorable impact on its effective income tax rate and
results in the period such determination was made.
Loss Per Share of Common Stock
The Company calculates net loss per share in
accordance with ASC Topic 260, “Earnings per Share”. Basic loss per share is computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted
average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted loss per share is computed similar to basic loss per share except
that the denominator is increased to include the number of additional common shares that would have been outstanding if the potential
common stock equivalents had been issued and if the additional common shares were dilutive. Diluted earnings per share excludes all dilutive
potential shares if their effect is anti-dilutive.
Commitments and Contingencies
The Company has adopted ASC Topic 450 “Contingencies”
subtopic 20, in determining its accruals and disclosures with respect to loss contingencies. Accordingly, estimated losses from loss
contingencies are accrued by a charge to income when information available before financial statements are issued or are available to
be issued indicates that it is probable that an asset had been impaired or a liability had been incurred at the date of the financial
statements and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Legal expenses associated with the contingency are expensed as incurred.
If a loss contingency is not probable or reasonably estimable, disclosure of the loss contingency is made in the financial statements
when it is at least reasonably possible that a material loss could be incurred.
Foreign-currency Transactions
For the Company’s subsidiaries in Taiwan,
the foreign-currency transactions are recorded in New Taiwan dollars (“NTD”) at the rates of exchange in effect when the
transactions occur. Gains or losses resulting from the application of different foreign exchange rates when cash in foreign currency
is converted into New Taiwan dollars, or when foreign-currency receivables or payables are settled, are credited or charged to income
in the year of conversion or settlement. On the balance sheet dates, the balances of foreign-currency assets and liabilities are restated
at the prevailing exchange rates and the resulting differences are charged to current income except for those foreign currencies denominated
investments in shares of stock where such differences are accounted for as translation adjustments under the Statements of Stockholders’
Equity (Deficit).
Translation Adjustment
The accounts of the Company’s subsidiaries
in Taiwan were maintained, and their financial statements were expressed, in New Taiwan Dollar (“NT$”). Such financial statements
were translated into U.S. Dollars (“$” or “USD”) in accordance ASC 830, “Foreign Currency Matters”,
with the NT$ as the functional currency. According to the Statement, all assets and liabilities are translated at the current exchange
rate, shareholder’s deficit are translated at the historical rates and income statement items are translated at an average exchange
rate for the period. The resulting translation adjustments are reported under other comprehensive income (loss) as a component of shareholders’
equity (deficit).
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Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06,
Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own
Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”).
ASU 2020-06 simplifies the accounting for convertible debt by eliminating the beneficial conversion and cash conversion accounting models.
Upon adoption of ASU 2020-06, convertible debt, unless issued with a substantial premium or an embedded conversion feature that is not
clearly and closely related to the host contract, will no longer be allocated between debt and equity components. This modification will
reduce the issue discount and result in less non-cash interest expense in financial statements. ASU 2020-06 also updates the earnings
per share calculation and requires entities to assume share settlement when the convertible debt can be settled in cash or shares. For
contracts in an entity’s own equity, the type of contracts primarily affected by ASU 2020-06 are freestanding and embedded features
that are accounted for as derivatives under the current guidance due to a failure to meet the settlement assessment by removing the requirements
to (i) consider whether the contract would be settled in registered shares, (ii) consider whether collateral is required to be posted,
and (iii) assess shareholder rights. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023. Early adoption is permitted,
but no earlier than fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, and only if adopted as of the beginning of such fiscal year. The
Company is currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.
In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-04, Earnings
Per Share (Topic 260), Debt — Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic
718), and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Issuer’s Accounting for Certain
Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options (“ASU 2021-04”). ASU 2021-04 provides guidance
as to how an issuer should account for a modification of the terms or conditions or an exchange of a freestanding equity-classified written
call option (i.e., a warrant) that remains classified after modification or exchange as an exchange of the original instrument for a
new instrument. An issuer should measure the effect of a modification or exchange as the difference between the fair value of the modified
or exchanged warrant and the fair value of that warrant immediately before modification or exchange and then apply a recognition model
that comprises four categories of transactions and the corresponding accounting treatment for each category (equity issuance, debt origination,
debt modification, and modifications unrelated to equity issuance and debt origination or modification). ASU 2021-04 is effective for
all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, including interim periods within those fiscal years. An entity should
apply the guidance provided in ASU 2021-04 prospectively to modifications or exchanges occurring on or after the effective date. Early
adoption is permitted for all entities, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity elects to early adopt ASU 2021-04 in an
interim period, the guidance should be applied as of the beginning of the fiscal year that includes that interim period. The Company
is currently evaluating the impact that the standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.
Estimates and Assumptions
In preparing our consolidated financial statements,
we use estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Our estimates are often based on complex judgments,
probabilities and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable, but that are inherently uncertain and unpredictable. We are also subject
to other risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ from estimated amounts.
66
Results of Operations — Three Months
Ended March 31, 2022 Compared to Three Months Ended March 31, 2021.
The following table presents, for the three months
indicated, our consolidated statements of operations information.
March 31,
2022
March 31,
2021
Revenues
$ 25,660
$ 263,150
Cost of revenues
1,896
1,245
Gross profit
23,764
261,905
Operating expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses
1,191,078
1,167,595
Research and development expenses
359,404
121,315
Stock-based compensation
4,692,003
225,740
Total operating expenses
6,242,485
1,514,650
Loss from operations
(6,218,721 )
(1,252,745 )
Other income (expense)
Interest income
40,175
52,529
Interest expense
(18,213 )
(130,229 )
Rent income
24,124
4,867
Rent income – related parties
-
1,600
Gain/Loss on foreign exchange changes
7,563
951
Gain/Loss on investment in equity securities
-
(47,791 )
Other (expense) income
(9,410 )
71
Government grant income
-
124,400
Total other income
44,239
6,398
Loss before provision income tax
(6,174,482 )
(1,246,347 )
Provision for income tax
(86,867 )
(51,024 )
Net loss
(6,087,615 )
(1,195,323 )
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
(92,175 )
(66,818 )
Net loss attributed to ABVC and subsidiaries
(5,995,440 )
(1,128,505 )
Foreign currency translation adjustment
(113,339 )
36,140
Comprehensive Loss
$ (6,108,779 )
$ (1,092,365 )
Net loss per share:
Basic and diluted
$ (0.20 )
$ (0.05 )
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic and diluted
29,683,402
24,420,526
Revenues. We generated $25,660
and $263,150 in revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease in revenues was mainly due to
the impact of COVID-19 on our CDMO business sector.
Operating Expenses. Our operating
expenses have increased by $4,727,835, or 312%, to $6,242,485 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 from $1,514,650 for the three
months ended March 31, 2021. Such increase in operating expenses was mainly attributable to the increase in stock based compensation and
selling, general and administrative expenses by 4,489,746 which relates to costs in conjunction with our recent stock issuance, as well
as the increase in research and development expenses of $238,089 to continue developing our pipeline.
67
Other Income (Expense). Our other
income was $44,239 and $6,398 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The change was principally caused by the
increase in rental income and decrease in interest expense, as well as the loss on investment in equity securities and government
grant income which occurred in the three months ended March 31, 2021.
Interest income (expense), net, was $21,962 for
the three months ended March 31, 2022, compared to $(77,700) for the three months ended March 31, 2021. The increase of $99,662, or approximately
128%, was primarily due to the repayment of convertible notes payable during the year ended 2021.
Government grant income totaled $0 for the three months ended March
31, 2022, compared to $124,400 for the three months ended March 31, 2021, which was recorded as receipt of the first round of PPP loan
forgiveness.
Net Loss. As a result of the
above factors, our net loss was $6,087,615 for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to $1,195,323 for the three months ended
March 31, 2021, representing an increase of $4,892,292, or 409%.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Working Capital
As of
March 31,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
(Unaudited)
Current Assets
$ 7,987,931
$ 9,625,120
Current Liabilities
$ 3,663,698
$ 3,692,312
Working Capital
$ 4,324,233
$ 5,932,808
Cash Flow from Operating Activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, the net cash
used in operating activities were $2,994,257 and $1,413,074, respectively. The increase in the amount used in operating activities of
$1,581,183 was primarily due to the increased amount due from related parties and non-cash stock based compensation for nonemployees,
and decreased accounts receivables, accrued expenses and other current liabilities, non-cash government grant income and increase in net
loss during the three months ended March 31, 2022.
Cash Flow from Investing Activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2022,
the net cash used in investing activities was $93,220, compared to the net cash used in investing activities of $281,952 for the three
months ended March 31, 2021. The decrease was due to the prepayment for equity investment during the three months ended March 31,
2021.
Cash Flow from Financing Activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2022,
the net cash provided by financing activities was $0, while the net cash provided by the three months ended March 31, 2021 was $42,226,
respectively. The decrease in net cash provided by financing activities was primarily because there were no proceeds from and repayment
of any loans or convertible notes during the three months ended March 31, 2022.
68
ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT
MARKET RISK.
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required
to provide the information required by this item.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.