BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. 10-K

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. An investor should carefully consider the risks described below as well as other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected, the value of our securities could decline, and investors in our company may lose all or part of their investment. Risks Related to Our Business We have a history of losses, may incur future losses and may not achieve profitability BriaCell is a development stage immune-oncology biotechnology corporation that to date has not recorded any revenues from the sale of diagnostic or therapeutic products. Since incorporation, BriaCell has accumulated net losses and expects such losses to continue as it commences product and pre-clinical development and eventually enters into license agreements for its technology. We incurred net losses of $26,838,903 and $13,816,200 in the fiscal years ended 2022 and 2021, respectively. Management expects to continue to incur substantial operating losses unless and until such time as product sales generate sufficient revenues to fund continuing operations. BriaCell has neither a history of earnings nor has it paid any dividends, and it is unlikely to pay dividends or enjoy earnings in the immediate or foreseeable future. We are an early stage development company The Company is developing novel technologies that may not be efficacious or safe. The Company expects to spend a significant amount of capital to fund research and development. As a result, the Company expects that its operating expenses will increase significantly and, consequently, it will need to generate significant revenues to become profitable. Even if the Company does become profitable, it may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. The Company cannot predict when, if ever, it will be profitable. There can be no assurances that the intellectual property of BriaCell, or other technologies it may acquire, will meet applicable regulatory standards, obtain required regulatory approvals, be capable of being produced in commercial quantities at reasonable costs, or be successfully marketed. The Company will be undertaking additional laboratory studies or trials with respect to the intellectual property of BriaCell, and there can be no assurance that the results from such studies or trials will result in a commercially viable product or will not identify unwanted side effects. There is a lack of supporting clinical data. The clinical effectiveness and safety of any of the Company’s developmental products is not yet supported by extensive clinical data and the medical community has not yet developed a large body of peer reviewed literature that supports the safety and efficacy of the Company’s products. If future studies call into question the safety or efficacy of the Company’s products, the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. We have an unproven market for our product candidates The Company believes that the anticipated market for its potential products and technologies if successfully developed will continue to exist and expand. These assumptions may prove to be incorrect for a variety of reasons, including competition from other products and the degree of commercial viability of the potential product. We may not succeed in adapting to and meeting the business needs associated with our anticipated growth Anticipated growth in all areas of BriaCell’s business is expected to continue to place a significant strain on its managerial, operational and technical resources. The Company expects operating expenses and staffing levels to increase in the future. To manage such growth, the Company must expand its operational and technical capabilities and manage its employee base while effectively administering multiple relationships with various third parties. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to manage its expanding operations effectively. Any failure to implement cohesive management and operating systems, to add resources on a cost-effective basis or to properly manage the Company’s expansion could have a material adverse effect on its business and results of operations. 40 We are heavily reliant on third-parties to carry out a large portion of our business The Company does not expect to have any in-house manufacturing, pharmaceutical development or marketing capability. To be successful, a product must be manufactured and packaged in commercial quantities in compliance with regulatory requirements and in reasonable time frames and at accepted costs. The Company intends to contract with third parties to develop its products. No assurance can be given that the Company or its suppliers will be able to meet the supply requirements in respect of the product development or commercial sales. Production of therapeutic products may require raw materials for which the sources and amount of supply are limited, or may be hindered by quality or scheduling issues in respect of the third party suppliers over which the Company has limited control. An inability to obtain adequate supplies of raw materials could significantly delay the development, regulatory approval and marketing of a product. The Company has limited in-house personnel to internally manage all aspects of product development, including the management of multi-center clinical trials. The Company is significantly reliant on third-party consultants and contractors to provide the requisite advice and management. There can be no assurance that the clinical trials and product development will not encounter delays which could adversely affect prospects for the Company’s success. To be successful, an approved product must also be successfully marketed. The market for the Company’s product being developed by the Company may be large and will require substantial sales and marketing capability. At the present time, the Company does not have any internal capability to market pharmaceutical products. The Company intends to enter into one or more strategic partnerships or collaborative arrangements with pharmaceutical companies or other companies with marketing and distribution expertise to address this need. If necessary, the Company will establish arrangements with various partners for geographical areas. There can be no assurance that the Company can market, or can enter into a satisfactory arrangement with a third party to market a product in a manner that would assure its acceptance in the marketplace. However, if a satisfactory arrangement with a third party to market and/or distribute a product is obtained; the Company will be dependent on the corporate collaborator(s) who may not devote sufficient time, resources and attention to the Company’s programs, which may hinder efforts to market the products. Should the Company not establish marketing and distribution strategic partnerships and collaborative arrangements on acceptable terms, and undertake some or all of those functions, the Company will require significant additional human and financial resources and expertise to undertake these activities, the availability of which is not guaranteed. The Company will rely on third parties for the timely supply of raw materials, equipment, contract manufacturing, and formulation or packaging services. Although the Company intends to manage these third-party relationships to ensure continuity and quality, some events beyond the Company’s control could result in complete or partial failure of these goods and services. Any such failure could have a material adverse effect on the financial conditions and result of operation of the Company. Due to the complexity of the process of developing pharmaceutical products, the Company’s business may depend on arrangements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, corporate and academic collaborators, licensors, licensees and others for the research, development, clinical testing, technology rights, manufacturing, marketing and commercialization of its products. Such agreements could obligate the Company to diligently bring potential products to market, make milestone payments and royalties that, in some instances, could be substantial, and incur the costs of filing and prosecuting patent applications. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to establish or maintain collaborations that are important to its business on favorable terms, or at all. A number of risks arise from the Company’s potential dependence on collaborative agreements with third parties. Product development and commercialization efforts could be adversely affected if any collaborative partner terminates or suspends its agreement with the Company, causes delays, fails to on a timely basis develop or manufacture in adequate quantities a substance needed in order to conduct clinical trials, fails to adequately perform clinical trials, determines not to develop, manufacture or commercialize a product to which it has rights, or otherwise fails to meet its contractual obligations. The Company’s collaborative partners could pursue other technologies or develop alternative products that could compete with the products the Company is developing. 41 The Company has signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (“ NDA ”) with many different third parties. as is customary in the industry. There is no guarantee that, despite the terms of the NDA which bind third parties, the Company will ultimately be able to prevent from such third parties from breaching their obligations under the NDA. Use of the Company’s confidential information in an unauthorized manner is likely to negatively affect the Company. Pre-clinical studies and initial clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results Pre-clinical tests and Phase I/II clinical trials are primarily designed to test safety, to study pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and to understand the side effects of product candidates at various doses and schedules. Success in pre-clinical and early clinical trials does not ensure that later large-scale efficacy trials will be successful, nor does it predict final results. Favorable results in early trials may not be repeated in later trials. A number of companies in the life sciences industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after positive results in earlier trials. Clinical results are frequently susceptible to varying interpretations that may delay, limit or prevent regulatory approvals. Negative or inconclusive results or adverse medical events during a clinical trial could cause a clinical trial to be delayed, repeated or terminated. Any pre-clinical data and the clinical results obtained for BriaCell’s technology may not predict results from studies in larger numbers of subjects drawn from more diverse populations or in the commercial setting, and also may not predict the ability of our products to achieve their intended goals, or to do so safely. An inability to obtain raw materials or product supply could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations Raw materials and supplies are generally available in quantities to meet the needs of the Company’s business. The Company will be dependent on third-party manufacturers for the pharmaceutical products that it markets An inability to obtain raw materials or product supply could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. We must obtain additional capital to continue our operations The Company anticipates that additional capital will be required to complete its current research and development programs. It is anticipated that future research, additional pre-clinical and toxicology studies and manufacturing initiatives, including to prepare for market approval and successful product market launch, will require additional funds. Further financing may dilute the current holdings of shareholders and may thereby result in a loss for the shareholders. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to obtain adequate financing, or financing on terms that are reasonable or acceptable for these or other purposes, or to fulfill the Company’s obligations under various license agreements. Failure to obtain such additional financing could result in delay or indefinite postponement of further research and development of the Company’s technologies with the possible loss of license rights to these technologies. We are highly dependent on our key personnel Although the Company is expected to have experienced senior management and personnel, the Company will be substantially dependent upon the services of a few key personnel, particularly Dr. William V. Williams, Dr. Giuseppe Del Priore, Dr. Miguel Lopez-Lago and other professionals for the successful operation of its business. Phase I of the Company’s research and development is planned to be completed by qualified professionals and is expected to concentrate on treatment of advanced breast cancer. The loss of the services of any of these personnel could have a material adverse effect on the business of the Company. The Company may not be able to attract and retain personnel on acceptable terms given the intense competition for such personnel among high technology enterprises, including biotechnology and healthcare companies, universities and non-profit research institutions. If we lose any of these persons, or are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected. 42 BriaCell in the future may acquire businesses, products or technologies that it believes complement or expand its existing business. Acquisitions of this type involve a number of risks, including the possibility that the operations of the acquired business will not be profitable or that the attention of the Company’s management will be diverted from the day-to-day operation of its business. An unsuccessful acquisition could reduce the Company’s margins or otherwise harm its financial condition. If the Company experiences a data security breach and confidential information is disclosed, the Company may be subject to penalties and experience negative publicity The Company and its customers could suffer harm if personal and health information were accessed by third parties due to a system security failure. The collection of data requires the Company to receive and store a large amount of personally identifiable data. Recently, data security breaches suffered by well-known companies and institutions have attracted a substantial amount of media attention, prompting legislative proposals addressing data privacy and security. The Company may become exposed to potential liabilities with respect to the data that it collects, manages and processes, and may incur legal costs if information security policies and procedures are not effective or if the Company is required to defend its methods of collection, processing and storage of personal data. Future investigations, lawsuits or adverse publicity relating to its methods of handling such information could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations due to the costs and negative market reaction relating to such developments. We may not succeed in completing the development of our products, commercializing our products or generating significant revenues Since commencing our operations, we have focused on the research and development and limited clinical trials of our product candidates. Our ability to generate revenues and achieve profitability depends on our ability to successfully complete the development of our products, obtain market approval and generate significant revenues. The future success of our business cannot be determined at this time, and we do not anticipate generating revenues from product sales for the foreseeable future. In addition, we face a number of challenges with respect to our future commercialization efforts, including, among others, that: ● we may not have adequate financial or other resources to complete the development of our product, including two stages of clinical development that are necessary in order to commercialize our products; ● we may not be able to manufacture our products in commercial quantities, at an adequate quality or at an acceptable cost; ● we may not be able to maintain our CE mark due to regulatory changes; ● we may never receive FDA or Health Canada approval for our intended development plans; ● we may not be able to establish adequate sales, marketing and distribution channels; ● healthcare professionals and patients may not accept our product candidates; ● technological breakthroughs in cancer detection, treatment and prevention may reduce the demand for our product candidates; ● changes in the market for cancer treatment, new alliances between existing market participants and the entrance of new market participants may interfere with our market penetration efforts; ● third-party payors may not agree to reimburse patients for any or all of the purchase price of our products, which may adversely affect patients’ willingness to purchase our product candidates; ● uncertainty as to market demand may result in inefficient pricing of our product candidates; ● we may face third-party claims of intellectual property infringement; 43 ● we may fail to obtain or maintain regulatory approvals for our products candidates in our target markets or may face adverse regulatory or legal actions relating to our product candidates even if regulatory approval is obtained; and ● we are dependent upon the results of ongoing clinical studies relating to our product candidates and the products of our competitors. We may fail in obtaining positive results. If we are unable to meet any one or more of these challenges successfully, our ability to effectively commercialize our product candidates could be limited, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If product liability lawsuits are brought against us, we may incur substantial liabilities and the commercialization of our drug candidates may be affected As our drug candidates enter clinical trials, we will face an inherent risk of product liability suits and will face an even greater risk if we obtain approval to commercialize any drugs. For example, we may be sued if our drug candidates cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable during clinical testing, manufacturing, marketing or sale. Any such product liability claims may include allegations of defects in manufacturing, defects in design, a failure to warn of dangers inherent in the drug, negligence, strict liability or a breach of warranties. Claims could also be asserted under state consumer protection acts. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we may incur substantial liabilities or be required to limit commercialization of our drug candidates. Even successful defense would require significant financial and management resources. Regardless of the merits or eventual outcome, liability claims may result in: ● decreased demand for our drugs; ● injury to our reputation; ● withdrawal of clinical trial participants and inability to continue clinical trials; ● initiation of investigations by regulators; ● costs to defend the related litigation; ● diversion of management’s time and our resources; ● substantial monetary awards to trial participants or patients; ● product recalls, withdrawals or labeling, marketing or promotional restrictions; ● loss of revenue; ● exhaustion of any available insurance and our capital resources; ● the inability to commercialize any drug candidate; and ● a decline in the price of our common shares. 44 We shall seek to obtain the appropriate insurance once our candidates are ready for clinical trial. However, our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of drugs we develop, alone or with collaborators. We currently do not have in place product liability insurance and although we plan to have in place such insurance as and when the products are ready for commercialization, as well as insurance covering clinical trials, the amount of such insurance coverage may not be adequate, we may be unable to maintain such insurance, or we may not be able to obtain additional or replacement insurance at a reasonable cost, if at all. Our insurance policies may also have various exclusions, and we may be subject to a product liability claim for which we have no coverage. We may have to pay any amounts awarded by a court or negotiated in a settlement that exceed our coverage limitations or that are not covered by our insurance, and we may not have, or be able to obtain, sufficient capital to pay such amounts. Even if our agreements with any future corporate collaborators entitle us to indemnification against losses, such indemnification may not be available or adequate should any claim arise. Additionally, we may be sued if the products that we commercialize, market or sell cause or are perceived to cause injury or are found to be otherwise unsuitable, and may result in: ● decreased demand for those products; ● damage to our reputation; ● costs incurred related to product recalls; ● limiting our opportunities to enter into future commercial partnerships; and ● a decline in the price of our common shares. We face business disruption and related risks resulting from the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which could have a material adverse effect on our business plan. The development of our product candidates could be disrupted and materially adversely affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. As a result of measures imposed by the governments in affected regions, businesses and schools have been suspended due to quarantines intended to contain this outbreak. We have enrolled, and will seek to enroll, subject to funding constraints, cancer patients in our clinical trials. In the event that clinical trial sites are slowed down or closed to enrollment in our trials, this could have a material adverse impact on our clinical trial plans and timelines. We may face difficulties recruiting or retaining patients in our ongoing and planned clinical trials if patients are affected by the virus or are fearful of visiting or traveling to our clinical trial sites because of the outbreak. We are continuing to assess our business plans and the impact COVID-19 is having on our clinical trial timelines and our ability to recruit candidates for clinical trials, but there can be no assurance that this analysis will enable us to avoid part or all of any impact from the spread of COVID-19 or its consequences, including downturns in business sentiment generally or in our sector in particular. The extent to which COVID-19 and global efforts to contain its spread will impact our operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time, and include the duration, severity and scope of the outbreak and the actions taken to contain or treat the coronavirus outbreak. We currently believe that the execution of our clinical trials and research programs are delayed by at least one quarter due to COVID-19. Global economic uncertainty and financial market volatility caused by political instability, changes in international trade relationships and conflicts, such as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, could make it more difficult for us to access financing and could adversely affect our business and operations. Our ability to raise capital is subject to the risk of adverse changes in the market value of our stock. Periods of macroeconomic weakness or recession and heightened market volatility caused by adverse geopolitical developments could increase these risks, potentially resulting in adverse impacts on our ability to raise further capital on favorable terms. The impact of geopolitical tension, such as a deterioration in the bilateral relationship between the US and China or an escalation in conflict between Russia and Ukraine, including any resulting sanctions, export controls or other restrictive actions that may be imposed by the US and/or other countries against governmental or other entities in, for example, Russia, also could lead to disruption, instability and volatility in global trade patterns, which may in turn impact our ability to source necessary reagents, raw materials and other inputs for our research and development operations. 45 We may be adversely affected by the effects of inflation. Inflation has the potential to adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial position and liquidity by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in the prices we charge our customers. The existence of inflation in the economy has the potential to result in higher interest rates and capital costs, supply shortages, increased costs of labor and other similar effects. As a result of inflation, we may experience increases in the costs of labor, materials, and other inputs, such as engineering consultants. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation, if these measures are not effective our business, results of operations, financial position and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, there could be a difference between the timing of when these beneficial actions impact our results of operations and when the cost inflation is incurred. Failure to remediate material weaknesses in internal accounting controls could result in material misstatements in our financial statements. Our management has identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting related to lack of segregation of duties within account processes, and systems, inadequate documentation to evidence the operation of controls, inconsistent procedures and approvals, lack of periodic user access reviews, lack of assessment of controls of financially significant vendors and insufficient written policies and procedures for accounting, IT and financial reporting and record keeping. Our management has concluded that, due to such material weakness, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of July 31, 2022. We have implemented remediation efforts including independent review and approval of transactions and reconciliations in some processes by hiring personnel and segregating duties amongst the team. Management is implementing processes to document and retain evidence to support reviews and reconciliations. Such changes may not, however, be effective in establishing the adequacy of our internal control over financial reporting. If the material weaknesses are not adequately remedied, or if we identify further material weaknesses in our internal controls, our failure to establish and maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting could result in material misstatements in our financial statements and a failure to meet our reporting and financial obligations, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and the trading price of our securities. In addition, investors’ perceptions that our internal control over financial reporting is inadequate or that we are unable to produce accurate financial statements may materially adversely affect the price of our securities. Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property We may not successfully develop, maintain and protect our proprietary products and technologies BriaCell’s success depends to a significant degree upon its ability to develop, maintain and protect proprietary products and technologies. BriaCell files patent applications in the United States and other countries as part of its global strategy to protect its intellectual property and maintains certain U.S. and Non-U.S. patents in its intellectual property portfolio. However, patents provide only limited protection of BriaCell’s intellectual property. The assertion of patent protection involves complex legal and factual determinations and is therefore uncertain and can be expensive. BriaCell cannot provide assurances that patents will be granted with respect to any of its pending patent applications, or that the scope of any of its granted patents, or any patents granted in the future, will be sufficiently broad to offer meaningful protection, or that it will develop and file patent applications on additional proprietary technologies that are patentable, or, if patentable, that any patents will be granted from such patent applications. BriaCell’s current or future patents could be successfully challenged, invalidated or circumvented. This could result in BriaCell’s patent rights failing to create an effective competitive barrier. Losing a significant patent or failing to get a patent to issue from a pending patent application that BriaCell considers significant could have a material adverse effect on BriaCell’s business. The laws governing the scope of patent coverage in various countries continue to evolve. The laws of some foreign countries may not protect BriaCell’s intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States. BriaCell has applied for patent protection only in selected countries. Therefore, third parties may be able to replicate BriaCell technologies covered by BriaCell’s patent portfolio in countries in which it does not have patent protection. BriaCell’s future success and competitive position depends in part upon its ability to maintain its intellectual property portfolio. There can be no assurance that any patents will be issued on any existing or future patent applications. We are susceptible to intellectual property suits that could cause us to incur substantial costs or pay substantial damages or prohibit us from selling our product candidates There is a substantial amount of litigation over patent and other intellectual property rights in the biotechnology industry. Whether or not a product infringes a patent involves complex legal and factual considerations, the determination of which is often uncertain. Our management is presently unaware of any other parties’ patents and proprietary rights which our products under development would infringe. Searches typically performed to identify potentially infringed patents of third parties are often not conclusive and, because patent applications can take many years to issue, there may be applications now pending, which may later result in issued patents which our current or future products may infringe or be alleged to infringe. In addition, our competitors or other parties may assert that our product candidates and the methods employed may be covered by patents held by them. If any of our products infringes a valid patent, we could be prevented from manufacturing or selling such product unless we are able to obtain a license or able to redesign the product in such a manner as to avoid infringement. A license may not always be available or may require us to pay substantial royalties. We also may not be successful in any attempt to redesign our product to avoid infringement, nor does a later redesign protect BriaCell from prior infringement. Infringement and other intellectual property claims, with or without merit, can be expensive and time-consuming to litigate and can divert our management’s attention from operating our business. 46 The steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property may not be adequate, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the market BriaCell’s ability to establish and maintain a competitive position may be achieved in part by prosecuting claims against others who it believes to be infringing its rights. In addition, enforcement of BriaCell’s patents in foreign jurisdictions will depend on the legal procedures in those jurisdictions. In addition to filing patent applications, we rely on confidentiality, non-compete, non-disclosure and assignment of inventions provisions, as appropriate, in our agreements with our employees, consultants, and service providers, to protect and otherwise seek to control access to, and distribution of, our proprietary information. These measures may not be adequate to protect our intellectual property from unauthorized disclosure, third-party infringement or misappropriation, for the following reasons: ● the agreements may be breached, may not provide the scope of protection we believe they provide or may be determined to be unenforceable; ● we may have inadequate remedies for any breach; ● proprietary information could be disclosed to our competitors; or ● others may independently develop substantially equivalent or superior proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets or disclose such technologies. Specifically, with respect to non-compete agreements, both state law and precedent varies greatly from state to state and we may be unable to enforce these agreements, in whole or in part, and it may be difficult for us to restrict our competitors from gaining the expertise that our former employees gained while working for us. If our intellectual property is disclosed or misappropriated, it could harm our ability to protect our rights and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may need to initiate lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, which could be expensive and, if we lose, could cause us to lose some of our intellectual property rights, which would harm our ability to compete in the market We rely on patents, confidentiality and trade secrets to protect a portion of our intellectual property and our competitive position. Patent law relating to the scope of claims in the technology fields in which we operate is still evolving and, consequently, patent positions in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry can be uncertain. In order to protect or enforce our patent rights, we may initiate patent and related litigation against third parties, such as infringement suits or requests for injunctive relief. BriaCell’s ability to establish and maintain a competitive position may be achieved in part by prosecuting claims against others who it believes to be infringing its rights. In addition, enforcement of BriaCell’s patents in foreign jurisdictions will depend on the legal procedures in those jurisdictions. Any lawsuits that we initiate could be expensive, take significant time and divert our management’s attention from other business concerns and the outcome of litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights in patents, copyrights, trade secrets or trademarks is highly unpredictable. Litigation also puts our patents at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly and our patent applications at risk of not issuing, or adversely affect its ability to distribute any products that are subject to such litigation. In addition, we may provoke third parties to assert claims against us. We may not prevail in any lawsuits that we initiate, and the damages or other remedies awarded, including attorney fees, if any, may not be commercially valuable. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may be subject to damages resulting from claims that we or our employees or contractors have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers Many of our employees and contractors were previously employed at universities or other biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, including our competitors or potential competitors. Although no claims against us are currently pending, we may be subject to claims that we or any employee or contractor have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of his or her former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we may lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. A loss of key research personnel or their work product could hamper or prevent our ability to commercialize certain therapeutic candidates, which could severely harm our business, financial condition and results of operations. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management. 47 If the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities approve generic versions of any of our products that receive marketing approval, or such authorities do not grant our products appropriate periods of exclusivity before approving generic versions of our products, the sales of our products could be adversely affected. Once a new drug application is approved, the product covered thereby becomes a “reference listed drug” in the FDA’s publication, “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations,” commonly known as the Orange Book. Manufacturers may seek approval of generic versions of reference listed drugs through submission of abbreviated new drug applications in the United States. In support of an abbreviated new drug applications, a generic manufacturer need not conduct clinical trials. Rather, the applicant generally must show that its product has the same active ingredient(s), dosage form, strength, route of administration and conditions of use or labeling as the reference listed drug and that the generic version is bioequivalent to the reference listed drug, meaning it is absorbed in the body at the same rate and to the same extent. Generic products may be significantly less costly to bring to market than the reference listed drug and companies that produce generic products are generally able to offer them at lower prices. Thus, following the introduction of a generic drug, a significant percentage of the sales of any branded product or reference listed drug is typically lost to the generic product. The FDA may not approve abbreviated new drug applications for a generic product until any applicable period of non-patent exclusivity for the reference listed drug has expired. The United States Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provides a period of five years of non-patent exclusivity for a new drug containing a new chemical entity (“ NCE ”). Specifically, in cases where such exclusivity has been granted, abbreviated new drug applications may not be submitted to the FDA until the expiration of five years, unless the submission is accompanied by a Paragraph IV certification that a patent covering the reference listed drug is either invalid or will not be infringed by the generic product, in which case the applicant may submit its application four years following approval of the reference listed drug. While we believe that our products contain active ingredients that would be treated as NCEs by the FDA and, therefore, if approved, should be afforded five years of data exclusivity, the FDA may disagree with that conclusion and may approve generic products after a period that is less than five years. If the FDA were to award NCE exclusivity to someone other than us, we believe that we would still be awarded three year “Other” exclusivity protection from generic competition, which is awarded when an application or supplement contains reports of new clinical investigations (not bioavailability studies) conducted or sponsored by an applicant and essential for approval. Manufacturers may seek to launch these generic products following the expiration of the applicable marketing exclusivity period, even if we still have patent protection for our product. If we do not maintain patent protection and data exclusivity for our product candidates, our business may be materially harmed. Competition that our products may face from generic versions of our products could materially and adversely impact our future revenue, profitability and cash flows and substantially limit our ability to obtain a return on the investments we have made in those product candidates. Patent terms may be inadequate to protect our competitive position on our product candidates for an adequate amount of time. Patents have a limited lifespan. In the United States, if all maintenance fees are timely paid, the natural expiration of a patent is generally 20 years from its earliest United States non-provisional filing date. Various extensions may be available, but the life of a patent, and the protection it affords, is limited. Even if patents covering our product candidates are obtained, once the patent life has expired, we may be open to competition from competitive products, including generics or biosimilars. Given the amount of time required for the development, testing, and regulatory review of new product candidates, patents protecting such candidates might expire before or shortly after such candidates are commercialized. As a result, our owned and licensed patent portfolio may not provide us with sufficient rights to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical to ours. 48 Risks Related to Regulations Changes in legislation and regulations may affect our revenue and profitability Existing and proposed changes in the laws and regulations affecting public companies may cause the Company to incur increased costs as the Company evaluates the implications of new rules and responds to new requirements. Failure to comply with new rules and regulations could result in enforcement actions or the assessment of other penalties. New laws and regulations could make it more difficult to obtain certain types of insurance, including director’s and officer’s liability insurance, and the Company may be forced to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage, to the extent that such coverage remains available. The impact of these events could also make it more difficult for the Company to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on the Board, or as executive officers. The Company may be required to hire additional personnel and utilize additional outside legal, accounting and advisory services, all of which could cause the Company’s general and administrative costs to increase beyond what the Company currently has planned. Although the Company evaluates and monitors developments with respect to new rules and laws, the Company cannot predict or estimate the amount of the additional costs the Company may incur or the timing of such costs with respect to such evaluations and/or compliance and cannot provide assurances that such additional costs will render the Company compliant with such new rules and laws. If we or our licensees are unable to obtain U.S., Canadian and/or foreign regulatory approval for our product candidates, we will be unable to commercialize our therapeutic candidates To date, we have not marketed, distributed or sold an approved product. Our therapeutic candidates are subject to extensive governmental regulations relating to development, clinical trials, manufacturing and commercialization of drugs. We may not obtain marketing approval for any of our therapeutic candidates in a timely manner or at all. In connection with the clinical trials for our product candidates and other therapeutic candidates that we may seek to develop in the future, either on our own or throughout licensing arrangements, we face the risk that: ● a product candidate may not prove safe or efficacious; ● the results with respect to any product candidate may not confirm the positive results from earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials; ● the results may not meet the level of statistical significance required by the FDA, Health Canada or other regulatory authorities; and ● the results will justify only limited and/or restrictive uses, including the inclusion of warnings and contraindications, which could significantly limit the marketability and profitability of the therapeutic candidate. Any delay or failure in obtaining the required regulatory approvals will materially and adversely affect our ability to generate future revenues from a particular product candidate. Any regulatory approval to market a product may be subject to limitations on the indicated uses for which we may market the product or may impose restrictive conditions of use, including cautionary information, thereby limiting the size of the market for the product. We and our licensees, as applicable, also are, and will be, subject to numerous foreign regulatory requirements that govern the conduct of clinical trials, manufacturing and marketing authorization, pricing and third-party reimbursement. The foreign regulatory approval process includes all of the risks associated with the FDA approval process that we describe above, as well as risks attributable to the satisfaction of foreign requirements. Approval by the FDA does not ensure approval by regulatory authorities outside the United States. Foreign jurisdictions may have different approval processes than those required by the FDA and may impose additional testing requirements for our therapeutic candidates. 49 If the third parties on which we rely to conduct our clinical trials and clinical development do not perform as contractually required or expected, we may not be able to obtain regulatory clearance or approval for, or commercialize, our product candidates We do not have the ability to independently conduct our clinical trials for our product candidates and we must rely on third parties, such as contract research organizations, medical institutions, clinical investigators and contract laboratories to conduct such trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or regulatory obligations or meet expected deadlines, if these third parties need to be replaced, or if the quality or accuracy of the data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory requirements or for other reasons, our pre-clinical development activities or clinical trials may be extended, delayed, suspended or terminated, and we may not be able to obtain regulatory clearance for, or successfully commercialize, our product candidates on a timely basis, if at all, and our business, operating results and prospects may be adversely affected. Furthermore, our third-party clinical trial investigators may be delayed in conducting our clinical trials for reasons outside of their control. Modifications to our product candidates, or to any other product candidates that we may develop in the future, may require new regulatory clearances or approvals or may require us or our licensees, as applicable, to recall or cease marketing these therapeutic candidates until clearances are obtained Modifications to our product candidates, after they have been approved for marketing, if at all, or to any other pharmaceutical product that we may develop in the future, may require new regulatory clearance, or approvals, and, if necessitated by a problem with a marketed product, may result in the recall or suspension of marketing of the previously approved and marketed product until clearances or approvals of the modified product are obtained. The FDA requires pharmaceutical products manufacturers to initially make and document a determination of whether or not a modification requires a new approval, supplement or clearance. A manufacturer may determine in conformity with applicable regulations and guidelines that a modification may be implemented without pre-clearance by the FDA; however, the FDA can review a manufacturer’s decision and may disagree. The FDA may also on its own initiative determine that a new clearance or approval is required. If the FDA requires new clearances or approvals of any pharmaceutical product or medical device for which we or our licensees receive marketing approval, if any, we or our licensees may be required to recall such product and to stop marketing the product as modified, which could require us or our licensees to redesign the product and will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In these circumstances, we may be subject to significant enforcement actions. The results of our clinical trials may not support our product claims or may result in the discovery of adverse side effects Even if our clinical trials are completed as planned, we cannot be certain that their results will support our product claims or that any regulatory authority whose approval we will require in order to market and sell our products in any territory will agree with our conclusions regarding them. Success in pre-clinical studies and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and we cannot be sure that clinical trials will replicate the results of prior trials and pre-clinical studies. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective for the proposed indicated uses, which could cause us to abandon a product and may delay development of others. Any delay or termination of our clinical trials will delay the filing of our regulatory submissions and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate revenues. It is also possible that patients enrolled in clinical trials will experience adverse side effects that are not currently part of the product candidate’s profile. Clinical trials involve a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome, and results of earlier studies and trials may not be predictive of future trial results We have limited experience in conducting and managing the clinical trials necessary to obtain regulatory approvals, including FDA approval. Clinical trials are expensive and complex, can take many years and have uncertain outcomes. We cannot predict whether we or our licensees will encounter problems with any of the completed, ongoing or planned clinical trials that will cause us, our licensees or regulatory authorities to delay or suspend clinical trials, or delay the analysis of data from completed or ongoing clinical trials. We estimate that clinical trials of our most advanced therapeutic candidates will continue for several years, but they may take significantly longer to complete. Failure can occur at any stage of the testing and we may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, the clinical trial process that could delay or prevent commercialization of our current or future therapeutic candidates, including but not limited to: ● delays in securing clinical investigators or trial sites for the clinical trials; 50 ● delays in obtaining institutional review board and other regulatory approvals to commence a clinical trial; ● slower than anticipated patient recruitment and enrollment; ● negative or inconclusive results from clinical trials; ● unforeseen safety issues; ● uncertain dosing issues; ● an inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; and ● problems with investigator or patient compliance with the trial protocols. A number of companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including those with greater resources and experience than us, have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials, even after seeing promising results in earlier clinical trials. Despite the results reported in earlier clinical trials for our therapeutic candidates, we do not know whether any phase 3 or other clinical trials we or our licensees may conduct will demonstrate adequate efficacy and safety to result in regulatory approval to market our therapeutic candidates. If later-stage clinical trials of any therapeutic candidate do not produce favorable results, our ability to obtain regulatory approval for the therapeutic candidate may be adversely impacted, which will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The pharmaceutical business is subject to increasing government price controls and other restrictions on pricing, reimbursement and access to drugs, which could adversely affect our future revenues and profitability To the extent our products are developed, commercialized, and successfully introduced to market, they may not be considered cost-effective and third-party or government reimbursement might not be available or sufficient. Globally, governmental and other third-party payors are becoming increasingly aggressive in attempting to contain health care costs by strictly controlling, directly or indirectly, pricing and reimbursement and, in some cases, limiting or denying coverage altogether on the basis of a variety of justifications, and we expect pressures on pricing and reimbursement from both governments and private payors inside and outside the U.S. to continue. In the U.S., we are subject to substantial pricing, reimbursement, and access pressures from state Medicaid programs, private insurance programs and pharmacy benefit managers, and implementation of U.S. health care reform legislation is increasing these pricing pressures. The Affordable Care Act instituted comprehensive health care reform, and includes provisions that, among other things, reduce and/or limit Medicare reimbursement, require all individuals to have health insurance (with limited exceptions), and impose new and/or increased taxes. The future of the Affordable Care Act and its constituent parts are uncertain at this time. In almost all markets, pricing and choice of prescription pharmaceuticals are subject to governmental control. Therefore, the price of our products and their reimbursement in Europe and in other countries is and will be determined by national regulatory authorities. Reimbursement decisions from one or more of the European markets may impact reimbursement decisions in other European markets. A variety of factors are considered in making reimbursement decisions, including whether there is sufficient evidence to show that treatment with the product is more effective than current treatments, that the product represents good value for money for the health service it provides, and that treatment with the product works at least as well as currently available treatments. The continuing efforts of government and insurance companies, health maintenance organizations, and other payors of health care costs to contain or reduce costs of health care may affect our future revenues and profitability or those of our potential customers, suppliers, and collaborative partners, as well as the availability of capital. 51 United States federal and state privacy laws, and equivalent laws of other nations, may increase our costs of operation and expose us to civil and criminal sanctions HIPPA, and the regulations that have been issued under it, and similar laws outside the United States, contains substantial restrictions and requirements with respect to the use and disclosure of individuals’ protected health information. The HIPAA privacy rules prohibit “covered entities,” such as healthcare providers and health plans, from using or disclosing an individual’s protected health information, unless the use or disclosure is authorized by the individual or is specifically required or permitted under the privacy rules. Under the HIPAA security rules, covered entities must establish administrative, physical and technical safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information maintained or transmitted by them or by others on their behalf. While we do not believe that we will be a covered entity under HIPAA, we believe many of our customers will be covered entities subject to HIPAA. Such customers may require us to enter into business associate agreements, which will obligate us to safeguard certain health information we obtain in the course of our relationship with them, restrict the manner in which we use and disclose such information and impose liability on us for failure to meet our contractual obligations. In addition, under HITECH, which was signed into law as part of the U.S. stimulus package in February 2009, certain of HIPAA’s privacy and security requirements are now also directly applicable to “business associates” of covered entities and subject them to direct governmental enforcement for failure to comply with these requirements. We may be deemed as a “business associate” of some of our customers. As a result, we may be subject as a “business associate” to civil and criminal penalties for failure to comply with applicable privacy and security rule requirements. Moreover, HITECH created a new requirement obligating “business associates” to report any breach of unsecured, individually identifiable health information to their covered entity customers and imposes penalties for failing to do so. In addition to HIPAA, most U.S. states have enacted patient confidentiality laws that protect against the disclosure of confidential medical information, and many U.S. states have adopted or are considering adopting further legislation in this area, including privacy safeguards, security standards, and data security breach notification requirements. These U.S. state laws, which may be even more stringent than the HIPAA requirements, are not supplanted by the federal requirements, and we are therefore required to comply with them to the extent they are applicable to our operations. These and other possible changes to HIPAA or other U.S. federal or state laws or regulations, or comparable laws and regulations in countries where we conduct business, could affect our business and the costs of compliance could be significant. Failure by us to comply with any of the standards regarding patient privacy, identity theft prevention and detection, and data security may subject us to penalties, including civil monetary penalties and in some circumstances, criminal penalties. In addition, such failure may damage our reputation and adversely affect our ability to retain customers and attract new customers. The protection of personal data, particularly patient data, is subject to strict laws and regulations in many countries. The collection and use of personal health data in the E.U. is governed by the provisions of Directive 95/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 October 1995 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (the “ Data Protection Directive ”). The Data Protection Directive imposes a number of requirements, including an obligation to seek the consent of individuals to whom the personal data relates, the information that must be provided to the individuals, notification of data processing obligations to the competent national data protection authorities of individual E.U. member states and the security and confidentiality of the personal data. The Data Protection Directive also imposes strict rules on the transfer of personal data out of the E.U. to the U.S.. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Directive and the related national data protection laws of the E.U. member states may result in fines and other administrative penalties and harm our business. We may incur extensive costs in ensuring compliance with these laws and regulations, particularly if we are considered to be a data controller within the meaning of the Data Protection Directive. 52 If we fail to comply with the U.S. federal Anti-Kickback Statute and similar state and foreign country laws, we could be subject to criminal and civil penalties and exclusion from federally funded healthcare programs including the Medicare and Medicaid programs and equivalent third country programs, which would have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations A provision of the Social Security Act, commonly referred to as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, prohibits the knowing and willful offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of any form of remuneration, directly or indirectly, in cash or in kind, to induce or reward the referring, ordering, leasing, purchasing or arranging for, or recommending the ordering, purchasing or leasing of, items or services payable, in whole or in part, by Medicare, Medicaid or any other federal healthcare program. Although there are a number of statutory exemptions and regulatory safe harbors to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute protecting certain common business arrangements and activities from prosecution or regulatory sanctions, the exemptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly, and practices that do not fit squarely within an exemption or safe harbor may be subject to scrutiny. The federal Anti-Kickback Statute is very broad in scope and many of its provisions have not been uniformly or definitively interpreted by existing case law or regulations. In addition, most of the states have adopted laws similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and some of these laws are even broader than the federal Anti-Kickback Statute in that their prohibitions may apply to items or services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs or, in several states, apply regardless of the source of payment. Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in substantial criminal, civil or administrative penalties, damages, fines and exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs. All of our future financial relationships with U.S. healthcare providers, purchasers, formulary managers, and others who provide products or services to federal healthcare program beneficiaries will potentially be governed by the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and similar state laws. We believe our operations will be in compliance with the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and similar state laws. However, we cannot be certain that we will not be subject to investigations or litigation alleging violations of these laws, which could be time-consuming and costly to us and could divert management’s attention from operating our business, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, if our arrangements were found to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute or similar state laws, the consequences of such violations would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. There are other federal and state laws that may affect our ability to operate, including the federal civil False Claims Act, which prohibits, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment of government funds or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used, a false record or statement material to an obligation to pay money to the government or knowingly concealing or knowingly and improperly avoiding, decreasing, or concealing an obligation to pay money to the federal government. Moreover, we may be subject to other federal false claim laws, including, among others, federal criminal healthcare fraud and false statement statutes that extend to non-government health benefit programs. Moreover, there are analogous state laws. Violations of these laws can result in substantial criminal, civil or administrative penalties, damages, fines and exclusion from participation in federal healthcare programs. Moreover, the provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1997 and other similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from providing money or anything of value to officials of foreign governments, foreign political parties, or international organizations with the intent to obtain or retain business or seek a business advantage. Recently, there has been a substantial increase in anti-bribery law enforcement activity by U.S. regulators, with more aggressive and frequent investigations and enforcement by both the SEC and the Department of Justice. A determination that our operations or activities violated U.S. or foreign laws or regulations could result in imposition of substantial fines, interruption of business, loss of supplier, vendor or other third-party relationships, termination of necessary licenses and permits, and other legal or equitable sanctions. In addition, lawsuits brought by private litigants may also follow as a consequence. 53 In both domestic and foreign markets, the development, formulation, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, handling, distribution, import, export, licensing, sale and storage of pharmaceuticals and medical devices are affected by a body of laws, governmental regulations, administrative determinations, including those by Health Canada and the FDA, court decisions and similar constraints. Such laws, regulations and other constraints can exist at the federal, provincial or local levels in Canada and at all levels of government in foreign jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that the Company and the Company’s partners are in compliance with all of these laws, regulations and other constraints. The Company and its partners may be required to incur significant costs to comply with such laws and regulations in the future, and such laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on the business. The failure of the Company or its partners to comply with current or future regulatory requirements could lead to the imposition of significant penalties or claims and may have a material adverse effect on the business. In addition, the adoption of new laws, regulations or other constraints or changes in the interpretations of such requirements might result in significant compliance costs or lead the Company and its partners to discontinue product development and could have an adverse effect on the business. The Company’s international operations expose it and its representatives, agents and distributors to risks inherent to operating in foreign jurisdictions that could materially adversely affect its operations and financial position. These risks include: ● country specific taxation policies; ● imposition of additional foreign governmental controls or regulations; ● export license requirements; ● changes in tariffs and other trade restrictions; and ● complexity of collecting receivables in a foreign jurisdiction. Moreover, applicable agreements relating to business in foreign jurisdictions are governed by foreign laws and are subject to dispute resolution in the courts of, or through arbitration proceedings in, the country or region in which the parties are located or another jurisdiction agreed upon by the parties. The Company cannot accurately predict whether such jurisdictions will provide an effective and efficient means of resolving disputes that may arise in the future. Even if it obtains a satisfactory decision through arbitration or a court proceeding, the Company could have difficulty in enforcing any award or judgment on a timely basis or at all. Risks Related to Our Securities If we are not able to comply with the applicable continued listing requirements or standards of the TSX Exchange or Nasdaq, TSX Exchange or Nasdaq could delist our common shares In order to maintain the listing of our common shares on the TSX Exchange and the Nasdaq Capital Market, we must satisfy minimum financial and other continued listing requirements and standards, including those regarding director independence and independent committee requirements, minimum stockholders’ equity, minimum share price, and certain corporate governance requirements. There can be no assurances that we will be able to comply with such applicable listing standards. Future issuance of our common shares could dilute the interests of existing shareholders We may issue additional common shares in the future. The issuance of a substantial number of common shares could have the effect of substantially diluting the interests of our shareholders. In addition, the sale of a substantial amount of common shares in the public market, in the initial issuance, in a situation in which we acquire a company and the acquired company receives common shares as consideration and the acquired company subsequently sells its common shares, or by investors who acquired such common shares in a private placement, could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common shares. 54 We have a significant number of options and warrants outstanding, and while these options and warrants are outstanding, it may be more difficult to raise additional equity capital As of October 27, 2022 we had outstanding options and warrants to purchase 9,674,638 common shares, respectively. The holders of these options and warrants are given the opportunity to profit from a rise in the market price of our common shares. We may find it more difficult to raise additional equity capital while these options and warrants are outstanding. At any time during which these warrants are likely to be exercised, we may be unable to obtain additional equity capital on more favorable terms from other sources. Additionally, the exercise of these options and warrants will cause the increase of our outstanding Common shares, which could have the effect of substantially diluting the interests of our current shareholders. Sales of a substantial number of our common shares in the public market by our existing shareholders could cause our share price to fall Sales of a substantial number of our common shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our common shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We are unable to predict the effect that sales may have on the prevailing market price of our common shares. As of October 27, 2022 we have 8,184,338 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding warrants. Sales of shares by these shareholders could have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our common shares. We intend to register the offering, issuance, and sale of all common shares that we may issue under our equity compensation plans. Once we register these shares, they can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates and the lock-up agreements. We are an Emerging Growth Company, which may reduce the amount of information available to investors The Jumpstart Our Business Start-ups Act (the “ JOBS Act ”), and our status as a foreign private issuer will allow us to postpone the date by which we must comply with some of the laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information we provide in our reports filed with the SEC, which could undermine investor confidence in our company and adversely affect the market price of our Common shares. For as long as we remain an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various requirements that are applicable to public companies that are not emerging growth companies including: ● the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requiring that our independent registered public accounting firm provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting; ● any rules that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report on the financial statements. We intend to take advantage of these exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year of the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering in the United States, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least US$1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Common shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds US$700 million as of the prior June 30; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than US$1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. We cannot predict if investors will find our common shares or listed warrants (“ Warrants ”) less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common shares or Warrants less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common shares or Warrants, and our common share or Warrant price may be more volatile and may decline. We have never paid cash dividends on our capital stock and we do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, any gains from an investment in our common shares will likely depend on whether the price of our Common shares increases, which may not occur We have not paid cash dividends on any capital stock to date and we currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business. Consequently, in the foreseeable future, you will likely only experience a gain from your investment in our Common shares if the price of our Common shares increases beyond the price in which you originally acquired the Common shares. 55 In the event a market develops for our common shares or Warrants, the market price of our common shares or Warrants may be volatile In the event a market develops for our common shares or Warrants, the market price of our common shares or Warrants may be highly volatile. Some of the factors that may materially affect the market price of our common shares or Warrants are beyond our control, such as changes in financial estimates by industry and securities analysts, conditions or trends in the industry in which we operate or sales of our common shares or Warrants. These factors may materially adversely affect the market price of our common shares or Warrants, regardless of our performance. In addition, the public stock markets have experienced extreme price and trading volume volatility. This volatility has significantly affected the market prices of securities of many companies for reasons frequently unrelated to the operating performance of the specific companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our Common shares. Our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders will maintain the ability to exert significant control over matters submitted to our shareholders for approval Our executive officers, directors and principal shareholders who owned more than 5% of our outstanding common shares will, in the aggregate, beneficially own shares representing approximately 19.14% of our share capital. As a result, if these shareholders were to act together, they would be able to control all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, as well as our management and affairs. For example, these persons, if they act together, would control the election of directors and approval of any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other shareholders may desire or result in management of our company that our public shareholders disagree with. If we are or become classified as a passive foreign investment company, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences as a result Generally, for any taxable year, if at least 75% of our gross income is passive income, or at least 50% of the value of our assets is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income, including cash, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company (“ PFIC ”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For purposes of these tests, passive income includes dividends, interest gains from commodities and securities transactions, the excess of gains over losses from the disposition of assets which produce passive income (including amounts derived by reason of the temporary investment of funds raised in offerings of our shares) and rents and royalties other than rents and royalties which are received from unrelated parties in connection with the active conduct of a trade or business. If we are characterized as a PFIC, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our common shares treated as ordinary income, rather than capital gains, the loss of the preferential rate applicable to dividends received on our common shares by individuals who are U.S. holders, and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and gains from the sales of our shares. Our status as a PFIC will depend on the nature and composition of our income and the nature, composition and value of our assets. Asset value is based on which the fair market value of each asset, including goodwill and going concern value (which may be determined by reference to the market value of our common shares, which may be volatile). Our status will also depend, in part, on when and how we utilize the cash proceeds from any securities offerings our business. Based upon the value of our assets, including any goodwill, and the nature and composition of our income and assets, we believe that we will be classified as a PFIC for the taxable year ending July 31, 2022 and possibly for succeeding years. However, even if we are classified as a PFIC for the year ending July 31, 2022, under an exception to the PFIC classification rules, we may be able to avoid such classification altogether if we can meet certain conditions set forth in the exception. (See the discussion of PFIC status under “Taxation, U.S. Federal Income Taxation”, below. Because the determination of whether we are a PFIC for any taxable year is a factual determination made annually after the end of each taxable year, there can be no assurance as to our status as a PFIC in any taxable year. 56 The tax consequences that would apply if we are classified as a PFIC would also be different from those described above if a U.S. shareholder were able to make a valid qualified electing fund (“ QEF ”) election. If we are classified as a PFIC, then we expect to provide U.S. shareholders with the information necessary for a U.S. shareholder to make a QEF election but there is no assurance that we will do so. See the discussion of PFIC status under “ Taxation , U.S. Federal Income Taxation”, below. If estimates of revenue, expenses, or capital or liquidity requirements change or are inaccurate, or if cash generated from operations is insufficient to satisfy liquidity requirements, the Company may arrange additional financings BriaCell expects that its current cash and cash equivalent reserves will be sufficient to meet its anticipated needs for working capital and capital expenditures for the near future. In the future, the Company may also arrange financings to give it the financial flexibility to pursue attractive acquisition or investment opportunities that may arise. The Company may pursue additional financing through various means, including equity investments, issuances of debt, joint venture projects, licensing arrangements or through other means. The Company cannot be certain that it will be able to obtain additional financing on commercially reasonable terms or at all. The Company’s ability to obtain additional financing may be impaired by such factors as the status of capital markets, both generally and specifically in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and by the fact that it is a new enterprise without a proven operating history. If the amount of capital raised from additional financing activities, together with revenues from operations (if any), is not sufficient to satisfy the Company’s capital needs, it may not be able to develop or advance its products, execute its business and growth plans, take advantage of future opportunities, or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated customer or partner requirements. If any of these events occur, the Company’s business, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected. Any future equity financings undertaken are likely to be dilutive to existing shareholders. Finally, the terms of securities issued in future capital transactions may include preferences that are more favourable to new investors. If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they adversely change their recommendations or publish negative reports regarding our business or our shares, our share price and trading volume could decline The trading market for our securities will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. We do not have any control over these analysts and we cannot provide any assurance that analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage. If any of the analysts who may cover us adversely change their recommendation regarding our shares, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the market value of our securities would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us were to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the price of our common shares and Warrants and our trading volume to decline. Certain Canadian legislation contains provisions that may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control Canadian legislation could discourage potential acquisition proposals, delay or prevent a change in control and limit the price that certain investors may be willing to pay for our subordinate voting shares. For instance, a non-Canadian must file an application for review with the Minister responsible for the Investment Canada Act and obtain approval of the Minister prior to acquiring control of a “Canadian business” within the meaning of the Investment Canada Act, where prescribed financial thresholds are exceeded. Furthermore, limitations on the ability to acquire and hold our subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares may be imposed by the Competition Act (Canada). This legislation permits the Commissioner of Competition to review any acquisition or establishment, directly or indirectly, including through the acquisition of shares, of control over or of a significant interest in us. Otherwise, there are no limitations either under the laws of Canada or British Columbia, or in our articles on the rights of non-Canadians to hold or vote our subordinate voting shares and multiple voting shares. Any of these provisions may discourage a potential acquirer from proposing or completing a transaction that may have otherwise presented a premium to our shareholders. 57 Because we are a corporation incorporated in British Columbia and some of our directors and officers are resident in Canada or other countries, it may be difficult for investors in the United States to enforce civil liabilities against us based solely upon the federal securities laws of the United States. Similarly, it may be difficult for Canadian investors to enforce civil liabilities against our directors and officers residing outside of Canada We are a corporation incorporated under the laws of British Columbia with our principal place of business in West Vancouver. Some of our directors and officers and the auditors or other experts named herein are residents of Canada and all or a substantial portion of our assets and those of such persons are located outside the United States. Consequently, it may be difficult for U.S. investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or our directors or officers or such auditors who are not residents of the United States, or to realize in the United States upon judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon civil liabilities under the Securities Act. Investors should not assume that Canadian courts: (1) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or the securities or blue sky laws of any state within the United States, or (2) would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against us or such persons predicated upon the U.S. federal securities laws or any such state securities or blue sky laws. Similarly, some of our directors and officers are residents of countries other than Canada and all or a substantial portion of the assets of such persons are located outside Canada. As a result, it may be difficult for Canadian investors to initiate a lawsuit within Canada against these non-Canadian residents. In addition, it may not be possible for Canadian investors to collect from these non-Canadian residents judgments obtained in courts in Canada predicated on the civil liability provisions of securities legislation of certain of the provinces and territories of Canada. It may also be difficult for Canadian investors to succeed in a lawsuit in the United States, based solely on violations of Canadian securities laws. ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS None.