Item 1. Business
ITEM
1. BUSINESS
Our
Corporate History and Background
Bullfrog
AI Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in the State of Nevada on February 6, 2020. Bullfrog AI Holdings, Inc. is the parent company of Bullfrog
AI, Inc. and Bullfrog AI Management, LLC. which were incorporated in Delaware and Maryland, in 2017 and 2021, respectively. All of our
operations are currently conducted through BullFrog AI Holdings, Inc. The Company’s principal business address is 325 Ellington
Blvd, Unit 317, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Our website address is www.bullfrogai.com . The references to our website in this Form
10-K are inactive textual references only. The information on our website is neither incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.
Acquisition
of BullFrog AI, Inc.
In
March 2020, BullFrog AI, Inc. received an investment from TEDCO - the Technology Development Corporation of Maryland, a State of Maryland
Investment Fund – pursuant to the issuance of a $200,000 convertible note with an 18-month term, 6% annual interest rate, and a
20% discount. In June 2020, BullFrog AI Holdings, Inc. acquired BullFrog AI, Inc. pursuant to an exchange agreement under which each
share of Bull Frog AI, Inc. common stock was exchanged for a share of common stock of BullFrog AI Holdings, Inc. Immediately prior to
the share exchange, each outstanding common share of BullFrog AI, Inc. was split into 25 shares of common stock. Pursuant to the agreement,
24,223,975 shares of the Company’s common stock were issued to the shareholders of BullFrog AI, Inc. in exchange for 100% of the
outstanding stock of BullFrog AI, Inc. Upon completion of the exchange, BullFrog AI, Inc. became the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary
and the shareholders of BullFrog AI, Inc. held 100% of the common stock of the Company. As a result, BullFrog AI Holdings, Inc. assumed
a total of $330,442 in net liabilities of BullFrog AI, Inc. Both of the entities were controlled before and after the transactions by
the same controlling shareholder.
BullFrog
AI Corporate History
BullFrog
AI, Inc. was incorporated in the State of Delaware on August 25, 2017. Vininder Singh is the founder, CEO and chairman of BullFrog AI.
Business
Overview
Most
new therapeutics will fail at some point in preclinical or clinical development. This is the primary driver of the high cost of developing
new therapeutics. A major part of the difficulty in developing new therapeutics is efficient integration of complex and highly dimensional
data generated at each stage of development to de-risk subsequent stages of the development process. Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning (AI/ML) has emerged as a digital solution to help address this problem.
We
use artificial intelligence and machine learning to advance medicines for both internal and external projects. We are committed to increasing
the probability of success and decreasing the time and cost involved in developing therapeutics. Most current AI/ML platforms still fall
short in their ability to synthesize disparate, high-dimensional data for actionable insight. Our platform technology, named, bfLEAP™,
is an analytical AI/ML platform derived from technology developed at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL),
which is able to surmount the challenges of scalability and flexibility currently hindering researchers and clinicians by providing a
more precise 1 , multi-dimensional understanding of their data. We are deploying bfLEAP™ for use at several critical
stages of development for internal programs and through strategic partnerships and collaborations with the intention of streamlining
data analytics in therapeutics development, decreasing the overall development costs by decreasing failure rates for new therapeutics,
and impacting the lives of countless patients that may otherwise not receive the therapies they need.
1
In an August 2021 publication in DeepAI.org (https://deepai.org/publication/random-subspace-mixture-models-for-interpretable-anomaly-detection),
the algorithms used in bfLEAP were compared to 10 of the most popular clustering algorithms in the world using 12 data sets. The end
result showed that the algorithms used in bfLEAP had the highest average score when measuring speed and accuracy of prediction. The bfLEAP
platform currently has more advanced versions of these algorithms and is applying them in multiple data analytics projects.
2
Recent
Developments
On
February 26, 2024, the Company announced the appointment of Dr. Thomas W. Chittenden, PhD, DPhil, PStat, as its new Chief Scientific
Officer.
On
January 31, 2024, the Company entered into an underwriting agreement with WallachBeth Capital, LLC as representative of the several underwriters
named therein, relating to the issuance and sale of an aggregate of (i) 1,028,710 shares of common stock, par value $0.00001 per share
and 478,429 pre-funded warrants in lieu of common stock (“Pre-Funded Warrants”) or 1,507,139 shares of common stock (or Pre-Funded
Warrants) in lieu thereof, and accompanying warrants to purchase 1,507,139 shares of common stock at a combined public offering price
of $3.782 per share (inclusive of the Pre-Funded Warrant exercise price) for gross proceeds of approximately $5,700,000, prior to deducting
underwriting discounts and offering expenses.
Our
Strategy
We
plan to achieve our business objectives by enabling the successful development of drugs and biologics using a precision medicine approach
via our proprietary artificial intelligence platform bfLEAP. The bfLEAP™ platform utilizes both supervised and unsupervised machine
learning - as such, it is able to reveal real/meaningful connections in the data without the need for a prior hypothesis. Supervised
machine learning uses labeled input and output data, while an unsupervised learning algorithm does not. In supervised learning, the algorithm
“learns” from the training dataset by iteratively making predictions on the data and adjusting for the correct answer. Unsupervised
learning, also known as unsupervised machine learning, uses machine learning algorithms to analyze and cluster unlabeled datasets. These
algorithms discover hidden patterns or data groupings without the need for human intervention. Algorithms used in the bfLEAP™ platform
are designed to handle highly imbalanced data sets to successfully identify combinations of factors that are associated with outcomes
of interest.
Together
with our strategic partners and collaborators, our primary goal is to improve the odds of success at any stage of pre-clinical and clinical
therapeutics development. Our primary business model is improving the success and efficiency of drug development which is accomplished
either through acquisition of drugs or partnerships and collaborations with companies that are developing drugs. We hope to accomplish
this through strategic acquisitions of current clinical stage and failed drugs for in-house development, or through strategic partnerships
with biopharmaceutical industry companies. We are able to pursue our drug asset enhancement business by leveraging a powerful and proven
AI/ML platform (trade name: bfLEAP™) initially derived from technology developed at JHU-APL. We believe the bfLEAP™ analytics
platform is a potentially disruptive tool for analysis of pre-clinical and/or clinical data sets, such as the robust pre-clinical and
clinical trial data sets being generated in translational R&D and clinical trial settings. In November 2021, we amended the agreement
with JHU-APL to include additional advanced AI technology. On July 8, 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, world-wide, royalty-bearing
license from JHU-APL for the additional technology developed to enhance the bfLEAP™ platform. The July 8, 2022 JHU-APL license
provides the Company with new intellectual property and also encompasses most of the intellectual property from the February 2018 license.
We
believe bfLEAP™ will inform/enable decision making throughout the development cycle:
●
Discovery
Phase - Analyze and categorize discovery phase data to better define highest-value leads from groups of candidates, for advancement
to preclinical phase of development. Integrate data from high-throughput screening, pharmacodynamics assays, pharmacokinetics assays,
and other key data sets to create the most accurate profile of a pool of therapeutic candidates. There is often a high degree of
similarity among closely related therapeutics in a candidate pool - bfLEAP™ is able to harmonize disparate data streams for
a more nuanced understanding of each candidate’s characteristics/potency.
●
Pre-Clinical
Data - Large-scale/multivariate analysis of pre-clinical and/or early-stage clinical data sets. In these settings, bfLEAP could be
used to find novel drug targets, elucidate mechanism of action (MOA), predict potential off-target effects/side effects, uncover
specific genetic/phenotypic background(s) with highest correlation to therapeutic response, etc. These insights from bfLEAP™
analysis can be used to inform decision making/study design at the subsequent step(s) of therapeutic/diagnostic development, including
first-inhuman/Phase I RCTs.
●
Clinical
Development - Advanced/multivariate analysis of PhI and/or PhII clinical trials data, to find niche populations of highly responsive
patients and/or inform patient selection for later-stage CT(s). This can be used to decrease overall study risk for larger clinical
trials - including Phase II trials, and any Phase III Registration Clinical Trials. The bfLEAP™ platform analysis can also
be used to more precisely understand complex correlations between therapeutic treatment and adverse events, side effects, and other
undesirable responses which could jeopardize clinical trial success.
3
Our
platform is agnostic to the disease indication or treatment modality and therefore we believe that it is of value in the development
of biologics or small molecules.
The
process for our drug asset enhancement program is to:
●
acquire
the rights to a drug from a biopharmaceutical industry company or academia;
●
use
the proprietary bfLEAP™ AI/ML platform to determine a multi-factorial profile for a patient that would best respond to the
drug;
●
rapidly
conduct a clinical trial to validate the drug’s use for the defined “high-responder” population; and
●
divest/sell
the rescued drug asset with the new information back to a large player in the pharma industry, following positive results of the
clinical trial.
As
part of our strategy, we will continue evolving our intellectual property, analytical platform and technologies, build a large portfolio
of drug candidates, and implement a model that reduces risk and increases the frequency of cash flow from rescued drugs. This strategy
will include strategic partnerships, collaborations, and relationships along the entire drug development value chain, as well as acquisitions
of the rights to developing failed drugs and possibly the underlying companies.
To
date, we have not conducted clinical trials on any pharmaceutical drugs and our platform has not been used to identify a drug candidate
that has received regulatory approval for commercialization. However, we currently have a strategic relationship with a leading rare
disease non-profit organization for artificial intelligence/machine learning (“AI/ML”) analysis of late-stage clinical data.
We have acquired the rights to a series of preclinical and early clinical drug assets from universities and entered into a strategic
collaboration with a world-renowned research institution to create a HSV1 viral therapeutic platform to engineer immunotherapies for
colorectal cancer. We have signed exclusive worldwide license agreements with Johns Hopkins University for a cancer drug that targets
glioblastoma (brain cancer), pancreatic cancer, and other cancers. We have also signed an exclusive worldwide license with George Washington
University for another cancer drug that targets hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), and other liver diseases.
Our
platform was originally developed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (“JHU-APL”). JHU-APL uses the
same technology for applications related to national defense. Over several years, the software and algorithms have been used to identify
relationships, patterns, and anomalies, and make predictions that otherwise may not be found. These discoveries and insights provide
an advantage when predicting a target of interest, regardless of industry or sector. We have applied the technology to various clinical
data sets and have identified novel relationships that may provide new intellectual property, new drug targets, and other valuable information
that may help with patient stratification for a clinical trial thereby improving the odds for success. The platform has not yet aided
in the development of a drug that has reached commercialization. However, we have licensed one drug candidate that has completed a Phase
1 trial and a second candidate that is in the preclinical stages. Our aim is to use our technology on current and future available data
to help us better determine the optimal path for development.
While
we have not generated significant revenues from our AI/ML operations, we anticipate generating revenue in the future from the following
three sources:
Contract
Services
Our
fee for service partnership offering model is designed for biopharmaceutical companies, as well as other organizations, of all sizes
that have challenges analyzing data throughout the drug development process. We provide the customer with an analysis of large complex
data sets using our proprietary Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning platform called bfLEAP™. This platform is designed to
predict targets of interest, patterns, relationships, and anomalies. Our service model involves a cash fee plus the potential for rights
to new intellectual property generated from the analysis, which can be performed at the discovery, preclinical, or clinical stages of
drug development.
4
Collaborative
Arrangements
We
plan to enter into collaborative arrangements with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies who have drugs that are in development
or have failed late Phase 2 or Phase 3 trials. The collaborations may also be at the discovery or preclinical stages of drug development.
Our revenue will be a combination of fee for service cash payments and success fees based on achieving certain milestones as determined
by each specific arrangement. There may also be fees or legal rights associated with the development of new intellectual property.
Acquisition
of Rights to Certain Drugs
We
may acquire the rights to drugs that have failed late Phase 2 or Phase 3 trials and generate revenues by using our platform to accurately
determine the profile of patients that would respond to the drugs, conduct a clinical trial to test our findings either independently
or with a clinical partner, and finally sell the drug back to pharmaceutical companies. We have and may continue acquiring the rights
to drugs that have not yet failed any trials. We will use our technology to improve the chances for success, conduct a trial, and divest
the asset. When divesting assets, the transaction may involve a combination of upfront payments, milestone payments based on clinical
success, and royalties on sales of the product.
Our
Products
Product/Platform
Description
Target
Market/Indications
bfLEAP™
– AI/ML platform for analysis of preclinical and/or clinical data
AI/ML
analytics platform derived from technology developed at JHU-APL and licensed by the Company.
Biotechnology
and pharmaceutical companies and other organizations.
siRNA
siRNA
targeting Beta2-spectrin in the treatment of human diseases developed at George Washington University licensed by the Company
Hepatocellular
carcinoma (HCC), treatment of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Has not yet initiated
clinical testing.
Mebendazole
Improved
formulation of Mebendazole developed at Johns Hopkins University and licensed by the Company
Glioblastoma.
Has begun the process of clinical testing but has not received regulatory approval for commercialization.
On
January 14, 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license from George Washington University (GWU) for
rights to use siRNA targeting Beta2-spectrin in the treatment of human diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The license
covers methods claimed in three U.S. and worldwide patent applications, and also includes use of this approach for treatment of obesity,
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. This program is currently in the preclinical stage of development.
The Company recently initiated proof-of-concept studies on this asset and will use the outcome of these studies to inform a clinical
development plan that would include initiation of IND-enabling studies.
Metabolic
dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, which until recently was called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD) is
a condition in which excess lipids, or fat, build up in the liver. This condition, which is more common in people who have obesity and
related metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, affects as many as 24% of adults in the US and is associated with risk of progression
to more serious conditions, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with associated liver inflammation and
fibrosis, and HCC. Evidence in animal models of obesity suggest that a protein called β2-spectrin may play a key role in lipid accumulation,
tissue fibrosis, and liver damage, and targeting expression or activity of this protein may be a useful approach in treating MASH and
liver cancer (Rao et al., 2021).
5
In
February 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for the
use of an improved formulation of Mebendazole for the treatment of any human cancer or neoplastic disease. This formulation shows potent
activity in animal models of different types of cancer and has been evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with high-grade
glioma (NCT01729260). The trial, an open-label dose-escalation study, assessed the safety of the improved formulation with adjuvant temozolomide
in 24 patients with newly diagnosed gliomas. Investigators observed no dose-limiting toxicity in patients receiving all but the highest
tested dose (200mg/kg/day). Four of the 15 patients receiving the maximum tested dose of 200mg/kg/day experienced dose-limiting toxicity,
all of which were reversed by decreasing or eliminating the dose given. There were no serious adverse events attributed to mebendazole
at any dose during the trial. The Company is currently formulating a strategy to find a partner to conduct additional clinical trials
with this asset to enable evaluation of safety in humans.
In
October 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, world-wide, royalty-bearing license from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) of the Czech Academy of Sciences for rights to commercialize N-substituted
prodrugs of mebendazole that demonstrate improved solubility and bioavailability. The license covers prodrug compositions and use
for treating disease as claimed in multiple US and worldwide patent applications. Patents have since been issued in the United
States and Australia and are still in the prosecution phase in other territories. In September 2023 the Company announced results
from a preclinical study demonstrating the effectiveness of BF-223, a compound chosen from this class, in an animal model for
glioblastoma. The Company is currently formulating a strategy for initiating IND-enabling studies on BF-223 and is conducting
outreach to identify partners that may want to license or partner in the development of BF-223.
Our
bfLEAP™ Analytics Platform
We
are able to pursue our drug rescue business by leveraging a powerful and proven AI/ML platform (trade name: bfLEAP™) derived from
technology developed at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU-APL). The bfLEAP™ platform is based on an
exclusive, world-wide license granted by Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The license covers three (3) issued patents,
as well as a new provisional patent application, non-patent rights to proprietary libraries of algorithms and other trade secrets, which
also includes modifications and improvements. On July 8, 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, world-wide, royalty-bearing license
from JHU-APL for the additional technology developed to enhance the bfLEAP™ platform. The new license provides additional intellectual
property rights including patents, copyrights and knowhow to be utilized under the Company’s bfLEAP™ analytical AI/ML platform.
Under the terms of the new License Agreement, JHU will be entitled to eight (8%) percent of net sales for the services provided by the
Company to other parties and 3% for internally development drug projects in which the JHU license was utilized. The new license also
contains tiered sub licensing fees that start at 50% and reduce to 25% based on revenues.
We
believe the bfLEAP™ analytics platform is a potentially disruptive tool for analysis of pre-clinical and/or clinical data sets,
such as the robust pre-clinical and clinical trial data sets being generated in translational R&D and clinical trial settings. The
input data for bfLEAP™ can include raw data (preclinical and/or clinical readouts), categorical data, sociodemographic data of
patients, and various other inputs. Thus, the bfLEAP™ platform is capable of capturing the particular genetic and physical characteristics
of patients in an unbiased manner, and contextualizing it against other disparate data sources from patients (e.g. molecular data, physiological
data, etc.) for less biased and more meaningful conclusions. It is also uniquely scalable - the bfLEAP™ platform is able to perform
analysis on large, high-volume data sets (i.e. ‘big data’) and also able to analyze highly disparate “short and wide”
data as well. In terms of visualization, bfLEAP™ is able to integrate with most commonly used visualization tools for graph analytics.
We
believe that the combination of a) scalable analytics (i.e., large data or short/wide data), b) state-of-the-art proprietary algorithms,
c) unsupervised machine learning, and d) streamlined data ingestion/visualization makes bfLEAP™ one of the most flexible and powerful
new platforms available on the market.
The
Company will continue to evolve and improve bfLEAP™, and some of the proceeds from this offering may be used toward that effort
either in-house or with development partners like The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.
6
Lieber
Institute for Brain Development
On
September 8, 2023, the Company entered a data use and technology partnership agreement (the “Partnership Agreement”) with
the Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD). The Partnership Agreement covers the right of BullFrog AI to leverage its bfLEAP™
platform to mine LIBD’s comprehensive brain data, including transcriptomic, genomic, DNA methylation, cell-line, clinical, and
imaging data to identify previously unrecognized relationships. The goal of the partnership is to identify previously unrecognized relationships
between genes and pathways in the brain and the development of neurologic and psychiatric disorders, thereby facilitating the development
of more effective treatments for diseases of the human brain. The collaboration will proceed in two stages, with the first involving
unsupervised construction of graphical models to reveal relationships between brain diseases and genomic/biologic attributes, with the
goal of identifying new biomarkers and drug targets across disorders. The second stage will involve creating disease-specific models
that will enable identification of genes and pathways within these respective disorders. The Partnership Agreement has a one-year term
of data exclusivity to complete the first stages of analyses, with a two-year extension option as performance milestones are met.,
As
contemplated in the Partnership Agreement, on October 16, 2023, the Company and LIBD entered into a commercial agreement (the “Commercial
Agreement”) that sets forth the key terms for commercialization of products and services developed under the Partnership Agreement.
Pursuant to the Commercial Agreement, LIBD granted the Company a worldwide, royalty-bearing exclusive license so long as the Company
receives net sales or income from the licensing of “Licensed Products” (as defined in the Commercial Agreement) in the application
of machine learning and/or artificial intelligence for research and development in drug development, and specifically includes therapeutic
products, patient selection strategies, and target identification, but excludes diagnostics and incidental uses of machine learning and/or
artificial intelligence on data derived from research. Generally, “Licensed products” are any product or service which incorporates,
results from, or is derived from LIBD’s Data (meaning finished brain-related data, including but not limited to DNA methylation,
RNAseq, genomic, DNA methylation, cell-line, clinical, and imaging data, and the specified data set forth in the Partnership Agreement)
and that the Company or its affiliate develops during the term of the Partnership Agreement, and any improvements thereof after the term
of the Partnership Agreement, and all Licensed Products or services derived therefrom by the Company or its affiliates. Licensed Products
may include, but are not limited to, biomarker and target identification, target validation, mapping unmet needs, identifying genetic
risk factors and predictive modeling.
The
Company was also granted the right to sublicense, to use the deliverables under the Partnership Agreement, and LIBD’s intellectual
property rights in the data, to (i) use, sell, distribute for sale, have distributed for sale, offer for sale, have sold, import and
have imported Licensed Products and (ii) to develop, have developed, make, have made Licensed Products that are derived from Licensed
Products developed during the term of the Partnership Agreement, and any improvements made following the term. The Company is prohibited
from sublicensing LIBD Data. The Company shall pay LIBD a royalty based on net sales of all Licensed Products sold by the Company and/or
its affiliates.
The
Commercial Agreement, generally, may be terminated at any time by either the Company or LIBD if either party defaults or breaches any
material term of the agreement or files for protection under bankruptcy laws, makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors, appoints
or suffers appointment of a receiver, trustee, or similar agent over its property.
Summary
for CATIE Schizophrenia Case Study
The
Company worked with the Lieber Institute for Brain Development to analyze data from the landmark CATIE trials. The CATIE trials were
the largest trials ever conducted for anti-psychotic medications. BullFrog analyzed CATIE data from ~200 schizophrenia patients, with
a library of almost 1 million genetic data points for each patient, more than 200 non-genetic attributes per patient, and 4 different
medications used in the trial. For each of the four medications used, bfLEAP™ analysis revealed new, previously unknown relationships
between individual genetic variants and negative patient symptoms. The genetic loci identified represent potential druggable targets,
as well as potential stratifying criteria for future clinical trials in schizophrenia.
We
performed another analysis on the data using our new advanced clustering algorithms bfLEAP 2.0 but focused on one particular drug named
Olanzapine. Our bfLEAP™ 2.0 analytical results identified previously unknown, multi-dimensional associations among newly identified
genetic variants, drug clearance, clinical trial sites, and clinical outcome variables in schizophrenia patients.
7
FIGURE
1 – bfLEAP™ Analytical Map
Each
green node represents a different sampling of the data, and arrows point to attributes (blue nodes) which were found to be key indicators
according to that sampling. Attribute importance is determined by how many samplings identify that attribute as an indicator (i.e., number
of incoming arrows to each blue node).
Identification
of clustered multi-variate associations (e.g., novel genetic variants, drug clearance, substance abuse) could help us 1) identify novel
drug targets, 2) predict which patients are most likely to respond, and 3) identify modifiable factors that could contribute to better
outcomes.
8
Summary
for Cardiovascular Case Study
The
Company worked with an international collaborator in cardiovascular devices to analyze data from an ongoing clinical trial for a new
device. BullFrog analyzed data from ~55 patients, with a library of almost 15,000 unique attributes of data for each patient. The data
also included adverse events, and key demographic information. For this collaborator, bfLEAP™ analysis was able to provide ground
truth for the company - confirming multiple correlations and non-correlations within the data. In terms of actionable output, the analytical
results confirmed at least two demographic co-variates for the ongoing trial, and also provided a starting point for deeper physiological
and molecular studies.
Our
Supply Chain and Customer Base
We
have launched our businesses using funds from our initial public offering and through our partnerships and relationships. We have a strategic
relationship with FSHD Society, a leading non-governmental organization, for AI/ML analysis of clinical trial data for patients with
a rare neuromuscular disorder. We also have several other developing strategic relationships in the project design phase. The Company
has executed a joint development deal for a biologics discovery phase opportunity that is directed toward targeted cancer therapeutics.
The Company has also obtained exclusive worldwide rights to a Phase 2 ready glioblastoma drug and a discovery phase hepatocellular carcinoma
drug from universities. Since we intend to conduct late-stage clinical trials with partners on rescued therapeutic assets, there will
be a requirement of drug product or other significant services to plan and execute our clinical development programs. The success of
our partnered clinical development programs will require adequate availability of raw materials and/or drug product for our R&D and
clinical trials, and, in some cases, may also require establishment of third-party arrangements to obtain finished drug product that
is manufactured appropriately under industry-standard guidelines, and packaged for clinical use or sale. Since we are a digital biopharmaceutical
company, our clinical development programs will also require, in some cases, the establishment of third-party relationships for execution
and completion of clinical trials.
Our
Market Opportunity
One
aim of our business is to “rescue” drugs that have failed in phase 3 clinical trials by using our technology to analyze all
available data with the goal of designing a precision medicine clinical trial that will have a better chance of being successful. The
graphic below illustrates the estimated market opportunity for these failed drugs. The top arrow shows the number of failed phase 3 trials
for several disease categories over a 5-year period. The arrows below provide our assumptions for narrowing or discounting certain parameters
associated with the market size calculation. The final arrow shows the math behind the $47.1B. To date, we have not penetrated the failed
drug market, however; we are actively searching for failed drug opportunities.
9
Identification
of candidates with potential for rescue may be challenging and require significant resources, and once these assets are identified the
Company may find it challenging to license them under favorable terms in order to create value for shareholders. Subsequent development
of these assets for clinical testing may require significant effort and resources. Ultimately, these assets must undergo rigorous clinical
testing and approval by FDA or comparable regulatory authorities in other countries in order to be marketed. A key part of our strategy
is to partner our R&D programs. In addition, we do not intend on commercializing drugs and instead will seek to divest each drug
asset to a company that will commercialize the drug. The Company may receive future royalties in come transactions.
The
following graphic illustrates the global revenue forecast for applying AI in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the increase in
anticipated market spend and annual growth rate for AI solutions per certain application areas.
10
Intellectual
Property
Patents
We
have exclusive worldwide rights to the following patents related to our intellectual property:
Mebendazole
Polymorph For Treatment And Prevention Of Tumors
Serial
Number
Country
Status
Issue
Date
Expiration
Date
62/112,706
United
States
Converted
N/A
N/A
PCT/US2016/016968
PCT
Nationalized
N/A
N/A
11,110,079
United
States
Granted
9/7/2021
2/8/2036
17/402,131
United
States
Abandoned
N/A
N/A
18/525,209
United
States
Pending
N/A
N/A
16747414.7
Europe
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
16747414.7
Czech
Republic
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
16747414.7
France
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
60
2016 067 384.3
Germany
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
16747414.7
Ireland
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
502022000018341
Italy
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
16747414.7
Spain
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
16747414.7
Switzerland
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
16747414.7
United
Kingdom
Granted
12/15/2021
2/8/2036
253854
Israel
Granted
6/26/2021
2/8/2036
2016800144274
China
Granted
6/25/2021
2/8/2036
201717028684
India
Granted
12/1/2020
2/8/2036
2017-541687
Japan
Granted
11/18/2020
2/8/2036
Mebendazole
Prodrugs with Enhanced Solubility and Oral Bioavailability
Serial
Number
Country
Status
Issue
Date
Expiration
Date
62/627,810
United
States
Converted
N/A
N/A
PCT/US2019/017291
PCT
Nationalized
N/A
N/A
11,712,435
United
States
Granted
8/1/2023
2/8/2039
2019216757
Australia
Granted
1/4/2024
2/8/2039
19751700.6
Europe
Pending
N/A
N/A
3,090,691
Canada
Pending
N/A
N/A
Inhibition
of SPTBN1 to treat Obesity/NASH and Obesity/NASH-driven cancer
Serial
Number
Country
Status
Filing
Date
Expiration
Date
63/113,745
United
States
Converted
11/13/2020
N/A
63/147,141
United
States
Converted
2/8/2021
N/A
PCT/US2021/059245
United
States
Nationalized
11/12/2021
N/A
2023-528428
Japan
Filed
11/12/2021
N/A
18/252,771
United
States
Filed
5/12/2023
N/A
21892928.9
Europe
Filed
6/13/2023
N/A
2021800763877
Canada
Filed
11/12/2021
N/A
11
John
Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab Licensed Intellectual Property:
Title
Serial
Number
File
Date
Country
Status
Expiration
Date
Assignee
Apparatus
and Method for Distributed Graph Processing
U.S.
Patent 10,146,801
7/13/2015
US
Granted
3/2/2037
The
Johns Hopkins University
Method
and Apparatus for Analysis and Classification of High Dimensional Data Sets
U.S.
Patent 10,936,965
10/5/2017
US
Granted
9/25/2038
The
Johns Hopkins University
Generalized
Low Entropy Mixture Model
U.S.
Patent 10,839,256
4/2/2018
US
Granted
12/15/2038
The
Johns Hopkins University
Licenses
We
hold the following licenses related to our intellectual property:
Licensor
Licensee
Description
of Rights Granted
Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
BullFrog
AI, Inc.
Worldwide,
exclusive rights for therapeutics development and analytical services
George
Washington University
BullFrog
AI Holdings
Worldwide,
exclusive rights for therapeutics development
Johns
Hopkins University
BullFrog
AI Holdings
Worldwide,
exclusive rights for therapeutics development
JHU-APL
Technology License
On
February 7, 2018, the Company entered into an exclusive, world-wide, royalty-bearing license from JHU-APL for the technology. The license
covers three (3) issued patents, one (1) new provisional patent application, non-patent rights to proprietary libraries of algorithms
and other trade secrets, the license also includes modifications and improvements. In October of 2021, the Company executed an amendment
to the original license which represents improvements and new advanced analytics capabilities. In consideration of the rights granted
to the Company under the License Agreement JHU received a warrant equal to five percent (5%) of the then fully diluted equity base of
the Company, which shall be diluted following the closing of the IPO. Under the terms of the License Agreement, JHU will be entitled
to eight percent (8%) royalty on net sales for the services provided by the Company in which the JHU licensed technology was utilized,
as well as fifty percent (50%) of all sublicense revenues received by the Company. In addition, the Company is required to pay JHU an
annual maintenance fee of $1,500. Minimum annual royalty payments are $20,000 for 2022, $80,000 for 2023, and $300,000 for 2024 and beyond,
if cumulative annual royalty payments do not reach these levels, the amount due to JHU to reach the annual minimum is due by January
31st of the following year. Failure to make annual royalty payments is considered a material breach under the agreement and upon notice
from JHU of a material breach, the Company shall have 60 days to cure the material breach.
On
July 8, 2022, the company entered into an exclusive, world-wide, royalty-bearing license from JHU-APL for the additional technology developed
to enhance the bfLEAP™ platform. The new license provides additional intellectual property rights including patents, copyrights,
and knowhow to be utilized under the Company’s bfLEAP™ analytical AI/ML platform. This license supersedes the previous license.
In consideration of the new license, the Company issued 39,879 shares of common stock. Under the terms of the new License Agreement,
JHU will be entitled to eight percent (8%) of net sales for the services provided by the Company to other parties and three percent (3%)
for internally development drug projects in which the JHU license was utilized. The new license also contains tiered sub licensing fees
that start at 50% and reduce to 25% based on revenues. In addition, the Company is required to pay JHU an annual maintenance fee of $1,500.
Minimum annual payments are set to be $30,000 for 2022, $80,000 for 2023, and $300,000 for 2024 and beyond, all of which are creditable
by royalties. The financial terms of the new license agreement replace the original terms and are not duplicative.
12
On
May 31, 2023, the Company and JHU-APL entered into Amendment number 1 of the July 8, 2022 License Agreement whereby the Company gained
access to certain improvements including additional patents and knowhow in exchange for a series of payments totaling $275,000. The first
of these payments for $75,000 was due in July 2023 followed by payments of $75,000, $75,000, and $50,000 in years 2025, 2026 and 2027,
respectively. The amendment also reduced the 2023 minimum annual royalty payment to $60,000, all other financial terms remain the same.
As of December 31, 2023, we have accrued $60,000 of the 2023 minimum annual royalty payments.
George
Washington University - Beta2-spectrin siRNA License
On
January 14, 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, world-wide, royalty-bearing license from GWU for rights to use siRNA targeting
Beta2-spectrin in the treatment of human diseases, including HCC. The license covers methods claimed in three US and worldwide patent
applications, and also includes use of this approach for treatment of obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
This program is currently in the preclinical stage of development. The Company has not yet initiated development activities or IND-enabling
studies on this asset; however, the plan is to conduct this work over the next 24 months. All R&D to date on this candidate has been
conducted by the licensor of the technology, George Washington University. The term of the agreement began on January 14, 2022 and ends
on the expiration date of the last patent to expire or 10 years after the first sale of a licensed product if no patents have been issued.
The license can be terminated by the licensee upon 60 days’ written notice, or by the licensor if the Company is more than 30 days
late in paying amounts owed to the licensor and does not make payment upon demand, or in the event of any material breach of the license
that is not cured within 45 days.
Non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition in which excess lipids, or fat, build up in the liver. This condition, which is more common
in people who have obesity and related metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, affects as many as 24% of adults in the US and is
associated with risk of progression to more serious conditions, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with associated liver
inflammation and fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Evidence in animal models of obesity suggest that a protein called β2-spectrin
may play a key role in lipid accumulation, tissue fibrosis, and liver damage, and targeting expression or activity of this protein may
be a useful approach in treating NASH and liver cancer (Rao et al., 2021).
In
consideration of the rights granted to the Company under the license agreement, GWU received a $20,000 License Initiation Fee. Under
the terms of the License Agreement, GWU will be entitled to a three percent (3%) royalty on net sales subject to quarterly minimums
once the first sale has occurred subsequent to regulatory approval, as well sublicense or assignment fees in the event the Company
sublicenses or assigns their rights to use the technology. The Company will also reimburse GWU for previously incurred and ongoing
patent costs. The Sublicense and Assignment fee amounts decline as the Company advances the clinical development of the licensed
technology. The license agreement also contains milestone payments for clinical development through the approval of a New Drug Application (NDA) and
commercialization.
Aggregate
payments made to GWU to date include the $20,000 License Initiation Fee and an additional $6,550 to reimburse the licensor for past
patent costs. Aggregate future milestone costs could reach $860,000 if the drug successfully completes clinical trials and is the
subject of an NDA to the U.S. FDA. Future milestones on sales revenue are limited to $1 million on the first $20 million in net
sales.
As
of December 31, 2023 and 2022, there has been no accrual for royalties since we have not begun to generate applicable revenue. The Company
assessed whether the license should be capitalized and determined that the licensed program is in the early stage and therefore may not
be recoverable; the Company expensed the license fee and will expense development costs until commercial viability is likely.
13
Johns
Hopkins University – Mebendazole License
On
February 22, 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license from JHU for the use of an improved formulation
of Mebendazole for the treatment of any human cancer or neoplastic disease. This formulation shows potent activity in animal models of
different types of cancer, and has been evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with high-grade glioma (NCT01729260). The trial,
an open-label dose-escalation study, assessed the safety of the improved formulation with adjuvant temozolomide in 24 patients with newly
diagnosed gliomas. Investigators observed no dose-limiting toxicity in patients receiving all but the highest tested dose (200mg/kg/day).
Four of the 15 patients receiving the maximum tested dose of 200mg/kg/day experienced dose-limiting toxicity, all of which were reversed
by decreasing or eliminating the dose given. There were no serious adverse events attributed to mebendazole at any dose during the trial.
The Company is currently formulating a strategy to conduct additional clinical trials with this asset to enable evaluation of safety
in humans.
The
license covers six (6) issued patents and one (1) pending application, with the term of the agreement beginning on February 22, 2022
and ending on the date of expiration of the last to expire patent. The license can be terminated by the licensee upon 90 days’
written notice, or by the licensor in the event of any material breach of the license that is not cured within 30 days. In
consideration of the rights granted to the Company under the license agreement, JHU will receive a staggered Upfront License Fee of
$250,000, with the first $50,000 payment due within 30 days of the effective date. The Company will also reimburse JHU for
previously incurred and ongoing patent costs. Under the terms of the license agreement, JHU will be entitled to three- and one-half
percent (3.5%) royalty on net sales by the Company. In addition, the Company is required to pay JHU minimum annual royalty payments
of $5,000 for 2023, $10,000 for 2024, $20,000 for 2025, $30,000 for 2026 and $50,000 for 2027 and each year after until the first
commercial sale after which the annual minimum royalty shall be $250,000. The license agreement also contains milestone payments for
clinical development steps through the approval of an NDA and commercialization. Aggregate payments made to date include the initial
$50,000 upfront fee and an additional $79,232 to reimburse the licensor for past patent costs. Aggregate future milestone costs
could reach $1,500,000 if the drug successfully completes Phase II and III clinical trials and is approved for sale and marketing by
the US FDA. Future milestones on sales revenue are $1 million on the first $20 million in sales revenue, $2 million in the
first-year cumulative sales revenue exceeds $100 million, $10 million in the first-year cumulative sales revenue exceeds $500
million, and $20 million in the first-year cumulative sales revenue exceeds $1 billion. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the
balance of accrued expense related to this license agreement was $10,000 and $242,671, respectively. The Company assessed whether
the license should be capitalized and determined that the licensed program is in the early stage and therefore may not be
recoverable; the Company expensed the license fee and will expense development costs until commercial viability is
likely.
Johns
Hopkins University – Mebendazole Prodrug License
On
October 13, 2022, the Company entered into an exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing license from JHU and the Institute of Organic
Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) of the Czech Academy of Sciences for rights to commercialize N-substituted prodrugs of mebendazole
that demonstrate improved solubility and bioavailability. The license covers prodrug compositions and use for treating disease as
claimed in multiple US and worldwide patent applications. The term of the agreement began on October 13, 2022 and continues until
the date of expiration of the last to expire patent, or for 20 years from the effective date of the agreement if no patents are
issued. The license can be terminated by the Company upon 90 days’ written notice, or by the licensor in the event of any
material breach of the license that is not cured by the Company within 30 days.
14
In
consideration for the rights granted to the Company under the License Agreement JHU and IOCB will receive a staggered upfront
license fee of $100,000. The Company will also reimburse JHU and IOCB for previously incurred patent costs totaling $33,265 and will
be responsible for reimbursing licensors for future patent costs. Under the terms of the License Agreement, the licensors will be
entitled to a four percent (4%) royalty on net sales subject to annual minimums upon first commercial sale of a licensed product, as
well sublicense or assignment fees in the event the Company sublicenses or assigns their rights to use the technology. The
Sublicense fee amount declines as the Company advances the clinical development of licensed technology. The Company is required to
pay minimum annual royalties (MAR) beginning in year 4 of the agreement. The MAR for year 4 will be $5,000, increasing to $10,000 in
year 5, $20,000 in year 6, $30,000 in year 7, and $50,000 in year 8 and subsequent years. The Company will be responsible for
milestone payments for patent issuance of up to $50,000 and clinical development milestones up to and including approval of an NDA
totaling up to $2.3 million. The Company will be required to pay a commercial milestone of $1 million once sales reach $20 million
in the US, $2 million when sales in the US reach $100 million, $10 million when US sales reach $500 million, and $20 million when US
sales exceed $1 billion.
As
of December 31, 2023 and 2022, the balance of accrued expense related to this license agreement was $0 and $133,238, respectively. The
Company assessed whether the license should be capitalized and determined that the licensed program is in the early stage and therefore
may not be recoverable; the Company expensed the license fee and will expense development costs until commercial viability is likely.
On
September 26, 2023, the Company announced positive data in a preclinical study investigating the anti-cancer activity of a novel prodrug
of mebendazole for the treatment of glioblastoma. The study assessed the relative efficacy of BF-222, a novel formulation of mebendazole
that has been evaluated in clinical trials, and BF-223, a novel prodrug of mebendazole with improved solubility and bioavailability relative
to BF-222, compared with placebo in mice that had been implanted with tumor cells as a model for human glioblastoma. Animals treated
with BF-223 had an average survival time of 27.9 days compared with 27.3 days for mice treated with BF-222 and 23.4 days for mice given
placebo. Mice treated with BF-223 were administered 80% of the dose that mice treated with BF-222 received, and improved outcomes for
both treatment groups were statistically significant compared to placebo. In addition, animals treated with equivalent doses of BF-222
and BF-223 showed comparable and significant reduction in tumor growth compared to control animals during the study.
Competition
The
pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are characterized by rapidly advancing technologies, intense competition, and a strong emphasis
on proprietary products. The immuno-oncology, neuroscience, and rare disease segments of the industry in particular are highly competitive.
While we believe that our technology, development experience and scientific knowledge provide competitive advantages, we face potential
competition from many different sources, including major pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies, academic
institutions and governmental agencies, and public and private research institutions.
Many
of our competitors may have significantly greater financial resources, and expertise in research and development, manufacturing, preclinical
studies, conducting clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals, and marketing approved medicines than we do. Mergers and acquisitions
in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and diagnostic industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller
number of our competitors. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel
and in establishing clinical trial sites and patient registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary
to or necessary for our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through
collaborative arrangements with large and established companies.
15
The
key competitive factors affecting the success of all of our product candidates, if approved, are likely to be their efficacy, safety,
convenience, price, the effectiveness of companion diagnostics in guiding the use of related therapeutics, if any, the level of generic
competition and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payors.
Our
commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize medicines that are safer, are more
effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any medicines we may develop. Our competitors
also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their medicines more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result
in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market. In addition, our ability to compete
may be affected in many cases by insurers or other third-party payors seeking to encourage the use of generic medicines. There are many
generic medicines currently on the market for certain of the indications that we are pursuing, and additional generics are expected to
become available over the coming years. If our therapeutic product candidates are approved, we expect that they will be priced at a significant
premium over competitive generic medicines.
Any
product candidates that we successfully develop and commercialize will compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become
available in the future. If the product candidates of our priority programs are approved for the indications for which we are currently
planning clinical trials, they will compete with the drugs discussed below and will likely compete with other drugs currently in development.
bfLEAP
The
analytics industry and application of AI in healthcare is growing rapidly. Competition exists along the entire continuum of the drug
development process from discovery to commercialization and beyond. We believe the weakness of the industry is the quality of the data
and we believe bfLEAP provides several competitive advantages, that will position the Company for success, First, bfLEAP is highly scalable
and can process data from small to extremely large complex data sets without the need for additional code being developed. Second, it
is adept at processing and analyzing incomplete data and making predictions that we do not believe other technologies are capable of
doing. Finally, bfLEAP has the ability to extract the most important features for analysis out of extremely large complex data sets using
unsupervised machine learning algorithms, thereby greatly simplifying complex problems. Since data quality is a problem that exists in
the healthcare industry, we see these as major differentiators. The ability to make predictions, find relationships and patterns and
anomalies in extremely large complex data sets has been demonstrated by the Applied Physics Lab in other applications and sectors. Finally,
the algorithms used by bfLEAP are proprietary and protected, having been developed at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab. We
believe most of the competitors rely on open-source algorithms and we also believe that we have already demonstrated our superiority
via the August 2021 publication in DeepAI.org.
Government
Regulation
The
FDA does not currently require approval of AI technologies used to aid in therapeutics, but that could change in the future. The FDA
will regulate any clinical trials conducted by the Company.
Our
clinical development programs will, in some cases, require regulatory review of preclinical and/or clinical data by the FDA or other
governing agencies, and subsequent compliance with applicable federal, state, local, and foreign statutes and regulations. The results
of the clinical trials that we conduct will be evaluated by the FDA and other regulatory bodies. The comments and approvals that are
obtained are expected to lead to milestone payments under the collaborative agreement. Accordingly, our ability to navigate the regulatory
process is extremely important to the success of the Company. We believe that we have a competitive advantage in this process due to
primarily focusing on drug candidates that already have some level of success in clinical trials. Previous success of a particular candidate
in trials combined with our precision medicine approach to clinical trial design using our bfLEAP platform, will de-risk the development
process and improve the chances for success.
16
Government
Regulation and Product Approval
Government
authorities in the United States, at the federal, state and local level, and in other countries and jurisdictions extensively regulate,
among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture, quality control, approval, packaging, storage, recordkeeping, labeling,
advertising, promotion, distribution, marketing, post-approval monitoring and reporting, and import and export of pharmaceutical products.
The processes for obtaining regulatory approvals in the United States and in foreign countries and jurisdictions, along with subsequent
compliance with applicable statutes and regulations and other regulatory authorities, require the expenditure of substantial time and
financial resources.
FDA
Approval Process
In
the United States, pharmaceutical products are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C
Act) and other federal and state statutes and regulations govern, among other things, the research, development, testing, manufacture,
storage, recordkeeping, approval, labeling, promotion and marketing, distribution, post-approval monitoring and reporting, sampling and
import and export of pharmaceutical products. Failure to comply with applicable U.S. requirements may subject a company to a variety
of administrative or judicial sanctions, such as FDA refusal to approve pending new drug applications (NDAs), warning or untitled letters,
product recalls, product seizures, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, injunctions, fines, civil penalties and
criminal prosecution.
Pharmaceutical
product development for a new product or certain changes to an approved product in the U.S. typically involves preclinical laboratory
and animal tests, the submission to FDA of an investigational new drug application (IND) which must become effective before clinical
testing may commence, and adequate and well-controlled clinical trials to establish the safety and effectiveness of the drug for each
indication for which FDA approval is sought. Satisfaction of FDA pre-market approval requirements typically takes many years and the
actual time required may vary substantially based upon the type, complexity and novelty of the product or disease.
Preclinical
tests include laboratory evaluation of product chemistry, formulation and toxicity, as well as animal trials to assess the characteristics
and potential safety and efficacy of the product. The conduct of the preclinical tests must comply with federal regulations and requirements,
including good laboratory practices. The results of preclinical testing are submitted to FDA as part of an IND along with other information,
including information about product chemistry, manufacturing and controls, and a proposed clinical trial protocol. Long-term preclinical
tests, such as animal tests of reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity, may continue after the IND is submitted. A 30-day waiting period
after the submission of each IND is required prior to the commencement of clinical testing in humans. If FDA has neither commented on
nor questioned the IND within this 30-day period, the clinical trial proposed in the IND may begin. Clinical trials involve the administration
of the investigational new drug to healthy volunteers or patients under the supervision of a qualified investigator. Clinical trials
must be conducted: (i) in compliance with federal regulations; (ii) in compliance with good clinical practice, or GCP, an international
standard meant to protect the rights and health of patients and to define the roles of clinical trial sponsors, administrators, and monitors;
as well as (iii) under protocols detailing the objectives of the trial, the parameters to be used in monitoring safety and the effectiveness
criteria to be evaluated. Each protocol involving testing on U.S. patients and subsequent protocol amendments must be submitted to FDA
as part of the IND.
17
Clinical
trials to support NDAs for marketing approval are typically conducted in three sequential phases, but the phases may overlap. In Phase
1, the initial introduction of the drug into healthy human subjects or patients, the drug is tested to assess metabolism, pharmacokinetics,
pharmacological actions, side effects associated with increasing doses, and, if possible, early evidence of effectiveness. Phase 2 usually
involves trials in a limited patient population to determine the effectiveness of the drug for a particular indication, dosage tolerance
and optimum dosage, and to identify common adverse effects and safety risks. If a drug demonstrates evidence of effectiveness and an
acceptable safety profile in Phase 2 evaluations, Phase 3 trials are undertaken to obtain the additional information about clinical efficacy
and safety in a larger number of patients, typically at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites, to permit FDA to evaluate the
overall benefit-risk relationship of the drug and to provide adequate information for the labeling of the drug. In most cases, FDA requires
two adequate and well-controlled Phase 3 clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy of the drug. A single Phase 3 trial with other confirmatory
evidence may be sufficient in rare instances, such as where the study is a large multicenter trial demonstrating internal consistency
and a statistically very persuasive finding of a clinically meaningful effect on mortality, irreversible morbidity, or prevention of
a disease with a potentially serious outcome and confirmation of the result in a second trial would be practically or ethically impossible.
After
completion of the required clinical testing, an NDA is prepared and submitted to FDA. FDA approval of the NDA is required before marketing
of the product may begin in the U.S. The NDA must include the results of all preclinical, clinical and other testing and a compilation
of data relating to the product’s pharmacology, chemistry, manufacture and controls. The cost of preparing and submitting an NDA
is substantial. The submission of most NDAs is additionally subject to a substantial application user fee, and the applicant under an
approved NDA is also subject to an annual program fee for each prescription product. These fees are typically increased annually. Sponsors
of applications for drugs granted Orphan Drug Designation are exempt from these user fees.
FDA
may also refer applications for novel drug products, or drug products that present difficult questions of safety or efficacy, to an outside
advisory committee – typically a panel that includes clinicians and other experts – for review, evaluation, and a recommendation
as to whether the application should be approved. FDA is not bound by the recommendation of an advisory committee, but it generally follows
such recommendations.
Before
approving an NDA, FDA will typically inspect one or more clinical sites to assure compliance with GCP. Additionally, FDA will inspect
the facility or the facilities at which the drug is manufactured. FDA will not approve the product unless compliance with current good
manufacturing practices (cGMPs) is satisfactory and the NDA contains data that provide substantial evidence that the drug is safe and
effective in the indication studied.
Fast
Track Designation
FDA
is required to facilitate the development, and expedite the review, of drugs that are intended for the treatment of a serious or life-threatening
disease or condition for which there is no effective treatment and which demonstrate the potential to address unmet medical needs for
the condition. Under the Fast Track program, the sponsor of a new drug candidate may request that FDA designate the drug candidate for
a specific indication as a Fast Track drug concurrent with, or after, the filing of the IND for the drug candidate. FDA must determine
if the drug candidate qualifies for Fast Track Designation within 60 days of receipt of the sponsor’s request.
If
a submission is granted Fast Track Designation, the sponsor may engage in more frequent interactions with FDA, and FDA may review sections
of the NDA before the application is complete. This rolling review is available if the applicant provides, and FDA approves, a schedule
for the submission of the remaining information and the applicant pays applicable user fees. However, FDA’s time period goal for
reviewing an application does not begin until the last section of the NDA is submitted. While we may seek Fast Track Designation, there
is no guarantee that we will be successful in obtaining any such designation. Even if we do obtain such designation, we may not experience
a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. A Fast Track Designation does not ensure that
the product candidate will receive marketing approval or that approval will be granted within any particular timeframe. Additionally,
Fast Track Designation may be withdrawn by FDA if FDA believes that the designation is no longer supported by data emerging in the clinical
trial process.
18
Post-Approval
Requirements
Once
an NDA is approved, a product will be subject to certain post-approval requirements. For instance, FDA closely regulates the post-approval
marketing and promotion of drugs, including standards and regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising, off-label promotion, industry-sponsored
scientific and educational activities and promotional activities involving the internet. Drugs may be marketed only for the approved
indications and in accordance with the provisions of the approved labeling.
Adverse
event reporting and submission of periodic reports are required following FDA approval of an NDA. FDA also may require post-marketing
testing, known as Phase 4 testing, REMS and surveillance to monitor the effects of an approved product, or FDA may place conditions on
an approval that could restrict the distribution or use of the product. In addition, quality control, drug manufacture, packaging and
labeling procedures must continue to conform to cGMPs after approval. Drug manufacturers and certain of their subcontractors are required
to register their establishments with FDA and certain state agencies. Registration with FDA subjects entities to periodic unannounced
inspections by FDA, during which the Agency inspects manufacturing facilities to assess compliance with cGMPs. Accordingly, manufacturers
must continue to expend time, money, and effort in the areas of production and quality-control to maintain compliance with cGMPs. Regulatory
authorities may withdraw product approvals or request product recalls if a company fails to comply with regulatory standards, if it encounters
problems following initial marketing, or if previously unrecognized problems are subsequently discovered.
Generic
Competition
In
seeking approval for a drug through an NDA, applicants are required to list with the FDA each patent whose claims cover the applicant’s
product. Upon approval of a drug, each of the patents listed in the application for the drug is then published in the FDA’s Approved
Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations, commonly known as the Orange Book. Drugs listed in the Orange Book can, in turn,
be cited by potential generic competitors in support of approval of an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA). An ANDA provides for
marketing of a drug product that has the same active ingredients in the same strengths and dosage form as the listed drug and has been
shown through bioequivalence testing to be therapeutically equivalent to the listed drug. Other than the requirement for bioequivalence
testing, ANDA applicants are not required to conduct, or submit results of, preclinical or clinical tests to prove the safety or effectiveness
of their drug product. Drugs approved in this way are commonly referred to as “generic equivalents” to the listed drug and
can often be substituted by pharmacists under prescriptions written for the original listed drug.
The
ANDA applicant is required to certify to the FDA concerning any patents listed for the approved product in the FDA’s Orange Book.
Specifically, the applicant must certify that (i) the required patent information has not been filed; (ii) the listed patent has expired;
(iii) the listed patent has not expired but will expire on a particular date and approval is sought after patent expiration; or (iv)
the listed patent is invalid or will not be infringed by the new product (a Paragraph IV certification). The ANDA applicant may also
elect to submit a section viii statement certifying that its proposed ANDA label does not contain (or carve out) any language regarding
the patented method-of-use rather than certify to a listed method-of-use patent. If the applicant does not challenge the listed patents
or certifies that the listed patents will not be infringed by the new product, the ANDA application will not be approved until all the
listed patents claiming the referenced product have expired. If the ANDA applicant has provided a Paragraph IV certification, the NDA
and patent holders may then initiate a patent infringement lawsuit in response. The filing of a patent infringement lawsuit within 45
days of the receipt of a such certification automatically prevents the FDA from approving the ANDA until the earlier of 30 months, expiration
of the patent, settlement of the lawsuit, or a decision in the infringement case that is favorable to the ANDA applicant.
Exclusivity
Upon
NDA approval of a new chemical entity (NCE) that drug receives five years of marketing exclusivity during which FDA cannot receive any
ANDA seeking approval of a generic version of that drug. An ANDA may be submitted one year before NCE exclusivity expires if a Paragraph
IV certification is filed. If there is no listed patent in the Orange Book, there may not be a Paragraph IV certification, and, thus,
no ANDA may be filed before the expiration of the exclusivity period. Certain changes to a drug, such as the addition of a new indication
to the package insert, can be the subject of a three-year period of exclusivity if the application contains reports of new clinical investigations
(other than bioavailability studies) conducted or sponsored by the sponsor that were essential to approval of the application. FDA cannot
approve an ANDA for a generic drug that includes the change during the period of exclusivity.
19
Patent
Term Extension
After
NDA approval, owners of relevant drug patents may apply for up to a five-year patent extension. The allowable patent term extension is
calculated as half of the drug’s testing phase (the time between IND application and NDA submission) and all of the review phase
(the time between NDA submission and approval up to a maximum of five years). The time can be shortened if FDA determines that the applicant
did not pursue approval with due diligence. The total patent term after the extension may not exceed 14 years, and only one patent can
be extended. For patents that might expire during the application phase, the patent owner may request an interim patent extension. An
interim patent extension increases the patent term by one year and may be renewed up to four times. For each interim patent extension
granted, the post-approval patent extension is reduced by one year. The director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office must
determine that approval of the drug covered by the patent for which a patent extension is being sought is likely. Interim patent extensions
are not available for a drug for which an NDA has not been submitted.
Other
Healthcare Laws
In
the United States, biotechnology company activities are subject to regulation by various federal, state and local authorities in addition
to the FDA, including but not limited to, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), other divisions of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services (e.g., the Office of Inspector General and the Office for Civil Rights), the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) and individual U.S. Attorney offices within the DOJ, and state and local governments. For example, research, sales, marketing,
and scientific/educational grant programs have to comply with the anti-fraud and abuse provisions of the Social Security Act, the federal
false claims laws, the privacy and security provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and similar
state laws, each as amended, as applicable.
Also,
many states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that apply to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other
state programs, or, in several states, apply regardless of the payor.
Data
privacy and security regulations by both the federal government and the states in which business is conducted may also be applicable.
HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations,
imposes requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information. HIPAA requires
covered entities to limit the use and disclosure of protected health information to specifically authorized situations and requires covered
entities to implement security measures to protect health information that they maintain in electronic form. Among other things, HITECH
made HIPAA’s security standards directly applicable to business associates, independent contractors or agents of covered entities
that receive or obtain protected health information in connection with providing a service on behalf of a covered entity. HITECH also
created four new tiers of civil monetary penalties, amended HIPAA to make civil and criminal penalties directly applicable to business
associates, and gave state attorneys general new authority to file civil actions for damages or injunctions in federal courts to enforce
the federal HIPAA laws and seek attorneys’ fees and costs associated with pursuing federal civil actions. In addition, state laws
govern the privacy and security of health information in specified circumstances, many of which differ from each other in significant
ways and may not have the same effect, thus complicating compliance efforts.
Insurance
Coverage and Reimbursement
Significant
uncertainty exists as to the insurance coverage and reimbursement status of any products for which we may obtain regulatory approval.
In the United States, sales of any product candidates for which regulatory approval for commercial sale is obtained will depend in part
on the availability of coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payors. Third-party payors include government authorities
and health programs in the United States such as Medicare and Medicaid, managed care providers, private health insurers and other organizations.
These third-party payors are increasingly reducing reimbursements for medical products and services. The process for determining whether
a payor will provide coverage for a drug product may be separate from the process for setting the reimbursement rate that the payor will
pay for the drug product. Third-party payors may limit coverage to specific drug products on an approved list, or formulary, which might
not include all of FDA-approved drugs for a particular indication. A payor’s decision to provide coverage for a drug product does
not imply that an adequate reimbursement rate will be approved. Further, coverage and reimbursement for drug products can differ significantly
from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us
to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and
adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance.
20
Human
Capital Resources
As
of February 10, 2023, the Company has 4 full-time employees and consultants, including its Chief Executive Officer Vininder Singh and
its Chief Financial Officer, Dane Saglio and 7 part-time employees, advisors, and consultants. None of these employees are covered by
a collective bargaining agreement, and we believe our relationship with our employees is good. We also engage consultants on an as-needed
basis to supplement existing staff.
Properties
Currently,
the Company does not own any real property. All of the Company’s employees work virtually.
Legal
Proceedings
The
Company is not a party to any legal proceedings.
Corporate
Information
BullFrog
AI Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in the State of Nevada on February 6, 2020. Our principal business address is 325 Ellington Blvd,
Unit 317, Gaithersburg, MD 20878. Our website address is www.bullfrogai.com . The references to our website in this annual report
are inactive textual references only. The information on our website is neither incorporated by reference into this annual report nor
intended to be used in connection with this annual report. All of our operations are currently conducted through BullFrog AI Holdings,
Inc.
Available
Information
We
file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”). These filings are available to the public through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov . All statements
made in any of our securities filings, including all forward-looking statements or information, are made as of the date of the document
in which the statement is included unless otherwise specified, and we do not assume or undertake any obligation to update any of those
statements or documents unless we are required to do so by law.
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS
Smaller
reporting companies are not required to provide the information required by this item.