Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
You
should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our unaudited condensed
financial statements and the related notes appearing under Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Quarterly
Report”). This Quarterly Report, including the following discussion and analysis, contains forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date of this report. Forward-looking information is included in our discussion of our
plans and strategy for our business and expected financial results. You should review the “Risk Factors” discussed in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on March 23, 2023, and the information contained
elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
results described in or implied by forward-looking statements.
Overview
Celcuity
is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of targeted therapies for treatment of multiple solid tumor indications.
The Company’s lead therapeutic candidate is gedatolisib, a pan-PI3K/mTOR inhibitor. Its mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic
properties are highly differentiated from other currently approved and investigational therapies that target PI3K or mTOR alone or together.
The Company initiated VIKTORIA-1, a Phase 3 study evaluating gedatolisib in patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer in 2022 and
is currently enrolling patients. Its CELsignia companion diagnostic platform is uniquely able to analyze live patient tumor cells to
identify new groups of cancer patients likely to benefit from already approved targeted therapies.
Gedatolisib,
is a potent, well-tolerated, small molecule reversible dual inhibitor, administered intravenously, that selectively targets all Class
I isoforms of PI3K and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). In April 2021, we obtained exclusive global development and commercialization
rights to gedatolisib under a license agreement with Pfizer, Inc. We believe gedatolisib’s unique mechanism of action, differentiated
chemical structure, favorable pharmacokinetic properties, and intravenous formulation offer distinct advantages over currently approved
and investigational therapies that target PI3K or mTOR alone or together.
● Overcomes
limitations of therapies that only inhibit a single Class I PI3K isoform or only one mTOR
kinase complex.
Gedatolisib
is a pan-class I isoform PI3K inhibitor with low nanomolar potency for the p110α, p110β, p110γ, and p110δ isoforms
and mTORC1 and mTORC2 complexes. Each PI3K isoform and mTOR complex is known to preferentially affect different signal transduction events
that involve tumor cell survival, depending upon the aberrations associated with the linked pathway. When a therapy only inhibits a single
Class 1 isoform (e.g., alpelisib, a PI3K-α inhibitor) or only one mTOR kinase complex (e.g., everolimus, an mTORC1 inhibitor),
numerous feedforward and feedback loops between the PI3K isoforms and mTOR complexes cross-activate the uninhibited sub-units. This,
in turn, induces compensatory resistance that can reduce the efficacy of isoform specific PI3K or single mTOR kinase complex inhibitors.
Inhibiting all four PI3K isoforms and both mTOR complexes, as gedatolisib does, thus prevents the confounding effect of isoform interaction
that may occur with isoform-specific PI3K inhibitors and the confounding interaction between PI3K isoforms and mTOR.
● Better
tolerated by patients than oral PI3K and mTOR drugs.
Gedatolisib
is administered intravenously (IV) on a four-week cycle of three weeks-on, one week-off, in contrast to the orally administered pan-PI3K
or dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors that are no longer being clinically developed. Oral pan-PI3K or PI3K/mTOR inhibitors have repeatably been
found to induce significant side effects that were not well tolerated by patients. This typically leads to a high proportion of patients
requiring dose reductions or treatment discontinuation. The challenging toxicity profile of these drug candidates ultimately played a
significant role in the decisions to halt their development, despite showing promising efficacy. By contrast, gedatolisib stabilizes
at lower concentration levels in plasma compared to orally administered PI3K inhibitors, resulting in less toxicity, while maintaining
concentrations sufficient to inhibit PI3K/mTOR signaling.
Isoform-specific
PI3K inhibitors administered orally were developed to reduce toxicities in patients. While the range of toxicities associated with isoform-specific
inhibitors is narrower than oral pan-PI3K or PI3K/mTOR inhibitors, administering them orally on a continuous basis still leads to challenging
toxicities. The experience with an FDA approved oral p110-α specific inhibitor, Piqray, illustrates the challenge. In its Phase
3 pivotal trial Piqray was found to induce a Grade 3 or 4 adverse event (AE) related to hyperglycemia in 39% of patients evaluated. In
addition, 26% of patients discontinued alpelisib due to treatment related adverse events. By contrast, in the 103-patient dose expansion
portion of the Phase 1b clinical trial with gedatolisib, only 7% of patients experienced Grade 3 or 4 hyperglycemia and less than 10%
discontinued treatment.
14
As
of June 30, 2023, 492 patients with solid tumors have received gedatolisib in eight clinical trials sponsored by Pfizer. Of the 492 patients,
129 were treated with gedatolisib as a single agent in three clinical trials. The remaining 363 patients received gedatolisib in combination
with other anti-cancer agents in five clinical trials. Additional patients received gedatolisib in combination with other anti-cancer
agents in nine investigator sponsored clinical trials.
A
Phase 1b trial (B2151009) evaluating patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer was initiated in 2016 and subsequently enrolled
138 patients. Seven patients from this study continue to receive study treatment, as of June 30, 2023, each of whom have received study
treatment for more than four years. The B2151009 clinical was an open label, multiple arm Phase 1b study that evaluated gedatolisib in
combination with palbociclib (CDK4/6 inhibitor) and fulvestrant or letrozole in patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer. Thirty-five
patients were enrolled in two dose escalation arms to evaluate the safety and tolerability and to determine the maximum tolerated dose
(MTD) of gedatolisib when used in combination with the standard doses of palbociclib and endocrine therapy (letrozole or fulvestrant).
The MTD was determined to be 180 mg administered intravenously once weekly. A total of 103 patients were subsequently enrolled in one
of four expansion arms (A, B, C, D).
High
objective overall response rates (ORR) were observed in all four expansion arms and were comparable in each arm for PIK3CA WT and
PIK3CA MT patients. As of the data cut-off date, March 16, 2023, for treatment- naïve patients in Escalation Arm A and
Expansion Arm A (n=41), median progression free survival (mPFS) was 48.6 months, median duration of response (mDOR) was 46.9 months,
and ORR was 79%. This data compares favorably to published data for current first-line standard-of-care treatments for patients with
HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer. In patients who received prior hormonal therapy
alone or in combination with a CDK4/6 inhibitor (Arms B, C, and D), ORR ranged from 36% to 77%. Each arm achieved its primary
endpoint target, which was reporting higher ORR in the study arm than ORR from either the PALOMA-2 (ORR=55%) study that evaluated
palbociclib plus letrozole for Arm A or the PALOMA-3 study (ORR=25%) that evaluated palbociclib plus fulvestrant for Arms B, C, and
D. For all enrolled patients, a clinical benefit rate (CBR) of ≥79% was observed. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 12.9
months for patients who received a prior CDK4/6 inhibitor and were treated in the study with the Phase 3 dosing schedule (Arm
D).
Gedatolisib
combined with palbociclib and endocrine therapy demonstrated a favorable safety profile with manageable toxicity. The majority of treatment
emergent adverse events were Grade 1 and 2. The most frequently observed adverse events included stomatitis/mucosal inflammation, the
majority of which were Grade 1 and 2. The most common Grade 4 AEs were neutropenia and neutrophil count decrease, which were assessed
as related to treatment with palbociclib. No grade 5 events were reported in this study.
We
are currently enrolling patients in a Phase 3, open-label, randomized clinical trial (VIKTORIA-1) to evaluate the efficacy and safety
of two regimens in adults with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer whose disease has progressed after prior CDK4/6 therapy in combination
with an aromatase inhibitor: 1) gedatolisib in combination with palbociclib and fulvestrant; and 2) gedatolisib in combination with fulvestrant.
Two hundred clinical sites in North America, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia have been selected to participate in the study.
The first clinical site was activated in the third quarter of 2022. The first dosage of a subject in the trial occurred in December 2022.
The
VIKTORIA-1 clinical trial will enable separate evaluation of subjects according to their PIK3CA status. Subjects who meet eligibility
criteria and are PIK3CA WT will be randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive a regimen of either gedatolisib, palbociclib, and fulvestrant
(Arm A), gedatolisib and fulvestrant (Arm B), or fulvestrant (Arm C). Subjects who meet eligibility criteria and are PIK3CA MT will be
randomly assigned (3:3:1) to receive a regimen of either gedatolisib, palbociclib, and fulvestrant (Arm D) or alpelisib and fulvestrant
(Arm E), or gedatolisib and fulvestrant (Arm F).
Our
proprietary CELsignia diagnostic platform is the only commercially ready technology we are aware of that uses a patient’s living
tumor cells to identify the specific abnormal cellular process driving a patient’s cancer and the targeted therapy that best treats
it. This enables us to identify patients whose tumors may respond to a targeted therapy, even though they lack a previously associated
molecular mutation. By identifying cancer patients whose tumors lack an associated genetic mutation but have abnormal cellular activity
a matching targeted therapeutic is designed to inhibit, CELsignia CDx can expand the markets for a number of already approved targeted
therapies. Our current CDx identifies breast and ovarian cancer patients whose tumors have cancer drivers potentially responsive to treatment
with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2), mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-MET), or phosphatidylinositol
3-kinases (PI3K) targeted therapeutics. While U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approval or clearance is not currently
required for CELsignia tests offered as a stand-alone laboratory developed test, if we are partnered with a drug company to launch a
CELsignia test as a companion diagnostic for a new drug indication, we would be required to obtain premarket approval, or PMA, in conjunction
with the pharmaceutical company seeking a new drug approval for the matching therapy.
We
are supporting the advancement of new potential indications for four different targeted therapies, controlled by other pharmaceutical
companies, that would rely on a CELsignia CDx to select patients. Four Phase 2 trials are underway to evaluate the efficacy and safety
of these therapies in CELsignia selected patients. These patients are not currently eligible to receive these drugs and are not identifiable
with a molecular test.
15
Supporting
the development of a potential first-in-class targeted therapy for breast cancer, like gedatolisib, with our CELsignia platform is a
natural extension of our strategy to use our CELsignia CDx to enable new indications for other companies’ targeted therapies. By
combining companion diagnostics designed to enable proprietary new drug indications with targeted therapies that treat signaling dysregulation
our CDx identifies, we believe we are uniquely positioned to improve the standard-of-care for many early and late-stage breast cancer
patients. Our goal is to play a key role in the multiple treatment approaches required to treat breast cancer patients at various stages
of their disease. With each program, we are:
●
Leveraging
the proprietary insights CELsignia provides into live patient tumor cell function
●
Using
a CELsignia CDx to identify new patients likely to respond to the paired targeted therapy
●
Developing
a new targeted therapeutic option for breast cancer patients
●
Maximizing
the probability of getting regulatory approval to market the targeted therapy indication
Under
our April 2021 license agreement with Pfizer to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize gedatolisib, we paid a $5.0 million
upfront fee and granted to Pfizer $5.0 million shares of Company common stock, which fee and grant were effected and expensed to research
& development in full for the quarter in which we signed the license agreement. In addition, we are also required to make milestone
payments to Pfizer upon achievement of certain development and commercial milestone events, up to an aggregate of $335.0 million. Additionally,
the Company will pay Pfizer tiered royalties on sales of gedatolisib at percentages ranging from the low to mid-teens, which may be subject
to deductions for expiration of valid claims, amounts due under third-party licenses and generic competition. Unless earlier terminated,
the license agreement will expire upon the expiration of all royalty obligations. The royalty period will expire on a country-by-country
basis upon the later of (a) 12 years following the date of first commercial sale of such product in such country, (b) the expiration
of all regulatory or data exclusivity in such country for such product or (c) the date upon which the manufacture, use, sale, offer for
sale or importation of such product in such country would no longer infringe, but for the license granted in the license agreement, on
a valid claim of a licensed patent right.
The
Company has the right to terminate the license agreement for convenience upon 90 days’ prior written notice. Pfizer may not terminate
the agreement for convenience. Either the Company or Pfizer may terminate the license agreement if the other party is in material breach
and such breach is not cured within the specified cure period. In addition, either the Company or Pfizer may terminate the license agreement
in the event of specified insolvency events involving the other party.
Recent
Developments
In
May 2023, updated results from a Phase 1b trial evaluating gedatolisib, in combination with palbociclib and the aromatase inhibitor,
letrozole, were presented at the 2023 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Breast Cancer Annual Congress, with data updated
as of March 16, 2023. For treatment-naïve patients from Escalation Arm A and Expansion Arm A (n=41), mPFS was 48.6 months, mDOR was
46.9 months, and the ORR was 79%. This data compares favorably to published data for current first-line standard-of-care treatments
for patients with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer.
In
April 2023, Celcuity presented a poster at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting demonstrating gedatolisib’s
superior therapeutic activity relative to the various PI3K, AKT, and mTOR inhibitors, regardless of the cell lines’ PTEN, PI3K,
or AKT mutational status in endometrial, ovarian and cervical cancer cell lines.
Impact
of COVID-19 on our Business
Although
we have largely returned to normal operations in our facility, the COVID-19 pandemic continues and its effect on our operations and financial
condition will depend in large part on future developments which cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. Future developments include
the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, the emergence of new virus variants that are more contagious or harmful than prior
variants, actions taken by governmental authorities, suppliers, clinical trial sites, and other business partners to contain or mitigate
the pandemic’s impact, and the potential adverse effects on the suppliers, labor market and general economic activity.
As
we continue to advance our clinical trial collaborations, we remain in close contact with our current clinical sponsors, and principal
investigators, as well as prospective pharmaceutical company and clinical collaborators, to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on our trial
enrollment timelines and collaboration discussions. We experienced delays in the enrollment of patients in our ongoing clinical trials
and now expect interim results from the FACT-1 and FACT-2 trials to be delayed until the first half of 2024 and final results approximately
nine months later. We could experience further delays in clinical trials and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies and sponsors
if new variants emerge or if the spread of COVID-19 once again accelerates. Due to the inherent uncertainty associated with the COVID-19
pandemic, we are unable to predict the impact the pandemic may have on our clinical trial work and overall financial condition.
16
Results
of Operations
We
have not generated any revenue from sales to date, and we continue to incur significant research and development and other expenses related
to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not and have never been profitable and have incurred losses in each period since our inception
in 2012. For the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we reported a net loss of approximately $14.6 million and $10.0 million,
respectively, and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, we reported a net loss of approximately $26.5 million and $17.9 million,
respectively. As of June 30, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $122.8 million. As of June 30, 2023, we had
cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of approximately $146.2 million.
Components
of Operating Results
Revenue
To
date, we have not generated any revenue. With the execution of the Pfizer license agreement in April 2021, whereby we acquired exclusive
world-wide licensing rights to develop and commercialize gedatolisib, we initiated a Phase 3 clinical trial, VIKTORIA-1, in 2022 to support
potential regulatory approval to market gedatolisib. If we obtain regulatory approvals to market gedatolisib, we expect to generate revenue
from sales of the drug for the treatment of breast cancer patients. Additionally, we will seek to generate revenue from partnership agreements
with pharmaceutical companies to provide companion diagnostics for such pharmaceutical partners’ existing or investigational targeted
therapies. If a new drug indication is received that requires use of our companion diagnostic to identify eligible patients, we expect
to generate revenues from sales of tests to treating physicians.
Research
and Development
Since
our inception, we have primarily focused on research and development of gedatolisib, a PI3K/mTOR targeted therapy, and our CELsignia
platform and corresponding tests. Research and development expenses primarily include:
●
employee-related
expenses related to our research and development activities, including salaries, benefits, recruiting, travel and stock-based compensation
expenses;
●
laboratory
supplies;
●
consulting
fees paid to third parties;
●
clinical
trial costs;
●
validation
costs for gedatolisib ;
●
facilities
expenses; and
●
legal
costs associated with patent applications.
Internal
and external research and development costs are expensed as they are incurred. As we continue development of gedatolisib, manage the
VIKTORIA-1 Phase 3 trial, and other clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of targeted therapies in cancer patients selected with one
of our CELsignia tests, the proportion of research and development expenses allocated to external spending will grow at a faster rate
than expenses allocated to internal expenses.
General
and Administrative
General
and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits and stock-based compensation related to our executive, finance and
support functions. Other general and administrative expenses include professional fees for auditing, tax, and legal services associated
with being a public company, director and officer insurance, investor relations and travel expenses for our general and administrative
personnel.
Sales
and Marketing
Sales
and marketing expenses consist primarily of professional and consulting fees related to these functions. To date, we have incurred immaterial
sales and marketing expenses as we continue to focus primarily on the development of our first drug, gedatolisib, managing the VIKTORIA-1
Phase 3 trial, and development of our CELsignia platform and corresponding CELsignia tests. We would expect to begin to incur increased
sales and marketing expenses in anticipation of the commercialization of our first drug, gedatolisib, and CELsignia tests. These increased
expenses are expected to include payroll-related costs as we add employees in the commercial departments, costs related to the initiation
and operation of our sales and distribution network and marketing related costs.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense is primarily due to a Loan Agreement.
Interest
Income
Interest
income consists of interest income earned on our cash equivalents and investment balances.
17
Results
of Operations
Comparison
of the Three Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
Three Months Ended
June 30,
Increase (Decrease)
2023
2022
$
Percent Change
Statements of Operations Data:
Operating expenses:
Research and development
$ 13,746,082
$ 8,367,687
$ 5,378,395
64 %
General and administrative
1,309,403
1,233,040
76,363
6
Total operating expenses
15,055,485
9,600,727
5,454,758
57
Loss from operations
(15,055,485 )
(9,600,727 )
(5,454,758 )
57
Other income (expense)
Interest expense
(1,314,996 )
(455,445 )
(859,551 )
189
Interest income
1,782,794
95,646
1,687,148
1,764
Other income (expense), net
467,798
(359,799 )
827,597
(230 )
Net loss before income taxes
(14,587,687 )
(9,960,526 )
(4,627,161 )
46
Income tax benefits
-
-
-
-
Net loss
$ (14,587,687 )
$ (9,960,526 )
$ (4,627,161 )
46 %
Comparison
of the Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 and 2022
Six Months Ended
June 30,
Increase (Decrease)
2023
2022
$
Percent Change
Statements of Operations Data:
Operating expenses:
Research and development
$ 25,024,575
$ 15,064,000
$ 9,960,575
66 %
General and administrative
2,578,447
2,044,332
534,115
26
Total operating expenses
27,603,022
17,108,332
10,494,690
61
Loss from operations
(27,603,022 )
(17,108,332 )
(10,494,690 )
61
Other income (expense)
Interest expense
(2,557,008 )
(890,446 )
(1,666,562 )
187
Interest income
3,633,926
103,805
3,530,121
3,401
Other income (expense), net
1,076,918
(786,641 )
1,863,559
(237 )
Net loss before income taxes
(26,526,104 )
(17,894,973 )
(8,631,131 )
48
Income tax benefits
-
-
-
-
Net loss
$ (26,526,104 )
$ (17,894,973 )
$ (8,631,131 )
48 %
18
Research
and Development
Our
research and development expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were approximately $13.7 million, representing an increase
of approximately $5.4 million, or 64%, compared to the same period in 2022. Of the $5.4 million increase in research and development
expense, $0.5 million was related to increased employee and consulting expenses. The remaining $4.9 million increase of research and
development costs is primarily related to costs supporting activities for the VIKTORIA-1 pivotal trial.
Our
research and development expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were approximately $25.0 million, representing an increase
of approximately $10.0 million, or 66%, compared to the same period in 2022. Of the $10.0 million increase in research and
development expenses, $1.3 million was related to increased employee and consulting expenses. The remaining $8.7 million increase of
research and development expenses is primarily related to costs supporting activities for the VIKTORIA-1 pivotal trial.
Conducting
a significant amount of research and development is central to our business model. We plan to increase our research and development expenses
for the foreseeable future as we seek to develop gedatolisib, manage the VIKTORIA-1 Phase 3 trial, discover new cancer sub-types, and
develop and validate additional CELsignia tests to diagnose such sub-types. We also expect to incur increased expenses to support companion
diagnostic business development activities with pharmaceutical companies as we develop additional CELsignia tests and manage the clinical
trial for gedatolisib.
General
and Administrative
Our
general and administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were approximately $1.3 million, representing an increase
of approximately $0.1 million, or 6%, compared to the same period in 2022. The $0.1 million increase resulted from professional fees
and other expenses associated with being a public company.
Our
general and administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were approximately $2.6 million, representing an increase
of approximately $0.5 million, or 26%, compared to the same period in 2022. Employee related expenses accounted for $0.3 million of the
$0.5 million increase, including approximately $0.2 million in non-cash stock-based compensation. The remaining $0.2 million of the increase
resulted from professional fees and other expenses associated with being a public company.
We
anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in future periods, reflecting both increased costs in connection
with the potential future commercialization of gedatolisib and CELsignia tests, an expanding infrastructure, and increased professional
fees associated with public company regulatory developments and other compliance matters.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $1.3 million and represents an increase of $0.9 million, or 189%, compared to the
same period in 2022. Interest expense is primarily the result of a Loan Agreement that was executed in April 2021 and amended in August
2022. The increase is due to rising interest rates and the incremental $20 million funding of Term Loan B in December 2022. The $1.3
million of interest expense includes $0.5 million of non-cash interest expense.
Interest
expense for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $2.6 million and represents an increase of $1.7 million, or 187%, compared to the
same period in 2022. The increase is due to rising interest rates and the incremental $20 million funding of Term Loan B in December
2022. The $2.6 million of interest expense includes $1.0 million of non-cash interest expense.
Interest
Income
Interest
income for the three months ended June 30, 2023 was $1.8 million and represents an increase of $1.7 million compared to the same period
in 2022. The increase was primarily the result of higher market interest rates and the closing of financing activities, leading to higher
cash, cash equivalents and short-term investment balances.
Interest
income for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $3.6 million and represents an increase of $3.5 million compared to the same period
in 2022. The increase was due to higher market interest rates and the closing of financing activities, leading to higher cash, cash equivalents
and short-term investment balances.
19
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Since
our inception, we have incurred losses and cumulative negative cash flows from operations. Through June 30, 2023, we have funded our
operations primarily through private placements and registered offerings of our equity securities and unsecured convertible notes, and
borrowings under loan agreements. From inception through June 30, 2023, we raised an aggregate of approximately $223.7 million of net
proceeds through sales of our securities, and as of June 30, 2023 had $35.0 million of borrowings under loan agreements. As of June 30,
2023, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were approximately $32.2 million and $114.0 million, respectively, and
we had an accumulated deficit of approximately $122.8 million.
Private
Placement. On December 9, 2022, we issued 6,182,574 shares of common stock, 1,120,873 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and warrants
exercisable for 6,956,450 shares of common stock to certain institutional and other accredited investors pursuant to a securities purchase
agreement entered into on May 15, 2022. Pursuant to the securities purchase agreement, the closing (funding) of the private placement
occurred following dosage of the first patient in the Company’s Phase 3 study, VIKTORIA-1. Investors purchased shares of common
stock and Series A Preferred Stock at a price of $5.75 per share (on an as converted to common stock basis), with forty percent (40%)
warrant coverage (on an as converted to common stock basis) and customary resale registration rights. The warrants have an exercise price
of $8.05 per share. The private placement generated gross proceeds of approximately $100 million before deducting placement agent fees
and other offering expenses of $4.3 million.
Open
Market Sale Agreement SM . On February 4, 2022, we entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement SM with Jefferies
LLC, as agent, pursuant to which we may offer and sell, from time to time, through Jefferies, shares of our common stock having an aggregate
offering price of up to $50,000,000. On October 12, 2022, pursuant to this agreement, the Company sold 500,000 shares of common stock
in a single transaction at a price of $10.35 per share, generating gross proceeds of $5.2 million ($4.8 million net of commissions and
offering expenses). At June 30, 2023, $44.8 million of common stock remains available for sale under the Jefferies agreement.
Innovatus
Loan Agreement. On April 8, 2021, we entered into a Loan Agreement with Innovatus Life Sciences Lending Fund I, LP (“Innovatus”),
under which Innovatus agreed to loan up to $25 million in three tranches consisting of (i) a $15.0 million non-contingent Term A loan
that was funded on April 8, 2021, (ii) a $5 million Term B loan with a deadline of March 31, 2022, and (iii) a $5 million Term C loan
to be funded upon our request, subject to our ability to achieve certain milestones, no later than March 31, 2023. On August 9, 2022,
the Company amended the Loan Agreement with Innovatus to provide for up to $75 million in term loans. As of June 30, 2023, term loans
totaling $35 million are outstanding under the Loan Agreement, including the initial Term A loan of $15 million which was funded on April
8, 2021, and a $20 million Term B loan which was funded on December 22, 2022 following the closing of the $100 million private placement
described above. Additionally, the Company will be able to draw on two additional tranches of $10 million and one additional tranche
of $20 million upon achievement of certain clinical trial milestones and satisfaction of certain financial covenants determined on a
pro forma as-funded basis. Funding of these additional tranches is also subject to other customary conditions and limits on when the
Company can request funding for such tranches.
We
expect that our research and development and general and administrative expenses will increase as we continue to develop gedatolisib,
manage the VIKTORIA-1 Phase 3 trial, conduct research related to the discovery of new cancer sub-types, conduct clinical trials, and
pursue other business development activities. We would also expect to incur sales and marketing expenses as we commercialize gedatolisib
and our CELsignia tests. We expect to use cash on hand, which includes funds received under the Securities Purchase Agreement described
above, to fund our research and development expenses, clinical trial costs, capital expenditures, working capital, sales and marketing
expenses, and general corporate expenses.
Based
on our current business plan, we believe that our current cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments together with available borrowings
under the Innovatus Loan Agreement will provide sufficient cash to finance our operations and pay obligations when due for at least the
next twelve months.
Our
expectations as to how long our current capital resources will be sufficient to fund our operations are based on assumptions that may
not be accurate, and we could use our current capital resources sooner than we currently expect. In addition, we may seek to raise additional
capital to finance capital expenditures and operating expenses over the next several years as we launch our integrated therapeutic and
companion diagnostic strategy and expand our infrastructure, commercial operations and research and development activities, and to take
advantage of financing or other opportunities that we believe to be in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders. Additional
capital may be raised through the sale of common or preferred equity or convertible debt securities, entry into debt facilities or other
third-party funding arrangements. The sale of equity and convertible debt securities may result in dilution to our stockholders and those
securities may have rights senior to those of our common shares. Agreements entered into in connection with such capital raising activities
could contain covenants that would restrict our operations or require us to relinquish certain rights. Additional capital may not be
available on reasonable terms, or not at all.
Cash
Flows
The
following table sets forth the primary sources and uses of cash for the six months ended June 30:
June 30,
2023
2022
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities
$ (22,529,890 )
$ (17,222,132 )
Investing activities
29,957,540
(34,621 )
Financing activities
239,495
(118,804 )
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$ 7,667,145
$ (17,375,557 )
20
Operating
Activities
Net
cash used in operating activities was approximately $22.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and consisted primarily of a
net loss of approximately $26.5 million offset by non-cash expense items of approximately $3.7 million and working capital changes
of $0.3 million. Non-cash expense items of approximately $3.7 million primarily consisted of $2.6 million of stock-based compensation
expense, non-cash interest expense of $1.0 million, and depreciation expense of $0.1 million. The approximately $0.3 million of working
capital changes was primarily due to approximately $0.2 million net increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses and approximately
$0.1 million decrease in other assets.
Net
cash used in operating activities was approximately $17.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and consisted primarily of a
net loss of approximately $17.9 million and working capital changes of approximately $2.1 million, offset by non-cash expense
items of approximately $2.8 million. The approximately $2.1 million of working capital changes was primarily due to an increase of approximately
$3.9 million in prepaid assets, partially offset by increases in accounts payable and accrued expenses of approximately $0.7 million
and $0.9 million, respectively. Non-cash expense items of approximately $2.8 million primarily consisted of approximately $2.3 million
of stock-based compensation expense, non-cash interest expense of approximately $0.4 million and depreciation expense of approximately
$0.1 million.
Investing
Activities
Net
cash provided by investing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was approximately $30.0 million and consisted primarily
of net proceeds from maturities of short-term investments in government securities (U.S. Treasury Bills and U.S. government securities)
and minimal purchase of property and equipment. Net cash used in investing for the six months ended June 30, 2022 were minimal and consisted
of purchases of property and equipment.
Financing
Activities
Net
cash provided by financing activities for the six months ended June 30, 2023 was approximately $0.2 million and primarily consisted of
proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options and proceeds from employee stock purchases, slightly offset by payments for secondary
registration and debt issuance costs. Net cash used in financing activities was $0.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 and
consisted of payments for secondary registration costs, offset partially by proceeds from the exercise of employee stock options and
proceeds from employee stock purchases.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
From
time-to-time new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other standard setting bodies and
adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed in Note 2 to our unaudited condensed financial statements
included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report, we believe that the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective
will not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations upon adoption.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates
Our
management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based on our unaudited condensed financial
statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported expenses during the reporting periods. These items are monitored and
analyzed by us for changes in facts and circumstances, and material changes in these estimates could occur in the future. We base our
estimates on historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances; the results of
which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other
sources. Changes in estimates are reflected in reported results for the period in which they become known. Actual results may differ
materially from these estimates.
Our
significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2 to our unaudited condensed financial statements included in Item 1
of Part I of this Quarterly Report.
21
Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act
The
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
information is included in this Quarterly Report and in other materials filed or to be filed by us with the SEC (as well as information
included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by us). Forward-looking statements include all statements
based on future expectations. This Quarterly Report contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including,
but not limited to, (i) our clinical trial plans and the estimated costs for such trials, including the timing of launching a Phase 3
clinical trial for gedatolisib; (ii) our expectations with respect to costs and timelines to develop, validate and launch CELsignia tests
and to continue to develop gedatolisib; (iii) our beliefs related to the perceived advantages of our CELsignia tests compared to traditional
molecular or other diagnostic tests; (iv) the expected benefits of gedatolisib; (v) our expectations regarding the timeline of patient
enrollment and results from clinical trials, including the existing clinical trial for gedatolisib; (vi) the future payments that may
be owned to Pfizer under the license agreement; (vii) our expectations regarding partnering with pharmaceutical companies and other third
parties; (viii) our expectations regarding revenue from sales of CELsignia tests and revenue from milestone or other payment sources;
(ix) our plans with respect to research and development and related expenses for the foreseeable future; (x) our expectations regarding
business development activities, including companion diagnostic related activities with pharmaceutical companies, expanding our sales
and marketing functions and the costs associated with such activities; (xi) our expectations with respect to the CELsignia tests and
the analytical capabilities and potential impact of such tests; (xii) our beliefs regarding the ability of our cash on hand to fund our
research and development expenses, capital expenditures, working capital, sales and marketing expenses, and general corporate expenses,
as well as the increased costs associated with being a public company; (xiii) our plans with respect to potentially raising capital,
and (xiv) our expectations regarding the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic effects will have on our business and
results of operations.
In
some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the following words: “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,”
“could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “ongoing,”
“plan,” “goal,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,”
“will,” “would,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking
statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of performance. These statements
are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions, which in turn are based on their interpretation of currently available information.
These
statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results or our industry’s actual
results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements. Certain risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, our limited operating history;
the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business; our initial success being heavily dependent on the success of our CELsignia
HER2 Pathway Activity Test; our inability to develop and commercialize gedatolisib; our inability to determine whether our CELsignia
tests are currently commercially viable; challenges we may face in developing and maintaining relationships with pharmaceutical company
partners; the complexity and timeline for development of CELsignia tests and gedatolisib; the uncertainty and costs associated with clinical
trials; the uncertainty regarding market acceptance by physicians, patients, third-party payors and others in the medical community,
and with the size of market opportunities available to us; the pricing of molecular and other diagnostic products and services that compete
with us; uncertainty with insurance coverage and reimbursement for our CELsignia tests; difficulties
we may face in managing growth, such as hiring and retaining a qualified sales force and attracting and retaining key personnel; changes
in government regulations; tightening credit markets and limitations on access to capital; obtaining and maintaining intellectual property
protection for our technology and time and expense associated with defending third-party claims of intellectual property infringement,
investigations or litigation threatened or initiated against us. These and additional risks, uncertainties and other factors are
described more fully in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. Copies
of filings made with the SEC are available through the SEC’s electronic data gathering analysis and retrieval system (EDGAR) at
www.sec.gov.
You
should read the cautionary statements made in this Quarterly Report as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever
they appear in this Quarterly Report. We cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report will prove to
be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. You should read this
Quarterly Report completely. Other than as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even
though our situation may change in the future.
22
ITEM
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
As
a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide disclosure pursuant to this item.
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.