UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
Form
10-Q
☒
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the quarterly period ended: March 31, 2025
OR
☐
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from to
Commission
File Number 001-38306
ENSYSCE
BIOSCIENCES, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
82-2755287
(State
or other jurisdiction
of
incorporation or organization)
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
7946
Ivanhoe Avenue , Suite 201
La
Jolla , California
92037
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(Zip
Code)
(858)
263-4196
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT :
Title
of each class
Trading
Symbol(s)
Name
of each exchange on which registered
Common
Stock, $0.0001 par value per share
ENSC
The
Nasdaq Stock Market
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2)
has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule
405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company,
or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller
reporting company”, and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large
accelerated filer ☐
Accelerated
filer ☐
Non-accelerated
filer ☒
Smaller
reporting company ☒
Emerging
growth company ☐
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to section 13(a) of the Exchange Act ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
Registrant
had 2,370,698 shares of common stock outstanding as of May 8, 2025.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. In some cases, you
can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,”
“ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,”
“will” and “would,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions intended to identify statements
about the future. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events
and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements
include, without limitation, statements about:
●
our
estimates regarding expenses, revenue, capital requirements and timing and availability of and the need for additional financing
will almost certainly not match actual amounts and timing;
●
our
ability to continue as a going concern for the next twelve months;
●
the
risk that our lead product candidate PF614 and PF614-MPAR may not be successful in limiting or impeding abuse, overdose, or misuse
or providing additional safety upon commercialization;
●
reliance
by us on third-party contract research organizations, or CROs, for our research and development activities and clinical trials;
●
the
need for substantial additional funding to complete the development and commercialization of our product candidates;
●
the
risk that our clinical trials may fail to replicate positive results from earlier preclinical studies or clinical trials conducted
by us or third parties;
●
the
risk that the potential product candidates that we develop may not progress through clinical development or receive required regulatory
approvals within expected timelines or at all;
●
the
risk that clinical trials may not confirm any safety, potency, or other product characteristics described or assumed in this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q;
●
the
risk that we will be unable to successfully market or gain market acceptance of our product candidates;
●
the
risk that our product candidates may not be beneficial to patients or successfully commercialized;
i
●
the
risk that we have overestimated the size of the target market, patients’ willingness to try new therapies, and the willingness
of physicians to prescribe these therapies;
●
effects
of competition;
●
the
risk that third parties on which we depend for laboratory, clinical development, manufacturing, and other critical services will
fail to perform satisfactorily;
●
the
risk that our business, operations, clinical development plans and timelines, and supply chain could be adversely affected by the
effects of health epidemics
●
the
risk that we will be unable to obtain and maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for its investigational products or
will infringe the intellectual property protection of others;
●
the
loss of key members of our management team;
●
changes
in our regulatory environment;
●
the
ability to attract and retain key scientific, medical, commercial, or management personnel;
●
changes
in our industry;
●
our
ability to remediate any material weaknesses or establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting;
●
the
risk that our common stock will be delisted from Nasdaq;
●
the
risk that we may not be able to maintain compliance with applicable listing standards of Nasdaq;
●
potential
litigation associated with the Business Combination Transactions;
●
other
factors disclosed in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q; and
●
other
factors beyond our control.
The
forward-looking statements contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are based on Ensysce’s current expectations and beliefs
concerning future developments and their potential effects on Ensysce. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Ensysce
will be those that Ensysce has anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond Ensysce’s
control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied
by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the
heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and other filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions
prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Moreover, the
occurrence of the events described in the “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K may adversely affect Ensysce.
Ensysce will not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
ii
GLOSSARY
Definitions:
2021
Notes
The
senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate original principal amount of $15.9 million, sold in two closings on
September 24, 2021, and November 5, 2021, respectively, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on September 24,
2021
2021
Omnibus Incentive Plan
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc. Amended and Restated 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan (“Plan”)
2022
Notes
The
senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate original principal amount of $8.5 million, sold in two closings on June
30, 2022, and August 8, 2022, respectively, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on June 30, 2022
2023
Notes
The
senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate original principal amount of $1.8 million, sold in two closings on October
25, 2023, and November 28, 2023, respectively, pursuant to the Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on October 23, 2023
2023
May Offering
The
Company’s May 2023 registered direct offering of common stock (including pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) for aggregate
consideration of $7.0 million
2024
February Warrant Inducement
The
Company’s February 2024 transaction including the cash exercise of certain existing warrants at a reduced price and the issuance
of new warrants
2024
August Warrant Inducement
The
Company’s August 2024 transaction including the cash exercise of certain existing warrants at a reduced price and the issuance
of new warrants
August
Inducement Letter
Inducement
offer letter entered into with certain holders of existing warrants to purchase 480,234 shares of the Company’s common stock
(issued in February of 2024) to reduce the exercise price from $15.90 per share to $7.05 per share. The Company also agreed to amend
certain existing warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 133,334 shares of common stock that were previously issued in November
2023 and had an exercise price of $23.51 per share such that the amended warrants have a reduced exercise price of $7.05 per share.
2025
Registered Direct Offering
A
definitive Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which the Company agreed to issue and
sell in a registered direct offering
2025
March Warrant Offering
An
agreement by the Company to issue and sell unregistered warrants of Common Stock, Series A-5, and Series A-6 warrants to purchase
shares of Common Stock
CMOs
Contract
manufacturing organizations
Company
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries
Covistat
A
subsidiary renamed EBIR, Inc.
CROs
Contract
research organizations
EB
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc. prior to its merger with Signature Acquisition Corp. pursuant to the EB-ST Agreement.
EBIR
Previously
known as Covistat, Inc., EBIR, Inc. is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company that is developing a compound utilized in the Company’s
overdose protection program for the treatment of COVID-19 and 79.2%-owned subsidiary of the Company
EB-ST
Agreement
Agreement
and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 28, 2015, by and among Signature, SAQ, and EB
Ensysce
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc.
Exchange
Act
Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
FDA
United
States Food and Drug Administration
Former
Ensysce
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation, prior to the consummation of the merger with and into Merger Sub
GAAP
Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States of America
Investor
Notes
The
2021 Notes, 2022 Notes and 2023 Notes, collectively.
JOBS
Act
Jumpstart
Our Business Startups Act of 2012
LACQ
Leisure
Acquisition Corp., a Delaware Corporation
LACQ
Warrants
Warrants
that relate to the Business Combination or were issued prior to it and are exercisable for 1,467 shares of our common stock at a
weighted average exercise price of $40,888.50 per share
Merger
The
merger of Merger Sub with and into Former Ensysce, with Former Ensysce continuing as the surviving entity and a wholly owned subsidiary
of LACQ, which changed its name to Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. following consummation of the Merger.
iii
Merger
Sub
EB
Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of LACQ prior to the consummation of the Merger
MPAR
Grant
Research
and development grant related to the development of its MPAR ® overdose prevention technology awarded to the Company
by NIH through NIDA in September 2018
Nasdaq
The
Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
NIDA
National
Institute of Drug Abuse
NIH
National
Institutes of Health
OUD
Grant
Research
and development grant related to the development of its TAAP/MPAR ® abuse deterrent technology for Opioid Use Disorder
awarded to the Company by NIH/NIDA in September 2019
Registered
Direct Offering
August
2024 registered direct offering of common stock (236,880 shares), private placement warrants (to purchase up to 473,760 shares) and
the cash exercise of certain existing warrants (480,234 warrant shares) at a reduced price and the issuance of new warrants (to purchase
up to 1,440,701 shares).
SAQ
Signature
Acquisition Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Signature
SEC
U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities
Act
Securities
Act of 1933, as amended
Securities
Purchase Agreement
The
Securities Purchase Agreement, in September 2021, June 2022, October 2023, August 2024, or March 2025, as the context dictates,
by and between Ensysce and the institutional investors party thereto
Signature
Signature
Therapeutics Inc.
SPA
The
Securities Purchase Agreement, in September 2021, June 2022, October 2023, August 2024, or March 2025, as the context
dictates, by and between Ensysce and the institutional investors party thereto
TAAP
Trypsin
Activated Abuse Protection
iv
Table
of Contents
Page
Forward-Looking Statements
i
Glossary
iii
PART
I.
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
1
Item
1.
Financial Statements (Unaudited)
1
Consolidated Balance Sheets
1
Consolidated Statements of Operations
2
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
3
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
4
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited)
5
Item
2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
18
Item
3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
29
Item
4.
Controls and Procedures
30
PART
II.
OTHER INFORMATION
30
Item
1.
Legal Proceedings
30
Item
1A.
Risk Factors
30
Item
2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
30
Item
3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
31
Item
4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
31
Item
5.
Other Information
31
Item
6.
Exhibits
31
Signatures
32
v
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc.
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
(Unaudited)
March 31, 2025
December 31, 2024
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 3,052,491
$ 3,502,077
Unbilled receivable
22,002
124,115
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
1,326,498
1,718,490
Total current assets
4,400,991
5,344,682
Other assets
210,883
252,550
Total assets
$ 4,611,874
$ 5,597,232
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$ 615,295
$ 1,357,079
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
888,498
548,458
Notes payable and accrued interest
257,383
301,660
Total current liabilities
1,761,176
2,207,197
Long-term liabilities:
Other long-term liabilities
130,180
10,096
Total long-term liabilities
130,180
10,096
Total liabilities
$ 1,891,356
$ 2,217,293
Commitments and contingencies (Note 6)
-
-
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, $ 0.0001 par value, 1,500,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024
$ -
$ -
Common stock, $ 0.0001
par value, 250,000,000
shares authorized at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024; 1,644,734
and 1,355,779
shares issued at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively; 1,644,728
and 1,355,773
shares outstanding at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively
165
136
Additional paid-in capital
134,538,708
133,252,585
Accumulated deficit
( 131,489,872 )
( 129,544,299 )
Total Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. stockholders' equity
3,049,001
3,708,422
Noncontrolling interests in stockholders' deficit
( 328,483 )
( 328,483 )
Total stockholders’ equity
2,720,518
3,379,939
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
$ 4,611,874
$ 5,597,232
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
1
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc.
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
(Unaudited)
2025
2024
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
Federal grants
$ 1,319,772
$ 305,722
Operating expenses:
Research and development
1,885,528
778,904
General and administrative
1,401,756
1,369,782
Total operating expenses
3,287,284
2,148,686
Loss from operations
( 1,967,512 )
( 1,842,964 )
Other income (expense):
Change in fair value of liability classified warrants
9,916
8,955
Interest expense, net
( 3,856 )
( 1,248,065 )
Other income and expense, net
15,879
( 34,489 )
Total other income (expense), net
21,939
( 1,273,599 )
Net loss
$ ( 1,945,573 )
$ ( 3,116,563 )
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
-
( 74 )
Deemed dividend related to warrants down round provision
-
290
Net loss attributable to common stockholders
$ ( 1,945,573 )
$ ( 3,116,779 )
Net loss per basic and diluted share:
Net loss per share attributable to common stockholders, basic and diluted
$ ( 1.39 )
$ ( 8.21 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic and diluted
1,401,144
379,634
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
2
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc.
Consolidated
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity
(Unaudited)
Number of Shares
Amount
Additional Paid-In Capital
Accumulated Deficit
Noncontrolling interests
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
Common Stock
Number of Shares
Amount
Additional Paid-In Capital
Accumulated Deficit
Noncontrolling interests
Total
Balance on December 31, 2023
209,739
$ 21
$ 121,234,195
$ ( 121,557,074 )
$ ( 328,409 )
$ ( 651,267 )
Settlement of restricted stock units
5
-
-
-
-
-
Conversion of convertible notes
49,702
5
1,168,595
-
-
1,168,600
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of warrants
88,262
9
2,075,210
-
-
2,075,219
Issuance of common stock upon inducement of warrants
140,908
14
4,718,281
-
-
4,718,295
Transaction costs associated with warrant inducement
-
-
( 806,862 )
-
-
( 806,862 )
Stock-based compensation
-
-
33,207
-
-
33,207
Reverse stock-split rounding adjustment
( 4 )
-
-
-
-
-
Deemed dividend related to warrants down round provision
-
-
290
( 290 )
-
-
Net loss
-
-
-
( 3,116,489 )
( 74 )
( 3,116,563 )
Balance on March 31, 2024
488,612
$ 49
$ 128,422,916
$ ( 124,673,853 )
$ ( 328,483 )
$ 3,420,629
Balance on December 31, 2024
1,355,773
$ 136
$ 133,252,585
$ ( 129,544,299 )
$ ( 328,483 )
$ 3,379,939
Balance
1,355,773
$ 136
$ 133,252,585
$ ( 129,544,299 )
$ ( 328,483 )
$ 3,379,939
Public offering
239,594
24
1,099,982
-
-
1,100,006
Issuance of common stock upon exercise of warrants
49,361
5
347,990
-
-
347,995
Transaction costs associated with public offering
-
-
( 204,193 )
-
-
( 204,193 )
Consultant compensation
-
-
26,093
-
-
26,093
Stock-based compensation
-
-
16,251
-
-
16,251
Net loss
-
-
-
( 1,945,573 )
-
( 1,945,573 )
Balance on March 31, 2025
1,644,728
$ 165
$ 134,538,708
$ ( 131,489,872 )
$ ( 328,483 )
$ 2,720,518
Balance
1,644,728
$ 165
$ 134,538,708
$ ( 131,489,872 )
$ ( 328,483 )
$ 2,720,518
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
3
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc.
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flow s
(Unaudited)
2025
2024
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net loss
$ ( 1,945,573 )
$ ( 3,116,563 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Accrued interest
2,947
27,283
Amortization of original issue discount and debt issuance costs
-
1,171,465
Change in fair value of liability classified warrants
( 9,916 )
( 8,955 )
Consultant compensation
46,093
-
Stock-based compensation
16,251
33,207
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Unbilled receivable
102,113
1,337
Prepaid expenses and other assets
433,659
( 86,697 )
Accounts payable
( 741,784 )
( 1,295,655 )
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
388,798
( 133,825 )
Net cash used in operating activities
( 1,707,412 )
( 3,408,403 )
Cash flows from financing activities:
Proceeds from public offerings
1,100,006
-
Proceeds from warrant exercises
347,995
2,075,219
Proceeds from warrant inducement, net of issuance costs
-
4,718,295
Transaction costs from public offerings
( 142,950 )
-
Transaction costs associated with warrant inducements
-
( 465,494 )
Repayment of convertible notes
-
( 485,190 )
Repayment of financed insurance premiums
( 47,225 )
( 153,682 )
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,257,826
5,689,148
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
( 449,586 )
2,280,745
Cash and cash equivalents beginning of period
3,502,077
1,123,604
Cash and cash equivalents end of period
$ 3,052,491
$ 3,404,349
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:
Incremental fair value of February 2024 Warrant Inducement
$ -
$ 5,167,372
Conversion of convertible notes into common stock
$ -
$ 1,168,600
Transaction costs from warrant inducement
$ -
$ 341,368
Transaction costs from public offerings
$ 61,243
$ -
Deemed dividend related to warrants down round provision
$ -
$ 290
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
4
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc.
Notes
to the Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
NOTE
1 – ORGANIZATION AND PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES
Ensysce
Biosciences, Inc. (“Ensysce”), along with its 79.2 %-owned subsidiary, EBIR, Inc. (“EBIR”, formerly known as Covistat,
Inc.) and its wholly-owned subsidiaries EBI Operating, Inc. and EBI OpCo, Inc. (collectively, the “Company”), is a clinical-stage
biotech company using its proprietary technology platforms to develop safer prescription drugs. The primary focus of the Company is its
program developing abuse and overdose resistant pain technology with a clinical stage program being the abuse resistant, TAAP (Trypsin
Activated Abuse Protection) opioid product candidate, PF614. In addition, the Company is developing its MPAR® (Multi-Pill Abuse Resistant)
technology for overdose protection which will be applied to the PF614 program. The Company is also applying its TAAP and MPAR® technology
to a methadone prodrug for use in the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder.
In
2020, the Company commenced an initiative to develop a therapeutic for the treatment of certain coronavirus infections through the formation
of a separate entity, EBIR, a Delaware corporation. Pursuant to the articles of incorporation, EBIR was authorized to issue 1,000,000
shares of common stock, $ 0.001 par value per share, and 100,000 shares of preferred stock, $ 0.001 par value per share. Ensysce is a 79.2 %
stockholder in EBIR, with 19.8 % and 1.0 % of the shares held by certain key personnel of the Company and an unrelated party, respectively.
The non-Ensysce owned shares and the activity are reflected on the financial statements as noncontrolling interests.
NOTE
2 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The
consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the United States Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Ensysce Biosciences, Inc. and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances
and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidation.
Reverse
Stock Split
In
December 2024, the Company completed a 1-for-15 reverse split of its outstanding common stock.
All
references in these consolidated financial statements to shares and per share amounts in all periods have been retrospectively restated
to reflect the effects of both reverse splits noted above. The number of authorized shares and the par value of the shares did not change
as a result of the reverse stock splits.
Going
Concern
The
accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern, which contemplates,
among other things, the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business.
The
Company has not generated any product revenue. There is no assurance that profitable operations will ever be achieved, and, if achieved,
would be sustained on a continuing basis. Product development activities, clinical and pre-clinical testing, and commercialization of
the Company’s product candidates are necessary to develop the Company’s products and will require significant additional
financing. There can be no assurance the Company will be able to obtain such funds. These matters, among others, raise substantial doubt
about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
While
the Company believes in the viability of its strategy to ultimately realize revenues and in its ability to raise additional funds, management
cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on acceptable terms, or at all. The Company’s ability to continue as
a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate financing and achieve profitable operations. As a result, these plans
do not alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of 12 months following
the date these consolidated financial statements were issued.
The
consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as
a going concern.
5
NOTE
3 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Use
of Estimates and Assumptions
Preparation
of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and disclosed in the accompanying notes. Actual results may differ from those
estimates and such differences may be material to the consolidated financial statements. The more significant estimates and assumptions
by management include, but are not limited to, the expense recognition for certain accrued research and development services.
Cash
and Cash Equivalents
For
purposes of the consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows, the Company considers all highly liquid instruments
with maturity of three months or less at the time of issuance to be cash equivalents.
Concentrations
of Credit Risk and Off-Balance Sheet Risk
Cash
and cash equivalents are financial instruments that are potentially subject to concentrations of credit risk. The Company’s cash
and cash equivalents are deposited in accounts at large financial institutions and amounts currently exceed federally insured limits.
The Company has no financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk of loss. Additionally, the Company had a concentration in accounts
payable, as two and three research and development vendors made up greater than 10% individually, and 43 % and 74 % in aggregate , of the
outstanding accounts payable balance as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, respectively.
Segments
The
Company operates and manages its business as one reportable and operating segment. Operating segments are defined as components of an
enterprise where separate financial information is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”) in
deciding how to allocate resources and assess performance. The Company’s CODM is the Chief Executive Officer, who reviews consolidated
financial information on a company-wide basis for purposes of allocating resources and assessing financial performance and does not regularly
review expenses or financial results on a more granular level.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment are fully depreciated as such there is no depreciation expense recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2025, and
2024.
Fair
Value Measurement
ASC
820, Fair Value Measurements , (“ASC 820”) provides guidance on the development and disclosure of fair value measurements.
Under this accounting guidance, fair value is defined as an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset
or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between willing market participants at the measurement date. As such, fair
value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset
or a liability.
The
accounting guidance classifies fair value measurements in one of the following three categories for disclosure purposes:
Level
1:
Quoted
prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
6
Level
2:
Inputs
other than Level 1 prices for similar assets or liabilities that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace.
Level
3:
Unobservable
inputs which are supported by little or no market activity and values determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies,
or similar techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant judgment or estimation.
The
Company evaluates assets and liabilities subject to fair value measurements on a recurring basis to determine the appropriate level at
which to classify them for each reporting period. This determination requires significant judgments to be made by the Company.
As
of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, the recorded values of cash and cash equivalents, prepaid expenses, accounts payable, and accrued
expenses and other liabilities approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these items.
Warrants
The
Company issued liability classified warrants in connection with the issuance of the 2021 Notes and 2022 Notes. The warrants were liability
classified due to certain cash settlement features and included in “Other long-term liabilities” on the consolidated balance
sheets. The Company uses a Black Scholes model to estimate the fair value of the warrants. Changes in the fair value of the warrants
are recognized in other income (expense) for each reporting period. Refer to Note 8 for additional details of the warrants.
The
following tables present assets and liabilities measured and recorded at fair value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet
as of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024.
SCHEDULE
OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE
Total
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
March 31, 2025
Total
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Liability classified warrants
$ 180
$ -
$ -
$ 180
Total
$ 180
$ -
$ -
$ 180
Total
Level
1
Level
2
Level
3
December 31, 2024
Total
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Liability classified warrants
$ 10,096
$ -
$ -
$ 10,096
Total
$ 10,096
$ -
$ -
$ 10,096
The
following table summarizes the change in fair value of the Company’s Level 3 liabilities for the year ended March 31, 2025 (no
level 3 assets as of the year ended March 31, 2025):
SCHEDULE
OF CHANGE IN FAIR VALUE OF COMPANY’S LEVEL 3
Liability classified warrants
Fair value, December 31, 2024
$ 10,096
Change in fair value
( 9,916 )
Fair value, March 31, 2025
$ 180
Federal
Grants
In
September 2018, the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) through the National Institute on Drug Abuse (“NIDA”)
awarded the Company a research and development grant related to the development of its MPAR ® overdose prevention technology
(the “MPAR Grant”). The initial grant was extended several times and cumulative funding under this grant of approximately
$ 10.7 million was completed in December 2023. A new multi-year MPAR Grant was awarded by NIH through NIDA in August 2024, providing total
funding of $ 14 million through May 2027. As March 31, 2025, the remaining cash funding under the grant is $ 9.2 million.
7
In
September 2019, the NIH/NIDA awarded the Company a second research and development grant related to the development of its TAAP/MPAR
abuse deterrent technology for Opioid Use Disorder (the “OUD Grant”). The total approved budget was approximately $ 5.4 million,
and the grant period ended August 31, 2024.
The
Company recognizes revenue when costs related to the grants are incurred and assessed as reimbursable. The Company believes this policy
is consistent with the overarching premise in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers
(“ASC 606”), applied by analogy, to ensure that it recognizes revenues to reflect the transfer of promised goods or services
to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which it expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services,
even though there is no “exchange” as defined in ASC 606. The Company believes the recognition of revenue as costs are incurred
and reimbursable amounts become due is analogous to the concept of transfer of control of a service over time under ASC 606.
The
revenue recognized under the MPAR Grant and OUD Grant was as follows:
SCHEDULE
OF REVENUE RECOGNITION UNDER GRANTS
2025
2024
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
MPAR
$ 1,319,772
$ -
TAAP/OUD
-
305,722
Total
$ 1,319,772
$ 305,722
Amounts
requested or eligible to be requested through the NIH payment management system, but for which cash has not been received, are presented
as an unbilled receivable on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. As all amounts are expected to be remitted timely, no valuation
allowances are recorded.
Research
and Development Costs
The
Company’s research and development expenses consist primarily of third-party research and development expenses, consulting expenses,
preclinical and clinical studies, and any allocable direct overhead, including facilities and depreciation costs, as well as salaries,
payroll taxes, and employee benefits for those individuals directly involved in ongoing research and development efforts. Research and
development expenses are charged to expense as incurred. Payments made prior to the receipt of goods or services to be used in research
and development are capitalized until the goods or services are received.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs associated with the Company’s executive, finance, human resources,
compliance, and other administrative personnel, as well as accounting and legal professional services fees.
Stock-based
Compensation
The
Company expenses stock-based compensation over the requisite service period based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the awards
using a graded amortization approach. The Company accounts for forfeitures as they occur.
The
Company estimates the fair value of stock option grants using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The assumptions used in calculating
the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application
of management’s judgment. Stock-based compensation costs are recorded in research and development and general and administrative
expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
8
From
time-to-time equity classified awards may be modified. On the modification date, the Company estimates the fair value of the awards immediately
before and immediately after modification. The incremental increase in fair value is recognized as expense immediately to the extent
the underlying equity awards are vested and on a straight-line basis over the same remaining amortization schedule as the unvested underlying
equity awards.
Income
Taxes
Income
taxes are recorded in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”), which provides for deferred taxes using an
asset and liability approach. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of
events that have been included in the consolidated financial statements or tax returns. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined
based on the difference between the consolidated financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates
in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. Valuation allowances are provided if, based upon the weight
of available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.
The
Company accounts for uncertain tax positions in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740. When uncertain tax positions exist, the Company
recognizes the tax benefit of tax positions to the extent that the benefit would more likely than not be realized assuming examination
by the taxing authority. The determination as to whether the tax benefit will more likely than not be realized is based upon the technical
merits of the tax position as well as consideration of the available facts and circumstances. The Company recognizes any interest and
penalties accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense.
Earnings
(loss) per Share
The
basic earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the Company’s net income or loss attributable to common stockholders
by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The diluted earnings (loss) per share is calculated by
dividing the Company’s net earnings attributable to common stockholders by the diluted weighted average number of common shares
outstanding during the period, determined using the treasury stock method and the average stock price during the period.
The
following weighted average shares have been excluded from the calculations of diluted weighted average common shares outstanding because
they would have been anti-dilutive (the Company has utilized the principal balance outstanding and the end of period conversion price
for the Convertible Notes for the purposes of the weighted average share calculation below):
SCHEDULE
OF WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OF ANTI-DILUTIVE SECURITIES
2025
2024
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
Stock options
40,518
38,754
Warrants
2,766,802
649,017
Convertible Notes
2,265
9,187
Consultant Shares
4,600
-
Total
2,814,185
696,958
Recently
Issued Accounting Pronouncements
In
December 2023, the FASB issued ASU No. 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures.” ASU 2023-09
requires disaggregated information about a reporting entity’s effective tax rate reconciliation as well as information on income
taxes paid. ASU 2023-09 is effective for public entities with annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted.
The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
In
November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation Disclosures
(Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses (“ASU 2024-03”), which requires disclosure about the types
of costs and expenses included in certain expense captions presented on the income statement. The new disclosure requirements are effective
for the Company’s annual periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2027, with
early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this pronouncement on our related disclosures.
9
In
November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-04, “Debt – Debt with Conversion and other Options (Subtopic 470-20) “, which
set forth to improve the relevance and consistency in the application of induced conversion guidance in Subtopic 470-20, Debt—
Debt with Conversion and Other Options such as clarifying the requirements for determining whether certain settlements of convertible
debt instruments should be accounted for as an induced conversion. ASU 2024-04 is effective for all entities after December 15, 2025,
with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this guidance on its consolidated financial statements.
NOTE
4 – PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets consisted of the following:
SCHEDULE
OF PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
March 31, 2025
December 31, 2024
Prepaid research and development
$ 765,211
$ 1,342,461
Prepaid insurance
250,249
315,306
Other prepaid expenses
88,340
42,723
Other current assets
222,698
18,000
Total prepaid expenses and other current assets
$ 1,326,498
$ 1,718,490
NOTE
5 – ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER LIABILITIES
Accrued
expenses and other liabilities consisted of the following:
SCHEDULE OF ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER LIABILITIES
March 31, 2025
December 31, 2024
Accrued research and development
$ 506,366
$ 324,521
Accrued professional fees
202,365
88,995
Other accrued liabilities
179,767
134,942
Total accrued expenses and other liabilities
$ 888,498
$ 548,458
NOTE
6 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Purchase
Commitments
As
of March 31, 2025, the Company’s commitments included an estimated $ 7.9 million related to the Company’s open purchase orders
and contractual obligations that occurred in the ordinary course of business, including commitments with contract research organizations
for multi-year pre-clinical and clinical research studies. Although open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding,
the terms generally allow the Company the option to cancel, reschedule, and adjust its requirements based on its business needs prior
to the delivery of goods or the performance of services.
10
Litigation
As
of March 31, 2025, and 2024, there were no pending legal proceedings against the Company that are expected to have a material adverse
effect on cash flows, financial condition or results of operations. From time to time, the Company could become involved in disputes
and various litigation matters that arise in the normal course of business. These may include disputes and lawsuits related to intellectual
property, licensing, contract law and employee relations matters. Periodically, the Company reviews the status of significant matters,
if any exist, and assesses its potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any claim or legal claim is considered probable
and the amount can be estimated, the Company accrues a liability for the estimated loss. Legal proceedings are subject to uncertainties,
and the outcomes are difficult to predict. Because of such uncertainties, accruals are based on the best information available at the
time. As additional information becomes available, the Company reassesses the potential liability related to pending claims and litigation.
Consultant
Dispute
In
April 2025, the Company entered into an agreement with a former independent contractor to resolve a dispute over payment. The Company
denied the allegations but agreed to settle the matter. As of March 31, 2025, the Company adjusted the liability recorded to reflect
a total settlement value of $ 0.2 million, with 20,000 shares to be issued as consultant compensation.
Galephar
Agreement
In
January 2025, the Company entered into a product development and supply agreement with Galephar Pharmaceutical Research, Inc., a Puerto
Rico specialty drug manufacturer (“Galephar”), to support the development, manufacture, packaging and testing of the Company’s
PF614 and PF614-MPAR drug products for use in clinical trials and potential future commercial launch.
Upon
signing, the Company committed to issue 13,801 restricted shares of common stock (approximately 1 % of shares outstanding), subject to
vesting in three tranches upon achievement of specific operational and regulatory milestones. The Company accounts for this share grant
as nonemployee share-based compensation under ASC 718. One-third of the shares vested immediately upon grant, and the remaining two-thirds
will vest as services are performed. During the three months ended March 31, 2025, the Company recognized $ 25,806 of stock-based compensation
related to the one-third immediate vesting of 4,600 shares upon grant date. As March 31, 2025, no shares have been issued.
The
agreement also provides for milestone-based payments, to be settled in common stock (50% restricted, 50% freely tradeable), based on
the trailing five-day average closing price at the time of each milestone achievement. Share-based expense for these milestone grants
will be recognized as services are rendered. These awards are liability-classified until shares are issued, at which point they will
be reclassified to equity. During the three months ended March 31, 2025, the Company recognized $ 20,000 of research and development stock-based
compensation to be settled in shares that was related to milestone progression and is accrued under accrued expenses and other liabilities
in the consolidated balance sheet. As of March 31, 2025, no shares have been issued.
Lease
The
Company’s current lease agreement (as amended) has a term that extends through October 31, 2025, with no option to renew. As of
March 31, 2025, the future lease payments totaled $ 20,681 . The Company recognized total rent expense of $ 9,088 and $ 8,747 in the three
months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively.
11
NOTE
7 - NOTES PAYABLE
The
following table provides a summary of the Company’s outstanding debt as of March 31, 2025:
SCHEDULE OF DEBT
Principal balance
Accrued interest
Net debt balance
2023 Notes
$ 216,000
$ 17,315
$ 233,315
Financed insurance
24,068
-
24,068
Total
$ 240,068
$ 17,315
$ 257,383
The
following table provides a summary of the Company’s outstanding debt as of December 31, 2024:
Principal balance
Accrued interest
Net debt balance
2023 Notes
$ 216,000
$ 14,368
$ 230,368
Financed insurance
71,292
-
71,292
Total
$ 287,292
$ 14,368
$ 301,660
Interest
expense
The
interest expense recognized for financed insurance was $ 909 and $ 1,944 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Interest expense recognized for the 2023 Notes was $ 2,947 and $ 1,246,121 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively,
which consists of amortization of the debt discount and debt issuance costs and accrued interest.
2023
Notes
In
October 2023, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (“SPA”) for an aggregate financing of $ 1.8 million
with investors, including $ 0.2 million with a board member. At the first closing under the SPA, which occurred on October 25, 2023, the
Company issued to the investors (i) senior secured convertible promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount of $ 612,000 for an
aggregate purchase price of $ 566,667 and (ii) warrants to purchase 83,714 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $ 0.0001
per share in the aggregate. At the second closing under the SPA, which occurred on November 29, 2023, the Company issued to the investors
referenced above, (i) additional notes in the aggregate principal amount of $ 1,224,000 for an aggregate purchase price of $ 1,133,333
and (i) additional warrants to purchase 167,427 shares of the common stock in the aggregate.
The
Company reflected the outstanding principal amount, the remaining unamortized discount (both original issue discount and the relative
fair value discount associated with the warrants discussed below) and the remaining debt issuance costs as a net amount on the face of
the balance sheet. The amortization of the original debt discount (approximately $ 0.1 million) and issuance costs (approximately $ 0.3
million) were recorded as interest expense within the consolidated statements of operations. As of December 31, 2024, the original debt
discount and issuance costs were fully amortized to interest expense.
The
warrants have an exercise price of $ 23.5125 , the same as the conversion price, and are exercisable for five years following the issuance
date. The warrants were equity classified as they are indexed to the Company’s stock and only settleable in shares. The warrants
were initially measured at fair value using a Black-Scholes valuation model and were allocated along with the 2023 Notes using the relative
fair value method. The initial fair value of $ 1.1 million allocated to the warrants was considered a debt discount and was amortized
to interest expense over the remaining term of the notes. As of December 31, 2024, the discount associated with the warrants was fully
amortized to interest expense.
12
During
2024, the Company converted 49,702 shares of common stock with a conversion value of $ 1.2 million related to the 2023 Notes. In addition,
in connection with the SPA, the Company incurred a $ 1.0 million waiver fee as a result of the 2024 February Warrant Inducement (see Note
8) to pay down $ 0.5 million of the 2023 Notes and incurred $ 0.5 million in transaction costs recorded as such in the consolidated statement
of stockholders’ equity. As of March 31, 2025, the remaining amount of the 2023 Notes relates to senior secured convertible promissory
notes held by a Company board member (see Note 10).
Financed
Insurance Premiums
In
June 2024, the Company renewed and financed its directors’ and officers’ liability insurance in the amount of $ 0.2 million.
Monthly payments commenced from July 2024, and the final installment was paid on April 1, 2025. The interest expense recognized for financed
insurance was $ 909 and $ 1,944 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively.
NOTE
8 - STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
The
Company’s current Certificate of Incorporation authorizes 250,000,000 shares of common stock and 1,500,000 shares of preferred
stock, both with par value equal to $ 0.0001 . As of March 31, 2025, and December 31, 2024, there were no shares of preferred stock issued
and outstanding.
2025
Registered Direct Offering and 2025 March Warrant Offering
In
March 2025, the Company entered into a definitive Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to
which the Company agreed to issue and sell in a registered direct offering, (i) an aggregate of 239,594
shares of common stock, par value $ 0.0001
per share at an offering price of $ 3.49
per share, (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 75,594
shares of common stock, at a price per pre-funded warrant equal to $ 3.4899 ,
the price per share less $ 0.0001 ,
for gross proceeds of approximately $ 1.1
million before the deduction of placement agent fees and offering expenses. The pre-funded warrants were fully exercised as of March
31, 2025, and the related common shares were issued in April 2025.
In
a concurrent private placement, pursuant to the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company also agreed to issue and sell
unregistered warrants to purchase up to 315,188 shares of Common Stock (the “ Series A-5 Warrants ”), and Series A-6
warrants to purchase up to 315,188 shares of Common Stock (the “ Series A-6 Warrants ”), to purchase up to an aggregate
630,376 shares of Common Stock. The warrants have an exercise price of $ 3.24 per share and are exercisable immediately. The Series A-5
Warrants will expire eighteen ( 18 ) months after issuance and the Series A-6 Warrants will expire five ( 5 ) years after issuance.
2024
Registered Direct Offering and 2024 August Warrant Inducement
In
August 2024, the Company entered into a definitive Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which
the Company agreed to issue and sell in a registered direct offering, (i) an aggregate of 166,054 shares of common stock, par value $ 0.0001
per share at an offering price of $ 7.05 per share, (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 70,827 shares of common stock, at a price
per pre-funded warrant equal to $ 7.0485 , the price per share less $ 0.0015 , for gross proceeds of approximately $ 1.7 million before the
deduction of placement agent fees and offering expenses. The pre-funded warrants were subsequently exercised in full.
The
Company also entered into the August Inducement Letter with certain warrant holders for the exercise of certain outstanding warrants
to purchase up to an aggregate of 480,234 shares of common stock of the Company originally issued in February 2024, having an exercise
price of $ 15.90 per share, at a reduced exercise price of $ 7.05 per share. The Company also agreed to amend certain existing warrants
to purchase up to an aggregate of 133,334 shares of common stock that were previously issued in November 2023 and have an exercise price
of $ 23.5125 per share such that the amended warrants will have a reduced exercise price of $ 7.05 per share effective upon the closing
of the offering and will be exercisable from the date on which stockholder approval is received with respect to the issuance of the shares
of common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. As the existing November 2023 and February 2024 warrants and their related newly
issued warrants upon inducement were equity classified before and after the exchange, and as the exchange is directly attributable to
an equity offering, the Company recognized the effect of the modification of approximately $ 10.2 million as an equity issuance cost.
13
In
a concurrent private placement, pursuant to the terms of the August Inducement Letter and Securities Purchase Agreement, the Company
utilized an exclusive placement agent for the 2024 Registered Direct Offering and 2024 August Warrant Inducement and incurred approximately
$ 0.6 million in legal fees and other closing costs. Additionally, the Company issued to the placement agent as compensation unregistered
warrants to purchase up to 50,200 shares of Common Stock . The placement agent warrants expire on August 28, 2029 , and have an exercise
price of $ 8.8125 per share of Common Stock.
2024
February Warrant Inducement
In
February 2024, the Company executed an Inducement Letter with certain holders of existing warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of
240,120 shares of the Company’s common stock issued to the holders in connection with the 2023 May Offering. Pursuant to the Inducement
Letter, the holders agreed to exercise for cash their existing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 240,120 shares of Common Stock at
a reduced exercise price of $ 19.65 per share in consideration of the Company’s agreement to issue new unregistered Series A Warrants
(the “Series A Warrants”) to purchase up to 240,120 shares of Common Stock and new unregistered Series B Warrants (the “Series
B Warrants”) to purchase up to 240,120 shares of Common Stock (collectively, the “New Warrant Shares”). The Series
A Warrants have an exercise price of $ 15.90 per share and have a term equal to eighteen months from the date of issuance. The Series
B Warrants have an exercise price of $ 15.90 per share and will expire on May 12, 2028 . The gross proceeds to the Company from the exercise
of the warrants were approximately $ 4.7 million, prior to deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses. As the existing
warrants and the new warrants were equity classified before and after the exchange, and as the exchange is directly attributable to an
equity offering, the Company recognized the effect of the modification of approximately $ 5.2 million as an equity issuance cost.
In
connection with the execution of the Inducement Letter, the Company executed a waiver related to the 2023 Notes’ SPA it had entered
into as of October 23, 2023. The SPA contained restrictions on the Company’s ability to undertake certain transactions, which included
the execution of the Inducement Letter. The Waiver permitted the Company to execute the Inducement Letter but required repayment of the
certain investor held notes issued under the SPA with a premium following closing of the transaction contemplated thereby. Refer to Note
7 for the details of the waiver fee and the application of the amounts to the outstanding notes and as a transaction cost of the warrant
inducement.
The
Company utilized an exclusive placement agent for the 2024 Warrant Inducement and incurred approximately $ 0.3 million in legal fees and
other closing costs. Additionally, the Company issued to the placement agent as compensation unregistered warrants to purchase up to
16,811 shares of Common Stock, equal to 7.0% of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock (or warrants) placed in the transaction.
The placement agent warrants expire on May 12, 2028, and have an exercise price of $ 24.5625 per share of Common Stock (equal to 125%
of the reduced exercise price per Existing Warrant). The closing of the offering occurred on February 14, 2024.
14
Warrants
The
following table provides a summary of outstanding warrants to purchase shares of common stock as of March 31, 2025:
SCHEDULE
OF OUTSTANDING WARRANT
Reference
Shares Underlying Outstanding Warrants
Exercise Price
Description
Classification
(a)
652,439
$ 3.24
- $ 4.3625
March 2025 Warrants
Equity
(b)
1,864,545
$ 7.05 - $ 8.8125
August 2024 Warrants
Equity
(c)
16,811
$ 24.56
February 2024 Warrants
Equity
(d)
162,881
$ 7.05
- $ 23.51
2023 Notes Warrants
Equity
(e)
73,474
$ 54.56 - $ 41,400
Other Warrants
Equity & Liability
2,770,150
(a)
On
March 31, 2025, in connection with the 2025 Registered Direct Offering and 2025 March Warrant Offering, the Company issued equity
classified warrants to purchase 652,439 shares to certain institutional investors and the placement agent. The warrants were issued
in connection with the 2025 Registered Direct Offering and 2025 March Warrant Offering. The 630,376 investor warrants have an exercise
price of $ 3.24 per share. One half of the warrants will expire on October 1, 2026 , and the other half will expire on March 31, 2030 .
The 22,063 placement agent warrants have an exercise price of $ 4.3625 per share and expire on March 30, 2030 .
(b)
On August 29, 2024, in
connection with the 2024 Registered Direct Offering and 2024 August Warrant Inducement , the Company issued equity classified
warrants to purchase 1,964,666 shares to certain institutional investors and the placement agent. The warrants were issued in connection
with the 2024 Registered Direct Offering and the 2024 August Warrant Inducement. The 1,914,466 investor warrants have an exercise
price of $ 7.05 per share. One half of the warrants expire on May 21, 2026 , and the other half expire on November 21, 2029 . The 50,200
placement agent warrants have an exercise price of $ 8.8125 per share and expire on August 28, 2029 . In December 2024 and January
2025, investor warrants of 50,760 and 49,361 , respectively, were exercised.
(c)
On February 12, 2024, the
Company issued 497,047 equity classified warrants (Series A Warrants, Series B Warrants and placement agent warrants) in connection
with the Inducement Letter for the 2024 February warrant inducement and related warrant restructuring. The Series A and Series B
Warrants were immediately exercisable with an exercise price of $ 15.90 per share and expire on August 14, 2025 and May 12, 2028 ,
respectively. The placement agent warrants were immediately exercisable with an exercise price of $ 24.56 per share and expire on
May 12, 2028 . In connection with the 2024 August Warrant Inducement, 480,236 Series A and Series B warrants were exercised. As of
March 31, 2025, the placement agents remain outstanding.
(d)
On
October 25, 2023, and November 28, 2023, the Company issued warrants to purchase 83,714 shares and 167,428 shares, respectively.
The warrants were immediately exercisable with an exercise price of $ 23.51 per share and expire on October 25, 2028 , and November
28, 2028 , respectively. In January 2024, a holder of the warrants exercised 88,261 warrants at an exercise price of $ 23.51 per share.
In August 2024, an inducement letter was issued to a holder of 133,334 warrants to reduce the exercise price from $ 23.51 to $ 7.05
per share.
(e)
At various dates from the
Closing of the Business Combination through September 30, 2023, the Company assumed or issued a total of 73,474 warrants to provide
holders the right to purchase common stock at exercise prices ranging from $ 54.60 - $ 41,400 per share. A total of 2,778 of the outstanding
warrants are public warrants which trade on the OTC Pink Open Market under the ticker symbol ENSCW. A total of 2,901 outstanding
warrants (issued in connection with the 2021 and 2022 Notes) are liability-classified due to certain cash settlement features embedded
within the warrant agreements. The remaining warrants are equity classified. The warrants expire beginning June 30, 2026, through August 7, 2028 .
15
NOTE
9 - STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
In
connection with the Business Combination, the Company assumed the 2021 Omnibus Incentive Plan. In February 2025, the Company’s
Board approved an annual increase of 67,789 shares available for future grant under the 2021 Omnibus Plan (“Plan”).
The
Company recognized within general and administrative expense stock-based compensation expense of $ 10,996 and $ 23,488 for the three months
ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively. During the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024, the Company recognized within research
and development expense stock-based compensation expense of $ 51,348 and $ 9,719 , respectively.
Option
Activity
During
the three months ended March 31, 2025, the Company granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 52,000 shares of common stock to
employees and members of the board of directors. The options vest monthly over one year and have an exercise price of $ 3.12 per share.
The
following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity during the three months ended March 31, 2025:
SCHEDULE OF STOCK OPTION ACTIVITY
Weighted average
Options
Exercise price
Remaining contractual life
Intrinsic value
Outstanding at December 31, 2024
38,785
$ 501.65
8.58
$ -
Granted
52,000
3.12
9.99
-
Exercised
-
-
-
-
Expired / Forfeited
-
-
-
-
Outstanding at March 31, 2025
90,785
216.10
9.28
-
Exercisable at March 31, 2025
38,749
496.43
-
-
Vested and expected to vest
90,785
216.10
9.28
-
Option
Valuation
The
fair value of each stock option granted has been determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The material assumptions used
in the Black-Scholes model in estimating the fair value of the options granted for the periods presented were as follows:
SCHEDULE OF SHARE-BASED PAYMENT AWARD, STOCK OPTIONS, VALUATION ASSUMPTIONS
March 31, 2025
Exercise price
$ 3.12
Expected stock price volatility
141.65 %
Expected term (years)
5.27
Risk-free interest rate
4.00 %
Expected dividend yield
0 %
●
Expected stock-price
volatility. The expected volatility is derived from the historical volatilities of comparable publicly traded companies within
the Company’s industry that the Company considers comparable to the Company’s business over a period approximately equal
to the expected term.
16
●
Expected term. The
expected term represents the period that the stock-based awards are expected to be outstanding. The Company’s historical share
option exercise experience does not provide a reasonable basis upon which to estimate an expected term due to a lack of sufficient
data. Therefore, the Company estimates the expected term for employees by using the simplified method provided by the Securities
and Exchange Commission. The simplified method calculates the expected term as the average of the time-to-vesting and the contractual
life of the options.
●
Risk-free interest rate.
The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield in effect at the time of grant for zero coupon U.S. Treasury
notes with maturities approximately equal to the expected term.
●
Expected dividend yield.
The expected dividend is assumed to be zero as the Company has never paid dividends and has no current plans to pay any dividends
on the Company’s common stock.
The
weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $ 2.83 .
As
of March 31, 2025, the Company had an aggregate of $ 158,665 of unrecognized share-based compensation cost, which is expected to be recognized
over the weighted average period of 0.55 years.
Shares
Reserved for Future Issuance
The
following shares of common stock are reserved for future issuance:
SCHEDULE OF COMMON STOCK FUTURE ISSUANCE
March 31, 2025
Awards outstanding under the Plan
90,785
Awards available for future grant under the Plan
26,385
Warrants outstanding
2,770,150
Shares for consultant compensation agreements outside the Plan
33,801
Total shares of common stock reserved for future issuance
2,921,121
NOTE
10 - RELATED PARTIES
As
of March 31, 2025, the Company held a $ 0.2 million senior secured convertible promissory note plus accrued interest and 29,547 warrants
exercisable for common stock at $ 23.51 per share issued to a board member in connection to the issuance of the 2023 Notes. The Company
and the board member have entered into a forbearance agreement that will expire on April 25, 2026 . Upon termination of the forbearance
period, the Company will owe the remaining outstanding principal balance together with unpaid interest. The Company may pay the notes
in full at any time prior to the conclusion of the forbearance period.
NOTE
11 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In
April 2025, the Company entered into agreements for the exercise of March 2025 warrants to purchase 630,376 shares of common stock with
an exercise price of $ 3.24 per share. In consideration of the immediate exercise of the warrants and the payment of an additional $ 0.125
per new warrant, the Company issued new warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,260,752 shares of common stock at an exercise price of
$ 1.90 per share, with half of the warrants having a term of eighteen months and half of the warrants having a term of five years from
issuance. The Company also issued to the placement agent warrants to purchase 44,126 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $ 4.05
per share with a term of five years from issuance. Gross proceeds to the Company under the agreements were $ 2.2 million before fees and
expenses.
17
Item
2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The
following discussion and analysis provide information which our management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of
our consolidated results of operations and financial condition. You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial
condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this
report. In addition to historical financial information, this discussion contains forward-looking statements based upon our current expectations
that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements
as a result of various factors, including those set forth in the section within Part II-Other Information - titled “Item 1A. Risk
Factors.”
References
in the following discussion to “we”, “us”, “our” and the “Company” refer to Ensysce Biosciences,
Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries following the Closing of the Business Combination. Unless the context otherwise requires, references
to “LACQ” refer to Leisure Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation, prior to the Closing.
Overview
Ensysce
is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative solutions for severe pain relief while reducing the fear of and the
potential for opioid misuse, abuse and overdose. Our lead product candidate, PF614, is an extended release TAAP prodrug of oxycodone.
TAAP modification of prescription drugs removed the ability to crush, chew or manipulate and inject to achieve the effect of the medication
more quickly than by swallowing. MPAR ® adds a layer of overdose protection to each TAAP product.
Since
our inception in 2003, we devoted substantially all of our efforts and financial resources to organizing and staffing our company, business
planning, raising capital, discovering product candidates and securing related intellectual property rights and conducting research and
development activities for our product candidates. We do not have any products approved for sale and we have not generated any revenue
from product sales. We may never be able to develop or commercialize a marketable product.
Our
lead product candidate, PF614, is in Phase 3 clinical development, PF614-MPAR is in Phase 1b clinical development and nafamostat is proceeding
towards Phase 1 clinical development. Our other product candidates and our research initiatives are in preclinical or earlier stages
of development. Our ability to generate revenue from product sales sufficient to achieve profitability will depend heavily on the successful
development and eventual commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. We have not yet successfully completed any pivotal
clinical trials, nor have we obtained any regulatory approvals, manufactured a commercial-scale drug, or conducted sales and marketing
activities.
We
have incurred significant operating losses since inception and we expect to continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future.
We expect that our expenses and capital requirements will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing development activities,
particularly if and as we:
●
continue preclinical studies
and continues existing and initiates new clinical trials for PF614, PF614-MPAR and nafamostat, our lead product candidates being
tested for chronic pain and infectious disease;
●
advance the development
of our product candidate pipeline of other product candidates, including through business development efforts to invest in or in-license
other technologies or product candidates;
●
maintain, expand and protect
our intellectual property portfolio;
●
hire additional clinical,
quality control, medical, scientific and other technical personnel to support our clinical operations;
●
seek regulatory approval
for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;
18
●
undertake any pre-commercialization
activities to establish sales, marketing and distribution capabilities for any product candidates for which we may receive regulatory
approval;
●
expand our infrastructure
and facilities to accommodate our growing employee base; and
●
add operational, financial
and management information systems and personnel, including personnel to support our research and development programs, any future
commercialization efforts and our transition to operating as a public company.
We
have incurred and expect to continue to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company, including significant legal,
accounting, insurance, investor relations and other expenses. We may never become profitable.
We
require substantial additional funding to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until we can generate significant
revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of private and public equity offerings,
debt financings or other capital sources, which may include collaborations with other companies or other strategic transactions. To the
extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of private or public equity or convertible debt securities, existing ownership
interests will be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights
of our equity holders.
Debt
financing and equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take
specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, issuing additional equity, making acquisitions or capital expenditures or declaring
dividends. If we raise additional funds through collaborations or other strategic transactions with third parties, we may have to relinquish
valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or drug candidates, or grant licenses on terms that may
not be favorable to us. We may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements or arrangements when needed on
favorable terms, or at all. If we fail to raise capital or enter into such agreements as and when needed, we may have to significantly
delay, scale back or discontinue the development and commercialization of one or more of our product candidates or delay our pursuit
of potential in-licenses or acquisitions.
Because
of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to predict the timing or amount of increased
expenses or when or if we will be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Even if we are able to generate product sales, we may not
become profitable. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, we may be unable to
continue our operations at planned levels and be forced to reduce or terminate our operations.
We
have generated limited revenues and have incurred significant operating losses since our inception and expect to continue to incur operating
losses for the foreseeable future. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our future
viability is dependent on our ability to raise additional capital to finance our operations. Without raising additional capital through
a future offering, we believe that current cash on hand is sufficient to fund operations into the third quarter of 2025. We based this
estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could exhaust our available capital resources sooner than we expect. See “—
Liquidity and Capital Resources .” Our future viability beyond the twelve months is dependent on our ability to raise additional
capital to finance our operations.
We
expect to incur substantial expenses in the foreseeable future for the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates
and ongoing internal research and development programs. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature, timing or aggregate amount
of costs for our development, potential commercialization, and internal research and development programs. However, in order to complete
our current and future preclinical studies and clinical trials, and to complete the process of obtaining regulatory approval for our
product candidates, as well as to build the sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure that we believe will be necessary to commercialize
our product candidates, if approved, we may require substantial additional funding in the future.
19
2025
Registered Direct Offering and 2025 March Warrant Offering
In
March 2025, we entered into a definitive Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which we agreed
to issue and sell in a registered direct offering, (i) an aggregate of 239,594 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share at
an offering price of $3.49 per share, (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 75,594 shares of common stock, at a price per pre-funded
warrant equal to $3.4899, the price per share less $0.0001, for gross proceeds of approximately $1.1 million before the deduction of
placement agent fees and offering expenses. The pre-funded warrants were outstanding as of March 31, 2025, and subsequently exercised
in full in April 2025.
In
a concurrent private placement, pursuant to the terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement, we also agreed to issue and sell unregistered
warrants to purchase up to 315,188 shares of Common Stock (the “ Series A-5 Warrants ”), and Series A-6 warrants to
purchase up to 315,188 shares of Common Stock (the “ Series A-6 Warrants ”), to purchase up to an aggregate 630,376
shares of Common Stock. The warrants have an exercise price of $3.24 per share and are exercisable immediately. The Series A-5 Warrants
will expire eighteen (18) months after issuance and the Series A-6 Warrants will expire five (5) years after issuance. The warrants contain
customary anti-dilution adjustments to the exercise price, including for share splits, share dividends, rights offering and pro rata
distributions.
We
agreed to pay the placement agent a cash fee equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the offerings or $77,000. We also agreed
to pay the placement agent $65,950 for expenses. We also issued to the placement agent warrants to purchase up to 22,063 shares of common
stock. These warrants have an exercise price equal to $4.3625 per share and are exercisable for five years.
2024
Registered Direct Offering and 2024 August Warrant Inducement
In
August 2024, we entered into a definitive Securities Purchase Agreement with certain institutional investors, pursuant to which we agreed
to issue and sell in a registered direct offering, (i) an aggregate of 166,054 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share
at an offering price of $7.05 per share, (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 70,827 shares of Common Stock, at a price per pre-funded
warrant equal to $7.0485, the price per share less $0.0015, for gross proceeds of approximately $1.7 million before the deduction of
placement agent fees and offering expenses. The pre-funded warrants were subsequently exercised in full.
We
also entered into an inducement agreement with certain warrant holders for the exercise of certain outstanding warrants to purchase up
to an aggregate of 480,234 shares of our common stock originally issued in February 2024, having an exercise price of $15.90 per share,
at a reduced exercise price of $7.05 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $3.4 million before the deduction of placement agent
fees and offering expenses. We also agreed to amend certain existing warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 133,334 shares of common
stock that were previously issued in November 2023 and have an exercise price of $23.5125 per share such that the amended warrants will
have a reduced exercise price of $7.05 per share effective upon the closing of the offering and will be exercisable from the date on
which stockholder approval is received with respect to the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants.
In
a concurrent private placement, pursuant to the terms of the inducement agreement and Securities Purchase Agreement, we also agreed to
issue and sell unregistered warrants to purchase up to 1,863,706 shares of common stock. The warrants have an exercise price of $7.05
per share and are exercisable from the date on which stockholder approval is received with respect to the issuance of the shares of common
stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. One half of the warrants will expire eighteen months after they are exercisable and the
other half will expire five years after they are exercisable. The warrants contain customary anti-dilution adjustments to the exercise
price, including for share splits, share dividends, rights offering and pro rata distributions.
We
agreed to pay the placement agent a cash fee equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds of the offerings or $354,000. We also agreed
to pay the placement agent $100,950 for expenses. We also issued to the placement agent warrants to purchase up to 50,200 shares of common
stock. These warrants have an exercise price equal to $8.8125 per share and are exercisable for five years from the commencement of sales
in the Offerings.
20
2024
February Warrant Inducement
In
February 2024, we entered into an Inducement Letter with certain holders of existing warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 240,120
shares of our common stock issued to the holders in connection with the 2023 May Offering. Pursuant to the Inducement Letter, the holders
agreed to exercise for cash their existing warrants to purchase an aggregate of 240,120 shares of Common Stock at a reduced exercise
price of $19.65 per share in consideration of our agreement to issue new unregistered Series A Warrants to purchase up to 240,120 shares
of Common Stock and new unregistered Series B Warrants to purchase up to 240,120 shares of Common Stock. The Series A Warrants have an
exercise price of $15.90 per share and have a term equal to eighteen months from the date of issuance. The Series B Warrants have an
exercise price of $15.90 per share and will expire on May 12, 2028. The gross proceeds to us from the exercise of the warrants were approximately
$4.7 million, prior to deducting placement agent fees and estimated offering expenses.
In
connection with the execution of the Inducement Letter, we entered into a waiver related to the 2023 Notes’ SPA it had entered
into as of October 23, 2023. The SPA contained restrictions on our ability to undertake certain transactions, which included entering
into the Inducement Letter. The Waiver permitted us to enter into the Inducement Letter but required repayment of the remaining $0.5
million of investor held notes issued under the SPA with a premium of $0.5 million following closing of the inducement transaction.
We
utilized an exclusive placement agent for the 2024 Warrant Inducement and incurred approximately $0.3 million in legal fees and other
closing costs. Additionally, we issued to the placement agent as compensation unregistered warrants to purchase up to 16,811 shares of
Common Stock, equal to 7.0% of the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock (or warrants) placed in the transaction. The placement
agent warrants expire on May 12, 2028, and have an exercise price of $24.5625 per share of Common Stock (equal to 125% of the reduced
exercise price per Existing Warrant).
Components
of Our Operating Results
Revenue
We
have generated limited revenue since our inception and we do not expect to generate any revenue from the sale of products in the near
future, if at all. If our development efforts are successful and we commercialize our products, or if we enter into collaboration or
license agreements with third parties, we may generate revenue in the future from product sales, as well as upfront, milestone and royalty
payments from such collaboration or license agreements, or a combination thereof.
We
have received funding under federal grants from the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”) through the National Institute
on Drug Abuse (“NIDA”). In September 2018 and August 2024, we were awarded a research and development grant related to the
development of our MPAR® overdose prevention technology (the “MPAR Grant”). In September 2019, we were awarded a second
research and development grant related to the development of our TAAP/MPAR® abuse deterrent technology for Opioid Use Disorder (“OUD”)
(the “OUD Grant”). Grant funds are awarded annually through a Notice of Award which contains certain terms and conditions
including, but not limited to, complying with the grant program legislation, regulation and policy requirements, complying with conditions
on expenditures of funds with respect to other applicable statutory requirements such as the federal appropriations acts, periodic reporting
requirements, and budget requirements.
21
Operating
Expenses
Research
and Development Expenses
Research
and development expenses consist primarily of costs incurred for research activities, including drug discovery efforts and the development
of our product candidates. We expense research and development costs as incurred, which include:
●
expenses incurred to conduct
the necessary preclinical studies and clinical trials required to obtain regulatory approval;
●
expenses incurred under
agreements with CROs that are primarily engaged in the oversight and conduct of our drug discovery efforts and preclinical studies,
clinical trials and CMOs that are primarily engaged to provide preclinical and clinical drug substance and product for our research
and development programs;
●
other costs related to
acquiring and manufacturing materials in connection with our drug discovery efforts and preclinical studies and clinical trial materials,
including manufacturing validation batches, as well as investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials, preclinical
studies and other scientific development services;
●
payments made in cash or
equity securities under third-party licensing, acquisition and option agreements;
●
employee-related expenses,
including salaries and benefits, travel and stock-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development functions;
●
costs related to compliance
with regulatory requirements; and
●
allocated facilities-related
costs, depreciation and other expenses, which include rent and utilities.
We
recognize external development costs as incurred. Any advance payments that we make for goods or services to be received in the future
for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses. Such amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered
or the related services are performed, or until it is no longer expected that the goods will be delivered or the services rendered. We
estimate and accrue for the value of goods and services received from CROs and other third parties each reporting period based on an
evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks using information provided to us by our service providers. This process involves
reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our personnel to identify services that have been performed on our behalf
and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the service when we have not yet been invoiced or
otherwise notified of actual costs.
We
do not track our research and development expenses on a program-by-program basis. Our direct external research and development expenses
consist primarily of external costs, such as fees paid to outside consultants, CROs, CMOs and research laboratories in connection with
our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing and clinical development activities. We do not allocate employee costs,
costs associated with our discovery efforts, laboratory supplies, and facilities, including depreciation or other indirect costs, to
specific programs because these costs are deployed across multiple programs and, as such, are not separately classified. We use internal
resources primarily to conduct our research and development as well as to manage our preclinical development, process development, manufacturing
and clinical development activities. These employees work across multiple programs and, therefore, we do not track our costs by program
and cannot state precisely the total costs incurred for each of our clinical and preclinical programs on a project-by-project basis.
22
Research
and development activities are central to our business model. Product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally have
higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage
clinical trials. As a result, we expect that our research and development expenses will remain elevated as we continue our existing,
and commence additional, planned clinical trials for PF614, PF614-MPAR® and nafamostat, as well as conduct other preclinical and
clinical development, including submitting regulatory filings for our other product candidates, subject to our ability to obtain financing.
We also expect our related personnel costs to increase and, as a result, we expect our research and development expenses, including costs
associated with stock-based compensation, to remain elevated. In addition, we may incur additional expenses related to milestone and
royalty payments payable to third parties with whom we may enter into license, acquisition and option agreements to acquire the rights
to future product candidates.
At
this time, we cannot reasonably estimate or know the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the preclinical
and clinical development of any of our product candidates or when, if ever, material net cash inflows may commence from any of our product
candidates. The successful development and commercialization of our product candidates are highly uncertain. This uncertainty is due
to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development and commercialization, including the uncertainty of the following:
●
the scope, progress, outcome
and costs of our preclinical development activities, clinical trials and other research and development activities;
●
establishing an appropriate
safety and efficacy profile with investigational new drug (“ IND ”) enabling studies;
●
successful patient enrollment
in and the initiation and completion of clinical trials;
●
the timing, receipt and
terms of any marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities including the FDA and non-U.S. regulators;
●
the extent of any required
post-marketing approval commitments to applicable regulatory authorities;
●
establishing clinical and
commercial manufacturing capabilities or making arrangements with third-party manufacturers in order to ensure that we or our third-party
manufacturers are able to make product successfully;
●
development and timely
delivery of clinical-grade and commercial-grade drug formulations that can be used in our clinical trials and for commercial launch;
●
obtaining, maintaining,
defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property rights;
●
significant and changing
government regulation;
●
launching commercial sales
of our product candidates, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and
●
maintaining a continued
acceptable safety profile of our product candidates following approval, if any, of our product candidates.
Any
changes in the outcome of any of these variables with respect to the development of our product candidates in preclinical and clinical
development could mean a significant change in the costs and timing associated with the development of these product candidates. For
example, if the FDA or another regulatory authority were to delay our planned start of clinical trials or require us to conduct clinical
trials or other testing beyond those that we currently expect or if we experience significant delays in enrollment in any of our planned
clinical trials, we could be required to expend significant additional financial resources and time on the completion of clinical development
of that product candidate.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, including salaries and related benefits, travel and stock-based
compensation for personnel in executive, business development, finance, human resources, legal, information technology, and administrative
functions. General and administrative expenses also include direct and allocated facility-related costs as well as insurance costs and
professional fees for legal, patent, consulting, investor and public relations, accounting and audit services. We expense general and
administrative costs as incurred.
23
We
anticipate that our general and administrative expenses will increase in the future as we increase our headcount to support the continued
development of our product candidates, subject to our ability to obtain financing. We also anticipate that we will continue to incur
significant accounting, audit, legal, regulatory, compliance and director and officer insurance costs as well as investor and public
relations expenses. Additionally, if and when we believe a regulatory approval of a product candidate appears likely, we anticipate an
increase in payroll and other employee-related expenses as a result of our preparation for commercial operations, especially as it relates
to the sales and marketing of that product candidate.
Other
Income (Expense)
Change
in fair value of liability classified warrants
We
use a Black-Scholes option pricing model to estimate the fair value of the warrants. Changes in the fair value of the warrants are recognized
through earnings for each reporting period.
Interest
Expense
Interest
expense consists of interest accrued on our financed directors’ and officers’ insurance, and interest from the 2023 Notes
based on the stated interest rate. In addition, the 2023 Notes reflects amortization of the debt discount from the original issuance
and a discount associated with the warrant issuances and amortization of the associated debt issuance costs that are all recorded as
interest expense. Interest expense related to the 2022 Notes was included in the estimate of fair value of the convertible notes.
Provision
for Income Taxes
We
have not recorded any significant amounts related to income tax expense, we have not recognized any reserves related to uncertain tax
positions, nor have we recorded any income tax benefits for the majority of our net losses we have incurred to date or for our research
and development tax credits.
We
account for income taxes using the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities
for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements or our tax returns. Deferred tax
assets and liabilities are determined based on difference between the financial statement carrying amounts and tax bases of existing
assets and liabilities and for loss and credit carryforwards, which are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws in effect in the
years in which the differences are expected to reverse. The realization of our deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of
future taxable income, the amount and timing of which are uncertain. Valuation allowances are provided, if, based upon the weight of
available evidence, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. As of March 31, 2025,
and December 31, 2024, we continue to maintain a full valuation allowance against all of our deferred tax assets based on our evaluation
of all available evidence.
Beginning
in 2022, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or the Tax Act, eliminated the option to deduct research and development expenditures currently and
requires taxpayers to capitalize and amortize them over five or fifteen years pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 174. This has
not impacted our effective tax rate or our cash tax payable in 2024; however, if the requirement to capitalize Section 174 expenditures
is not modified, it may also impact our effective tax rate and our cash tax liability in future years.
We
file income tax returns in the United States federal tax jurisdiction and state jurisdictions and may become subject to income tax audit
and adjustments by related tax authorities. Our tax return period for United States federal income taxes for the tax years since 2021
remain open to examination under the statute of limitations by the Internal Revenue Service and state jurisdictions. We record reserves
for potential tax payments to various tax authorities related to uncertain tax positions, if any. The nature of uncertain tax positions
is subject to significant judgment by management and subject to change, which may be substantial. These reserves are based on a determination
of whether and how much a tax benefit taken by us in our tax filings or whether our position is more likely than not to be realized following
the resolution of any potential contingencies related to the tax benefit. We develop our assessment of uncertain tax positions, and the
associated cumulative probabilities, using internal expertise and assistance from third-party experts. As additional information becomes
available, estimates are revised and refined. Differences between estimates and final settlement may occur resulting in additional tax
expense. Potential interest and penalties associated with such uncertain tax positions is recorded as a component of our provision for
income taxes. To date, no amounts are being presented as an uncertain tax position.
24
The
following table summarizes our results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024
Results
of Operations
Comparison
of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025, and 2024:
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
Change
Federal grants
$ 1,319,772
$ 305,722
$ 1,014,050
Operating expenses:
Research and development
1,885,528
778,904
1,106,624
General and administrative
1,401,756
1,369,782
31,974
Total operating expenses
3,287,284
2,148,686
1,138,598
Loss from operations
(1,967,512 )
(1,842,964 )
(124,548 )
Other income (expense):
Change in fair value of liability classified warrants
9,916
8,955
961
Interest expense
(3,856 )
(1,248,065 )
1,244,209
Other income and expense, net
15,879
(34,489 )
50,368
Total other income (expenses), net
21,939
(1,273,599 )
1,295,538
Net loss
(1,945,573 )
(3,116,563 )
1,170,990
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
-
(74 )
74
Deemed dividend related to warrants down round provision
-
290
(290 )
Net loss attributable to common stockholders
$ (1,945,573 )
$ (3,116,779 )
$ 1,171,206
Federal
Grants
Revenue
from federal grants totaled $1.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $0.3 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2024, respectively. The $1.0 million difference is due to the timing of research activities eligible for funding, with increased
activities under the MPAR grant which began in September 2024.
Research
and Development Expenses
Research
and development expenses were $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $0.8 million for the three months ended
March 31, 2024, representing an increase of $1.1 million. The increase was primarily the result of external research and development
costs related to clinical and pre-clinical programs for PF614-MPAR, with increased pre-clinical activity in the 2025 period. We expect
future research and development expenses to increase once we begin the Phase 3 clinical trial for PF614, with such timing dependent upon
additional financing.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General
and administrative expenses were $1.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and the three months ended March 31, 2024. We
expect future general and administrative expenses to approximate current levels.
25
Other
Income and Expense
Other
income and expense for the three months ended March 31, 2025, consisted primarily of interest income from cash and cash equivalents and
change in fair value of liability classified warrants. The comparative period for 2024 consisted primarily of interest expense associated
with the amortization of the original issue discount and the debt issuance costs for the 2023 Notes.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Sources
of Liquidity and Capital
As
of March 31, 2025, we had $3.1 million of cash and cash equivalents. Since inception, we have generated limited revenues and have incurred
significant operating losses and negative cash flows from our operations, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses for
at least the foreseeable future. We have not yet commercialized any of our product candidates and we do not expect to generate revenue
from sales of any product candidates for several years, if at all.
We
have funded our operations to date primarily with proceeds from the sale of common equity, funding under federal research grants and
borrowings under convertible promissory notes. To fund future operations, we will need to raise additional capital. The amount and timing
of future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including the timing and results of our ongoing research and development
efforts and related general and administrative support. We anticipate that we will fund our operations through public or private equity
or debt financings or other sources, such as potential collaboration agreements. We cannot make assurances that anticipated additional
financing will be available to us on favorable terms, if at all.
The
remaining cash funding under the MPAR federal research grant totaled $9.2 million at March 31, 2025, and is expected to be utilized by
May 31, 2027. Pursuant to the terms and conditions, we are required to submit progress reports to NIDA on an annual basis and a final
research performance progress report within 120 days of the performance period end date.
Going
Concern
We
have generated limited revenues and have incurred significant operating losses since our inception. We expect to continue to incur significant
expenses and operating losses for the foreseeable future. Without capital raised through financing transactions, existing cash resources
are sufficient to allow us to fund current planned operations into the third quarter of 2025, which raises substantial doubt about our
ability to continue as a going concern.
Cash
Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2025, and 2024
The
following table summarizes our cash flows for each of the periods presented:
Three Months Ended March 31,
2025
2024
Net cash used in operating activities
$ (1,707,412 )
$ (3,408,403 )
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,257,826
5,689,148
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$ (449,586 )
$ 2,280,745
Operating
Activities
During
the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, we used cash in operating activities of $1.7 million and $3.4 million, respectively.
The decrease primarily resulted from greater cash inflows from grant funding in 2025 and a reduction in cash outlays for accounts payable
and accrued expenses in 2025.
26
Financing
Activities
During
the three months ended March 31, 2025, net cash provided by financing activities was $1.3 million, primarily consisting of net proceeds
from the March 2025 public offering and warrant exercises. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, net cash provided by financing
activities was $5.7 million, primarily consisting of net proceeds from warrant exercises and a warrant inducement, less repayment of
convertible notes.
Funding
Requirements
Our
primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, primarily related to our research and development activities. Cash used to fund operating
expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable, accrued
expenses and prepaid expenses.
We
expect our expenses, excluding non-cash expenses to recognize the fair value of warrants and convertible notes, to remain elevated in
connection with our ongoing activities, particularly as we advance the preclinical activities and clinical trials of our product candidates.
In addition, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, additional costs associated with operating as a public company, including
significant legal, accounting, insurance, investor relations and other expenses. The timing and amount of our operating expenditures
will depend largely on our ability to:
●
advance preclinical development
of our early-stage programs and clinical trials of our product candidates;
●
manufacture, or have manufactured
on our behalf, our preclinical and clinical drug material and develop processes for late state and commercial manufacturing;
●
seek regulatory approvals
for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials;
●
establish a sales, marketing,
medical affairs and distribution infrastructure to commercialize any product candidates for which we may obtain marketing approval
and intend to commercialize on our own;
●
hire additional clinical,
quality control and scientific personnel;
●
expand our operational,
financial and management systems and increase personnel, including personnel to support our clinical development, manufacturing and
commercialization efforts and our operations as a public company;
●
obtain, maintain, expand
and protect our intellectual property portfolio;
●
manage the costs of preparing,
filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and protecting our intellectual property rights, including enforcing and
defending intellectual property related claims; and
●
manage the costs of operating
as a public company.
Commitments
Our
commitments as of March 31, 2025, included an estimated $8.1 million related to open purchase orders and contractual obligations that
occurred in the ordinary course of business, including commitments with contract research organizations for multi-year pre-clinical and
clinical research studies. Although open purchase orders are considered enforceable and legally binding, the terms generally allow us
the option to cancel, reschedule, and adjust requirements based on our business needs prior to the delivery of goods or the performance
of services.
27
Working
Capital
Because
of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with research, development and commercialization of biologic product candidates, we
are unable to estimate the exact amount of our working capital requirements. Our future funding requirements will depend on and could
increase significantly as a result of many factors, including:
●
the scope, progress, results
and costs of researching and developing our product candidates, and conducting preclinical and clinical trials;
●
the costs, timing and outcome
of regulatory review of our product candidates;
●
the costs, timing and ability
to manufacture our product candidates to supply our clinical and preclinical development efforts and our clinical trials;
●
the costs of future activities,
including product sales, medical affairs, marketing, manufacturing and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which
we receive marketing approval;
●
the costs of manufacturing
commercial-grade product and necessary inventory to support commercial launch;
●
the ability to receive
additional non-dilutive funding, including grants from organizations and foundations;
●
the revenue, if any, received
from commercial sale of our products, should any of our product candidates receive marketing approval;
●
the costs of preparing,
filing and prosecuting patent applications, obtaining, maintaining, expanding and enforcing our intellectual property rights and
defending intellectual property-related claims;
●
our ability to establish
and maintain collaborations on favorable terms, if at all; and
●
the extent to which we
acquire or in-license other product candidates and technologies.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
Our
consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and
related disclosures requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, costs and expenses.
We base our estimates on historical experience, known trends and events and various other factors that we believe are reasonable under
the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that
are not readily apparent from other sources. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our actual results may differ
from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
While
our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in Note 3 to our audited consolidated financial statements included
in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that the following accounting policy is the most critical to the judgments and estimates
used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Accrued
Research and Development Expenses
As
part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements, we are required to estimate our accrued research and development
expenses. This process involves reviewing open contracts and purchase orders, communicating with our applicable personnel to identify
services that have been performed on our behalf and estimating the level of service performed and the associated cost incurred for the
service when it has not yet been invoiced or otherwise notified of actual costs. Many of our service providers invoice us in arrears
for services performed, on a pre-determined schedule or when contractual milestones are met; however, some require advance payments.
We make estimates of our accrued expenses as of each balance sheet date in the consolidated financial statements based on facts and circumstances
known to us at that time. We periodically confirm the accuracy of the estimates with the service providers and adjust if necessary. Examples
of estimated accrued research and development expenses include fees paid to:
●
vendors, including research
laboratories, in connection with preclinical development activities;
●
CROs and investigative
sites in connection with preclinical studies and clinical trials; and
●
CMOs in connection with
drug substance and drug product formulation of preclinical studies and clinical trial materials.
28
We
base our expenses related to preclinical studies and clinical trials on our estimates of the services received and efforts expended pursuant
to quotes and contracts with multiple research institutions and CROs that supply, conduct and manage preclinical studies and clinical
trials on our behalf. The financial terms of these agreements are subject to negotiation, vary from contract to contract and may result
in uneven payment flows. There may be instances in which payments made to our vendors will exceed the level of services provided and
result in a prepayment of the expense. Payments under some of these contracts depend on factors such as the successful enrollment of
patients and the completion of clinical trial milestones. In accruing service fees, we estimate the time period over which services will
be performed and the level of effort to be expended in each period. If the actual timing of the performance of services or the level
of effort varies from the estimate, we adjust the accrual or the prepaid expense accordingly. Although we do not expect our estimates
to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed relative
to the actual status and timing of services performed may vary and may result in reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any
period.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
do not have during the periods presented, and do not currently have, any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in the rules and
regulations of the SEC.
Recently
Issued Accounting Pronouncements
A
description of recently issued accounting pronouncements that may potentially impact our financial position and results of operations
is disclosed in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Smaller
Reporting Company Status
We
are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage
of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We
will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common stock held
by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (ii) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed
fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Item
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk
We
are exposed to market risk in the ordinary course of our business. These risks primarily relate to changes in interest rates and inflation.
Interest
Rate Risk
Our
cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2025, consisted of cash and a money market fund account. Because of the short-term nature of
our money market fund, a sudden change in market interest rates would not be expected to have a material impact on our financial position
or results of operations.
Inflation
Risk
We
do not believe that inflation and changing prices had a significant impact on our results of operations for any periods presented herein.
29
Item
4. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our
disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure. Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness
of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a–15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of March 31, 2025. Based
on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and
procedures were effective as of March 31, 2025. Management has concluded that our financial statements included in this Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q are fairly stated in all material respects in accordance with GAAP for each of the periods presented therein.
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the
Exchange Act) during the fiscal quarter to which this report relates that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART
II—OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. Legal Proceedings.
From
time to time, we could become involved in disputes and various litigation matters that arise in the normal course of business. These
may include disputes and lawsuits related to intellectual property, licensing, contract law and employee relations matters. Periodically,
we review the status of significant matters, if any exist, and assesses its potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from
any claim or legal claim is considered probable and the amount can be estimated, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Legal
proceedings are subject to uncertainties, and the outcomes are difficult to predict. Because of such uncertainties, accruals are based
on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related
to pending claims and litigation.
Item
1A. Risk Factors.
While
we attempt to identify, manage and mitigate risks and uncertainties associated with our business to the extent practical, under the circumstances,
some level of risk and uncertainty will always be present. Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors of our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K includes
a detailed discussion of our risk factors. Those risks and uncertainties have the potential to materially affect our financial condition
and results of operations.
Item
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Information
concerning the sale of unregistered securities in March 2025 was disclosed in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 31, 2025. On
January 12, 2025, we entered into a Product Development and Commercial Manufacturing Supply Master Services Agreement (the “Agreement”)
with Galephar Pharmaceutical Research, Inc., a Puerto Rico corporation (“Galephar”). The Agreement provides for Galephar
to expend up to $10 million (the “Cap”) to support research and development, manufacture, packaging and testing of our PF614
drug product and PF614-MPAR project in return for the consideration specified below. First, we will issue 13,801 unregistered shares
of our common stock pursuant to a restricted stock grant. The grant will provide for vesting against defined milestones over the term
of the project, such shares being subject to a three-year lock-up, except in the event of a change of control of the Company. We are
also required to compensate Galephar’s development costs against defined milestones in the form of fifty percent (50%) restricted
shares or fifty percent (50%) freely tradeable shares at up to 1.2 times Galephar’s actual costs, subject to the Cap. The number
of shares to be issued by the Company will be determined with reference to the trailing five-day closing price divided by the payment
(without the use of future variable pricing to determine share price). Payments to Galephar may require a gross-up of thirty percent
(30%) in certain cases if the Company raises more than $10 million from a third party for development of the Company’s products
and payment, which may not exceed fifty percent (50%) in cash, is made in cash. The transactions with Galephar involved no underwriters,
underwriting discounts or commissions, or public offering and was exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Section
4(a)(2) of the Securities Act (and Regulation D promulgated thereunder) as transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering
or Rule 701 promulgated under Section 3(b) of the Securities Act as transactions by an issuer under benefit plans and contracts relating
to compensation as provided under Rule 701.
30
Item
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not
applicable.
Item
4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not
applicable.
Item
5. Other Information
None.
Item
6. Exhibits.
The
following exhibits are filed as part of this report:
Exhibit
Number
Description
31.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1*
Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.2*
Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS
Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension
Schema Document
101.CAL
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension
Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension
Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension
Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE
Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension
Presentation Linkbase Document
104
Cover Page Interactive
Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
*
Filed herewith.
31
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
ENSYSCE BIOSCIENCES, INC.
Date: May 13, 2025
/s/ David
Humphrey
David Humphrey
Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer
32
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.