Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Forward-Looking
Statements
This
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Quarterly Report, including statements regarding the future
financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. The
words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,”
“intend,” “should,” “plan,” “expect,” and similar expressions, as they relate to us,
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on current expectations and
projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business
strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions.
In
addition, our business and financial performance may be affected by the factors that are discussed under “Risk Factors” in
the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed on April 15, 2024. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive
and rapidly changing environment. New risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all risk factors,
nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual
results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
You
should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We cannot assure you that the events and circumstances
reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking
statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.
The
following discussion and analysis is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the more detailed information
set forth in the financial statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion
should not be construed to imply that the results discussed herein will necessarily continue into the future, or that any conclusion
reached herein will necessarily be indicative of actual operating results in the future. Such discussion represents only the best present
assessment of our management.
Overview
We
are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on our Phase III clinical trial, Flamingo-01, which is evaluating GLSI-100, an
immunotherapy to prevent breast cancer recurrences. GP2 is a 9 amino acid transmembrane peptide of the HER2/neu protein, a cell surface
receptor protein that is expressed in a variety of common cancers, including expression in 75% of breast cancers at low (1+), intermediate
(2+), and high (3+ or over-expressor) levels. The combination of GP2 + GM-CSF is called GLSI-100. We
are currently expanding Flamingo-01 into Europe with plans to open up to 150 sites globally. Flamingo-01 is designed to evaluate the
safety and efficacy of GLSI-100 in HER2 /neu positive patients with residual disease or high-risk pathologic complete response
at surgery and who have completed both neoadjuvant and postoperative adjuvant trastuzumab based treatment.
To
date, we have not generated any revenue and we have incurred net losses. Our net losses were approximately $8.9 million and $7.8 million
for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively and $2.5 million and $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024
and 2023, respectively.
Our
net losses have resulted from costs incurred in developing the drug in our pipeline, planning and preparing for clinical trials and general
and administrative activities associated with our operations. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and corresponding increased
operating losses for the foreseeable future as we continue to develop our pipeline. Our costs may further increase as we conduct clinical
trials and seek regulatory approval for and prepare to commercialize our product candidate. We expect to incur significant expenses to
continue to build the infrastructure necessary to support our expanded operations, clinical trials, commercialization, including manufacturing,
marketing, sales and distribution functions. We will also experience increased costs associated with operating as a public company.
- 9 -
Results
of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 and 2023
Research
and Development Expenses
Research and development expenses
increased by $ 366,606 , or 20 %,
to $ 2,194,513 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $1,827,907 for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase
was primarily the result of an increase in clinical expenses.
General
and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative expenses
decreased by $ 70,487 , or 17%, to $ 342,688
for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $413,175 for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Since
our inception in 2006, we have devoted most of our cash resources to research and development and general and administrative activities.
We have not yet achieved commercialization of our product and have a cumulative net loss from our operations. We will continue to incur
net losses for the foreseeable future. Our financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will continue as a going concern.
We
will require additional capital to meet our long-term operating requirements. We expect to raise additional capital through the sale
of equity and/or debt securities; however, there is no assurance that we will be successful at raising additional capital in the future.
If our plans are not achieved and/or if significant unanticipated events occur, we may have to further modify our business plan, which
may require us to raise additional capital. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, our principal source of liquidity was our cash,
which totalled $5,505,975 and $6,989,424, respectively, and additional loans and accrued unreimbursed expenses from related parties.
Historically, our principal sources of cash have included proceeds from the sale of common stock and preferred stock and related party
loans. Our principal uses of cash have included cash used in operations. We expect that the principal uses of cash in the future will
be for continuing operations, funding of research and development, including our clinical trials, and general working capital requirements.
Cash
Flow Activities for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 and 2023
We incurred net losses of $ 2,473,195
and $2,124,902 during the three month periods ended March 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase was primarily the result of an
increase in cash compensation, clinical, and manufacturing expenses.
Operating
Activities
Net
cash used in operating activities was $1,782,565 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and $1,556,807 for the three months ended
March 31, 2023.
Investing
Activities
We
did not use or generate cash from investing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and 2023.
- 10 -
Financing
Activities
Between
January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024, the Company completed At The Market (“ATM”) offerings pursuant to its ATM agreement with
Jefferies, in which it issued and sold a total of 27,117 shares of its common stock at an average offering price of $ 12. 26
per share for gross proceeds of $ 332,351 and net proceeds of $ 299,116,
after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses borne by the Company, which totalled $ 33,235 .
Between
April 1, 2024 and May 8, 2024, the Company completed At The Market (“ATM”) offerings pursuant to its ATM agreement with Jefferies,
in which it issued and sold a total of 4,713 shares of its common stock at an average offering price of $17.08 per share for gross proceeds
of $ 80,482 and net proceeds of $ 72,434, after
deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses borne by the Company, which totalled $ 8,049 .
Contractual
Obligations and Commitments
As
of March 31, 2024, we did not have any material contractual obligations, other than employment and shareholder agreements and the license
for GP2 from HJF.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
As
of March 31, 2024, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as described by Item 303(a)(4) of Regulation S-K.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our
financial statements are prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which require the use of estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and
the reported amounts of expenses in the periods presented.
On
an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates and judgments, including those related to accrued expenses and stock-based compensation.
We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances,
the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the reported amounts
of expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ from those estimates, particularly given the
significant social and economic disruptions and uncertainties associated with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the COVID-19 control
responses.
Recent
Adopted Accounting Pronouncements
In
June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial
Instruments. The main objective of the standard is to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the
expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date.
To achieve this objective, the amendments in this standard replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current GAAP with a methodology
that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform
credit loss estimates. The update is effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2023 with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted
the standard on January 1, 2023. The adoption of this standard did not have a material effect on the Company’s audited financial statements and related disclosures.
Recently
Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In
October 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-06—Codification Amendments in Response to the SEC’s Disclosure Update and Simplification
Initiative. The main objective of the amendment is to modify the disclosure or presentation requirements of various Topics in the Codification.
Certain amendments represent clarifications to or technical corrections of the current requirements. to eliminate disclosure requirements
that were redundant, duplicative, overlapping, outdated, or superseded. The effective date for each amendment will be when the SEC’s
removal of that related disclosure from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K becomes effective, with early adoption prohibited. The Company
is still evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard.
JOBS
Act
On
April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was enacted. Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take
advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities
Act”) for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay
the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies.
We
have chosen to take advantage of the extended transition periods available to emerging growth companies under the JOBS Act for complying
with new or revised accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies provided under the JOBS Act.
As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with public company effective dates for
complying with new or revised accounting standards.
Subject
to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, as an “emerging growth company,” we intend to rely on certain of these exemptions,
including, without limitation, (i) providing an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial
reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and (ii) complying with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s
report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements, known as the auditor discussion and analysis. We
will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total
annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the
completion of our initial public offering; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during
the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We
are a smaller reporting company, as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are not required to
provide the information required under this Item 3.
- 11 -
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.