UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q/A
Amendment
No. 1
☒
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the quarterly period ended June 30, 2022
001-12934
(Commission
file number)
ImmuCell
Corporation
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 01-0382980
(State of Incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
56 Evergreen Drive , Portland , ME 04103
(Address of principal executive office) (Zip Code)
(207)
878-2770
(Registrant’s
telephone number)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:
Title
of each class
Trading symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.10 par value per share ICCC Nasdaq
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 and posted pursuant
to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T 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 the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company,
or an emerging growth company. See the 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 check mark 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 ☒
The
number of shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as of August 2, 2022 was 7,746,864 .
Explanatory
Note
This
Amendment No. 1 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A (the “Amendment”) amends the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of ImmuCell
Corporation (the “Company”) for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 (the “Original Filing”)
that was originally filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 11, 2022. The Original Filing is being restated
to reflect the accrual of approximately $222,000 of deferred compensation expense (consisting of earned and unused paid time off) during
the first quarter of 2022. This change increases the Company’s administrative expenses and accrued expenses by approximately $222,000
with no impact on its cash position or product sales.
In
addition, as required by Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Act of 1934, as amended, new certifications by the Company’s principal
executive and principal financial officer are filed as exhibits to this Amendment under Part II, “Item 6. Exhibits” hereof.
Except
as described above, the Amendment does not modify or update the disclosures presented in, or exhibits to, the Original Filing in any
way. Those sections of the Original Filing that are unaffected by the Amendment have been included herein as required by the SEC. The
Amendment continues to speak as of the date of the Original Filing. Furthermore, the Amendment does not reflect events occurring after
the filing of the Original Filing. Accordingly, the Amendment should be read in conjunction with the Company’s other filings made
with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.
ImmuCell Corporation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
June 30, 2022
PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1.
Unaudited Financial Statements
Balance Sheets as of June 30, 2022 (as restated) and December 31, 2021
1
Statements of Operations during the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 (as restated) and 2021
2
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity during the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 (as restated) and 2021
3
Statements of Cash Flows during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 (as restated) and 2021
4-5
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements (as restated)
6-26
ITEM 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (as restated)
27-41
ITEM 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
42
ITEM 4.
Controls and Procedures (as restated)
42
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1 THROUGH 6.
43-50
Signature
51
i
ImmuCell Corporation
PART 1. FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
ITEM 1. UNAUDITED
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
As of
June 30,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
ASSETS
(as restated)
CURRENT ASSETS:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 11,043,225
$ 10,185,468
Trade accounts receivable, net
1,413,704
2,694,229
Inventory
4,603,109
3,089,974
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
268,350
295,197
Total current assets
17,328,388
16,264,868
PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, net
27,418,130
26,893,599
OPERATING LEASE RIGHT-OF-USE ASSET
1,051,127
1,109,133
GOODWILL
95,557
95,557
INTANGIBLE ASSETS, net
66,864
76,416
OTHER ASSETS
23,783
26,115
TOTAL ASSETS
$ 45,983,849
$ 44,465,688
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES:
Current portion of debt obligations
$ 966,996
$ 812,207
Current portion of operating lease liability
112,092
108,012
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
1,652,176
1,614,250
Total current liabilities
2,731,264
2,534,469
LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:
Debt obligations, net of current portion
9,731,030
8,327,122
Operating lease liability, net of current portion
969,077
1,027,157
Total long-term liabilities
10,700,107
9,354,279
TOTAL LIABILITIES
13,431,371
11,888,748
CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND COMMITMENTS (See Note 11)
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Common stock, $ 0.10 par value per share, 15,000,000 and 15,000,000 shares authorized, 7,814,165 and 7,814,165 shares issued and 7,746,864 and 7,741,864 shares outstanding, as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
781,417
781,417
Additional paid-in capital
35,827,848
35,692,388
Accumulated deficit
( 3,909,555 )
( 3,738,694 )
Treasury stock, at cost, 67,301 and 72,301 shares as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively
( 147,232 )
( 158,171 )
Total stockholders’ equity
32,552,478
32,576,940
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
$ 45,983,849
$ 44,465,688
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these
unaudited financial statements.
1
ImmuCell Corporation
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
During
the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During
the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
(as restated)
Product sales
$ 3,861,372
$ 4,541,810
$ 9,861,056
$ 8,648,956
Costs of goods sold
2,154,044
2,467,489
5,050,505
4,972,446
Gross margin
1,707,328
2,074,321
4,810,551
3,676,510
Product development expenses
1,138,767
1,000,107
2,174,702
2,031,171
Sales and marketing expenses
659,239
436,982
1,470,740
957,580
Administrative expenses
528,329
421,724
1,213,508
846,876
Operating expenses
2,326,335
1,858,813
4,858,950
3,835,627
NET OPERATING (LOSS) INCOME
( 619,007 )
215,508
( 48,399 )
( 159,117 )
Other expenses, net
63,993
74,395
120,167
141,073
(LOSS) INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES
( 683,000 )
141,113
( 168,566 )
( 300,190 )
Income tax expense
1,148
—
2,295
—
NET (LOSS) INCOME
$ ( 684,148 )
$ 141,113
$ ( 170,861 )
$ ( 300,190 )
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding
7,744,567
7,658,612
7,743,350
7,440,237
Basic net (loss) income per share
$ ( 0.09 )
$ 0.02
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.04 )
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding
7,744,567
7,761,056
7,743,350
7,440,237
Diluted net (loss) income per share
$ ( 0.09 )
$ 0.02
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.04 )
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements .
2
ImmuCell Corporation
STATEMENTS
OF STOCKHOLDERS ’ EQUITY
(Unaudited)
Common Stock
Treasury Stock
Shares
Amount
Additional
paid-in
capital
Accumulated
Deficit
Shares
Amount
Total
Stockholders’
Equity
During the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022 (as restated):
BALANCE, March 31, 2022
7,814,165
$ 781,417
$ 35,750,133
$ ( 3,225,407 )
71,301
$ ( 155,983 )
$ 33,150,160
Net loss
—
—
—
( 684,148 )
—
—
( 684,148 )
Exercise of stock options
—
—
16,080
—
( 4,000 )
8,751
24,831
Stock-based compensation
—
—
61,635
—
—
—
61,635
BALANCE, June 30, 2022
7,814,165
$ 781,417
$ 35,827,848
$ ( 3,909,555 )
67,301
$ ( 147,232 )
$ 32,552,478
During the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2021:
BALANCE, March 31, 2021
7,299,009
$ 729,901
$ 31,414,027
$ ( 4,101,705 )
78,173
$ ( 171,017 )
$ 27,871,206
Net income
—
—
—
141,113
—
—
141,113
Public offering of common stock, net of $ 17,011 of offering costs
515,156
51,516
4,181,510
—
—
—
4,233,026
Exercise of stock options
—
—
( 12,833 )
—
( 5,872 )
12,846
13
Stock-based compensation
—
—
23,265
—
—
—
23,265
BALANCE, June 30, 2021
7,814,165
$ 781,417
$ 35,605,969
$ ( 3,960,592 )
72,301
$ ( 158,171 )
$ 32,268,623
During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022 (as restated):
BALANCE, December 31, 2021
7,814,165
$ 781,417
$ 35,692,388
$ ( 3,738,694 )
72,301
$ ( 158,171 )
$ 32,576,940
Net loss
—
—
—
( 170,861 )
—
—
( 170,861 )
Exercise of stock options
—
—
19,733
—
( 5,000 )
10,939
30,672
Stock-based compensation
—
—
115,727
—
—
—
115,727
BALANCE, June 30, 2022
7,814,165
$ 781,417
$ 35,827,848
$ ( 3,909,555 )
67,301
$ ( 147,232 )
$ 32,552,478
During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2021:
BALANCE, December 31, 2020
7,299,009
$ 729,901
$ 31,372,093
$ ( 3,660,402 )
80,173
$ ( 175,392 )
$ 28,266,200
Net loss
—
—
—
( 300,190 )
—
—
( 300,190 )
Public offering of common stock, net of $ 17,011 of offering costs
515,156
51,516
4,181,510
—
—
—
4,233,026
Exercise of stock options
—
—
( 5,528 )
—
( 7,872 )
17,221
11,693
Stock-based compensation
—
—
57,894
—
—
—
57,894
BALANCE, June 30, 2021
7,814,165
$ 781,417
$ 35,605,969
$ ( 3,960,592 )
72,301
$ ( 158,171 )
$ 32,268,623
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements .
3
ImmuCell Corporation
STATEMENTS
OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)
During the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
(as restated)
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net loss
$ ( 170,861 )
$ ( 300,190 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation
1,241,455
1,232,222
Amortization of intangible assets
9,552
9,552
Amortization and write-off of debt issuance costs
3,820
3,920
Stock-based compensation
115,727
57,894
Gain on disposal of fixed assets
( 11,000 )
( 10,000 )
Non-cash rent expense
4,006
5,358
Changes in:
Trade accounts receivable
1,280,525
( 253,145 )
Accrued interest income
—
495
Inventory
( 1,513,135 )
( 328,348 )
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
26,847
( 39,512 )
Other assets
2,332
782
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
22,725
( 271,742 )
Net cash provided by operating activities
1,011,993
107,286
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of property, plant and equipment
( 1,750,786 )
( 1,228,655 )
Maturities of investments
—
996,000
Proceeds from sale of fixed assets
11,000
10,000
Net cash used for investing activities
( 1,739,786 )
( 222,655 )
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from public offering, net
—
4,233,026
Proceeds from debt issuance
2,000,000
—
Debt principal repayments
( 425,816 )
( 381,008 )
Payments of debt issuance costs
( 19,306 )
2,272
Proceeds from exercise of stock options
30,672
11,693
Net cash provided by financing activities
1,585,550
3,865,983
NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
857,757
3,750,614
BEGINNING CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
10,185,468
6,949,937
ENDING CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
$ 11,043,225
$ 10,700,551
The accompanying notes
are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements .
4
ImmuCell Corporation
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES
OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
(Unaudited)
During the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
CASH PAID FOR:
Income taxes
$ 4,575
$ 5,125
Interest expense
$ 159,396
$ 157,418
NON-CASH ACTIVITIES:
Change in capital expenditures included in accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ ( 15,200 )
$ ( 74,439 )
The accompanying notes
are an integral part of these unaudited financial statements .
5
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(as restated)
1. BUSINESS OPERATIONS
ImmuCell Corporation (the “Company”,
“we”, “us”, “our”) was originally incorporated in Maine in 1982 and reincorporated in Delaware in
1987, in conjunction with our initial public offering of common stock. We are an animal health company whose purpose is to create scientifically-proven
and practical products that improve the health and productivity of dairy and beef cattle. As disclosed in Note 17, “Segment Information”,
one of our business segments is dedicated to Scours and the other is focused on Mastitis. We manufacture and market the First Defense ®
product line, providing Immediate Immunity™ to prevent scours in newborn dairy and beef calves. We have expanded this line
into four different products with formulations targeting E. coli , coronavirus and rotavirus pathogens. We are also in the late
stages of developing Re-Tain ® , a treatment for lactating dairy cows with subclinical mastitis. Mastitis is the most
significant cause of economic loss to the dairy industry. These products help reduce the need to use traditional antibiotics in food producing
animals. We are subject to certain risks including dependence on key individuals and third-party providers of critical goods and services,
competition from other larger companies, the successful sale of existing products and the development of new viable products with appropriate
regulatory approvals, where applicable.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has created, and
continues to create, uncertainty for us. While conditions relating to the pandemic may be improving somewhat, the full impact of this
viral outbreak on the global economy, and the duration of such impact, is still uncertain at this time. A combination of the conditions,
trends and concerns related to or arising from the pandemic, as well as inflation, rising interest rates and potential recessionary conditions
in the United States and/or internationally, could have a corresponding negative effect on our business and operations, including the
supply of the colostrum we purchase to produce our First Defense ® product line, the demand for our products in the
U.S. market and our ability to penetrate or maintain a profitable presence in international markets. We are experiencing price increases
and shortages in key components, supportive services, transportation and other supplies that may cause production slowdowns that affect
our ability to consistently deliver our products to market on time in accordance with customer demand. Despite some recent favorable trends,
we maintain our diligence because this is a risk to our business.
1A. RESTATEMENT OF PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Company concluded it should restate its previously
issued financial statements by amending its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2022,
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on August 11, 2022, to reflect the accrual of approximately
$ 222,000 of deferred compensation expense (consisting of earned and unused paid time off) during the first quarter of 2022. This change
increases the Company’s administrative expenses and accrued expenses by approximately $ 222,000 with no impact on its cash position.
There has been no change to previously disclosed product sales.
In accordance with SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin
No. 99 “Materiality,” and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 108, “Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements
when Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements,” the Company evaluated the correction and has determined that
the related impact was material to the previously issued financial statements that contained the error, reported in the Company’s
Form 10-Q for the three-month and six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 (the “Affected Quarterly Period”). Therefore, the
Company concluded that the Affected Quarterly Period should be restated to present the reclassification. As such, the Company is reporting
the restatement to the period in this Form 10-Q/A.
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Unaudited Balance Sheet As of June 30, 2022
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 1,429,797
$ 222,379
$ 1,652,176
Total current liabilities
$ 2,508,885
$ 222,379
$ 2,731,264
Total liabilities
$ 13,208,992
$ 222,379
$ 13,431,371
Accumulated deficit
$ ( 3,687,176 )
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 3,909,555 )
Total stockholders’ equity
$ 32,774,857
$ ( 222,379 )
$ 32,552,478
6
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Unaudited Statement of Operations During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Administrative expenses
$ 991,129
$ 222,379
$ 1,213,508
Operating expenses
$ 4,636,571
$ 222,379
$ 4,858,950
Net operating income (loss)
$ 173,980
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 48,399 )
Income (loss) before income taxes
$ 53,813
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 168,566 )
Net income (loss)
$ 51,518
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 170,861 )
Basic net income (loss) per share
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.03 )
$ ( 0.02 )
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding
7,781,403
( 38,053 )
7,743,350
Diluted net income (loss) per share
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.03 )
$ ( 0.02 )
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Unaudited Statement of Stockholders’ Equity During the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Accumulated Deficit – Balance, March 31, 2022
$ ( 3,003,028 )
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 3,225,407 )
Accumulated Deficit – Balance, June 30, 2022
$ ( 3,687,176 )
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 3,909,555 )
Total Stockholders’ Equity – Balance, March 31, 2022
$ 33,372,539
$ ( 222,379 )
$ 33,150,160
Total Stockholders’ Equity – Balance, June 30, 2022
$ 32,774,857
$ ( 222,379 )
$ 32,552,478
Unaudited Statement of Stockholders’ Equity During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Accumulated Deficit – Net income (loss)
$ 51,518
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 170,861 )
Accumulated Deficit – Balance, June 30, 2022
$ ( 3,687,176 )
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 3,909,555 )
Total Stockholders’ Equity – Net income (loss)
$ 51,518
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 170,861 )
Total Stockholders’ Equity – Balance, June 30, 2022
$ 32,774,857
$ ( 222,379 )
$ 32,552,478
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Unaudited Statement of Cash Flows During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Net income (loss)
$ 51,518
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 170,861 )
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ ( 199,654 )
$ 222,379
$ 22,725
7
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements – (n) Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Net income (loss) attributable to stockholders
$ 51,518
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 170,861 )
Dilutive impact of share-based compensation awards
38,053
( 38,053 )
—
Weighted average common shares outstanding - Diluted
7,781,403
( 38,053 )
7,743,350
Net income (loss) per share: Basic
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.03 )
$ ( 0.02 )
Net income (loss) per share: Diluted
$ 0.01
$ ( 0.03 )
$ ( 0.02 )
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements – 9. Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses As of June 30, 2022
Accrued payroll
$ 441,644
$ 222,379
$ 664,023
Total
$ 1,429,797
$ 222,379
$ 1,652,176
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements – 17. Segment Information During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Other – Administrative expenses
$ 991,129
$ 222,379
$ 1,213,508
Other – Operating activities
$ 1,064,160
$ 222,379
$ 1,286,539
Other – Net operating loss
$ ( 1,083,037 )
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 1,305,416 )
Total – Administrative expenses
$ 991,129
$ 222,379
$ 1,213,508
Total – Operating activities
$ 4,636,571
$ 222,379
$ 4,858,950
Total – Net operating income (loss)
$ 173,980
$ ( 222,379 )
$ ( 48,399 )
As Reported
Adjustment
As Restated
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations – Liquidity and Capital Resources As of June 30, 2022
Net working capital
$ 14,820
$ ( 223 )
$ 14,597
Increase - Amount
$ 1,089
$ ( 222 )
$ 867
Increase - %
8 %
( 2 )%
6 %
Stockholders’ equity
$ 32,775
$ ( 223 )
$ 32,552
Increase (Decrease) – Amount
$ 198
$ ( 222 )
$ ( 24 )
Increase (Decrease) – %
1 %
( 1 )%
0 %
8
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(a) Basis of Presentation
We have prepared the accompanying unaudited financial
statements reflecting all adjustments (which are of a normal recurring nature) that are, in our opinion, necessary in order to ensure
that the financial statements are not misleading. We follow accounting standards set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB).
The FASB sets Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that we follow to ensure we accurately report our financial condition, results
of operations, earnings per share and cash flows. References to GAAP in these footnotes are to the FASB Accounting Standards Codification ™
(Codification). We believe that the disclosures are adequate to ensure that the information presented is not misleading.
(b) Cash and Cash Equivalents
We consider all highly liquid investment instruments
that mature within three months of their purchase dates to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalents are principally invested in securities
backed by the U.S. government. There are no cash equivalents in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) limits of $ 250,000
per financial institution per depositor. We account for investments in marketable securities in accordance with Codification Topic 320,
Investments — Debt and Equity Securities . See Note 3.
(c) Trade Accounts Receivable, net
Accounts receivable are carried at the original
invoice amount less an estimate made for doubtful collection when applicable. Management determines the allowance for doubtful accounts
on a monthly basis by identifying troubled accounts and by using historical experience applied to an aging of accounts. Accounts receivable
are considered to be past due if a portion of the receivable balance is outstanding for more than 30 days. Past due accounts receivable
are subject to an interest charge. Accounts receivable are written off when deemed uncollectible. The amount of accounts receivable written
off during all periods reported was immaterial. Recoveries of accounts receivable previously written off are recorded as income when received.
As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, we determined that no allowance for doubtful accounts was necessary. See Note 4.
(d) Inventory
Inventory includes raw materials, work-in-process
and finished goods and is recorded at the lower of cost, on the first-in, first-out method, or net realizable value (determined as the
estimated selling price in the normal course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation).
Work-in-process and finished goods inventories include materials, labor and manufacturing overhead. At each balance sheet date, we evaluate
our ending inventories for excess quantities and obsolescence. Inventories that we consider excess or obsolete are written down to estimated
net realizable value. Once inventory is written down and a new cost basis is established, it is not written back up if demand increases.
We believe that supplies and raw materials for the production of our products are available from more than one vendor or farm. Our policy
is to maintain more than one source of supply for the components used in our products when feasible. See Note 5.
(e) Property, Plant and Equipment, net
We depreciate property, plant and equipment on the
straight-line method by charges to operations and costs of goods sold in amounts estimated to expense the cost of the assets from the
date they are first put into service to the end of the estimated useful lives of the assets. The facility we have constructed at 33 Caddie
Lane to produce the Nisin Drug Substance for Re-Tain ® is being depreciated over 39 years from when a certificate
of occupancy was issued during the fourth quarter of 2017. We began depreciating the equipment for our Nisin Drug Substance facility when
it was placed in service during the third quarter of 2018. Approximately 87% of these assets are being depreciated over 10 years. We began
depreciating the leasehold improvements to our new First Defense ® production facility at 175 Industrial Way over
the remainder of the 10-year lease term beginning when a certificate of occupancy was issued during the second quarter of 2020. Significant
repairs to fixed assets that benefit more than a current period are capitalized and depreciated over their useful lives. Insignificant
repairs are expensed when incurred. See Note 7.
9
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
(f) Intangible Assets and Goodwill
We amortize intangible assets on the
straight-line method by charges to costs of goods sold in amounts estimated to expense the cost of the assets from the date they are
first put into service to the end of the estimated useful lives of the assets. We have recorded intangible assets related to
customer relationships, non-compete agreements and developed technology, each with defined useful lives. We have classified as
goodwill the amounts paid in excess of fair value of the net assets (including tax attributes) acquired in purchase transactions. We
assess the impairment of intangible assets and goodwill that have indefinite lives at the reporting unit level on an annual basis
(as of December 31 st ) and whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the asset may
not be recoverable. We would record an impairment charge if such an assessment were to indicate that the fair value of such assets
was less than the carrying value. Judgment is required in determining whether an event has occurred that may impair the value of
goodwill or identifiable intangible assets. Factors that could indicate that an impairment may exist include significant
under-performance relative to plan or long-term projections, significant changes in business strategy and significant negative
industry or economic trends. Although we believe intangible assets and goodwill are properly stated in the accompanying financial
statements, changes in strategy or market conditions could significantly impact these judgments and require an adjustment to the
recorded balance. No goodwill impairments were recorded during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 or the year ended December
31, 2021. See Notes 2(g) and 8 for additional disclosures.
(g) Valuation of Long-Lived Assets
We periodically evaluate our long-lived assets,
consisting principally of fixed assets, operating lease right-of-use asset and amortizable intangible assets, for potential impairment.
In accordance with the applicable accounting guidance for the treatment of long-lived assets, we review the carrying value of our long-lived
assets or asset group that is held and used, including intangible assets subject to amortization, for impairment whenever events and circumstances
indicate that the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. Under the held for use approach, the asset or asset group to be
tested for impairment should represent the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of
other groups of assets and liabilities. We evaluate our long-lived assets whenever events or circumstances suggest that the carrying amount
of an asset or group of assets may not be recoverable. No impairment was recognized during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 or
the year ended December 31, 2021.
(h) Fair Value Measurements
In determining fair value measurements, we follow
the provisions of Codification Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures . Codification Topic 820 defines fair value, establishes
a framework for measuring fair value under GAAP and enhances disclosures about fair value measurements. The topic provides a consistent
definition of fair value which focuses on an exit price, which is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer
a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The topic also prioritizes, within the measurement
of fair value, the use of market-based information over entity-specific information and establishes a three-level hierarchy for fair value
measurements based on the nature of inputs used in the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. As of June 30, 2022
and December 31, 2021, the carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, inventory, other assets, accounts payable
and accrued liabilities approximate fair value because of their short-term nature. The amount outstanding under our bank debt facilities
is measured at carrying value in our accompanying balance sheets. Our bank debt facilities are valued using Level 2 inputs. The estimated
fair value of our bank debt facilities approximates their carrying value based on similar instruments with similar maturities. The three-level
hierarchy is as follows:
Level 1 — Pricing inputs are quoted
prices available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities as of the measurement date.
Level 2 — Pricing inputs are quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities, or inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term
through corroboration with observable market data.
Level 3 — Pricing inputs are unobservable
for the assets or liabilities, that is, inputs that reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market
participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
In certain cases, the inputs used to measure fair
value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, the level of an asset or liability within the fair value
hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Our assessment of the significance
of a particular input to the fair value measurement in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the investment.
From time to time, we also hold money market mutual funds in a brokerage account, which are classified as cash equivalents and measured
at fair value. The fair value of these investments is based on their closing published net asset value.
10
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
We assess the levels of the investments at
each measurement date, and transfers between levels are recognized on the actual date of the event or change in circumstances that
caused the transfer in accordance with our accounting policy regarding the recognition of transfers between levels of the fair value
hierarchy. During the three-month period ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021, there were no transfers between
levels. As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, our Level 1 assets measured at fair value by quoted prices in active markets
consisted of bank savings accounts and money market funds. There were no assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a
nonrecurring basis as of June 30, 2022 or December 31, 2021.
As of June 30, 2022
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
Assets:
Cash and money market accounts
$ 11,043,225
$ —
$ —
$ 11,043,225
Liabilities:
Bank debt
$ —
$ ( 10,698,026 )
$ —
$ ( 10,698,026 )
As of December 31, 2021
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Total
Assets:
Cash and money market accounts
$ 10,185,468
$ —
$ —
$ 10,185,468
Liabilities:
Bank debt
$ —
$ ( 9,139,329 )
$ —
$ ( 9,139,329 )
(i) Concentration of Risk
Concentration of credit risk with respect to
accounts receivable is principally limited to certain customers to whom we make substantial sales. To reduce risk, we routinely assess
the financial strength of our customers and, as a consequence, believe that our accounts receivable credit risk exposure is limited. We
maintain an allowance for potential credit losses when deemed necessary, but historically we have not experienced significant credit losses
related to an individual customer or groups of customers in any particular industry or geographic area. Sales to significant customers
that amounted to 10 % or more of total product sales are detailed in the following table:
During
the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During
the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Company A
35 %
24 %
35 %
28 %
Company B
34 %
46 %
37 %
45 %
Company C
12 %
11 %
*
*
* Amount is less than 10 %
Trade accounts receivable due from significant
customers amounted to the percentages of total trade accounts receivable as detailed in the following table:
As of
June 30,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
Company A
43 %
34 %
Company B
30 %
38 %
Company C
15 %
*
* Amount is less than 10 %.
11
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
(j) Revenue Recognition
We recognize revenue in accordance with Accounting
Standards Codification (ASC) 606, Revenue from Contracts with customers . ASC 606 is a single comprehensive model for companies
to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers. The core principle is that we recognize the amount of revenue
to which we expect to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers when a customer obtains control of promised
goods or services in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In addition,
the standard requires disclosure of the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers.
We conduct our business with customers through valid purchase orders or sales orders which are considered contracts and are not interdependent
on one another. A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct product to the customer. The transaction price
is the amount of consideration we expect to receive under the arrangement. Revenue is measured based on consideration specified in a contract
with a customer. The transaction price of a contract is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized when or as the
customer receives the benefit of the performance obligation. Product transaction prices on a purchase or sales order are discrete and
stand-alone. We recognize revenue when we satisfy a performance obligation in a contract by transferring control over a product to a customer
when product delivery occurs. Amounts due are typically paid approximately 30 days from the time control is transferred. Shipping and
handling costs associated with outbound freight after control over a product has transferred to a customer are accounted for as a fulfillment
cost in costs of goods sold. We do not bill for or collect sales tax because our sales are generally made to distributors and thus our
sales to them are not subject to sales tax. We generally have experienced an immaterial amount of product returns. We have enhanced disclosures
related to disaggregation of revenue sources and accounting policies prospectively as a result of adopting this standard. See Note 14.
(k) Expense Recognition
We do not incur costs in connection with product
sales to customers that are eligible for capitalization. Advertising costs are expensed when incurred, which is generally during the month
in which the advertisement is published. Advertising expenses amounted to $ 4,053 and $ 3,276 during the three-month periods ended June
30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $ 20,868 and $ 18,926 during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. All
product development expenses are expensed as incurred, as are all related patent costs. We capitalize costs to produce inventory during
the production cycle, and these costs are charged to costs of goods sold when the inventory is sold to a customer.
(l) Income Taxes
We account for income taxes in accordance with
Codification Topic 740, Income Taxes , which requires that we recognize a current tax liability or asset for current taxes payable
or refundable and a deferred tax liability or asset for the estimated future tax effects of temporary differences and carryforwards to
the extent they are realizable. We consider future taxable income and feasible tax planning strategies in assessing the need for a valuation
allowance against our deferred tax assets at the end of each quarter. If we determine that we would be able to realize our deferred tax
assets in the future in excess of the net recorded amount over a reasonably short period of time, a reduction of the valuation allowance
would increase income in the period such determination was made. Likewise, if we determine that we would not be able to realize all or
part of our net deferred tax asset in the future, an increase to the valuation allowance would be charged to income in the period such
determination was made.
Codification Topic 740-10 clarifies the accounting
for income taxes by prescribing a minimum recognition threshold that a tax position must meet before being recognized in the financial
statements. In the ordinary course of business, there are transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax outcome is uncertain. In
addition, we are subject to periodic audits and examinations by the Internal Revenue Service and other taxing authorities. With few exceptions,
we are no longer subject to income tax examinations by tax authorities for years before 2018. We have evaluated the positions taken on
our filed tax returns and have concluded that no uncertain tax positions existed as of June 30, 2022 or December 31, 2021. Although we
believe that our estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ from these estimates. See Note 16.
(m) Stock-Based Compensation
We account for stock-based compensation in accordance
with Codification Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation , which generally requires us to recognize non-cash compensation expense
for stock-based payments using the fair-value-based method. The fair value of each stock option grant has been estimated on the date of
grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Accordingly, we recorded compensation expense pertaining to stock-based compensation
of $ 61,635 and $ 23,265 during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $ 115,727 and $ 57,894 during the
six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
12
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
(n) Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share (as restated)
Net income (loss) per common share has been computed
in accordance with Codification Topic 260-10, Earnings Per Share . The basic net income per share has been computed by dividing
net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The diluted net income per share has been computed
by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period, plus all outstanding stock options with
an exercise price that is less than the average market price of the common stock during the period, less the number of shares that could
have been repurchased at this average market price, with the proceeds from the hypothetical stock option exercises and proceeds from unrecognized
compensation. The net (loss) per share has been computed by dividing the net (loss) by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding
during the period. All stock options have been excluded from the denominator in the calculation of dilutive earnings per share when we
are in a loss position because their inclusion would be anti-dilutive. Outstanding stock options that were not included in this calculation
because the effect would be anti-dilutive amounted to 548,000 and 62,000 during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021,
respectively, and 78,000 and 442,000 during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
During
the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During
the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Net (loss) income attributable to stockholders
$ ( 684,148 )
$ 141,113
$ ( 170,861 )
$ ( 300,190 )
Weighted average common shares outstanding - Basic
7,744,567
7,658,612
7,743,350
7,440,237
Dilutive impact of share-based compensation awards
—
102,444
—
—
Weighted average common shares outstanding - Diluted
7,744,567
7,761,056
7,743,350
7,440,237
Net (loss) income per share:
Basic
$ ( 0.09 )
$ 0.02
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.04 )
Diluted
$ ( 0.09 )
$ 0.02
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.04 )
(o) Use of Estimates
The preparation
of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported
amounts of revenues and expenses during the period. Although we regularly assess these estimates, actual amounts could differ from those
estimates and are subject to change in the near term. Changes in estimates are recorded during the period in which they become known.
Significant estimates include our inventory valuation, valuation of goodwill and long-lived assets, valuation of deferred tax assets,
accrued expenses, costs of goods sold and useful lives of intangible assets.
(p) Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12,
Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes . The new guidance is intended to simplify the accounting
for income taxes by removing certain exceptions and by updating accounting requirements around goodwill recognized for tax purposes and
the allocation of current and deferred tax expense among legal entities, among other minor changes. ASU 2019-12 is effective for fiscal
years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption was permitted. The adoption
of ASU 2019-12 did not have a material impact on our financial statements as of January 1, 2021.
In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Facilitation
of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting . ASU 2020-04 is intended to provide optional expedients and exceptions
to the U.S. GAAP guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease the financial reporting burdens related to the discontinuation
of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or by another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The relief offered by this guidance,
if adopted, is available to companies for the period March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The discontinuation of LIBOR did not have
a material impact on our financial statements as of January 1, 2021.
3. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
Cash and cash equivalents amounted to $ 11,043,225
and $ 10,185,468 as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
13
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
4. TRADE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, net
Trade accounts receivable amounted to $ 1,413,704
and $ 2,694,229 as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. No allowance for bad debt or product returns was recorded as of
June 30, 2022 or December 31, 2021.
5. INVENTORY
Inventory consisted of the following:
As of
June 30,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
Raw materials
$ 2,094,848
$ 971,606
Work-in-process
2,049,993
1,902,299
Finished goods
458,268
216,069
Total
$ 4,603,109
$ 3,089,974
6. PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted
of the following:
As of
June 30,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
Prepaid expenses
$ 244,262
$ 268,713
Other receivables
24,088
26,484
Total
$ 268,350
$ 295,197
7. PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, net
Property, plant and equipment consisted of the
following:
Estimated
Useful Lives
(in years)
As of
June 30,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
Laboratory and manufacturing equipment
3 - 10
$ 17,989,355
$ 17,388,757
Buildings and improvements
10 - 39
19,339,380
19,119,698
Office furniture and equipment
3 - 10
887,559
869,191
Construction in progress
n/a
3,876,393
2,992,359
Land
n/a
516,867
516,867
Property, plant and equipment, gross
42,609,554
40,886,872
Accumulated depreciation
( 15,191,424 )
( 13,993,273 )
Property, plant and equipment, net
$ 27,418,130
$ 26,893,599
As of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, construction
in progress consisted principally of payments toward the First Defense ® production capacity expansion project and
equipment needed to bring the formulation and aseptic filling for Re-Tain ® in-house. Property, plant and equipment
disposals were $ 3,894 and $ 2,928 during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $ 43,305 and $ 95,049 during
the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Depreciation expense was $ 624,609 and $ 617,527 during the three-month
periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $ 1,241,455 and $ 1,232,222 during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and
2021, respectively.
8. INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Intangible assets of $ 191,040 were valued using
the relief from royalty method and are being amortized to costs of goods sold over their useful lives, which are estimated to be 10 years.
Intangible amortization expense was $ 4,776 during both of the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, and $ 9,552 during both
of the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. The net value of these intangibles was $ 66,864 and $ 76,416 as of June 30, 2022
and December 31, 2021, respectively. Intangible asset amortization expense is estimated to be $19,104 per year through December 31, 2025.
14
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
Intangible assets as of June 30, 2022 consisted
of the following:
Gross
Carrying
Value
Accumulated
Amortization
Net Book
Value
Developed technology
$ 184,100
$ ( 119,665 )
$ 64,435
Customer relationships
1,300
( 845 )
455
Non-compete agreements
5,640
( 3,666 )
1,974
Total
$ 191,040
$ ( 124,176 )
$ 66,864
Intangible assets
as of December 31, 2021 consisted of the following:
Gross
Carrying
Value
Accumulated
Amortization
Net Book
Value
Developed technology
$ 184,100
$ ( 110,460 )
$ 73,640
Customer relationships
1,300
( 780 )
520
Non-compete agreements
5,640
( 3,384 )
2,256
Total
$ 191,040
$ ( 114,624 )
$ 76,416
9. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES (as restated)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses consisted
of the following:
As of
June 30,
2022
As of
December 31,
2021
Accounts payable – trade
$ 610,412
$ 726,781
Accounts payable – capital
33,463
18,263
Accrued payroll
664,023
585,939
Accrued professional fees
78,550
82,050
Accrued other
265,728
199,076
Income tax payable
—
2,141
Total
$ 1,652,176
$ 1,614,250
10. BANK DEBT
During the first quarter of 2020, we closed on a
debt financing with Gorham Savings Bank (GSB) aggregating $ 8,600,000 and a $ 1,000,000 line of credit. The debt was comprised of a $ 5,100,000
mortgage note (Loan #1) that bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.50 % per annum (with a 10 -year term and 25 -year amortization schedule
and a balloon principal payment of $ 3,145,888 due during the first quarter of 2030) and a $ 3,500,000 note (Loan #2) that bears interest
at a fixed rate of 3.50 % per annum (with a 7 -year term and amortization schedule). The line of credit is available as needed through March
11, 2024. Interest on borrowings against the line of credit is variable at the National Prime Rate plus 0.00% per annum. There was no
outstanding balance under this line of credit as of June 30, 2022 or December 31, 2021. The proceeds from the debt refinancing were used
to repay all bank debt outstanding at the time of closing and to provide some additional working capital. During the fourth quarter of
2020, we closed on a $ 1,500,000 note with GSB (Loan #4) that bears interest at a fixed rate of 3.50 % per annum (with a 7 -year term and
amortization schedule). Proceeds of $ 624,167 were used to prepay a portion of the outstanding principal on our mortgage note (Loan #1),
which reduced the outstanding balance to 80 % of the most recent appraised value of the property securing the debt, which allowed GSB to
release the $ 1,400,000 that had been held in escrow. This resulted in no change in the balloon principal payment of $3,145,888 due during
the first quarter of 2030. The remaining proceeds were available for general working capital purposes. During the first quarter of 2022,
we closed on an additional $ 2,000,000 in mortgage debt, which bears interest at the fixed rate of 3.58 % per annum. This was accomplished
through an amendment of the original mortgage note (Loan #1) that increased the then outstanding principal balance from $ 4,233,957 to
$ 6,233,957 bearing interest at the blended fixed rate of 3.53 % per annum. This increased the balloon payment from $ 3,145,888 to $ 3,687,300
and extended the due date of the balloon payment from the first quarter of 2030 to the first quarter of 2032. In connection with these
credit facilities, we incurred aggregate debt issuance costs of $ 70,170 . The amortization of these debt issuance costs is also being recorded
as a component of interest expense, included with other expenses (income), net, and is being amortized over the underlying terms of the
notes. These three credit facilities are secured by liens on substantially all of our assets and are subject to certain restrictions and
financial covenants. Given the funds we raised through an equity issuance in April 2021, GSB waived the minimum debt service coverage
(DSC) ratio requirement of 1.35 for the year ended December 31, 2021. By negotiation with the bank in connection with a mortgage debt
financing during the first quarter of 2022, the required minimum DSC ratio was reduced to 1.0 for the year ending December 31, 2022.
15
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
During the second quarter of 2020, we received a
loan from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) (Loan #3) in the aggregate principal amount of $ 500,000 . The first 27 months of this loan
are interest-free with no interest accrual or required principal payments. Principal and interest payments at a fixed rate of 5% per annum
are due quarterly over the final five years of the loan, beginning during the fourth quarter of 2022 and continuing through the third
quarter of 2027 if not repaid before then. On June 30, 2021, we executed definitive agreements covering a second loan from the MTI (Loan
#5) in the aggregate principal amount of $400,000, which proceeds were received in July 2021. The first 24 months of this loan are interest-free
with no interest accrual or required principal payments. Principal and interest payments at a fixed rate of 5% per annum are due quarterly
over the final five years of the loan, beginning during the third quarter of 2023 and continuing through the fourth quarter of 2028 if
not repaid before then. These credit facilities are unsecured and subordinated to our indebtedness to GSB. Failure to make timely payments
of principal and interest, or otherwise to comply with the terms of the agreements with the MTI, would entitle the MTI to accelerate the
maturity of such debt and demand repayment in full. These loans may be repaid without penalty at any time.
Debt proceeds received and principal repayments
made during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 are reflected in the following table by period and by loan:
During the Three-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2022
During
the Three-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2021
Proceeds
from Debt
Issuance
Debt Principal
Repayments
Proceeds
from Debt
Issuance
Debt Principal
Repayments
Loan #1
$ —
$ ( 60,477 )
$ —
$ ( 28,580 )
Loan #2
—
( 118,586 )
—
( 114,421 )
Loan #3
—
—
—
—
Loan #4
—
( 49,368 )
—
( 47,631 )
Loan #5
—
—
—
—
Total
$ —
$ ( 228,431 )
$ —
$ ( 190,632 )
Debt proceeds received and principal repayments
made during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 are reflected in the following table by period and by loan:
During the Six-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2022
During the Six-Month Period
Ended June 30, 2021
Proceeds
from Debt
Issuance
Debt
Principal
Repayments
Proceeds
from Debt
Issuance
Debt Principal
Repayments
Loan #1
$ 2,000,000
$ ( 90,659 )
$ —
$ ( 57,502 )
Loan #2
—
( 236,619 )
—
( 228,412 )
Loan #3
—
—
—
—
Loan #4
—
( 98,538 )
—
( 95,094 )
Loan #5
—
—
—
—
Total
$ 2,000,000
$ ( 425,816 )
$ —
$ ( 381,008 )
Principal payments (net of debt issue costs)
due under bank loans outstanding as of June 30, 2022 (excluding our $ 1,000,000 line of credit) are reflected in the following table by
the year that payments are due:
During the
Six-Month
Period Ending
December 31,
During the Years Ending December 31,
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Thereafter
Total
Loan #1
$ 108,404
$ 223,349
$ 230,891
$ 239,876
$ 248,604
$ 5,122,356
$ 6,173,480
Loan #2
240,606
494,433
512,102
530,738
549,881
140,494
2,468,254
Loan #3
22,160
91,446
96,104
101,001
106,146
83,143
500,000
Loan #4
100,176
205,877
213,217
220,994
228,965
240,460
1,209,689
Loan #5
—
32,017
66,470
69,856
73,415
158,242
400,000
Subtotal
471,346
1,047,122
1,118,784
1,162,465
1,207,011
5,744,695
10,751,423
Debt issuance costs
( 3,838 )
( 7,676 )
( 7,267 )
( 7,168 )
( 7,168 )
( 20,280 )
( 53,397 )
Total
$ 467,508
$ 1,039,446
$ 1,111,517
$ 1,155,297
$ 1,199,843
$ 5,724,415
$ 10,698,026
16
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
11. CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND COMMITMENTS
Our bylaws, as amended, in effect provide that the
Company will indemnify its officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by Delaware law. In addition, we make similar indemnity
undertakings to each director through a separate indemnification agreement with that director. The maximum payment that we may be required
to make under such provisions is theoretically unlimited and is impossible to determine. We maintain directors’ and officers’
liability insurance, which may provide reimbursement to the Company for payments made to, or on behalf of, officers and directors pursuant
to the indemnification provisions. Our indemnification obligations were grandfathered under the provisions of Codification Topic 460 ,
Guarantees . Accordingly, we have recorded no liability for such obligations as of June 30, 2022. Since our incorporation, we have
had no occasion to make any indemnification payment to any of our officers or directors for any reason.
The development, manufacturing and marketing of
animal health care products entails an inherent risk that liability claims will be asserted against us during the normal course of business.
We are aware of no such claims against us as of the date of this filing. We feel that we have reasonable levels of liability insurance
to support our operations.
We enter into agreements with third parties in the
ordinary course of business under which we are obligated to indemnify such third parties from and against various risks and losses. The
precise terms of such indemnities vary with the nature of the agreement. In many cases, we limit the maximum amount of our indemnification
obligations, but in some cases those obligations may be theoretically unlimited. We have not incurred material expenses in discharging
any of these indemnification obligations and based on our analysis of the nature of the risks involved, we believe that the fair value
of the liabilities potentially arising under these agreements is minimal. Accordingly, we have recorded no liabilities for such obligations
as of June 30, 2022.
We plan to purchase certain key parts (syringes)
and services (formulation, aseptic filling and final packaging of Drug Product) pertaining to Re-Tain ® , our Nisin-based
intramammary treatment of subclinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows, exclusively from contractors. We are investing in the necessary
equipment to perform the Drug Product formulation and aseptic filling services in-house.
Effective March 28, 2022, the Company entered into
an amended and restated Separation and Deferred Compensation Agreement (the “Deferred Compensation Agreement”) with Mr. Brigham
that superseded and replaced in its entirely a March 2020 contract, and the Company entered into an Incentive Compensation Agreement (the
“Incentive Agreement”) with Mr. Brigham. Mr. Brigham’s Deferred Compensation Agreement allows Mr. Brigham to be paid
all earned and unused paid time off upon separation from the Company for any reason and to receive up to an additional $300,000 in deferred
compensation. This deferred compensation payment vests as to $100,000 on January 1, 2023, as to an additional $100,000 on January 1, 2024
and as to the final $100,000 on January 1, 2025, provided that Mr. Brigham is employed by the Company on the applicable vesting dates.
The vested amounts would be paid upon the earlier of January 31, 2025 or within thirty (30) days following his separation from the Company.
In addition, upon termination of Mr. Brigham’s employment (a) by the Company other than for cause, (b) due to death or disability
or (c) by Mr. Brigham for good reason, the Company agrees to pay Mr. Brigham 100% of his then current base salary. Mr. Brigham’s
Incentive Agreement provides for the potential to earn up to an additional $ 150,000 if certain regulatory and financial objectives that
may increase stockholder value are achieved during 2022. Under these two contracts, Mr. Brigham continues to serve the Company as President
and CEO.
In addition
to the commitments discussed above, we had committed $ 817,000 to increase our production capacity for the First Defense ®
product line, $ 138,000 to construct and equip our own Drug Product formulation and aseptic filling facility for Re-Tain ® ,
$ 2,834,000 to the purchase of inventory, $ 108,000 to other capital expenditures and $ 495,000 to other obligations as of June 30, 2022.
12. OPERATING LEASE
On September 12, 2019, we entered into a
lease covering approximately 14,300 square feet of office and warehouse space with a possession date of November 15, 2019 and a
commencement date of February 13, 2020. The property is located at 175 Industrial Way in Portland, which is a short distance from
our headquarters and manufacturing facility at 56 Evergreen Drive. We renovated this space to meet our needs in expanding our
production capacity for the First Defense ® product line. The lease term is 10 years with a right to renew for
a second 10-year term and a right of first offer to purchase. At this time, we are not reasonably assured that we would exercise
this renewal option in place of other real estate options. A 10-year period is reflected in the right-of-use (ROU) asset and lease
liability on our balance sheet. The total lease liability over the initial 10-year term (including inflationary adjustments)
aggregates approximately $1,313,698 and includes real estate and personal property taxes, utilities, insurance, maintenance and
related building and operating expenses. Our lease includes variable lease and non-lease components that are included in the
ROU asset and lease liability. Such payments primarily include common area maintenance charges and increases in rent payments
that are driven by factors such as future changes in an index, such as the Consumer Price Index. The balance of the operating lease
ROU asset was $ 1,051,127 and the operating lease liability was $ 1,081,169 as of June 30, 2022. The calculated amount of the ROU
asset and lease liability is impacted by the length of the lease term and the discount rate used for the present value of the
minimum lease payments. As we elected not to separate lease and non-lease components for all classes of underlying assets, and
instead to account for them as a single lease component, the variable lease cost primarily represents variable payments such as real
estate taxes and common area maintenance.
17
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
The following tables describe our lease costs
and other lease information.
During
the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During
the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Lease Cost
Operating lease cost
$ 30,237
$ 29,499
$ 60,228
$ 58,998
Variable lease cost
10,350
10,350
20,700
20,700
Total lease cost
$ 40,587
$ 39,849
$ 80,928
$ 79,698
Operating Lease
Weighted average remaining lease term (in years)
7.6
8.6
7.6
8.6
Weighted average discount rate
4.77 %
4.77 %
4.77 %
4.77 %
Future lease payments required under non-cancelable
operating leases in effect as of June 30, 2022 were as follows:
Amount
During the six-month period ending December 31, 2022
$ 81,051
During the Years Ending December 31,
2023
165,120
2024
168,210
2025
171,383
2026
174,640
2027
177,970
Thereafter
381,694
Total lease payments (undiscounted cash flows)
1,320,068
Less: imputed interest (discount effect of cash flows)
( 238,899 )
Total operating liabilities
$ 1,081,169
13. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Common Stock Issuances
From February 2016 to April 2021, we sold the
aggregate of 4,553,017 shares of common stock in six different transactions raising gross proceeds of approximately $ 26,714,000 at the
weighted average price of $ 5.87 per share. These funds have been essential to funding our business growth plans. The details of each transaction
are discussed below.
1) On February 3, 2016, we sold 1,123,810 shares
of common stock at a price to the public of $ 5.25 per share in an underwritten public offering pursuant to our effective shelf registration
statement on Form S-3, raising gross proceeds of approximately $ 5,900,000 and resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately
$ 5,313,000 (after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses incurred in connection with the equity financing).
2) On October 21, 2016, we sold, in a private placement,
659,880 shares of common stock to nineteen institutional and accredited investors at $ 5.25 per share, raising gross proceeds of approximately
$ 3,464,000 and resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $ 3,161,000 (after deducting placement agent fees and other expenses
incurred in connection with the equity financing).
18
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
3) On July 27, 2017, we sold 200,000 shares of our
common stock at a price of $ 5.25 per share in a public, registered sale to two related investors pursuant to our effective shelf registration
statement on Form S-3, raising gross proceeds of $ 1,050,000 and resulting in net proceeds of approximately $ 1,034,000 (after deducting
expenses incurred in connection with the equity financing).
4) On December 21, 2017, we sold 417,807 shares
of common stock at a price to the public of $ 7.30 per share in an underwritten public offering pursuant to our effective shelf registration
statement on Form S-3, raising gross proceeds of approximately $ 3,050,000 and resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately
$ 2,734,000 (after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses incurred in connection with the equity financing).
5) On March 29, 2019, we sold 1,636,364 shares of
common stock at a price to the public of $ 5.50 per share in an underwritten public offering pursuant to our effective shelf registration
statement on Form S-3, raising gross proceeds of approximately $ 9,000,000 and resulting in net proceeds to the Company of approximately
$ 8,303,000 (after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses incurred in connection with the equity financing).
6) On April 14, 2021, we sold 515,156 shares
of our common stock at a price of $ 8.25 per share in a public, registered sale to seven investors pursuant to our effective shelf registration
statement on Form S-3, raising gross proceeds of approximately $ 4,250,000 and resulting in net proceeds of approximately $ 4,233,000 (after
deducting expenses incurred in connection with the equity financing).
Stock Option Plans
In June 2010, our stockholders approved the 2010
Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2010 Plan”) pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, under which
employees and certain service providers may be granted options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at no less than
fair market value on the date of grant. At that time, 300,000 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance under the 2010 Plan and
subsequently no additional shares have been reserved for the 2010 Plan. Vesting requirements are determined by the Compensation and Stock
Option Committee of the Board of Directors on a case-by-case basis. All options granted under the 2010 Plan expire no later than 10 years
from the date of grant. The 2010 Plan expired in June 2020, after which date no further options can be granted under the 2010 Plan. However,
options outstanding under the 2010 Plan at that time can be exercised in accordance with their terms. As of June 30, 2022, there were
207,500 options outstanding under the 2010 Plan.
In June 2017, our stockholders approved the 2017
Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “2017 Plan”) pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, under which
employees and certain service providers may be granted options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at no less than
fair market value on the date of grant. At that time, 300,000 shares of common stock were reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan. An
amendment to the 2017 Plan increasing the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2017 Plan by 350,000 shares from 300,000 shares
to 650,000 shares was approved by a vote of stockholders at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders in June 2022. Vesting requirements are
determined by the Compensation and Stock Option Committee of the Board of Directors on a case-by-case basis. All options granted under
the 2017 Plan expire no later than 10 years from the date of grant. The 2017 Plan expires in March 2027, after which date no further options
can be granted under the 2017 Plan. However, options outstanding under the 2017 Plan at that time can be exercised in accordance with
their terms. As of June 30, 2022, there were 340,500 options outstanding under the 2017 Plan.
19
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
Activity under the stock option plans described
above was as follows:
2010 Plan
2017 Plan
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value (1)
Outstanding as of December 31, 2020
237,500
176,500
$ 6.38
$ ( 180,038 )
Grants
—
86,000
$ 9.78
Terminations/forfeitures
( 12,000 )
( 20,000 )
$ 7.26
Exercises
( 7,000 )
( 18,000 )
$ 7.08
Outstanding as of December 31, 2021
218,500
224,500
$ 6.94
$ 468,425
Grants
—
130,500
$ 8.25
Terminations/forfeitures
( 6,000 )
( 14,500 )
$ 6.97
Exercises
( 5,000 )
—
$ 6.13
Outstanding as of June 30, 2022
207,500
340,500
$ 7.26
$ 783,518
Vested as of June 30, 2022
177,500
98,500
$ 6.79
$ 524,550
Vested and expected to vest as of June 30, 2022
207,500
340,500
$ 7.26
$ 783,518
Reserved for future grants
—
291,500
(1) Intrinsic
value is the difference between the fair market value of the underlying common stock as of the date indicated and as of the date of the
option grant (which is equal to the option exercise price).
The following table displays additional information
about the stock option plans described above:
Number of
Shares
Weighted
Average
Fair Value at
Grant Date
Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price
Non-vested stock options as of January 1, 2022
160,000
$ 3.36
$ 7.23
Non-vested stock options as of June 30, 2022
272,000
$ 3.82
$ 7.74
Stock options granted during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022
130,500
$ 4.37
$ 8.25
Stock options that vested during the six-month period
ended June 30, 2022
4,000
$ 3.44
$ 6.54
Stock options that were forfeited during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022
20,500
$ 3.83
$ 6.97
During the six-month period ended June 30, 2022,
one former employee and two employees exercised stock options covering 5,000 shares with $ 30,672 in cash. During the year ended December
31, 2021, one director and three employees exercised stock options covering 25,000 shares by the surrender of 17,128 shares of common
stock with a fair market value of $165,337 at the time of exercise and the payment of $11,693 in cash.
The weighted average remaining life of the options
outstanding under the 2010 Plan and the 2017 Plan as of June 30, 2022 was approximately 5 years and 8 months. The weighted average remaining
life of the options exercisable under these plans as of June 30, 2022 was approximately 3 years and 11 months. The exercise prices of
the options outstanding as of June 30, 2022 ranged from $ 4.00 to $ 10.04 per share. The 130,500 stock options granted during the six-month
period ended June 30, 2022 had exercise prices between $ 8.07 and $ 9.39 per share. The 86,000 stock options granted during the year ended
December 31, 2021 had exercise prices between $ 6.10 and $ 10.04 per share. The aggregate intrinsic value of options exercised during the
six-month period ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021 approximated $ 10,525 and $ 64,977 , respectively. The weighted-average
grant date fair values of options granted during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 and the year ended December 31, 2021 were $ 4.37
and $ 4.51 per share, respectively. As of June 30, 2022, total unrecognized stock-based compensation related to non-vested stock options
aggregated $749,860, which will be recognized over a weighted average remaining period of 2 years. The fair value of each stock option
grant has been estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, for the purpose discussed in Note 2(m), with
the following weighted-average assumptions:
During
the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During
the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Risk-free interest rate
3.38 %
0.90 %
2.62 %
0.86 %
Dividend yield
0 %
0 %
0 %
0 %
Expected volatility
53 %
54 %
53 %
54 %
Expected life
6.5 years
4.6 years
6.5 years
4.8 years
The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S.
Treasury yields for a maturity approximating the expected option term, while the other assumptions are derived from averages of our historical
data.
20
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
Common Stock Rights Plan
In September 1995, our Board of Directors adopted
a Common Stock Rights Plan (the “Rights Plan”) and declared a dividend of one common share purchase right (a “Right”)
for each of the then outstanding shares of the common stock of the Company. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from
the Company one share of common stock at an initial purchase price of $ 70.00 per share, subject to adjustment. The description and terms
of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., as Rights Agent.
The Rights (as amended) become exercisable and transferable
apart from the common stock upon the earlier of i) 10 days following a public announcement that a person or group (Acquiring Person) has,
without the prior consent of the Continuing Directors (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement), acquired beneficial ownership
of 20% or more of the outstanding common stock or ii) 10 days following commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer the consummation
of which would result in ownership by a person or group of 20% or more of the outstanding common stock (the earlier of such dates being
called the Distribution Date).
Upon the Distribution Date, the holder of each Right
not owned by the Acquiring Person would be entitled to purchase common stock at a discount to the initial purchase price of $70.00 per
share, effectively equal to one half of the market price of a share of common stock on the date the Acquiring Person becomes an Acquiring
Person. If, after the Distribution Date, the Company should consolidate or merge with any other entity and the Company were not the surviving
company, or, if the Company were the surviving company, all or part of the Company’s common stock were changed or exchanged into
the securities of any other entity, or if more than 50% of the Company’s assets or earning power were sold, each Right would entitle
its holder to purchase, at the Rights’ then-current purchase price, a number of shares of the acquiring company’s common stock
having a market value at that time equal to twice the Right’s exercise price.
At any time after a person or group becomes an Acquiring
Person and prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the outstanding common stock, the Board of Directors of
the Company may exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which have become void), in whole or in part, at
an exchange ratio of one share of common stock per Right (subject to adjustment). At any time prior to 14 days following the date that
any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person (subject to extension by the Board of Directors), the Board of Directors of the Company
may redeem the then outstanding Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.005 per Right, subject to adjustment.
At various times over the years, our Board of
Directors has voted to authorize amendments of the Rights Plan to extend the Final Expiration Date. Our Board of Directors decided to
seek an advisory vote by stockholders at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders held in June 2022, as to whether to extend the Rights Plan
by one year to September 19, 2023. Recognizing that there might be a substantial number of broker non-votes, our Board of Directors, which
has the authority to amend the Rights Plan, disclosed that it would be guided by the votes actually cast on this proposal in deciding
whether to extend the expiration date of such plan by one year. Of the votes actually cast on this proposal, 65% voted in favor, 32% voted
against and 3% abstained. On the basis of this vote, our Board of Directors voted to extend the Rights Plan by one year to September 19,
2023.
21
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
During the third quarter of 2011, our Board of
Directors voted to authorize an amendment to the Rights Plan to increase the ownership threshold for determining “Acquiring Person”
status to 20%. During the second quarter of 2015, our Board of Directors also voted to authorize an amendment to remove a provision that
prevented a new group of directors elected following the emergence of an Acquiring Person (an owner of more than 20% of our stock) from
controlling the Rights Plan by maintaining exclusive authority over the Rights Plan with pre-existing directors. We did this because such
provisions have come to be viewed with disfavor by Delaware courts. Each time that we made such amendments we entered into amendments
to the Rights Agreement with the Rights Agent reflecting such extensions, threshold increases or provision changes. No other changes have
been made to the terms of the Rights or the Rights Plan.
Authorized Common Stock
At the June 14, 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders,
our stockholders voted to approve an amendment to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized
for issuance from 8,000,000 to 11,000,000 . At the June 10, 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, our stockholders voted to approve an amendment
to our Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance from 11,000,000 to 15,000,000 .
14. REVENUE
We
primarily offer the First Defense Ò product
line to dairy and beef producers to prevent scours in newborn calves. Generally, our products are promoted to veterinarians as well as
dairy and beef producers by our sales team and then sold through distributors. Our primary market is North America. We do sell into select
international regions and may expand this international reach in the future. There were no material changes between the allocation and
timing of revenue recognition during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 or the year ended December 31, 2021. We do not have any
contract assets for which we have satisfied the performance obligations, but do not yet have the right to bill for, or contract liabilities
such as customer advances. All trade receivables on our balance sheets are from contracts with customers. We incur no material costs to
obtain contracts.
The following tables present our product sales
disaggregated by geographic area:
During the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
%
2021
%
2022
%
2021
%
United States
$ 3,561,316
92 %
$ 4,030,237
89 %
$ 9,077,065
92 %
$ 7,610,753
88 %
Other
300,056
8 %
511,573
11 %
783,991
8 %
1,038,203
12 %
Total Product Sales
$ 3,861,372
100 %
$ 4,541,810
100 %
$ 9,861,056
100 %
$ 8,648,956
100 %
The following tables present our product sales
disaggregated by major product category:
During the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
%
2021
%
2022
%
2021
%
First
Defense ® product
line
$ 3,823,466
99 %
$ 4,472,947
98 %
$ 9,786,340
99 %
$ 8,496,419
98 %
Other animal health
37,906
1 %
68,863
2 %
74,716
1 %
152,537
2 %
Total Product Sales
$ 3,861,372
100 %
$ 4,541,810
100 %
$ 9,861,056
100 %
$ 8,648,956
100 %
The following tables present our product sales
disaggregated by geographic area:
During the Years Ended December 31,
2021
%
2020
%
United States
$ 16,620,363
86 %
$ 13,644,768
89 %
Other
2,622,606
14 %
1,697,436
11 %
Total Product Sales
$ 19,242,969
100 %
$ 15,342,204
100 %
The following tables present our product sales
disaggregated by major product category:
During the Years Ended December 31,
2021
%
2020
%
First Defense ® product line
$ 18,933,092
98 %
$ 15,072,446
98 %
Other animal health
309,877
2 %
269,758
2 %
Total Product Sales
$ 19,242,969
100 %
$ 15,342,204
100 %
22
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
15. OTHER EXPENSES, NET
Other expenses (income), net, consisted of the
following:
During
the Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
During
the Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
2022
2021
2022
2021
Interest expense (1)
$ 90,240
$ 79,417
$ 165,454
$ 159,052
Gain on disposal of fixed assets
—
—
( 11,000 )
( 10,000 )
Interest income
( 26,187 )
( 5,022 )
( 33,375 )
( 7,979 )
Income - other
( 60 )
—
( 912 )
—
Other expenses (income), net
$ 63,993
$ 74,395
$ 120,167
$ 141,073
(1) Interest expense included amortization of debt issuance costs
of $ 1,915 and $ 1,960 during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and $ 3,820 and $ 3,920 during the six-month
periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
16. INCOME TAXES
Our income tax expense aggregated $ 1,148 and $ 0
(amounting to 0.2 % and 0 % of our (loss) income before income taxes) during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively,
and $ 2,295 and $ 0 (amounting to 4 % and 0 % of our income (loss) before income taxes during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and
2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, we had federal net operating loss carryforwards of $14,734,684 of which $13,022,777 do not
expire and of which $1,711,907 expire in 2034 through 2037 (if not utilized before then) and state net operating loss carryforwards of
$1,440,707 that expire in 2037 through 2038 (if not utilized before then). Additionally, we had federal general business tax credit carryforwards
of $557,795 that expire in 2027 through 2042 (if not utilized before then) and state tax credit carryforwards of $775,473 that expire
in 2022 through 2042 (if not utilized before then).
The provision for income taxes is determined using
the asset and liability approach of accounting for income taxes. Under this approach, deferred taxes represent the estimated future tax
effects of temporary differences between book and tax treatment of assets and liabilities and carryforwards to the extent they are realizable.
During the second quarter of 2018, we assessed our historical and near-term future profitability and recorded $ 563,252 in non-cash income
tax expense to create a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets (which consist largely of net operating loss carryforwards
and federal and state credits) based on applicable accounting standards and practices. At that time, we had incurred a net loss for six
consecutive quarters, had not been profitable on a year-to-date basis since the nine-month period ended September 30, 2017 and projected
additional net losses for some period going forward before returning to profitability. Should future profitability be realized at an adequate
level, we would be able to release this valuation allowance (resulting in a non-cash income tax benefit) and realize these deferred tax
assets before they expire. We will continue to assess the need for the valuation allowance at the end of each quarter and, in the event
that actual results differ from these estimates, or we adjust these estimates in future periods, we may need to adjust our valuation allowance.
Net operating loss carryforwards, credits, and other
tax attributes are subject to review and possible adjustment by the Internal Revenue Service. Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code
contains provisions that could place annual limitations on the future utilization of net operating loss carryforwards and credits in the
event of a change in ownership of the Company, as defined.
We file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction
and several state jurisdictions. We currently have no tax examinations in progress. We also have not paid additional taxes, interest or
penalties as a result of tax examinations nor do we have any unrecognized tax benefits for any of the periods in the accompanying unaudited
financial statements.
23
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
17. SEGMENT INFORMATION (as restated)
Our business operations (being the development,
acquisition, manufacture and sale of products that improve the health and productivity of dairy and beef cattle) are described in Note
1. Pursuant to Codification Topic 280, Segment Reporting , we operate in the following two reportable business segments: i) Scours
and ii) Mastitis. The Scours segment consists of the First Defense ® product line. The Mastitis segment includes
our products, CMT and Re-Tain ® . The category we define as “Other” includes unallocated administrative
and overhead expenses and other products. The significant accounting policies of these segments are described in Note 2. Product sales
are the primary factor we use in determining our reportable segments. The governing regulatory authority (USDA for First Defense ®
or FDA for Re-Tain ® ) is also a factor in determining our reportable segments. Management monitors and evaluates
segment performance from sales to net operating income (loss) closely. We are not organized by geographic region. No segments have been
aggregated. The revenues and expenses allocated to each segment are in some cases direct and in other cases involve reasonable and consistent
estimations by management. Each operating segment is defined as the component of our business for which financial information is available
and evaluated regularly by our chief operating decision-maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. Our
chief operating decision-maker is our President and CEO.
During the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Scours
Mastitis
Other
Total
Product sales
$ 3,823,466
$ 37,834
$ 72
$ 3,861,372
Costs of goods sold
2,119,194
31,848
3,002
2,154,044
Gross margin
1,704,272
5,986
( 2,930 )
1,707,328
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Product development expenses
8,188
1,102,939
27,640
1,138,767
Sales and marketing expenses
339,570
319,669
—
659,239
Administrative expenses
—
—
528,329
528,329
Operating expenses
347,758
1,422,608
555,969
2,326,335
NET OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
$ 1,356,514
$ ( 1,416,622 )
$ ( 558,899 )
$ ( 619,007 )
During the Three-Month Period Ended June 30, 2021
Scours
Mastitis
Other
Total
Product sales
$ 4,472,947
$ 29,211
$ 39,652
$ 4,541,810
Costs of goods sold
2,435,705
12,072
19,712
2,467,489
Gross margin
2,037,242
17,139
19,940
2,074,321
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Product development expenses
48
868,221
131,838
1,000,107
Sales and marketing expenses
352,510
84,472
—
436,982
Administrative expenses
—
—
421,724
421,724
Operating expenses
352,558
952,693
553,562
1,858,813
NET OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
$ 1,684,684
$ ( 935,554 )
$ ( 533,622 )
$ 215,508
Scours
Mastitis
Total
Total Assets as of June 30, 2022
$ 23,923,884
$ 22,059,965
$ 45,983,849
Total Assets as of June 30, 2021
$ 21,751,882
$ 21,977,761
$ 43,729,643
Depreciation and amortization expense during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022
$ 315,557
$ 315,742
$ 631,299
Depreciation and amortization expense during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021
$ 263,118
$ 361,145
$ 624,263
Capital Expenditures during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022
$ 664,415
$ 278,875
$ 943,290
Capital Expenditures during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021
$ 284,485
$ 594,854
$ 879,339
24
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
Scours
Mastitis
Other
Total
Product sales
$ 9,786,341
$ 73,260
$ 1,455
$ 9,861,056
Costs of goods sold
4,971,523
58,650
20,332
5,050,505
Gross margin
4,814,818
14,610
( 18,877 )
4,810,551
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Product development expenses
16,596
2,085,075
73,031
2,174,702
Sales and marketing expenses
758,238
712,502
—
1,470,740
Administrative expenses
—
—
1,213,508
1,213,508
Operating expenses
774,834
2,797,577
1,286,539
4,858,950
NET OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
$ 4,039,984
$ ( 2,782,967 )
($ 1,305,416 )
$ ( 48,399 )
During the Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2021
Scours
Mastitis
Other
Total
Product sales
$ 8,496,419
$ 67,240
$ 85,297
$ 8,648,956
Costs of goods sold
4,887,864
48,050
36,532
4,972,446
Gross margin
3,608,555
19,190
48,765
3,676,510
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Product development expenses
7,532
1,836,292
187,347
2,031,171
Sales and marketing expenses
783,664
173,916
—
957,580
Administrative expenses
—
—
846,876
846,876
Operating expenses
791,196
2,010,208
1,034,223
3,835,627
NET OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
$ 2,817,359
$ ( 1,991,018 )
$ ( 985,458 )
$ ( 159,117 )
Scours
Mastitis
Total
Total Assets as of June 30, 2022
$ 23,923,884
$ 22,059,965
$ 45,983,849
Total Assets as of June 30, 2021
$ 21,751,882
$ 21,977,761
$ 43,729,643
Depreciation and amortization expense during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022
$ 624,077
$ 630,750
$ 1,254,827
Depreciation and amortization expense during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021
$ 527,312
$ 718,382
$ 1,245,694
Capital Expenditures during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022
$ 1,404,882
$ 345,904
$ 1,750,786
Capital Expenditures during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021
$ 633,801
$ 594,854
$ 1,228,655
25
ImmuCell Corporation
Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements
(continued)
(as restated)
During the Year Ended December 31, 2021
Scours
Mastitis
Other
Total
Product sales
$ 18,933,092
$ 143,280
$ 166,597
$ 19,242,969
Costs of goods sold
10,411,936
99,957
75,147
10,587,040
Gross margin
8,521,156
43,323
91,450
8,655,929
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Product development expenses
25,374
3,887,781
255,363
4,168,518
Sales and marketing expenses
1,942,391
561,535
—
2,503,926
Administrative expenses
—
—
1,726,100
1,726,100
Operating expenses
1,967,765
4,449,316
1,981,463
8,398,544
NET OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
$ 6,553,391
$ ( 4,405,993 )
$ ( 1,890,013 )
$ 257,385
During the Year Ended December 31, 2020
Scours
Mastitis
Other
Total
Product sales
$ 15,072,446
$ 136,210
$ 133,548
$ 15,342,204
Costs of goods sold
8,285,073
119,329
74,976
8,479,378
Gross margin
6,787,373
16,881
58,572
6,862,826
OPERATING EXPENSES:
Product development expenses
106,393
4,022,712
225,522
4,354,627
Sales and marketing expenses
2,119,289
48,610
—
2,167,899
Administrative expenses
—
—
1,720,653
1,720,653
Operating expenses
2,225,682
4,071,322
1,946,175
8,243,179
NET OPERATING INCOME (LOSS)
$ 4,561,691
$ ( 4,054,441 )
$ ( 1,887,603 )
$ ( 1,380,353 )
Scours
Mastitis
Total
Total Assets as of December 31, 2021
$ 22,442,944
$ 22,022,744
$ 44,465,688
Total Assets as of December 31, 2020
$ 18,416,157
$ 21,933,437
$ 40,349,594
Depreciation and amortization expense during the year ended December 31, 2021
$ 1,094,810
$ 1,374,171
$ 2,468,981
Depreciation and amortization expense during the year ended December 31, 2020
$ 1,002,360
$ 1,447,647
$ 2,450,007
Capital Expenditures during the year ended December 31, 2021
$ 1,655,866
$ 952,783
$ 2,608,649
Capital Expenditures during the year ended December 31, 2020
$ 3,456,307
$ 616,232
$ 4,072,539
18. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Dr.
David S. Tomsche (Chair of our Board of Directors) is a controlling owner of Leedstone Inc., a domestic distributor of ImmuCell products
(the First Defense Ò product
line and CMT ), and of J-t Enterprises of Melrose, Inc., an exporter. His affiliated companies purchased $ 357,725 and $ 319,133 of
products from us during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, all on terms consistent with those offered to
other distributors of similar status. Our accounts receivable (subject to standard and customary payment terms) due from these affiliated
companies aggregated $ 15,020 and $ 55,490 as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
19. EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
We have a 401(k) savings plan (the Plan) in
which all employees completing one month of service with the Company are eligible to participate. Participants may contribute up to
the maximum amount allowed by the Internal Revenue Service. We currently match 100% of the first 3% of each employee’s salary
that is contributed to the Plan and 50% of the next 2% of each employee’s salary that is contributed to the Plan. Under this
matching plan, we paid $ 37,979 and $ 38,447 into the Plan for the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and
$ 79,843 and $ 71,119 into the Plan for the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022, and 2021, respectively.
20. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
We have evaluated subsequent events through the
time of filing on the date we have issued this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. As of the time of filing, there were no material, reportable
subsequent events.
26
ImmuCell Corporation
ITEM 2 - MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (as restated)
The following discussion and analysis of our
financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our unaudited financial statements and the related notes and
other financial information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A (Amendment No. 1). Some of the information contained in this
discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy
for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. One should review the Cautionary Note below
for a discussion of some of the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results, objectives or
expectations described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements (Safe Harbor
Statement):
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A (Amendment
No. 1) contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to: our plans and strategies
for our business; projections of future financial or operational performance; the timing and outcome of pending or anticipated applications
for regulatory approvals; factors that may affect the dairy and beef industries and future demand for our products; the extent, nature
and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, and their direct and indirect impacts on our production activities, operating
results and financial condition and on the customers and markets that we serve; the impact of Russia’s unprovoked military invasion
of Ukraine and attack on its people on the world economy including inflation and the price and availability of grain and oil; the impact
of the global supply-chain disruptions on our ability to obtain, in a timely and cost-effective fashion, all the supplies and components
we need to produce our products; the challenges in attracting and retaining needed personnel in this current employment environment; the
impact of inflation and rising interest rates on our operating expenses and financial results; the effects of a potential United States
or global recession on us and our direct and indirect customers, the duration and severity of which are difficult to predict or anticipate;
the scope and timing of ongoing and future product development work and commercialization of our products; future costs of product development
efforts; the estimated prevalence rate of subclinical mastitis and producers’ level of interest in treating subclinical mastitis
given the current economic and market conditions; the expected efficacy of new products; estimates about the market size for our products;
future market share of and revenue generated by current products and products still in development; our ability to increase production
output and reduce costs of goods sold per unit; the future adequacy of our own manufacturing facilities or those of third parties with
which we have contractual relationships to meet demand for our products on a timely basis; the impacts of backlogs on customer relationships;
the anticipated costs of (or time to complete) planned expansions of our manufacturing facilities and the adequacy of our funds available
for these projects; the continuing availability to us on reasonable terms of third-party providers of critical products or services; the
robustness of our manufacturing processes and related technical issues; estimates about our production capacity, efficiency and yield,
which are highly subject to biological variability and the product format mix of our sales; the future adequacy of our working capital
and the availability and cost of third-party financing; future regulatory requirements relating to our products; future expense ratios
and margins; future compliance with bank debt covenants; costs associated with sustaining compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice
(cGMP) regulations in our current operations and attaining such compliance for our facilities to produce the Nisin Drug Substance and
Drug Product; our effectiveness in competing against competitors within both our existing and our anticipated product markets; the cost-effectiveness
of additional sales and marketing expenditures and resources; anticipated changes in our manufacturing capabilities and efficiencies;
the value of our net deferred tax assets; projections about depreciation expense and its impact on income for book and tax return purposes;
and any other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “expects”,
“may”, “anticipates”, “aims”, “intends”, “would”, “could”, “should”,
“will”, “plans”, “believes”, “estimates”, “targets”, “projects”,
“forecasts”, “seeks” and similar words and expressions. In addition, there can be no assurance that future developments
affecting us will be those that we anticipate. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those risks
and uncertainties relating to: difficulties or delays in development, testing, regulatory approval, production and marketing of our products
(including the First Defense ® product line and Re-Tain ® ), competition within our anticipated
product markets, customer acceptance of our new and existing products, product performance, alignment between our manufacturing resources
and product demand (including the consequences of backlogs or excess inventory buildup), uncertainty associated with the timing and volume
of customer orders as we come out of a prolonged backlog, adverse impacts of supply chain disruptions on our operations and customer relationships,
our reliance upon third parties for financial support, products and services, our small size and dependence on key personnel, changes
in laws and regulations, decision making and delays by regulatory authorities, a continuation or worsening of recent inflationary conditions
and their impact on our customers’ order patterns, uncertainty and possible adverse effects on us and our customers arising from
an economic recession, currency values and fluctuations and other risks detailed from time to time in filings we make with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and our Current Reports on
Form 8-K. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on our current expectations, but actual results may differ materially
due to various factors, including the risk factors summarized under PART II: ITEM 1A – RISK FACTORS and uncertainties otherwise
referred to in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A (Amendment No. 1).
27
ImmuCell Corporation
Liquidity and Capital Resources (as restated)
Net cash provided by operating activities increased
by $905,000 to $1 million during six-month period ended June 30, 2022 in comparison to net cash provided by operating activities of $107,000
during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. As we increased our production capacity to fill the backlog of orders, our inventory
balance increased from $3.1 million as of December 31, 2021 to $4.6 million as of June 30, 2022. Our total depreciation expense was approximately
$1.2 million during both of the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. We anticipate that depreciation expense, while not affecting
our cash flows from operations, will be a significant factor in creating annual net operating losses until and unless product sales increase
sufficiently to offset these non-cash expenses. Cash (used for) investing activities was ($1.7 million) during the six-month period ended
June 30, 2022 in comparison to cash (used for) investing activities of ($223,000) during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. Cash
paid for capital expenditures was $1.8 million and $1.2 million during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively,
which payments were largely related to our ongoing investments to expand our manufacturing facilities. Cash provided by financing activities
decreased to $1.6 million during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 in comparison to cash provided by financing activities of $3.9
million during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. Going forward, repayments of the indebtedness incurred to fund these capital
expenditures and acquire these assets will reduce our cash flows.
From the first quarter of 2016 through the second
quarter of 2021, we raised gross proceeds of approximately $26.7 million (net proceeds were approximately $24.8 million) from six different
common equity transactions priced between $5.25 and $8.25 per share with a weighted average price of approximately $5.87 per share. No
warrants were issued in connection with any of these transactions, and no convertible or preferred securities were issued. This capital,
together with our bank debt and gross margin from product sales, has allowed us to transform the Company. We are (and have been) investing
significantly to increase our capacity to produce the First Defense ® product line from $16.5 million to over $40
million per year. The actual value of our production capacity varies based on biological and process yields, product format mix, selling
price and other factors. At the same time, we are simply asking the FDA if we may have authorization to sell Re-Tain ®
into the dairy market.
As a result of several bank debt refinancings
and amendments with, and scheduled principal repayments to, Gorham Savings Bank (GSB) since the first quarter of 2020, we had $10.7 million
in outstanding bank debt as of June 30, 2022, compared to $9.1 million as of June 30, 2021. We have improved our liquidity by lowering
our interest expense, spreading our principal payments out over a longer period of time and pushing out balloon principal payment obligations
that existed under some of the repaid debt. Also, because all of this debt bears interest at fixed rates, we are avoiding the potential
adverse effects of rising interest rates on our debt service costs. Debt principal repayments aggregated $813,000 and $1.3 million during
the twelve-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The higher debt repayments during the twelve-month period ended June
30, 2021 reflect our decision to prepay approximately $624,000 of our then outstanding mortgage debt to remove a restricted cash bank
debt covenant during December 2020. We anticipate that debt principal repayments will aggregate approximately $907,000 during the twelve-month
period ending June 30, 2023, exclusive of any consideration given to the two loans from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) discussed
below. Interest expense was $313,000 and $306,000 during the twelve-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We anticipate
that interest expense will be $337,000 during the twelve-month period ending June 30, 2023, exclusive of any consideration given to the
two loans from the MTI discussed below. During the first quarter of 2022, the availability of our $1.0 million line of credit, which bears
interest at the National Prime Rate plus 0.00% per annum, was extended until March 11, 2024. These credit facilities are secured by substantially
all of our assets, including our facility at 56 Evergreen Drive in Portland (which was independently appraised at $6.3 million in connection
with a 2022 financing, at $3 million in connection with a 2020 refinancing and at $4.2 million in connection with a 2015 financing) and
our facility at 33 Caddie Lane in Portland (which was independently appraised at $3.2 million in connection with a 2017 financing and
at $2.5 million in connection with a 2020 refinancing). These credit facilities are subject to certain restrictions and financial covenants.
We are required to meet a minimum debt service coverage (DSC) ratio set by GSB of 1.35. Our actual DSC ratio was equal to 2.68, 2.03 and
1.57 during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. However, based on current projections of our future financial
performance, which includes a high level of ongoing product development expenses to support Re-Tain ® , we may not
satisfy this annual requirement for the year ending December 31, 2022. By negotiation with GSB in connection with a 2022 financing, the
required minimum DSC ratio was reduced to 1.0 for the year ending December 31, 2022.
During June 2020, we received a $500,000 loan
from the MTI. The first 2.25 years of this loan are interest-free with no interest accrual or required principal payments. Principal and
interest payments at a fixed rate of 5% per annum are due quarterly over the final 5 years of the loan, beginning during the fourth quarter
of 2022 and continuing through the third quarter of 2027. During July 2021, we received an additional $400,000 loan from the MTI. The
first 2 years of this second loan are interest-free with no interest accrual or required principal payments. Principal and interest payments
at a fixed rate of 5% per annum are due quarterly over the final 5.5 years of the loan, beginning during the third quarter of 2023 and
continuing through the fourth quarter of 2028. Both loans are unsecured and subordinated to all other bank debt from GSB and may be repaid
without penalty at any time. This support from the State of Maine through the MTI helps us move forward aggressively with our investments
while increasing our total employee count.
28
ImmuCell Corporation
We have funded most of our business operations
principally from the gross margin on our product sales and from the equity and debt financings described above. Based on our best estimates
and projections, we believe that our cash and cash equivalents, together with gross margin anticipated to be earned from ongoing product
sales, will be sufficient to meet our currently planned working capital and capital expenditure requirements and to finance our ongoing
business operations for at least 12 months (which is the period of time required to be addressed for such purposes by accounting disclosure
standards) from the date of this filing. The table below summarizes the changes in selected, key accounts (in thousands, except for percentages):
As of
June 30,
As of
December 31,
Increase (Decrease)
2022
2021
Amount
%
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 11,043
$ 10,185
$ 858
8 %
Net working capital
$ 14,597
$ 13,730
$ 867
6 %
Total assets
$ 45,984
$ 44,466
$ 1,518
3 %
Stockholders’ equity
$ 32,552
$ 32,577
$ (24 )
0 %
Common shares outstanding (1)
7,747
7,742
5
0 %
(1) There were approximately 548,000 and 443,000 shares of common
stock reserved for issuance for stock options that were outstanding as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.
From 2014 to 2019, we initiated four capital
expenditure investments, as described in the following table (in thousands):
Cash Paid on Projects Initiated Before 2021 During the
A
B
C
D
Total
Year Ended December 31, 2014
$ 1,041
$ —
$ —
$ —
$ 1,041
Year Ended December 31, 2015
1,991
265
—
—
2,256
Year Ended December 31, 2016
1,173
2,093
—
—
3,266
Year Ended December 31, 2017
—
17,686
—
—
17,686
Year Ended December 31, 2018
—
1,596
—
—
1,596
Year Ended December 31, 2019
—
—
279
538
817
Year Ended December 31, 2020
—
—
2,938
581
3,519
Year Ended December 31, 2021
—
—
432
886
1,318
Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
—
—
4
306
310
Total Paid through June 30, 2022
4,205
21,640
3,653
2,311
31,809
Estimate to Complete
—
—
—
1,689
1,689
Total Project Cost
$ 4,205
$ 21,640
$ 3,653
$ 4,000
$ 33,498
PROJECT A included a 7,100 square foot
facility addition at 56 Evergreen Drive and related equipment and cold storage capacity to increase the production capacity for the First
Defense ® product line. During the first quarter of 2016, we completed this investment, increasing our freeze drying
capacity by 100% and making other improvements to our liquid processing capacity, which increased our annual production capacity (in terms
of annual sales dollars) to approximately $16.5 million. The actual value of our production output varies based on biological and process
yields, product format mix, selling price and other factors. This investment also included the construction and equipping of a pilot plant
for small-scale Drug Substance production for Re-Tain ® within our First Defense ® production
facility at 56 Evergreen Drive. After PROJECT B was completed, this space was converted for use in the production of the gel tube
formats of the First Defense ® product line. One of the objectives of PROJECT C was a relocation of these
gel tube operations to 175 Industrial Way, vacating production space at 56 Evergreen Drive for use in doubling our liquid processing capacity.
PROJECT B was related to the Drug Substance
production facility for Re-Tain ® at 33 Caddie Lane. During the fourth quarter of 2017, we completed construction
of the Drug Substance production facility. We began equipment installation during the third quarter of 2017, and we completed this installation
during the third quarter of 2018. The total cost of this investment for the Drug Substance production facility and related processing
equipment was $20.8 million plus $331,000 for the land and $472,000 for the acquisition of an adjacent 4,080 square foot warehouse facility,
which will be used for cold storage of Re-Tain ® inventory and other warehousing needs.
29
ImmuCell Corporation
PROJECT C consisted of significant renovations
to a 14,300 square foot leased facility at 175 Industrial Way, some facility modifications at 56 Evergreen Drive and the necessary production
equipment to increase the annual production capacity of the First Defense ® product line (in terms of annual sales
dollars) from approximately $16.5 million to approximately $23 million. The actual value of our production output varies based on biological
and process yields, product format mix, selling price and other factors. This expansion involved a 40% increase in our freeze drying capacity
and a 100% increase in our liquid processing capacity. Renovations to our leased facility at 175 Industrial Way to enable this expansion
were completed during the second quarter of 2020. By moving our powder filling and assembly services from 56 Evergreen Drive into this
new space at 175 Industrial Way, we created space at 56 Evergreen Drive for the installation of the expanded freeze drying capacity. The
new facilities are built to contemporary cGMP standards with good material and people flows. A site license approval for this new facility
at 175 Industrial Way was issued by the USDA during the third quarter of 2020. During the second quarter of 2021, we completed the relocation
of our gel formulation equipment from 56 Evergreen Drive to 175 Industrial Way, creating space for the doubling of our liquid processing
capacity at 56 Evergreen Drive. We obtained site license approval of the expanded freeze drying capacity at 56 Evergreen Drive from the
USDA during the third quarter of 2021, and we obtained temporary (subject to final USDA review and approval) site license approval of
the expanded liquid processing capacity at 56 Evergreen Drive from the USDA during the first quarter of 2022. As part of this investment,
we also made the facility modifications at 56 Evergreen Drive necessary to expand our freeze drying capacity by an additional 35%, which
would increase our annual production capacity from approximately $23 million to approximately $30 million or more (together with the work
involved in PROJECT F discussed below). The actual value of our production capacity varies based on biological and process yields,
product format mix, selling price and other factors.
PROJECT D is a $4 million budgeted investment
to bring the formulation and aseptic filling capabilities for Re-Tain ® Drug Product in-house to end our reliance
on third-party Drug Product manufacturing services. We began initial equipment installation during the first quarter of 2022. We anticipate
FDA approval of this facility (which is a requirement for commercial manufacturing) by the second quarter of 2024.
During the second quarter of 2021, we initiated
three more capital expenditure investments, and during the second quarter of 2022, we initiated one additional capital expenditure investment,
as described in the following table (in thousands):
Cash Paid on Projects Initiated During 2021 or after during the
E
F
G
H
Total
Year Ended December 31, 2021
$ 452
$ 296
$ 282
$ —
$ 1,030
Six-Month Period Ended June 30, 2022
152
552
421
1
1,126
Total Paid through June 30, 2022
604
848
703
1
2,156
Estimate to Complete
146
112
2,137
1,699
4,094
Total Project Cost
$ 750
$ 960
$ 2,840
$ 1,700
$ 6,250
PROJECT E represents a $750,000 budget
for equipment and vehicle investments necessary to expand and improve our colostrum collection capabilities and logistics.
PROJECT F represents a budget estimate
of $960,000 for freeze drying equipment to expand on PROJECT C to further increase the annual production capacity of the First
Defense ® product line (in terms of annual sales dollars) from approximately $23 million to approximately $30 million
or more by increasing our freeze drying capacity by an additional 35%. The actual value of our production capacity varies based on biological
and process yields, product format mix, selling price and other factors. We initiated PROJECT F during the third quarter of 2021,
and we anticipate completing this investment during the third quarter of 2022.
PROJECT
G represents an increased budget estimate of $2,840,000 for equipment and facility modifications to scale-up and upgrade our vaccine
manufacturing capacity, construct pack & ship facilities for Re-Tain ® , improve our quality laboratories and
install new equipment for our gel filling operations. We estimate that the investment in our gel filling equipment will increase our annual
production capacity for the First Defense ®
product line (in terms of annual sales dollars) further from approximately $30 million to approximately $35 million by the end of 2022.
The actual value of our production capacity varies based on biological and process
yields, product format mix, selling price and other factors.
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ImmuCell Corporation
PROJECT H
represents a new investment in building modifications and equipment to further increase our annual First
Defense ® production capacity from the $35 million level that we expect to reach by the end of 2022 to $42 million
during 2024 with options for further expansion. The actual value of our production capacity varies based on biological and process
yields, product format mix, selling price and other factors. We anticipate leasing a to-be-constructed 15,400 square foot building
shell for approximately $250,000 per year, which operating cost is not included in the capital expenditure table above. We
anticipate a lease commencement date (after the landlord completes construction of the building shell) around the beginning of 2023.
We may make this lease commitment during the third quarter because of the unique proximity of the land adjacent to our currently
leased space at 175 Industrial Way and the high level of demand for properties of this type in the Portland market. We did not want
to risk losing this opportunity to others. The freeze drying equipment that would be critical to achieving this next level of
production capacity expansion requires 18 to 24 months of lead time for fabrication, installation, qualification and implementation.
In order to have this equipment operational by the beginning of 2024, we recently committed $1.7 million to its purchase. The $1.7
million listed in the capital expenditure table above is just the amount of funds committed to PROJECT H to date. This new
leased space could house up to three additional similar equipment investments that we could consider if justified by market demand
in the future. Over the next few months, we will evaluate our options and best strategy for this new space and develop the full cost
estimates for the work required to modify the building shell to meet our needs optimally. We expect to define the scope and budget
for PROJECT H more definitively by year end.
In addition to the specific projects listed above,
our budget for routine and miscellaneous capital expenditures for the year ending December 31, 2022 is $825,000. We spent $321,000 of
this budget during the first six months of 2022. These routine and miscellaneous capital expenditures amounted to $260,000, $554,000 and
$574,000 during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The spend on this budget category during 2021 was lower
than expected, and the spend during 2022 is anticipated to be higher than the historical norm.
We have set aside approximately $6.3 million
of the $11 million of the cash we had on hand as of June 30, 2022 to complete PROJECT D to PROJECT G and to fund the initial
$1.7 million towards PROJECT H, as well as to pay for our other routine and miscellaneous capital expenditures during the second
half of 2022, leaving the remaining cash balance of approximately $4.8 million available for the completion of PROJECT H and for
general working capital purposes (including anticipated inventory builds for both First Defense ® and Re-Tain ® ).
During the third quarter of 2016, the City of
Portland approved a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) credit enhancement package that reduces the real estate taxes on our Drug Substance
production facility for Re-Tain ® by 65% over the eleven-year period beginning on July 1, 2017 and ending June 30,
2028 and by 30% during the year ending June 30, 2029, at which time the rebate expires. During the second quarter of 2017, the TIF was
approved by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. The value of the tax savings will increase (decrease) in proportion
to any increases (decreases) in the assessment of the building for city real estate tax purposes or the City’s tax rate. The following
table discloses how much of the new taxes we have generated is being relieved by the TIF and how much is being paid by ImmuCell:
Assessed Value
Twelve-Month
Period Ended
Total New Taxes
Generated by
the Project
Less: TIF
Credit
Net Amount
Paid by
ImmuCell
$1.7 million @ April 1, 2017
June 30, 2018
$ 36,000
$ 22,000
$ 13,000
$4.0 million @ April 1, 2018
June 30, 2019
$ 90,000
$ 58,000
$ 32,000
$4.0 million @ April 1, 2019
June 30, 2020
$ 94,000
$ 60,000
$ 34,000
$4.0 million @ April 1, 2020
June 30, 2021
$ 94,000
$ 60,000
$ 34,000
$4.3 million @ April 1, 2021
June 30, 2022
$ 55,000
$ 36,000
$ 20,000
Results of Operations
Business Segments
As detailed
in Note 17, “Segment Information”, to the accompanying unaudited financial statements, we operate in two business segments.
The Scours segment is dedicated to manufacturing and selling First Defense ® , a
product used to prevent scours in newborn calves, which is regulated by the USDA. The Mastitis segment is focused on developing and commercializing
Re-Tain ® , a product to treat subclinical mastitis in lactating dairy cows, which is regulated
by the FDA.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Product Sales
Through both continued growth in sales of the First
Defense ® product line and a successful launch of Re-Tain ® as soon as possible, and with a measured
approach to expanding our customer-facing staff, it is our objective to increase our current annual level of total product sales of approximately
$19.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately $23 million or more by the year ending December 31, 2023. As additional
resources are dedicated to production, sales, marketing and technical services, our longer-term goal is to exceed $35 million of annual
total product sales as soon as possible during the five-year period after the market launch of Re-Tain ® .
Sales decreased by 15%, or $680,000, to $3.9
million during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022, in comparison to the three-month period ended June 30, 2021. Domestic sales
decreased by 12%, and international sales decreased by 41%, in comparison to the three-month period ended June 30, 2021. International
sales aggregated 8% and 11% of total sales during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. A
material disruption in the supply of needed plastic syringes used in our gel product format limited our production and sales during the
second quarter. We had a backlog of orders worth approximately $799,000 as of June 30, 2022 that all could have been shipped to customers
erasing this drop in sales for the quarter, if not for this supply disruption that we are working to resolve during the third quarter.
The three-month sales results are summarized in the following table:
During the
Three-Month Periods
Ended
June 30,
(Decrease)
(In thousands, except for percentages)
2022
2021
Amount
%
Total product sales
$ 3,861
$ 4,542
$ (680 )
(15 )%
Sales increased by 14%, or $1.2 million, to $9.9
million during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022, in comparison to the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. Domestic sales increased
by 19%, and international sales decreased by 24%, in comparison to the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. International sales aggregated
8% and 12% of total sales during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The six-month sales results are summarized
in the following table:
During the
Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
Increase
(In thousands, except for percentages)
2022
2021
Amount
%
Total product sales
$ 9,861
$ 8,649
$ 1,212
14 %
Sales increased by 27%, or $4.3 million, to $20.5
million during the trailing twelve-month period ended June 30, 2022, in comparison to the trailing twelve-month period ended June 30,
2021. Domestic sales increased by 26%, and international sales increased by 30%, in comparison to the trailing twelve-month period ended
June 30, 2021. International sales aggregated 12% and 11% of total sales during the trailing twelve-month periods ended June 30, 2022
and 2021, respectively. The trailing twelve-month sales results are summarized in the following table:
During the
Trailing
Twelve-Month
Periods Ended June 30,
Increase
(In thousands, except for percentages)
2022
2021
Amount
%
Total product sales
$ 20,455
$ 16,115
$ 4,340
27 %
Sales of the First Defense ®
product line aggregated 99% and 98% of our total sales during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and
99% and 98% of our total sales during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We set successive records for
high sales during the first quarter of 2022 and during the fourth, third and second quarters of 2021 in comparison to the same quarters
of the prior years. Sales of the First Defense ® product line increased from approximately $4,473,000 during the
second quarter ended June 30, 2021 to $5,033,000 during the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 and further to $5,403,000 during the
fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021 and further to $5,963,000 during the first quarter ended March 31, 2022. Our sales are seasonal
with highest sales expected during the first quarter of each year. Most of our growth (when not limited by the backlog) is being realized
through increased demand and a deliberate strategy to prioritize production capacity towards Tri-Shield First Defense ®
(the trivalent format of our product delivered via a gel tube), which provides broader protection to calves. The compound annual growth
rate of our total product sales during the ten years ended December 31, 2021 was approximately 15%. The compound annual growth rate of
our total product sales during the three years ended December 31, 2021 was approximately 18%.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Valuation of the backlog is a non-GAAP estimate
that is based on purchase orders on hand at the time that could not be met because of a lack of available inventory. The backlog was worth
approximately $2.4 million as of December 31, 2021 and approximately $799,000 as of June 30, 2022 and approximately $470,000 as of August
2, 2022. However, quantification of the backlog during the current periods has become far less comparable to prior periods. At times,
customers have placed orders for more than a month’s worth of their demand, perhaps in reaction to our ongoing backlog situation,
whereas in the past they ordered more closely in line with their more current demand.
While our backlog is a very positive indication
about the strong demand for our First Defense ® product line, we missed some business during 2021 as a result of
the backlog. Not being able to timely meet the needs of our customers could result in the loss of some customers who seek alternative
scours management products during this period of short supply and who may not resume purchasing our product when we have eliminated the
backlog. While we worked to allocate product directly to certain large customers
during this period of short supply, we likely lost some customers that could not access product. As we have more and more available inventory
to sell during the second half of 2022, our job is to get back any lost customers and aggressively compete for new business. While backlog
is a better problem to have than seeing product expiring on our shelves, it is nonetheless a significant challenge when we do not get
our customers everything that they want. Our sales team is resuming more normal sales growth initiatives with more inventory becoming
available as we move forward. We are working to regain customers that we may have lost while we were short on product. As we emerge from
an extended period of time on backlog, we anticipate higher than normal sales fluctuations quarter to quarter. What is most important
to us at this time is that we achieve sales growth over the longer periods of time, even if we experience some quarter-to-quarter fluctuations.
We recorded a 46% increase in sales during the
first quarter of 2022 in comparison to the first quarter of 2021. This positive trend was not continued during the second quarter of 2022.
The supply disruption pertaining to needed plastic syringes used in our gel product format, discussed above, resulted in the drop in sales
during the second quarter. The failure to extend the positive growth trend may also be related to challenges we expect to face as we emerge
from an extended period of order backlog. Distributor order patterns may also be inconsistent as we fill their open orders and as they
adjust their inventory levels on hand. We do not solely benchmark our sales expectations off trailing twelve-month sales results. Instead,
we look at the sales of competitive products to assess the size of the addressable market and plan for growth when projecting our future
production capacity needs.
We completed the critical objectives of our investment
to increase our First Defense ® production capacity from approximately $16.5 million to approximately $23 million
in terms of annual sales value during the fourth quarter of 2021. During the third quarter of 2021, we initiated an additional investment
of approximately $960,000 to increase our annual production capacity for the First Defense ® product line further
from approximately $23 million to approximately $30 million or more per year by the end of third quarter of 2022 (see PROJECT F
above). During the fourth quarter of 2021, we initiated an additional investment to further increase our annual First Defense ®
production capacity to approximately $35 million by the end of the fourth quarter of 2022 (see PROJECT G above). Equipment modifications
and relocations of this nature require a shutdown of operations for weeks to months to install and validate the modified equipment and
achieve USDA approval for its use in its new location. That must be managed carefully to minimize disruption. Considering the lead time
required for facility modifications and equipment fabrication (which is approximately 18-24 months), during the second quarter of 2022,
we initiated the preliminary steps related to an additional investment to increase this annual capacity further to approximately $42 million
by the end of the second quarter of 2024 (see PROJECT H above). These investments have been and are being made to materially reduce
the risk of another order backlog. We have been operating at very close to 100% of available capacity recently, which is not efficient
or sustainable. Going forward, we will be in a position to operate at the capacity level we choose to cover sales with adequate buffer
stock. The actual value of our production output varies based on biological and process yields, product format mix, selling price and
other factors.
The significant global supply-chain disruptions
that almost all industries are experiencing presently are a challenge to us and contribute to our order backlog. Prices for raw materials
and critical supplies are increasing significantly, and it is more and more difficult to obtain timely delivery of the orders that we
place. Therefore, we have little choice but to pay the higher prices and try to take on more months of supply than we would have held
previously if we could get our orders fulfilled.
Effective January 1, 2022, we increased our selling
price of the First Defense ® product line by approximately
5% and CMT by approximately 7%. Effective January 1, 2021, we increased our selling price of the First Defense ®
product line in the domestic market by approximately 1.6% to 3%, depending on product format, and we increased our selling
price of CMT by almost 4%.
Sales of products other than the First Defense ®
product line decreased by 45%, or $31,000, to $38,000 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022 in comparison to the three-month
period ended June 30, 2021. Sales of these other products aggregated approximately 1% and 2% of our total product sales during the three-month
periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Sales of products other than the First Defense ® product line
decreased by 51%, or $78,000, to $75,000 during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 in comparison to the six-month period ended June
30, 2021. Sales of these other products aggregated approximately 1% and 2% of our total product sales during the six-month periods ended
June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We acquired a private label product (our second leading source of product sales during 2021) in
connection with our January 2016 acquisition of certain gel formulation technology. This product was discontinued during the first quarter
of 2022 because it was not a significant contributor to our total sales and it competed for valuable time and space in our production
schedule. We sell our own CMT (our third leading source of product sales during 2021), which is used to detect somatic cell counts
in milk.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Impact of Global COVID-19 Pandemic and Russia’s
Unprovoked Military Invasion of Ukraine
We are facing significant production constraints,
supply disruptions and inflationary increases which appear to have been caused, in large part directly or indirectly, by COVID and Russia’s
unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The extent of the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economics of our customers
and on the demand for our products going forward is very difficult to assess. The Class III milk price has been extremely volatile during
the pandemic. Initially, stay at home orders disrupted the food service supply system as schools closed and restaurants were shut down.
In response, producers were forced to reduce the supply of milk to the market by drying off cows early, culling cows from the herd and
dumping milk, among other tactics. Market conditions have improved somewhat, but this volatility remains a concern. Additionally, like
most input costs, the cost of feed is rising, which puts a strain on the profitability of our customers.
Gross Margin
Changes in our gross margin (product sales less
costs of goods sold) are summarized in the following table for the respective periods (in thousands, except for percentages):
During the
Three-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
(Decrease)
2022
2021
Amount
%
Gross margin
$ 1,707
$ 2,074
$ (367 )
(18 )%
Percent of product sales
44 %
46 %
(1 )%
(3 )%
During the
Six-Month Periods
Ended June 30,
Increase
2022
2021
Amount
%
Gross margin
$ 4,811
$ 3,677
$ 1,134
31 %
Percent of product sales
49 %
43 %
6 %
15 %
During the
Trailing Twelve-Month
Periods Ended June 30,
Increase
2022
2021
Amount
%
Gross margin
$ 9,790
$ 7,020
$ 2,770
39 %
Percent of product sales
48 %
44 %
4 %
10 %
The gross margin as a percentage of product sales
was 45%, 45%, 49%, 47% and 50% during the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. During the first quarter
of 2021, the gross margin of 39% was lower than what we normally expect. This gross margin improved to 46% during the second quarter of
2021 and further to 47% during both the third and fourth quarters of 2021 and then further to 52% during the first quarter of 2022, as
we began to spread these fixed costs over increasing production output. As we projected, this high percentage experienced during the first
quarter of 2022 was not repeated during the second quarter of 2022. While our biological and process yields can be variable, we have seen
a favorable improvement to our finished goods yield recently. We believe that gross margin results should be viewed over longer periods
of time than just one quarter. For example, our gross margin was equal to 49.5% of sales during the six-month period ended March 31, 2022
and 49% of sales during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022. As we fully integrate and utilize our increased capacity, we expect
to be able to achieve an annual gross margin in the range of 46% to 50%. The costs of our supplies, components, raw materials and services
increased significantly during 2021 and that trend continues into 2022. The Tri-Shield ®
product format is more complex (i.e., three antibodies versus two antibodies for Dual-Force ® )
making it more costly to produce, and both the bivalent and trivalent gel product formats are more expensive to produce than the bolus
format. These new formats are creating sales growth for us, and we are focused on increasing total gross margin dollars (after we fulfill
the backlog) even if that is accomplished with a lower gross margin as a percentage of sales. We are investing significantly in equipment,
infrastructure and operating expenses to increase our annual production capacity from approximately $16.5 million to approximately $42
million. Increased labor and other upfront costs were necessary to benefit from the scale-up of our production output going forward. A
number of other factors contribute to the variability in our costs, resulting in some fluctuations in gross margin percentages from quarter
to quarter and from year to year. Like most U.S. manufacturers, we have also been experiencing increases in the cost of labor and raw
materials. We also invest to sustain compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) in our production processes. Increasing
production can be more expensive in the initial stages. To achieve our inventory production growth objectives, we are acquiring more raw
material (colostrum) from many more cows at many new farms. As is the case with any vaccine program, animals respond less effectively
to their first exposure to a new vaccine, and thereafter the effectiveness of their immune response improves in response to subsequent
immunizations. During this expansion phase, colostrum quality can be more variable. Additionally, the biological yields from our raw material
are always variable, which impacts our costs of goods sold in a similar way. Just as our customers’ cows respond differently to
commercial dam-level vaccines, depending on time of year and immune competency, our source cows have similar biological variances in response
to our proprietary vaccines. The value of our First Defense ® product line is that we compensate for the variability
in a cow’s immune response by standardizing each dose of finished product. This ensures that every calf is equally protected, which
is something that dam-level commercial scours vaccines cannot offer. We continue to work on processing and yield improvements and other
opportunities to reduce costs, while enhancing process knowledge and robustness. Over time, we have been able to reduce the impact of
cost increases by implementing yield improvements. As we evaluate our product costs and selling price, one of our goals is to achieve
a gross margin (before related depreciation and amortization expenses) as a percentage of total sales approaching 50%.
34
ImmuCell Corporation
Product Development Expenses
Overview: The
majority of our product development expenses pertain to the development of Re-Tain ® . During the three-month period
ended June 30, 2022, product development expenses increased to approximately $1.1 million in comparison to the approximately $1 million
during three-month period ended June 30, 2021. Product development expenses aggregated 29% and 22% of product sales during the three-month
periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Product development expenses included approximately $349,000 and $386,000 of non-cash
depreciation and stock-based compensation expenses during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. During the
six-month period ended June 30, 2022, product development expenses increased to approximately $2.2 million in comparison to approximately
$2 million during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. Product development expenses aggregated 22% and 23% of product sales during
the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Product development expenses included approximately $697,000 and $773,000
of non-cash depreciation and stock-based compensation expenses during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
We do expect our product development expenses to decrease further after Re-Tain ® is commercialized and some of the
costs incurred to maintain and run our Drug Substance production facility become part of our costs of goods sold.
Development objective: As
we work to revolutionize the way that mastitis is managed in the dairy industry, we aim to demonstrate that our polypeptide antimicrobial,
Nisin A, can play a productive role in the treatment of subclinical mastitis in lactating cows by providing a novel alternative to traditional
antibiotics. Earlier development work based on the safety profile of Nisin allowed us to establish a zero milk discard and a zero meat
withhold claim for our product. This is a key competitive advantage because the milk discard requirement on all products on the market
today is very costly to dairy operations. Common milk discard periods cover the duration of treatment and extend from 1.5 to 3 days after
last treatment, depending on the antibiotic. On average, a cow produces approximately 60 to 80 pounds of milk per day. While milk prices
vary significantly, at an average value of $18.00 per 100 pounds, a cow produces approximately $10.80 to $14.40 worth of milk per day.
These estimated figures would result in milk discard costs ranging from approximately $37.80 (for 3.5 days of milk at 60 pounds per day)
to $158.40 (for 11 days of milk at 80 pounds per day) per treated animal. We estimate that the approximate cost to the U.S. dairy industry
of this discarded milk may be around $300 million per year. These high milk discard costs associated with traditional antibiotic treatments
lead producers to only treat mastitis after clinical signs develop. The final and most critical development objective for Re-Tain ®
is to scale-up and achieve regulatory approval of our commercial manufacturing operations.
Development status :
Approval by the Center for Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the New Animal Drug Application (NADA) for
Re-Tain ® is required before any sales of the product can be initiated. The NADA is comprised of five principal Technical
Sections and a sixty-day administrative review at the end. Each Technical Section can be reviewed and approved separately. By statute,
each Technical Section submission is generally subject to one or more six-month review cycles by the FDA. Upon review and assessment by
the FDA that all requirements for a Technical Section have been met, the FDA may issue a Technical Section Complete Letter. The current
status of our work on these submissions to the FDA is as follows:
1) Environmental Impact: During
the third quarter of 2008, we received the Environmental Impact Technical Section Complete Letter from the FDA. During the second quarter
of 2021, we received further clarification through a new Environmental Impact Technical Section Complete Letter covering the current
dosage regimen and labeling.
2) Target Animal Safety: During
the second quarter of 2012, we received the Target Animal Safety Technical Section Complete Letter from the FDA.
3) Effectiveness: During the
third quarter of 2012, we received the Effectiveness Technical Section Complete Letter from the FDA. The anticipated product label (which
remains subject to FDA approval) carries claims for the treatment of subclinical mastitis associated with Streptococcus agalactiae ,
Streptococcus dysgalactiae , Streptococcus uberis , and
coagulase-negative staphylococci in lactating dairy cattle.
4) Human Food Safety: During
the third quarter of 2018, we received the Human Food Safety Technical Section Complete Letter from the FDA confirming, among other things,
a zero milk discard period and a zero meat withhold period during and after treatment with our product. Achieving this critical differentiating
feature for our product encouraged us to continue the significant product development investment necessary to bring Re-Tain ®
to market. It would have been hard to justify an ongoing investment of this nature in a product
without this significant competitive advantage. During the second quarter of 2021, we updated this Technical Section Complete Letter
with FDA approval of the official analytical method to measure Nisin in milk.
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ImmuCell Corporation
5) Chemistry, Manufacturing
and Controls (CMC): The CMC Technical Section is very complex and comprehensive. Having previously achieved the four different Technical
Section Complete Letters from the FDA discussed above, approval of the CMC Technical Section is the fifth and final significant step
required before Re-Tain ® product sales can be initiated in the United
States. Implementing Nisin Drug Substance (the active pharmaceutical ingredient, or DS) production, which is a required component of
the CMC Technical Section, has been the most expensive and lengthy part of this project. We previously entered into an agreement with
a multi-national pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer for our commercial-scale supplies of DS. However, we determined during 2014 that
the agreement did not offer us the most advantageous supply arrangement in terms of either cost or long-term dependability. Then we presented
this product development opportunity to a variety of large and small animal health companies. While such a corporate partnership could
have provided access to a much larger sales and marketing team and allowed us to avoid the large investment in a commercial-scale production
facility, we concluded that a partner would have taken an unduly large share of the gross margin from all future product sales of Re-Tain ® .
However, the regulatory and marketing feedback that we received from prospective partners, following their due diligence, was positive.
During the third quarter of 2014, we completed an investment in facility modifications and processing equipment necessary to produce
our DS at small-scale at our 56 Evergreen Drive facility. This small-scale facility was used to: i) expand our process knowledge and
controls, ii) establish operating ranges for critical process parameters, iii) conduct product stability studies, iv) optimize process
yields and v) verify the cost of production. We believe these efforts have reduced the risks associated with our investment in the commercial-scale
DS production facility. Having raised equity during 2016 and 2017, we were able to move away from these earlier partnering strategies
and assume control over the commercial-scale manufacturing process in our own facility. During the fourth quarter of 2015, we acquired
land near our existing Portland facility for the construction of a new commercial-scale DS production facility. We commenced construction
of this facility during the third quarter of 2016 and completed construction during the fourth quarter of 2017. Equipment installation
and qualification was initiated during the third quarter of 2017 and completed during the third quarter of 2018. Total construction and
equipment costs aggregated approximately $20.8 million. With construction of the facility complete, we continue to work with outside
parties to investigate improvements to our DS production yields as well as potential efficacy enhancements.
Under
the FDA’s phased submission process, we made a first-phased submission covering just the DS during the first quarter of 2019. The
first-phased DS submission included data from the DS Registration Batches produced at commercial scale in our new DS manufacturing facility.
This first-phased submission was followed by a second-phased submission covering both the DS and the formulated Drug Product (DP), during
the first quarter of 2021. This two-phased submission process allowed us to respond to identified queries and/or deficiencies from the
first-phased DS submission at the time of the second-phased combined DS and DP submission. The second-phased DS and DP submission responded
to comments raised by the FDA regarding the first-phased DS submission and included detailed information about the manufacturing process
and controls for DP. One of the key components of the second-phased DS and DP submission was also demonstrating stability of the product
through expiry. During the third quarter of 2021, the FDA issued a Technical Section Incomplete Letter with regard to this second-phased
DS and DP submission. This response was not unexpected as it is common for the FDA to issue queries and comments, especially related to
an aseptic DP submission with associated sterilization validation information. We made a second submission of the DS and DP Technical
Section during the first quarter of 2022. During the third quarter of 2022, we received a Technical Section Incomplete Letter from the
FDA with regards to our second DS and DP submission of the CMC Technical Section. In response, we intend to make a third submission of
the CMC Technical Section during the third quarter of 2022. The principal issue remaining is a successful pre-approval re-inspection of
our manufacturing facility. We are completing preparations for such and intend to notify the FDA of our readiness for the pre-approval
re-inspection during the third quarter. Continued focus on these preparations is critical to a successful pre-approval re-inspection outcome.
No substantive issues were raised in the other six FDA comments (in addition to the comment requiring a successful pre-approval re-inspection),
and the comments are not related to the safety or efficacy of the product. The comments from the FDA require that we provide additional
information about raw material specifications, DS labeling and stability testing. These comments principally relate to DP, not DS. This
clarifies the required path to product approval. Our CMC Technical Section submission will be subject to a statutory six-month review
period by the FDA. We believe we can successfully complete the pre-approval re-inspection inside of this time frame.
While
being prudent with how much cash we invest into inventory that would have short expiry dating if market launch is delayed, we are building
more inventory during 2022 to bridge the transition between DP supply from our contract manufacturer to our own in-house services. We
need to manage the amount of DP inventory we build pre-approval during the end of this year with associated expirations dating during
the end of 2024. This inventory must support the market needs and have sufficient dating to bridge the transition from our contract manufacturing
agreement to when our in-house DP production is approved by the FDA. We must consider short expiry dating in the event that our NADA approval
is delayed as well as manage the number of new customers we obtain at launch in order to minimize potential supply disruptions.
36
ImmuCell Corporation
Our DS
manufacturing facility and that of our DP contract manufacturer (and our future DP manufacturing facility) are subject to ongoing FDA
inspections. During the third quarter of 2019, the FDA conducted a pre-approval inspection of our DS facility. This resulted in the issuance
of certain deficiencies as identified on the FDA’s Form 483. We submitted responses and data summaries in a phased manner over the
fourth quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020. During the first quarter of 2022, the FDA conducted another pre-approval inspection
of our DS facility. This also resulted in the issuance of certain deficiencies as identified on the FDA’s Form 483. We have since
responded to all of the queries and are preparing for a re-inspection. This inspection process has been managed without significant cost.
We have
always believed that the fastest route to FDA approval and market launch is with the services of Norbrook Laboratories Limited of Newry,
Northern Ireland (an FDA-approved DP manufacturer) (Norbrook), reducing our risk by benefiting from their demonstrated expertise in aseptic
filling. From 2010 to the present, we have worked with Norbrook under several amended contract manufacturing agreements covering the DP
formulation, aseptic filling and final packaging services. Under our current agreement, Norbrook has agreed to provide the formulation,
aseptic filling and final packaging services as required in order for us to submit the CMC Technical Section to the FDA and to provide
a supply of product during 2022 that we believe will enable us to commence sales of Re-Tain ® without
delay upon receipt of the anticipated FDA approval and provide us with a supply bridge until our own formulation and aseptic filling capacity
is available, which is anticipated by the second quarter of 2024 (see PROJECT D above). DP produced under this agreement during
the end of 2022 is expected to have expiry dating during the end of 2024.
Our potential
alternative third-party options for the formulation and aseptic filling services that are presently being performed by Norbrook are narrowed
considerably because our product cannot be formulated or filled in a facility that also processes traditional antibiotics (i.e., beta
lactams). Consequently, we have decided to perform these services internally (see PROJECT D above). We are investing approximately
$4 million in the equipping and commencement of operations of our own DP formulation and aseptic filling facility. We began initial equipment
installation during the first quarter of 2022. Subject to the timing of our installation and validation work, we anticipate FDA approval
of this facility (which is a requirement for commercial manufacturing) during the fourth quarter of 2023 if the FDA requires only one
six-month review cycle or by the second quarter of 2024 if the FDA requires two six-month review cycles. This new facility will be subject
to FDA inspection and approval and will have enough formulation and aseptic filling capacity to exceed the expected production capacity
of our DS facility, which is at least $10 million in annual sales. This production capacity estimate is based on our assumptions as to
product pricing and does not yet reflect inventory build strategies in advance of product approval or ongoing yield improvement initiatives.
Establishing our own DP formulation and aseptic filling capability provides us with the longer-term advantage of controlling the manufacturing
process for Re-Tain ® in one facility, thereby potentially reducing
our manufacturing costs and eliminating international cold chain shipping logistics and costs. The DP formulation and aseptic filling
operation will be located in existing facility space that we had intended to utilize to double our DS production capacity if warranted
by sales volumes following market launch. As a result, we would need to explore alternative strategies (in parallel with ongoing DS yield
improvement initiatives) to expand our DS production capacity. This integrated manufacturing capability for Re-Tain ®
will substantially reduce our dependence on third parties. Upon completion of our formulation and aseptic
filling facility, the only significant third-party input for Re-Tain ® will
be the DP syringes. It is anticipated that Hubert De Backer of Belgium (HDB) will supply these syringes in accordance with purchase orders
that we submit. HDB is a syringe supplier for many of the largest participants in the human and veterinary medical industries, and with
whom Norbrook presently works. Based on HDB’s performance history and reputation in the industry, we are confident that HDB will
be a dependable supplier of syringes in the quantity and of the quality needed for Re-Tain ® .
Other product development initiatives:
Our second most important product development initiative has been focused on other improvements, extensions
or additions to our First Defense ® product line. We are currently working to establish USDA claims for our bivalent
bulk powder formulation of First Defense Technology ® . Subject to the availability of resources, we intend to begin
new development projects that are aligned with our core competencies and market focus. We also remain interested in acquiring, on suitable
terms, other new products and technologies that fit with our sales focus on the dairy and beef industries, subject to the availability
of the needed funding.
Sales and Marketing
During the three-month period ended June 30,
2022, sales and marketing expenses increased by approximately 51%, or $222,000, to $659,000 in comparison to $437,000 during the three-month
period ended June 30, 2021, amounting to 17% and 10% of product sales during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Sales and marketing expenses included approximately $44,000 and $13,000 of non-cash depreciation and stock-based compensation expenses
during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2022, sales and
marketing expenses increased by approximately 54%, or $513,000, to approximately $1.5 million in comparison to $958,000 during the six-month
period ended June 30, 2021, amounting to 15% and 11% of product sales during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Sales and marketing expenses included approximately $79,000 and $31,000 of non-cash depreciation and stock-based compensation expenses
during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We do expect these expenses to increase to approximately 20%
of total product sales during 2022 as we begin to invest in the anticipated market launch of Re-Tain ®
before any new sales are realized. Our budgetary guideline for 2022 and after is to keep these expenses under 20% of total sales. We continue
to leverage the efforts of our small sales force by using animal health distributors.
The First Defense ® product
line serves dairy and beef producers by protecting their calf crop from scours, the leading cause of pre-weaning mortality and morbidity.
When calves are healthy during this crucial development period, they mature into more productive milking cows and more efficient beef
generators.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Our primary competition in this category is vaccines
that are also regulated for effectiveness and safety by the USDA. However, vaccine results are inherently variable. COVID breakthrough
infections in humans have reminded us that a vaccine does not guarantee immunity. That is true for our competitors as well. In the most
controlled research settings, only 80% of animals respond to a vaccine. This leaves 20% of the calf crop unprotected when the scour prevention
program relies on scour vaccines. Those unprotected calves can be disease carriers. Not only are they more susceptible to death or likely
to require life-saving treatment (sometimes with antibiotics), but they also shed pathogens into the environment creating a greater disease
pressure for their herd mates. The First Defense ® product line removes the inconsistency inherent with vaccine protection.
We sell the only USDA-licensed products in the scour prevention category that are therapeutic polyclonal antibodies. This technology eliminates
a producer’s reliance on a variable vaccine response to generate antibodies and, instead, can protect every calf equally with a
measured dose of antibody-driven immunity against both bacterial and viral scour pathogens.
In this space, we treat more calves than our
competitors that are primarily vaccines administered directly to the calf at birth, and we are second in sales dollars to the market leader
within the dam-level competitor category, which constitutes vaccines given to the cow pre-calving. Despite these successes, there remains
significant opportunity to displace more competition within North America. There is also opportunity to grow our sales by expanding into
international markets. We are being strategic in how we invest in international market development in order not to divert our limited
resources away from achieving domestic growth, which is often more efficient to obtain.
Our expanded sales and
marketing team has proven to be a worthy investment, validating that our message resonates well with customers. Now that our
increased production capacity is in place and our supply has caught up with demand, we anticipate being able to escalate our growth
curve after we recover from the brand damage that can come with an extended duration of short supply. We see ourselves as the
“non-pharma” pharma company. Rather than offering variations of “me-too” technology like vaccines and
antibiotics, we have taken the path less traveled by developing first-of-their kind products fueled by novel active ingredients such
as polyclonal antibodies (for First Defense ® ) and bacteriocins (for Re-Tain ® ). We
anticipate that these category developing innovations will drive greater value for the livestock industry and, in turn, for our
stockholders.
We believe that Re-Tain ® could
revolutionize the way that mastitis is managed by making earlier treatment of subclinical infections (while these cows are still producing
saleable milk) economically feasible by not requiring a milk discard or a meat withhold during, or for a period of time after, treatment.
No other FDA-approved mastitis treatment product on the market can offer this value proposition. We believe we can demonstrate a return
on investment to the dairy producer and the milk processor that will justify a premium over other mastitis treatments on the market today,
which are all sold subject to milk discard and meat withhold requirements. By creating this value for our customers, we believe we can,
in turn, create value for our stockholders.
Re-Tain ® could increase
the lifetime profitability of a cow and reduce disease transfer to herd mates. It is generally current practice to treat mastitis only
when the disease has progressed to the clinical stage where the milk from an infected cow cannot be sold, leaving most subclinically infected
cows untreated. Without a milk discard cost, we expect producers to be more motivated to identify and treat cows at the subclinical stage.
This creates a substantial animal welfare benefit. By treating mastitis early at the subclinical level, producers could preserve optimal
milk yields. We also know that animals infected with subclinical mastitis have higher abortion rates and often progress to the clinical
disease state requiring antibiotic treatment and milk discard. We believe that societal animal welfare objectives will put more and more
pressure on the industry to treat cows with subclinical infections.
It is common practice to move sick cows from their
regular herd group to a sick cow group for treatment and the related milk discard. This movement causes stress on the cow and a reduction
in milk production. While practices may vary farm-to-farm, there would be no requirement to move cows treated with our product, allowing
this costly drop in production to be avoided.
The over-use of antibiotics that are medically
important to human healthcare is a growing public health concern of our society and an active issue with the FDA, largely because of the
growing evidence that this over-use contributes to antibiotic resistance and the rise of “super-bugs”. Sustainability objectives
require that less antibiotics be used in food producing animals, yet a new FDA-approved drug to treat mastitis has not been developed
in years. Our product improves sustainability by utilizing a polypeptide antimicrobial as an alternative to traditional antibiotics that
are used in human medicine. In the big picture, we are introducing an entirely new class of antimicrobial as an animal drug, a bacteriocin,
that does not promote resistance against antibiotics used in human medicine making it more socially responsible. As the great NHL hockey
player, Wayne Gretzky, is known to have said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” This is motivational
to us. The industry could keep treating this very significant disease with traditional antibiotics, but it takes innovation to bring a
polypeptide antimicrobial like Nisin to market. Re-Tain ® would, when introduced, offer a needed alternative to these
traditional antibiotics, while at the same time improving milk quality and the quantity of milk produced by treated cows. We believe our
product fits very well with where the industry is going to be in the coming years.
As with
all new products, the market determines the value. Our objective is to gain market acceptance of this new product concept as we develop
a new product category. Despite those exciting benefits, it will take time to change this longstanding treatment paradigm and develop
this new market. It will take time for the market to understand, evaluate, implement and adapt to the use and benefits of Re-Tain ® .
We believe that the primary market for Re-Tain ® (at least initially) may be limited to the approximately half of
farms that have access to somatic cell count data at the cow or quarter level, since that is the most common and efficient way to identify
subclinical infections and to assess the effectiveness of treatment.
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ImmuCell Corporation
As we
prepare for market launch after we receive the anticipated and required FDA approval of this product, we continue to carefully consider
our best go-to-market strategy in consultation with industry-leading consultants, veterinarians, dairy producers and others. Informed
by consultations with these industry experts and key opinion leaders, we have opted to carefully control the launch of this novel product
over the first eighteen months or so after FDA approval, as we seek to revolutionize the way that mastitis is treated in the dairy industry
over the long term. Under this controlled launch, our sales and technical support team will work directly with early adopters to ensure
that the best treatment candidates are selected and that the product is properly administered in accordance with its label, creating exceptional
customer experiences and strong customer testimonials. The goal of our direct sales team is to help early adopters develop easy to use
protocols, optimize treatment results and realize a positive return on their investment. We intend to limit initial distribution of Re-Tain ®
to a level that enables our sales team to select the optimal dairy farms at which to introduce Re-Tain ® and to limit
the initial numbers of participating farms so that the desired levels of support and guidance relating to effective usage of Re-Tain ®
can be provided. We believe that the operational adjustments and accommodations that dairy farmers will need to make to effectively
use Re-Tain ® and avoid the potential problems described below under PART II: OTHER INFORMATION ITEM 1A –
RISK FACTORS , “Product Risks”, to this Quarterly Report will not be so burdensome as to deter its adoption and usage.
Our overarching objective is to minimize the risk of early-stage unsatisfactory outcomes that could harm the longer-term prospects and
market acceptance of Re-Tain ® . This strategic choice means that we have elected not to pursue an alternative strategy
that might have maximized short-term, initial sales quickly through a mass market approach where we provide product to distribution and
let them sell it to as many farms as possible. While we are dedicated to increasing our sales revenue, we must consider the damage a pre-mature
mass market strategy could cause to the long-term value of the product. We have seen products sold by much larger companies that were
substantially damaged by such failed market launch strategies. The goal of these prudent steps is to create a smooth and successful launch
with the momentum to optimize product sales over the longer period, while safeguarding the longer-term performance of our investment in
Re-Tain ® . Secondarily, this strategy also reduces the amount of inventory that we would need to build at risk before
regulatory approvals of the product and our production facilities are achieved, and it reduces the amount of cash we would need to spend
to purchase inventory from our contract manufacturer before our in-house aseptic filling services are approved by the FDA.
It is difficult to accurately estimate the potential
size of the market for the treatment of subclinical mastitis because presently this disease is largely left untreated. We believe that
approximately 20-40% of the U.S. dairy herd is infected with subclinical mastitis at any given time. This compares to approximately 2%
of the U.S. herd that is thought to be infected with clinical mastitis, where approximately $60 million per year is spent on drug treatments.
Finding candidate cows will require farms to obtain monthly individual cow somatic cell count (SCC) data through participation in organizations
such as the National Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) or by installing monitors to indicate high SCC cows or a potential health
event. DHIA testing can provide this data monthly, and emerging technology can provide this data real-time. Testing results at an elevated
level could indicate a good treatment candidate. Likewise, testing results showing a reduced level after treatment could indicate a treatment
success. To reach the portion of the market that does not have access to this data presently, we would need to show new customers that
the benefit of using our product is worth the roughly $2.00 per cow per month test cost. Similar market opportunities are likely to exist
outside the United States. We believe the use of Re-Tain ® could be expanded, with additional data and regulatory
approval, to support treatment late in lactation and possibly for clinical stage mastitis. We also believe there may be a market for Re-Tain ®
in small ruminants (such as goats and sheep) where the majority of mastitis cases are caused by strep-like organisms aligned with our
effectiveness data.
We expect the Drug Substance production facility
that we constructed for approximately $20.8 million to have initial annual production capacity sufficient to meet at least $10 million
in sales of Re-Tain ® at current production yields. This production capacity estimate does not yet reflect any inventory
build strategies or ongoing yield improvement initiatives. Expansion of the estimated annual capacity of the Drug Substance facility beyond
approximately $10 million (without factoring in potential yield improvements) would require relocation of the Drug Product formulation
and aseptic filling module to another facility, or the acquisition and equipping of other Drug Substance production facilities or adopting
alternative manufacturing strategies.
As disclosed in previously filed reports, we
have made preliminary assessments and estimates relating to the market opportunity for Re-Tain ® , both during and
after its initial launch, and have described the principal challenges facing the launch of a new product by a company such as ours with
limited sales, marketing and financial resources into a competitive market populated with several global pharmaceutical enterprises. We
expect annual sales to be well below the $36.1 million level that we previously estimated as the potential of the market opportunity for
our product five years after product launch. This is because we are taking a more controlled launch approach, respecting the challenges
of introducing a paradigm changing technology. We are going to be very transparent with the launch of Re-Tain ® .
To that end, we have expanded Note 17, “Segment Information”, to the accompanying unaudited financial statements to now display
a break-out of our financial results among the following two components of our business: i) Scours and ii) Mastitis. This will allow investors
to see our progress as we develop both product categories. We generally do not provide financial projections, as we know such projections
can prove to be materially inaccurate. However, in this case, we are providing a high-level projection for Re-Tain ®
that under this controlled launch plan strategy, we think we can achieve sales of approximately $1 million during the first year on the
market and then about double that during the second year on the market. If we are successful with this launch strategy, we would aim pivot
to a mass market sales approach with our distributors and grow this curve after the first 18 to 24 months on the market. Actual sales
results will vary from these projections up or down. We believe this strategy lends itself to a more gradual adoption curve but higher
and more sustainable sales over the long-term.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Administrative Expenses (as restated)
During the three-month period ended June 30,
2022, administrative expenses increased by 25%, or approximately $107,000, to $528,000 in comparison to $422,000 during the three-month
period ended June 30, 2021. Administrative expenses included approximately $33,000 and $25,000 of non-cash depreciation and stock-based
compensation expenses during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. During the six-month period ended June
30, 2022, administrative expenses increased by 43%, or approximately $367,000, to $1.2 million in comparison to $847,000 during the six-month
period ended June 30, 2021. The increase in administrative expenses was largely the result of the accrual of approximately $222,000 in
deferred compensation expense (consisting of earned and unused paid time off) during the first quarter of 2022. Administrative expenses
included approximately $66,000 and $55,000 of non-cash depreciation and stock-based compensation expenses during the six-month periods
ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We strive to be efficient with these expenses while funding costs associated with complying
with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and all the legal, audit and other costs associated with being a publicly-held company. Prior to 2014,
we had limited our investment in investor relations spending. Beginning in the second quarter of 2014, we initiated an investment in a
more active investor relations program. Given travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, this initiative has pivoted to a virtual
meeting format, which is less expensive. Having experienced this efficiency, it is our intent to continue with the same strategy, for
the most part, even as travel restrictions continue to be reduced. At the same time, we continue to provide full disclosure of the status
of our business and financial condition in three quarterly reports and one annual report each year, as well as in Current Reports on Form
8-K when legally required or deemed appropriate by management. We believe these efforts have helped us access the capital markets to fund
our growth objectives. Considering inflation and all the necessary support services that fit into this category, we believe that approximately
$2 million per year is an efficient budget goal to fund the administrative expenses of a publicly-held company.
Net Operating (Loss) Income
(as restated)
During the three-month period ended June 30,
2022, our net operating (loss) of ($619,000) was in contrast to a net operating income of $216,000 during the three-month period ended
June 30, 2021. The decrease in product sales during the second quarter of 2022, which resulted in a $367,000 decrease in gross margin
during the second quarter of 2022, compared to the second quarter of 2021, was the largest contributor to this swing from to income to
loss. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2022, our net operating (loss) of ($48,000) was in comparison to a net operating (loss)
of ($159,000) during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. The substantial increase in product sales at a higher gross margin as a
percentage of sales during the first six months of 2022, compared to the first six months of 2021, was the largest contributor to this
decrease in loss.
Other Expenses, net
During the three-month period ended June 30,
2022 other expenses, net, aggregated $64,000 in comparison to other expenses, net, of $74,000 during the three-month period ended June
30, 2021. Interest expense increased to $90,000 during the three-month period
ended June 30, 2022 from $79,000 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021. Non-cash amortization of debt issuance costs (which
is included as a component of interest expense) was $2,000 during both of the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. Interest
income was $26,000 and $5,000 during the three-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. More interest income was
earned during 2022 largely because of the higher interest rate environment.
During the six-month period ended June 30, 2022
other expenses, net, aggregated $120,000 in comparison to other expenses, net, of $141,000 during the six-month period ended June 30,
2021. Interest expense increased to $165,000 during the six-month period ended
June 30, 2022 from $159,000 during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021. Non-cash amortization of debt issuance costs (which is included
as a component of interest expense) was $4,000 during both of the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021. We anticipate
that our interest expense will be approximately $338,000, $352,000 and $323,000 during the years ending December 31, 2022, 2023, and 2024,
respectively (includes interest expense on the MTI loans). Interest income was
$33,000 and $8,000 during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively. More interest income was earned during
2022 largely because we had more cash on hand during the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021 during a higher interest
rate environment. The results for the first half of the years included $11,000
and $10,000 from the sale of fixed assets during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, respectively.
(Loss) Income Before Income
Taxes (as restated)
During
the three-month period ended June 30, 2022, our (loss) before income taxes was ($683,000) in contrast to income before income taxes of
$141,000 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2022, our (loss) before income
taxes was ($169,000) in comparison to a (loss) before income taxes of ($300,000) during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021.
Income Taxes and Net (Loss) Income (as restated)
During the three-month periods ended June 30,
2022 and 2021, we recorded income tax expense of $1,000 and $0, respectively, which is comprised of state tax liabilities. During the
six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, we recorded income tax expense of $2,000 and $0, respectively, which is comprised of state
tax liabilities. Our net (loss) of ($684,000), or ($0.09) per basic share, during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022 was in contrast
to a net income of $141,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, during the three-month period ended June 30, 2021. Our net (loss) of ($171,000),
or ($0.02) per basic share, during the six-month period ended June 30, 2022 was in comparison to a net (loss) of ($300,000), or ($0.04)
per basic share, during the six-month period ended June 30, 2021.
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ImmuCell Corporation
We have substantial net operating loss carryforwards
that largely offset our income tax expense. For tax return purposes only, our depreciation expense for the Nisin Drug Substance production
facility and equipment was approximately $492,000, $464,000, $639,000, $9.2 million and $1.5 million for the years ended December 31,
2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The significant increase during 2018 was largely related to accelerated depreciation allowed
for tax purposes. As of December 31, 2021, our federal net operating loss carryforward was approximately $14.7 million, which will be
available to offset future taxable income, subject to possible annual limitations based on ownership changes. On December 22, 2017, the
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. This legislation makes significant changes in the U.S. tax laws, including a reduction in the
corporate tax rates, changes to net operating loss carryforwards and carrybacks, and a repeal of the corporate alternative minimum tax.
The legislation reduced the U.S. corporate tax rate from 34% to 21%. Our income tax rate differs from this standard tax rate primarily
because we are currently providing for a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. While we are recording this full valuation
allowance, we are not recognizing the benefit of our tax losses.
In addition to the results discussed above from
our Statements of Operations, we believe it is important to consider our Statements of Cash Flows in the accompanying unaudited financial
statements to assess the cash generating ability of our operations.
Critical Accounting Policies
The financial statements are presented on the
basis of accounting principles that are generally accepted in the United States. All professional accounting standards that were effective
and applicable to us as of June 30, 2022 have been taken into consideration in preparing the financial statements. The preparation of
financial statements requires that we make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and
expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those
related to revenue recognition, income taxes, contingencies and the useful lives and carrying values of intangible and long-lived assets.
We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions 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. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We have chosen to highlight
certain policies that we consider critical to the operations of our business and understanding our financial statements.
We sell products that provide Immediate Immunity™
to newborn dairy and beef cattle. We recognize revenue in accordance with the five step model in ASC 606. These include the following:
i) identification of the contract with the customer, ii) identification of the performance obligations in the contract, iii) determination
of the transaction price, iv) allocation of the transaction price to the separate performance obligations in the contract and v) recognition
of revenue associated with performance obligations as they are satisfied. We recognize revenue at the time of shipment (including to distributors)
for substantially all products, as title and risk of loss pass to the customer on delivery to the common carrier after concluding that
collectability is reasonably assured. We do not bill for or collect sales tax because our sales are generally made to distributors and
thus our sales to them are not subject to sales tax. We generally have experienced an immaterial amount of product returns.
Inventory includes raw materials, work-in-process
and finished goods and is recorded at the lower of cost, on the first-in, first-out method, or net realizable value (determined as the
estimated selling price in the normal course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation).
Work-in-process and finished goods inventories include materials, labor and manufacturing overhead. Inventory is a critical accounting
policy because of the estimates and assumptions used by management to determine its cost accounting and because of the variability of
the cost per dose due to fluctuations in the biological yield.
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ImmuCell Corporation
ITEM 3 — QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT
MARKET RISK
Inflation, interest rates and currency exchange
rates are having a more adverse effect on our revenues and expenses than we previously experienced. Future increases in inflation or interest
rates could affect our customers and the demand for our products. We hope to increase the level of our future sales of products outside
the United States. The cost of our products to international customers could be affected by currency fluctuations. The decline of the
U.S. dollar against other currencies could make our products less expensive to international customers. Conversely, a stronger U.S. dollar
could make our products more costly for international customers. The current devaluation of the dollar makes Euro-based purchases more
expensive for us. We had outstanding bank debt totaling approximately $9.9 million as of June 30, 2022 that bears interest at the blended
fixed rate of 3.52% per annum. Also, as of June 30, 2022, we had two subordinated loans from the State of Maine outstanding aggregating
$900,000. The first loan bears no interest until the fourth quarter of 2022, at which time it bears interest at a fixed rate of 5% per
annum, unless it is repaid. The second loan bears no interest until the third quarter of 2023, at which time it bears interest at a fixed
rate of 5% per annum, unless it is repaid. See Note 10 to the accompanying unaudited financial statements for more details about our debt.
ITEM 4 — CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES (as restated)
Disclosure Controls and Procedures: Our management,
with the participation of the individual who serves as our principal executive and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness
of our disclosure controls and procedures as of June 30, 2022. Based on this evaluation, that officer concluded that our disclosure controls
and procedures were effective as of that date. Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to
be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within
the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal
executive and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.
Management’s Quarterly Report on Internal
Control Over Financial Reporting: The management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance
regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with
generally accepted accounting principles. We conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal controls over financial reporting
based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
Commission. This evaluation included a review of the documentation of controls, evaluation of the design effectiveness of controls, testing
the operating effectiveness of the controls and a conclusion on this evaluation. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control
over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide
only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness
to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Management assesses the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting at the end of each quarter. Based on management’s initial assessment, we believed that our internal control
over financial reporting was effective as of June 30, 2022. This Quarterly Report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s
independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s internal control
report was not subject to annual or quarterly attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm pursuant
to rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Company to provide only management’s report.
Restatement of Previously Issued Financial
Statements : Management assesses the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting at the end of each
quarter. Based on this assessment, we have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of June 30,
2022 and March 31, 2022, because during our assessment for the third quarter of 2022, we identified a material weakness related to the
first and second quarters of 2022, which has not yet been remediated. We did not accrue approximately $222,000 of deferred compensation
expense (consisting of earned and unused paid time off), which impacted the amount of our administrative expenses, accrued expenses and
the related disclosures. This error had no impact on our product sales or cash position. We do believe that the design of our internal
controls is effective, but those internal controls were not effectively operating. We are implementing some changes to our internal controls
over financial reporting, including documenting the accounting for all contractual obligations in excess of $50,000 in written memorandums
in consultation with our external consultants as considered necessary and then communicated with our independent registered public accounting
firm quarterly. We are working to remediate this material weakness in internal controls during the fourth quarter of 2022.
Changes in Internal Controls over Financial
Reporting: The individual who serves as our principal executive and principal financial officer periodically evaluates any change
in internal control over financial reporting which has occurred during the prior fiscal quarter. We have concluded that there was no change
in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended June 30, 2022 that has materially affected, or
is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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ImmuCell Corporation
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
In the ordinary course of business, we may become
subject to lawsuits, investigations and claims. Although we cannot predict with certainty the ultimate resolution of any such lawsuits,
investigations and claims against us, we do not believe that any pending or threatened legal proceedings to which we are or could become
a party will have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
ITEM 1A — RISK FACTORS
Financial Risks
Gross margin on product sales: One of
our goals is to achieve a gross margin (before related depreciation expenses) as a percentage of total sales of approximately 50% after
the initial launch of new products. Depreciation expense will be a larger component of costs of goods sold for Re-Tain ®
than it is for the First Defense ® product line. Gross margins generally improve over time, but this anticipated
improvement may not be realized for Re-Tain ® . Many factors discussed in this report (including the COVID-related
cost increases, supply-chain disruptions and the rising price of oil and other commodities and supplies) impact our costs of goods sold.
There is a risk that we are not able to achieve our gross margin goals, which would adversely affect our operating results and could impact
our future operating plans. There is a risk that our plans to maintain or improve our gross margin may not be realized due to cost increases,
inability to raise our selling prices, or both.
Exposure to interest rates and debt service obligations:
Rising interest rates could negatively affect the operating costs of dairy and beef producers and thus put further financial pressure
on an already stressed business sector, which could indirectly affect our business. We removed the direct aspect of this particular exposure
to our business by refinancing our bank debt to fixed rate notes at 3.50% per annum during the first quarter of 2020. The $2 million in
additional mortgage debt we secured during the first quarter of 2022 bears interest at the fixed rate of 3.58%. However, the additional
debt we incurred to fund our growth objectives has significantly increased our total debt service costs. Reflecting the mortgage debt
financing we completed during the first quarter of 2022, we are obligated to make principal and interest payments aggregating approximately
$1.2 million during the year ending December 31, 2022 and approximately $1.4 million during the year ending December 31, 2023. See Note
10 to the accompanying unaudited financial statements for more information. A decline in sales or gross margin, coupled with this debt
service burden, could impair our ability to fund our capital and operating needs and objectives.
Debt covenants: Our bank debt is subject
to certain financial covenants. We are required to meet a minimum debt service coverage (DSC) ratio of 1.35, which is measured annually.
Our actual DSC ratios were 2.68 and 2.03 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. However, based on current projections
of our future financial performance, which includes a high level of ongoing product development expenses to support Re-Tain ® ,
we may not satisfy this annual requirement for the year ending December 31, 2022, and there can be no assurance that we can exceed that
required level in subsequent years. By negotiation with the bank in connection with a mortgage debt financing during the first quarter
of 2022, the required minimum DSC ratio was reduced to 1.0 for the year ending December 31, 2022.
Inflation: Inflation is having a material
and adverse impact on almost all supplies we purchase and labor we hire. Continuing or increasing inflationary trends could materially
reduce our gross margin on product sales. According to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) during the twelve-month
period ended June 30, 2022, the all items index increased 9.1% before seasonal adjustment.
Projection of net (loss) income: Generally
speaking, our financial performance can differ significantly from management projections, due to numerous factors that are difficult to
predict or that are beyond our control. Weaker than expected sales of the First Defense ® product line could lead
to less profits or deeper operating losses. The timing of FDA approval of Re-Tain ® will have a material impact on
our net (loss) income until sufficient commercial sales are initiated.
Risks associated with our funding strategy
for Re-Tain ® : The inability to maintain adequate cash and liquidity to support the commercialization
of Re-Tain ® is a risk to our business. Achieving FDA approval of our pharmaceutical-grade Nisin produced at commercial-scale
is the most critical action remaining in front of us on our path to U.S. regulatory approval of Re-Tain ® . Having
completed the construction and equipping of the Drug Substance production facility described elsewhere in this report at a cost of approximately
$20.8 million, we will continue to incur product development expenses to operate and maintain this facility until commercialization. Absent
sufficient sales of Re-Tain ® at a profitable gross margin, we would be required to fund all debt service costs from
available cash and sales of the First Defense ® product line, which would reduce, and could eliminate, our expected
profitability going forward and significantly reduce our cash flows.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Uncertainty of market size and product sales
estimates: Estimating the size of the total addressable market and future sales growth potential for our First Defense ®
product line is based on our experience and understanding of market dynamics but is inherently subjective. Estimating the size of the
market for any new product, such as Re-Tain ® , involves more uncertainties than do projections for established products.
We do not know whether, or to what extent, our products will achieve, maintain or increase market acceptance and profitability. Some of
the uncertainties surrounding Re-Tain ® include the product’s effectiveness against currently prevalent pathogens,
market acceptance, the effect of a premium selling price on market penetration, cost of manufacture, competition from new and existing
products sold by substantially larger competitors with greater market reach and promotional resources and other risks described under
“Product Risks” – “Sales risks pertaining to Re-Tain ® ” below. Since Re-Tain ®
is a novel approach to treating mastitis, there are many uncertainties with regards to how quickly and to what extent we can develop the
subclinical mastitis treatment market. Our belief that polypeptide antimicrobial technology will be viewed positively (relative to traditional
antibiotics), if realized, may offset some of these risks and result in better overall market acceptance.
Net deferred tax assets: The realizability
of our net deferred tax assets is a subjective estimate that is contingent upon many variables. During the second quarter of 2018, we
recorded a full valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets that significantly increased our net loss in comparison to other
periods. This non-cash expense could be reversed, and this valuation allowance could be reduced or eliminated, if warranted by our actual
and projected profitability in the future. We will continue to assess the need for the valuation allowance each quarter.
Product Risks
Product risks generally: We set objectives
for our products that we can achieve, but the achievement of such goals is not a sure thing. The sale of our products is subject to production,
financial, efficacy, regulatory, competitive and other market risks. Elevated standards to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance
required to sell our products continue to evolve. Failure to achieve acceptable biological yields from our production processes can materially
increase our costs of goods sold and reduce our production output, leading to lower margins and an order backlog that could adversely
affect our customer relationships and operating results. First Defense ® is sold, and we expect Re-Tain ®
to be sold, at significant price premiums to competitive products. There is no assurance that we will continue to achieve market acceptance
of the First Defense ® product line, or achieve market acceptance of Re-Tain ® , at a profitable
price level or that we can continue to manufacture our products at a low enough cost to result in a sufficient gross margin to justify
their continued manufacture and sale. As we bring Re-Tain ® to market, these risks could be heightened by the additional
uncertainties associated with introducing a new product requiring a shift in customer behavior.
Sales
risks pertaining to Re-Tain ® : Actual
or prospective Re-Tain ® customers may decide
to discontinue, reduce or avoid usage of Re-Tain ® due
to the following risks:
1) A
rejection of a tank of milk by a positive milk inhibitor test because too much of the milk in a bulk tank is comprised of milk from cows
being treated with Re-Tain ® , when tested
randomly for inhibitors by a milk hauler.
2) A
failed or stalled cheese tank occurs when our recommended on-farm limit of 3% to 5% of milk from cows being treated with Re-Tain ®
is exceeded or not effectively diluted through the milk transportation
and collection system, if a cheese starter culture is used that is susceptible to Nisin.
3) Producers’
current practice generally is to treat only clinical mastitis, which has the visual indicator of abnormal milk. In order to gain market
penetration for Re-Tain ® , we will need to change that practice and increase awareness of the importance of treating
subclinical disease. This will require the producers’ ability and willingness to diagnose without visual indicators. Users of Re-Tain ®
could have unsatisfactory treatment outcomes if they lack the equipment needed to measure and monitor somatic cell counts (SCC)
of the herd or individual cows (for which data is needed). This risk limits our access to treatment cows because about 40% of farms do
not presently access this kind of testing at the cow level, and thus are not good candidates for the use of Re-Tain ® .
4) Lower than anticipated treatment cure rates could be experienced
because the product is administered to cows that we would not identify as the best treatment candidates based on SCC data.
5) Lower than anticipated treatment cure rates could be experienced
because the product is administered to cows that are infected with pathogens outside of our label claims.
6) Off-label use of our product in cows infected with clinical
mastitis before we have run the required studies and achieved a label claim extension for this disease state, resulting in negative treatment
outcomes.
7) Producers either do not choose to use it or might use it improperly,
rather than follow our label instructions to administer one dose after each of three consecutive milkings, or they may limit use within
the herd to avoid the negative outcomes described above.
Reliance on sales of the First Defense ®
product line: We are reliant on the market acceptance of the First Defense ® product line to generate product
sales and fund our operations. Our business would not have been profitable during the years ended December 31, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016,
during the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2017 or during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2019, December 31, 2020, June
30, 2021, September 30, 2021, December 31, 2021 and March 31, 2022 without the gross margin that we earned on sales of the First Defense ®
product line.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Concentration of sales: Sales of the First
Defense ® product line aggregated 99% and 98% of our total product sales during the six-month periods ended June 30,
2022 and 2021, respectively. Our primary customers for the majority of our product sales (92% and 88% during the six-month periods ended
June 30, 2022, and 2021, respectively) are in the U.S. dairy and beef industries. Product sales to international customers, who are also
in the dairy and beef industries, aggregated 8% and 12% of our total product sales during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022, and
2021, respectively. Sales of the First Defense ® product line aggregated 98% of our total product sales during both
of the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Our primary customers for the majority of our product sales (86% and 89% during the years
ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively) are in the U.S. dairy and beef industries. Product sales to international customers, who
are also in the dairy and beef industries, aggregated 14% and 11% of our total product sales during the years ended December 31, 2021
and 2020, respectively. The concentration of our sales from one product into just two markets (the dairy and beef markets) is a risk to
our business. The animal health distribution segment has been aggressively consolidating over the last few years with larger distributors
acquiring smaller distributors. A large portion of our product sales (73% and 74% during the six-month periods ended June 30, 2022 and
2021, respectively, and 73% and 71% during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively) was made to two large distributors.
A large portion of our trade accounts receivable (73% and 72% as of June 30, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively) was due from these
two distributors. We have a good history with these distributors, but the concentration of sales and accounts receivable with a small
number of customers does present a risk to us, including risks related to such customers experiencing financial difficulties or altering
the basis on which they do business with us in a manner unfavorable to us.
Production capacity constraints: We invested
approximately $3.6 million to increase our production capacity (in terms of annual sales dollars) for the First Defense ®
product line from approximately $16.5 million to approximately $23 million based on current selling prices and estimated production yields.
During the fourth quarter of 2021, we reached this new, higher level of production output on an annualized basis. While this capacity
expansion investment has proceeded very close to budget, there is a risk of cost overruns in our ongoing projects and any future production
expansions that we may undertake, and a risk that we will not be able to achieve our production capacity growth objectives on a timely
basis, resulting in a continuing or increasing shortfall in supply to the market. The inability to meet market demand for our products
is a risk to our business. The historically large backlog of orders, as well as any ongoing order backlog, presents a risk that we could
lose customers during this period that are not easily regained thereafter, when our production capacity is expected to meet or exceed
sales demand. During the third quarter of 2021, we initiated additional investments to increase our annual production capacity for the
First Defense ® product line to approximately $35 million which we intend to complete by the end of 2022. We are
making initial plans and investments to further increase our production capacity in 2024 and after. Our plan to continue to expand the
First Defense ® product line requires ongoing review of equipment capacity and utilization across the manufacturing
value stream at the 56 Evergreen Drive facility and our leased facility at 175 Industrial Way, as well as assessment of functional obsolescence
and reliability of equipment. This review and assessment could identify a need to fund unexpected equipment maintenance or replacement
costs.
Product liability: The manufacture and
sale of our products entails a risk of product liability. Our exposure to product liability is mitigated to some extent by the fact that
our products are directed towards the animal health market. We have maintained product liability insurance in an amount which we believe
is reasonable in relation to our potential exposure in this area. We have no history of claims of this nature being made.
Regulatory Risks
Regulatory requirements for the First Defense ®
product line: First Defense ® is sold in the United States subject to a product license from the Center for Veterinary
Biologics, USDA, which was first obtained in 1991, with subsequent approvals of line extensions in 2017 and 2018. As a result, our operations
are subject to periodic inspection by the USDA, and we are at risk of an unfavorable outcome from such inspections. The potency of serial
lots is directly traceable to the original serial used to obtain the product performance claims (the Reference Standard). Due to the unique
nature of the label claims, host animal re-testing is not required as long as periodic laboratory analyses continue to support the stability
of stored Reference Standard. To date, these analyses have demonstrated strong stability. However, if the USDA were not to approve requalification
of the Reference Standard, additional clinical studies could be required to meet regulatory requirements and allow for continued sales
of the product, which could interrupt sales and adversely affect our operating results. Territories outside of the United States may require
additional regulatory oversight that we may not be able to meet with our current facilities, processes and resources.
Regulatory requirements for Re-Tain ® :
The commercial introduction of this product in the United States requires us to obtain FDA approval. Completing the development through
to approval of the NADA by the FDA involves risk. While four of the five required Technical Sections have been approved, the regulatory
development process timeline has been extensive (approximately 14 years from the first FDA submission) and has involved multiple commercial
production strategies and multiple submissions of the Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) Technical Section. Most recently, we
received an Incomplete Letter from the FDA regarding this CMC Technical Section during the third quarter of 2022. The principal issue
remaining is a successful pre-approval re-inspection of our manufacturing facility. We are completing preparations for such and intend
to notify the FDA of our readiness for the re-inspection during the third quarter of 2022. Substantive issues that could have caused further
significant delays did not appear in the FDA comments, indicating that they have been resolved to the FDA’s satisfaction. The other
six comments (in addition to the comment requiring a successful pre-approval re-inspection) received appear not to be substantive and
are not related to the safety or efficacy of the product. We intend to make our third submission of the CMC Technical Section in response
to these questions during the third quarter of 2022. This clarifies the required path to product approval. To reduce the risk associated
with this process, we are working with a qualified contract manufacturer (Norbrook) for alignment of the required validations and Drug
Product manufacture (see discussion above) and have met with the FDA to clarify filing strategy and requirements. Our CMC Technical Section
submission will be subject to a statutory six-month review period by the FDA. We believe we can successfully complete the pre-approval
re-inspection inside of this time frame. Our efforts continue to be subject to inspection and approval by the FDA. There remains a risk
that the required FDA approvals of our product and facilities could be delayed or not obtained. International regulatory approvals would
be required for sales of Re-Tain ® outside of the United States. Sales in these international territories would also
be subject to milk discard and meat withhold restrictions.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Economic Risks Pertaining to the Dairy and Beef Industries
The industry data referred to below is compiled
from USDA databases.
Cattle count: The January count of all
cattle and calves in the United States had steadily declined from 97,000,000 as of January 1, 2007 to 88,500,000 as of January 1, 2014.
Then this figure increased each year reaching 94,800,000 as of January 1, 2019 before declining to 93,800,000 as of both January 1, 2020
and January 1, 2021 and to 91,900,000 as of January 1, 2022. Reflecting seasonal trends, this figure was equal to 102,000,000, 101,000,000
and 98,800,000 as of July 1, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively.
Herd size: Prior to 1957, there were over
20,000,000 cows in the U.S. dairy herd. Prior to 1986, there were over 10,000,000 cows in the U.S. dairy herd. From 1998 through 2021,
the size (annual average) of the U.S. dairy herd ranged from approximately the low of 9,011,000 in 2004 to the high of 9,448,000 in 2021.
This average declined to 9,400,000 during the first half of 2022.
Milk price and feed costs: The dairy market,
similar to many others, has been unstable as a result of the pandemic. The price paid to producers for milk has been very volatile. The
Class III milk price (an industry benchmark that reflects the value of product used to make cheese) is an important indicator because
it defines our customers’ revenue level. This annual average milk price level (measured in dollars per hundred pounds of milk) reached
its highest point (since these prices were first reported in 1980) during 2014 at $22.34 (peaking at $24.60 in September 2014), which
price level has never been repeated. During the year ended December 31, 2020, this average milk price was equal to $18.16, but it was
extremely volatile during the year due largely to disruption in demand related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-month fluctuation of
73% from a low of $12.14 in May 2020 to $21.04 in June 2020 set an all-time record for variability. The average price for 2021 decreased
by 6% to $17.08. With a significant jump to $22.52 during July, this price average increased by 34% to $22.89 during the first seven months
of 2022. The annual fluctuations in this milk price level are demonstrated in the following table:
Average Class III Milk Price During the Years Ended December 31,
(Decrease)
Increase
2014
$ 22.34
2015
$ 15.80
(29 )%
2016
$ 14.87
(6 )%
2017
$ 16.17
9 %
2018
$ 14.61
(10 )%
2019
$ 16.96
16 %
2020
$ 18.16
7 %
2021
$ 17.08
(6 )%
The actual level of milk prices may be less important
than its level relative to feed costs. One measure of this relationship is known as the milk-to-feed price ratio, which represents the
amount of feed that one pound of milk can buy. An increase in feed costs also has a negative impact on the beef industry. This ratio varies
farm-to-farm based on individual operating parameters. Since this ratio reached 3.24 in 2005, it has not exceeded 3.00. This ratio averaged
1.76 for 2021, amounting to a significant decline of 24% from the 2020 average of 2.31. This average has not been lower since 2013. During
the first six months of 2022, this ratio improved by 16% to 2.04. The following table demonstrates the annual volatility and the low values
of this ratio recently:
Average Milk-To-Feed Price Ratio During the Years Ended December 31,
(Decrease)
Increase
2014
2.54
2015
2.14
(16 )%
2016
2.26
6 %
2017
2.42
7 %
2018
2.05
(15 )%
2019
2.25
10 %
2020
2.31
3 %
2021
1.76
(24 )%
Milk cow price: The all-time high value
(annual average) for a milk cow was $1,993 during 2015. Since then, this annual average value steadily declined to $1,205 during 2019
before increasing to $1,300 during 2020 and to $1,363 during 2021. This average price for January and April of 2022 increased to an average
of $1,475.
Market volatility : While the number of
cows in the U.S. herd and the production of milk per cow directly influence the supply of milk, the price for milk is also influenced
by very volatile international demand for milk products. Given our focus on the dairy and beef industries, the volatile market conditions
and the resulting financial insecurities of our primary end users are risks to our ability to maintain and grow sales at a profitable
level. These factors also heighten the challenge of selling premium-priced animal health products (such as Tri-Shield ®
and Re-Tain ® ) into the dairy market.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Small Size of Company
Dependence on key personnel: We are a
small company with 71 employees (including 7 part-time employees). As such, we rely on certain key employees to support multiple operational
functions, with limited redundancy in capacity. The loss of any of these key employees could adversely affect our operations until a qualified
replacement is hired and trained, which could be even more challenging in the present very difficult labor market. Our competitive position
will be highly influenced by our ability to attract, retain and motivate key scientific, manufacturing, managerial and sales and marketing
personnel. With increased manufacturing staffing required to operate our expanded First Defense ® production capacity
and to operate our Re-Tain ® production facility, we anticipate that our employment level could grow to approximately
80 employees during 2022. The cost of attracting and retaining the needed additional personnel in this current job market and inflationary
environment could adversely affect our margins and profitability.
Reliance on outside party to provide certain
services under contract for us: We are exposed to additional regulatory compliance risks through the subcontractors that we choose
to work with to produce Re-Tain ® , who also need to satisfy certain regulatory requirements in order to provide us
with the products and services we need. One example of this outside reliance is Norbrook, our Drug Product (DP) contract manufacturer.
We face the risk of potential supply interruption and adverse effects on the market launch of Re-Tain ® if we do
not effectively manage the end of the DP supply provided from our contract manufacturer for orders scheduled for delivery during 2022
to align with the new supply from our own formulation and aseptic filling facility, which we currently expect to be operational by the
second quarter of 2024. Because Norbrook has elected to terminate this supply agreement effective as of the end of 2022, we are investing
approximately $4 million of the additional capital we raised during the first quarter of 2019 to construct and equip our own DP formulation
and aseptic filling capability for Re-Tain ® inside our existing Drug Substance facility. The objective of this investment
is to end our reliance on an outside party to perform these services for us. Actual project costs could exceed our current estimates.
Completion of this project could be delayed due to a number of factors outside our control, including delays in equipment fabrication,
equipment delivery or facility construction. In addition, there is a risk that we fail to achieve regulatory approval of the new facility
or that such approval is delayed or requires significant additional expenditures to obtain.
Competition from others: Many of our competitors
are significantly larger and more diversified in the relevant markets than we are and have substantially greater financial, marketing,
manufacturing and human resources and more extensive product development and sales/distribution capabilities than we do, including greater
ability to withstand adverse economic or market conditions and declining revenues and/or profitability. Merck and Zoetis, among other
companies, sell products that compete directly with the First Defense ® product line in preventing scours in newborn
calves. The scours product sold by Zoetis sells for approximately half the price of our product, although it does not have an E. coli
claim (which ours does). With Tri-Shield ® , we can now compete more effectively against vaccines that are given to
the mother cow (dam) to improve the quality of the colostrum that she produces for the newborn calf. Elanco, Merck and Zoetis provide
these dam vaccine products to the market. There are many companies competing in the mastitis treatment market, most notably Boehringer
Ingelheim, Merck and Zoetis. The subclinical mastitis products sold by these large companies are well established in the market and are
priced lower than what we expect for Re-Tain ® , but all of them involve traditional antibiotics and are sold subject
to a requirement to discard milk during and for a period of time after treatment (unlike our product which carries zero milk discard and
zero milk withhold claims). There is no assurance that our products will compete successfully in these markets. We may not be aware of
other companies that compete with us or intend to compete with us in the future.
Global Risks
Russia’s unprovoked military invasion
of Ukraine: Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine and attack on its people is having a significant negative impact
on the world economy, worsening trends that were already moving in an unfavorable direction. Among other exposures, the increasing price
of oil is already impacting our transportation-related expenses materially, and we expect this supply stress to increase the cost of petroleum-based
products that we purchase (most plastics etc.). Further, the increasing cost of grain is a risk to our customers’ profitability.
Global COVID-19 pandemic (novel coronavirus,
technically known as SARS-CoV-2): The global COVID-19 pandemic has created, and continues to create, uncertainty and challenges for
us. The emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants and the resulting rising number of positive cases during the latter part of 2021 and
into early 2022 has been a more recent concern. The COVID-19 pandemic has created or contributed to global supply-chain disruptions and
has affected international trade, while creating a worldwide health and economic crisis. While presently there are some indications that
suggest the situation may be improving, the full impact of this viral outbreak on the global economy, and the duration of such impact,
remains very uncertain at this time. Stock market valuations have declined and recovered and remain volatile. Inflation has begun to increase
significantly, and tax rates may increase. There is a risk of a period of economic downturn, the severity and duration of which are difficult
to know. Prior to the pandemic and the responsive federal economic stimulus programs, many feared the United States had taken on too much
national debt. Now the debt load is significantly higher. The dairy market, similar to many others, has been unstable as a result of the
pandemic. The price paid to producers for milk has been very volatile. There is also economic uncertainty for beef producers, as the supply
chain is interrupted or otherwise adversely affected due to closures of processing plants and reduced throughput caused by, among other
things, restaurants closing or curtailing their operations. This is a very unusual situation for farmers that work so hard to improve
production quality and efficiency in order to help feed a growing population with high-quality and cost-effective proteins. A combination
of the conditions, trends and concerns summarized above could have a corresponding negative effect on our business and operations, including
the supply of the colostrum we purchase to produce our First Defense ® product line, the demand for our products
in the U.S. market and our ability to penetrate or maintain a profitable presence in international markets. We are experiencing shortages
in key components and needed products, backlogs and production slowdowns due to difficulties accessing needed supplies and labor and other
restrictions which increase our costs and affect our ability to consistently deliver our products to market in a timely manner. Our exposure
to this risk is mitigated to some extent by the fact that our supply chain is not heavily dependent on foreign manufacturers, by our on-going
cross-training of our employees, by our implementation of remote work practices (where feasible) and by our early and continued compliance
with recommended hygiene and social distancing practices. Despite our best efforts and intentions, there is a risk that an employee could
become infected and could infect others.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Bovine diseases: The potential for epidemics
of bovine diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, Bovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosis and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) presents
a risk to us and our customers. Documented cases of BSE in the United States have led to an overall tightening of regulations pertaining
to ingredients of animal origin, especially bovine. The First Defense ® product line is manufactured from bovine
milk (colostrum), which is not considered a BSE risk material. Future regulatory action to increase protection of the human food supply
could affect the First Defense ® product line, although presently we do not anticipate that this will be the case.
Risks Pertaining to Common Stock
Stock market
valuation and liquidity: Our common stock trades on The Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: ICCC). Our average daily trading volume (which
was approximately 7,517 shares per day during the twenty-day period ended August 2, 2022) is lower, our bid/ask stock price spread can
be larger and our share price can be more volatile than what other companies experience, which could result in investors facing difficulty
selling their stock for proceeds that they may expect or desire. Our share price as of August 2, 2022 was $9.05. Most companies in the
animal health sector have market capitalization values that greatly exceed our current market capitalization of approximately $70 million
as of August 2, 2022. Our product sales during the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2022 were $20 million. This means that our market
valuation as of August 2, 2022 was equal to approximately 3.4 times our sales during the twelve-month period ended June 30, 2022. Before
gross margin from the sale of new products is achieved, our market capitalization may be heavily dependent on the perceived potential
for growth from our product under development and may therefore be negatively affected by the related uncertainties and risks.
Certain
provisions might discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our Company or changes in our management: Provisions of our certificate
of incorporation, our bylaws, our Common Stock Rights Plan or Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or other
change in control that stockholders may consider favorable, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium
for their shares of our common stock. These provisions may also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove
our management. These provisions include:
● limitations
on the removal of directors;
● advance
notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations;
● the
ability of our Board of Directors to alter or repeal our bylaws;
● the
ability of our Board of Directors to refuse to redeem rights issued under our Common Stock Rights Plan or otherwise to limit or suspend
its operation that would work to dilute the stock ownership of a potential hostile acquirer, potentially preventing acquisitions that
have not been approved by our Board of Directors; and
● Section
203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, which prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination
with an interested stockholder (generally defined as a person which together with its affiliates owns, or within the last three years
has owned, 15% of our voting stock, for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested
stockholder) unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner.
The existence
of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could depress the trading price of our common stock or limit the price that investors
might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of our Company, thereby
reducing the likelihood of obtaining a premium for our common stock in an acquisition.
No expectation
to pay any dividends or repurchase stock for the foreseeable future: We do not anticipate paying any dividends to, or repurchasing
stock from, our stockholders for the foreseeable future. Instead, we expect to use cash to fund product development costs and investments
in our facilities and production equipment, and to increase our working capital and to reduce debt. Stockholders must be prepared to rely
on market sales of their common stock after price appreciation to earn an investment return, which may never occur. Any determination
to pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, results
of operations, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable laws, current and anticipated needs for liquidity and other
factors our Board of Directors deems relevant.
Possible
dilution: We may need to access the capital markets again and issue additional common stock in order to fund our growth objectives,
as described elsewhere in this report. Such issuances could have a dilutive effect on our existing stockholders.
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ImmuCell Corporation
Other Risks
Access to raw
materials and contract manufacturing services: Our objective is to maintain more than one source of supply for the components used
to manufacture and test our products that we obtain from third parties. However, we are experiencing difficulty in efficiently acquiring
essential supplies. We have significantly increased the number of farms from which we purchase colostrum for the First Defense ®
product line. A significant reduction in farm capacity could make it difficult for us to produce enough inventory to meet customer demand.
The specific antibodies that we purify from colostrum for the First Defense ® product line are not readily available
from other sources. We are and will be dependent on our manufacturing facilities and operations in Portland for the production of the
First Defense ® product line and Re-Tain ® .
We are currently dependent on one manufacturer for the supply of the syringes used for our gel tube formats of Dual-Force First Defense ®
and Tri-Shield ® . We are actively investigating a second supplier. We
will be dependent on one other manufacturer for the supply of syringes for Re-Tain ® . We are dependent on a contract
with Norbrook for the Drug Product formulation and aseptic filling of our Nisin Drug Substance for orders scheduled for delivery in 2022.
We expect to complete the investment to perform these services in-house during 2022 and achieve the required regulatory approval for use
by the fourth quarter of 2023 or the second quarter of 2024. The facility we are constructing to perform these services in-house will
be subject to FDA inspection and approval, the outcome and timing of which are not within our control. The potential alternative options
for these services are narrowed considerably because our product cannot be formulated or filled in a facility that also processes traditional
antibiotics (i.e., beta lactams). Any significant damage to or other disruption in the services at any of these third-party facilities
or our own facilities (including due to regulatory issues or non-compliance) would adversely affect the production of inventory and result
in significant added expenses and potential loss of future sales.
Failure to protect intellectual property:
In some cases, we have chosen (and may choose in the future) not to seek patent protection for certain products or processes. Instead,
we have sought (and may seek in the future) to maintain the confidentiality of any relevant proprietary technology through trade secrets,
operational safeguards and contractual agreements. Reliance upon trade secret, rather than patent, protection may cause us to be vulnerable
to competitors who successfully replicate (knock off) our manufacturing techniques and processes. Additionally, there can be no assurance
that others may not independently develop similar trade secrets or technology or obtain access to our unpatented trade secrets or proprietary
technology. Other companies may have filed patent applications and may have been issued patents involving products or technologies potentially
useful to us or necessary for us to commercialize our products or achieve our business goals. If that were to be the case, there can be
no assurance that we will be able to obtain licenses to such patents on terms that are acceptable to us. There is also a risk that competitors
could challenge the claims in patents that have been issued to us.
Increasing dependence on the continuous and
reliable operation of our information technology systems: We rely on information systems throughout our company. Any disruption of
these systems or significant security breaches could adversely affect our business. Although we maintain information security policies
and employ system backup measures and engage in information system redundancy planning and processes, such policies, measures, planning
and processes, as well as our current disaster recovery plan may be ineffective or inadequate to address all eventualities. As information
systems and the use of software and related applications by us, our business partners, suppliers, and customers become more cloud-based,
we become inherently more susceptible to cyberattacks. There has been an increase in global cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threats,
including more sophisticated and targeted cyber-related attacks that pose a risk to the security of our information systems and networks
and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of data and information. There are reports of increased activity by hackers and scammers
during the COVID-19 pandemic. Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine may elevate the risk of such cyberattacks. Any such
attack or breach could compromise our networks and the information stored thereon could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen.
While we have invested in our data and information technology infrastructure (including working with an information security technology
consultant to assess and enhance our security systems and procedures, and periodically training our employees in such systems and procedures),
there can be no assurance that these efforts will prevent a system disruption, attack, or security breach and, as such, the risk of system
disruptions and security breaches from a cyberattack remains. We have not experienced any material adverse effect on our business or operations
as a consequence of any such attack or breach but may incur increasing costs in performing the tasks described above. Given the unpredictability
of the timing, nature and scope of such disruptions and the evolving nature of cybersecurity threats, which vary in technique and sources,
if we or our business partners or suppliers were to experience a system disruption, attack or security breach that impacts any of our
critical functions, or our customers were to experience a system disruption, attack or security breach via any of our connected products
and services, we could potentially be subject to production downtimes, operational delays or other detrimental impacts on our operations.
Furthermore, any access to, public disclosure of, or other loss of data or information, including any of our (or our customers’
or suppliers’) confidential or proprietary information or personal data or information, as a result of an attack or security breach
could result in governmental actions or private claims or proceedings, which could damage our reputation, cause a loss of confidence in
our products and services, damage our ability to develop (and protect our rights to) our proprietary technologies and have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. While this exposure is common to all companies,
larger companies with greater resources may be better able to mitigate this risk than we can.
49
ImmuCell Corporation
ITEM 2 - UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
AND USE OF PROCEEDS
None
ITEM 3 - DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None
ITEM 4 - MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
None
ITEM 5 - OTHER INFORMATION
None
ITEM 6 – EXHIBITS
Exhibit 4.1
Amendment to Rights Agreement dated as of August 10, 2022.
Exhibit 31
Certifications required by Rule 13a-14(a).
Exhibit 32
Certification pursuant to Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS
XBRL
Instance Document-the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the
Inline XBRL 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-the cover page interactive data file does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags
are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
50
ImmuCell Corporation
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of Section
13 or 15(d) 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.
ImmuCell Corporation
Registrant
Date:
November 21, 2022
By:
/s/ Michael F. Brigham
Michael F. Brigham
President, Chief Executive Officer and
Principal Financial
Officer
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ImmuCell Corporation
Exhibit Index
Exhibit 4.1
Amendment to Rights Agreement dated as of August 10, 2022.
Exhibit 31
Certifications required by Rule 13a-14(a).
Exhibit 32
Certification pursuant to Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
52
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.