Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM
1A. RISK FACTORS.
Our
business is subject to a number of risks. You should carefully consider the following risk factors, together with all of the other information
included or incorporated by reference in this report, before you decide whether to purchase our common stock. These factors are not intended
to represent a complete list of the general or specific risks that may affect us. It should be recognized that other risks may be significant,
presently or in the future, and the risks set forth below may affect us to a greater extent than indicated. If any of the following risks
occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. In such case, the trading
price of our common stock could decline, and you many lose all or part of your investment.
Forward-looking
statements in this document and those we make from time to time through our senior management are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements concerning the expected future revenue or earnings
or concerning projected plans, performance, or development of products and services, as well as other estimates related to future operations
are necessarily only estimates of future results. We cannot assure you that actual results will not materially differ from expectations.
Forward-looking statements represent our current expectations and are inherently uncertain. We do not undertake any obligation to update
forward-looking statements.
Summary
of Risk Factors
The
summary below provides a non-exhaustive overview of the risks that if realized could materially harm our business, prospects, operating
results and financial condition. This summary is qualified by reference to the full set of risk factors set forth in this Item.
●
We
will need to raise additional capital to fund our operations in the future. If we are unsuccessful in attracting new capital, we
may not be able to continue operations or may be forced to sell assets to do so. Capital may not be available to us on favorable
terms, or if at all. If available, financing terms may lead to dilution of our stockholders’ equity.
●
Our
independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going
concern in its report on our audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal year ended June
30, 2023.
●
Neither
we nor the Licensor have yet launched the SGT and the ability to do so will depend on the acceptance of the SGT in the Global healthcare
market.
●
We
have incurred significant losses since inception and continue to incur losses, and we may not be able to achieve significant revenues
or profitability.
●
We
depend on a limited number of single-source suppliers to manufacture certain components of IFP Drug Screening System, which makes
us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations that could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
27
●
Our
results may be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
●
The
license agreement with the Licensor, which covers technology used in our Biosensor Platform, contains risks that may have a material
adverse effect on us and our business, assets and its prospects.
●
If
the SGT fails to satisfy current or future customer requirements, we may be required to make significant expenditures to redesign
the product candidate, and we may have insufficient resources to do so.
●
We
are yet to finalize the manufacturing plan for the production of the SGT on a commercial scale, and may be dependent upon third-party
manufacturers and suppliers, making us vulnerable to contractual relationships and market forces, supply problems and price fluctuations,
which could harm our business.
●
We
expect to rely in part on third-party distributors to effectively distribute our products, if our distributors fail to effectively
market and sell the SGT and IFP products in full compliance with applicable laws, our operating results and business may suffer.
●
As
we intend to conduct business internationally, we are susceptible to risks associated with international relationships, which could
adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
●
If
third-party payors do not provide coverage and reimbursement for the use of the SGT and IFP products, our business and prospects
may be negatively impacted.
●
Non-United
States governments often impose price controls, which may adversely affect our profitability.
●
The
SGT and IFP Drug Screening System may contain undetected errors, which could limit our ability to provide our products and services
and diminish the attractiveness of our service offerings.
●
We
will rely on the proper function, security and availability of our information technology systems and data to operate our business,
and a breach, cyber-attack or other disruption to these systems or data could materially and adversely affect our business, results
of operations, financial condition, cash flows, reputation or competitive position.
●
If
we are not able to attract and retain highly skilled managerial, scientific and technical personnel, we may not be able to implement
our business model successfully.
●
If
we or our manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulations, our proposed operations could be interrupted, and our operating
results may be negatively impacted.
●
We
may be subject to healthcare laws which, if violated, could subject us to substantial penalties.
●
Product
liability suits, whether or not meritorious, could be brought against us due to an alleged defective product or for the misuse of
the SGT and IFP Drug Screening System.
28
●
If
we are found to have violated laws protecting the confidentiality of patient health information, we could be subject to penalties,
which could increase our liabilities and harm our reputation or our business.
●
The
regulatory approval process which we may be required to navigate may be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain and may prevent
us from obtaining clearance for the product launch of the SGT and IFP products in certain jurisdiction or our any future product.
●
Clinical
data obtained subsequent to the implementation of the clinical evidence module may not meet the required objectives, which could
delay, limit or prevent additional regulatory approval.
●
We
may be unable to complete required clinical evaluations, or we may experience significant delays in completing such clinical evaluations,
which could prevent or significantly delay our targeted product launch timeframe and impair our business plan.
●
We
are subject to the risk of reliance on third parties to conduct our clinical evaluation work, their inability to comply with good
clinical practice and relevant regulation could adversely affect the clinical development of our product candidates and harm our
business.
●
Our
success will depend on our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights.
●
We
understand that the External Administrator of LSBD (the Licensor of our SGT and COV2T products), sent notice to the creditors on July 24, 2023, stating that LSBD has appointed a liquidator on July 21, 2023.
Our understanding is that the ownership of the intellectual property rights licensed by us reverts the University of Newcastle. There is an inherent
risk related to the possibility of modifications to our rights to, or the Company’s ability to use, the Licensed Products,
which could materially and adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, and operating results
●
We
depend on intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT products, and any absence of legal effect of the license or
dispute over the license would significantly harm our business.
●
We
will depend primarily on the Licensor to file, prosecute, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property that we license from
it and that is material to our business.
●
We
and the Licensor may be unable to protect or enforce the intellectual property rights licensed to us, which could impair our competitive
position.
●
We
and the Licensor have limited foreign intellectual property rights and may not be able to protect those intellectual property rights,
which means that we and/or Licensor may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions or from selling or importing
products made using those inventions.
29
●
We
and the Licensor may be subject to claims challenging the invention of the intellectual property we license.
●
Our
products and operations are subject to extensive government regulation. If we
fail to obtain and maintain necessary regulatory approvals current IFP products, or if approvals for future products and indications
are delayed or not issued, it will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations
●
We
face intense competition in the self-monitoring of glucose market, particularly blood-based products, and as a result we may be unable
to effectively compete in our industry.
●
If
we or the Licensor fail to respond quickly to technological or other developments, our products may become uncompetitive and obsolete.
●
Changes
in the economic, political or social conditions or government policies in Asia-Pacific region (the “APAC Region”) could
have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
●
We
may not be able to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq or maintain the listing of our common stock on Nasdaq.
●
We
have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation of the material weaknesses
is not effective, or if we experience additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system
of internal controls in the future, we may not be able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations,
which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
●
We
are obligated to maintain a system of effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our analysis of our
internal control over financial reporting in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which
may harm investor confidence in our company and the value of our common stock.
●
We
are an emerging growth company and currently have limited accounting personnel and other supervisory resources.
●
Raising
additional capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies
or products.
●
If
we are unable to achieve certain agreed milestones for the government grant we received, we may become liable to refund the grant
we received.
●
We
may have difficulties integrating acquired businesses and as result, our business, results of operations and/or financial condition
may be materially adversely affected.
30
Risks
Related to Our Business
We
will need to raise additional capital to fund our operations in the future. If we are unsuccessful in attracting new capital, we may
not be able to continue operations or may be forced to sell assets to do so. Alternatively, capital may not be available to us on favorable
terms, or if at all. If available, financing terms may lead to significant dilution of our stockholders’ equity .
We
are not profitable and have had negative cash flow from operations since our inception. To fund our operations and develop and commercialize
our products (including the SGT and planned applications of IFP Drug Screening System), we have relied primarily on equity and debt financings
and government support income. The Company expects that its cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2023, of approximately $1.54 million,
will be insufficient to allow the Company to fund its current operating plan through the twelve months from the issuance of its financial
statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue
as a going concern for a period of at least one year from the date those financial statements were issued. Accordingly, the Company is
required to raise additional funds during the 12 months following the issuance of those financial statements. Additional capital may
not be available at such times or amounts as needed by us.
Even
if capital is available, it might be available only on unfavorable terms. Any additional equity or convertible debt financing into which
we enter could be dilutive to our existing stockholders. Any future debt financing into which we enter may impose covenants upon us that
restrict our operations, including limitations on our ability to incur liens or additional debt, pay dividends, repurchase our stock,
make certain investments and engage in certain merger, consolidation or asset sale transactions. Any debt financing or additional equity
that we raise may contain terms that are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we raise additional funds through collaboration
and licensing arrangements with third parties, we may need to relinquish rights to our technologies or our products or grant licenses
on terms that are not favorable to us. If access to sufficient capital is not available as and when needed, our business will be materially
impaired, and we may be required to cease operations, curtail one or more product development or commercialization programs, scale back
or eliminate the development of business opportunities, or significantly reduce expenses, sell assets, seek a merger or joint venture
partner, file for protection from creditors or liquidate all of our assets. Any of these factors could harm our operating results.
Our
independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern
in its report on our audited financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the Fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.
The
report from our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended June 30, 2023, includes an explanatory paragraph stating
that our losses from operations and required additional funding to finance our operations raise substantial doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern for a period of one year after the date the financial statements are issued. If we are unable to obtain sufficient
funding, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected, and we may
be unable to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to continue as a going concern, we may have to liquidate our assets and may
receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our audited financial statements, and it is likely that investors will
lose all or a part of their investment. If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide
additional funding to us on commercially reasonable terms or at all. There can be no assurance that the current operating plan will be
achieved in the time frame anticipated by us, or that our cash resources will fund our operating plan for the period anticipated by the
Company or that additional funding will be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all.
31
Neither
we nor the Licensor have yet launched the SGT and the ability to do so will depend on the acceptance of the SGT in the Global healthcare
market.
Neither
we nor the Licensor has yet launched the SGT and neither has received regulatory approvals in any country or territory. We are faced
with the risk that the SGT will be accepted in their respective jurisdictions over competing products and that we will be unable to enter
the marketplace or compete effectively. Factors that could affect our ability to establish the SGT or any future diagnostic test based
on the Biosensor Platform include:
●
sales
of the SGT across their respective jurisdictions may be limited due to the complex nature of the healthcare system in each country
and territory in the region, low average personal income, lack of patient cost reimbursement and pricing controls;
●
the
development of products or devices which could result in a shift of customer preferences away from our device and services and significantly
decrease revenue;
●
the
increased use of improved diabetes drugs that could encourage certain diabetics to test less often, resulting in less usage of self-monitoring
(saliva-based, blood-based or otherwise) test device for certain types of diabetics;
●
the
challenges of developing (or acquiring externally developed) technology solutions that are adequate and competitive in meeting the
requirements of next-generation design challenges;
●
the
significant number of current competitors in the glucose monitoring market who have significantly greater brand recognition and more
recognizable trademarks and who have established relationships with diabetes healthcare providers and payors; and
●
intense
competition to attract acquisition targets, which may make it more difficult for us to acquire companies or technologies at an acceptable
price or at all.
We
cannot assure you that the SGT or any future diagnostic test based on the Biosensor Platform will gain market acceptance. If the market
for the SGT or any future test fails to develop or develops more slowly than expected, or if any of the technology and standards supported
by us do not achieve or sustain market acceptance, our business and operating results would be materially and adversely affected.
We
are subject to the risks associated with new businesses generally.
We
were formed in December 2016 as a new business with a plan to commercialize our licensed technology. Our limited operating history may
not be adequate to enable you to fully assess our ability to develop and market the SGT and other tests based on the Biosensor Platform,
achieve market acceptance of the SGT and such other tests and respond to competition. Our efforts to date have related to the organization
and formation of our company, strategic planning, product research and development and preparation for commencing regulatory trials.
We acquired IFP in October 2022, which generates minimal revenue. Prior to the acquisition of IFP, the Company’s operations generated
no revenue other than income classified as governmental support income received in connection with grants from Australian Government.
As at the date of this filing, revenue generated from the sales of IFP products are not enough to cover our operation costs. Therefore,
we are, and expect for the foreseeable future to be, subject to all the risks and uncertainties, inherent in a new business focused on
the development and sale of new medical devices and related software applications. As a result, we may be unable to further develop,
obtain regulatory approval for, manufacture, market, sell and derive revenues from the SGT and the other products in our pipeline based
on the Biosensor Platform, and our inability to do so would materially and adversely impact our business. In addition, we still must
optimize many functions necessary to operate a business, including expanding our managerial, personnel and administrative structure,
continuing product research and development, and assessing and commencing our marketing activities.
32
In
addition, in connection with our recent acquisition of IFP, there are risks relating to the integration of IFP with the Company, including with
regard to integrating technology, processes, information systems and other matters that can lead to challenges in economies of scale
and leadership.
Accordingly,
you should consider our prospects in light of the costs, uncertainties, delays and difficulties frequently encountered by companies that
have not yet commercialized their products or services, particularly those in the medical device and digital health fields. In particular,
potential investors should consider that there is a significant risk that we will not be able to:
●
implement
or execute our current business plan, or that our business plan is sound;
●
maintain
our management team and Board of Directors;
●
determine
that the technologies that have been developed are commercially viable;
●
attract,
enter into or maintain contracts with, and retain customers; and
●
raise
any necessary additional funds in the capital markets or otherwise to effectuate our business plan.
In
the event that we do not successfully address these risks, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could
be materially and adversely affected.
We
have incurred significant losses since inception and continue to incur losses, and we may not be able to achieve significant revenues
or profitability.
Since
our inception, we have engaged primarily in development activities. We have financed our operations primarily through financing from
the issuance of common stock, convertible preferred stock, convertible notes and the incurrence of debt and have incurred losses since
inception, including a net loss of $7,037,286 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 and a net loss of $8,306,051 for the fiscal year
ended June 30, 2022 and a net loss of $10,631,720 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023. On unaudited pro-forma result prepared
as if we closed the IFP Acquisition (defined below) on July 1, 2021 (and including adjustments for amortization related to the valuation
of acquired intangibles), we incurred a net loss of $12,220,415 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 and a net loss of $11,873,274
for the fiscal year ended June 30 2023. We do not know whether or when we will become profitable.
Our
ability to generate higher revenue and achieve profitability depends upon our ability, alone or with others, to complete the
development process of our products, including regulatory approvals, and achieve substantial acceptance in the marketplace for our
existing IFP products. We may be unable to achieve any or all of these goals.
We
rely on third parties to perform certain confirmatory tests for our IFP Drug Screening System.
We
rely on third-party service providers to analyze samples collected from our confirmatory kit of the IFP Drug Screening System. We contract
with third-party laboratory service provider to perform confirmation testing on the samples collected. This service is critical and there
are relatively few alternatives. These third-party service providers may be unwilling or unable to provide the necessary services reliably
and at the levels we anticipate or that are required by the market. While these third-party service providers have generally met our
demand for their services on a timely basis in the past, we cannot guarantee that they will in the future be able to meet our demand
for their services or our service providers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with
us. If we are required to change service providers for any reason, including due to any change in or termination of our relationships
with these third parties, we may lose sales, experience delays, incur increased costs or otherwise experience impairment to our customer
relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at
all.
33
We
depend on a limited number of single-source suppliers to manufacture certain components of IFP Drug Screening System, which makes us
vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations that could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We
rely on single-source suppliers for certain components of our IFP Drug Screening System and materials for our other current products.
These components and materials are critical and there are no or relatively few alternative sources of supply. These single-source suppliers
may be unwilling or unable to supply the necessary materials and components or manufacture and assemble our products reliably and at
the levels we anticipate or that are required by the market. While our suppliers have generally met our demand for their products and
services on a timely basis in the past, we cannot guarantee that they will in the future be able to meet our demand for their products
or our suppliers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us. If we are required to
change suppliers due to any change in or termination of our relationships with these third parties, or if our suppliers are unable to
obtain the materials, they need to produce our products at consistent prices or at all, we may lose sales, experience manufacturing or
other delays, incur increased costs or otherwise experience impairment to our customer relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will
be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all.
If
we fail to retain marketing and sales personnel, or if we fail to increase our marketing and sales capabilities as we grow, or if we
fail to develop broad awareness of our product in a cost-effective manner, we may not be able to generate revenue growth.
We
have limited experience marketing and selling our products. We currently primarily rely on our direct sales force to sell our products
in targeted geographic regions and distributors in certain regions including the United Kingdom, and any failure to maintain and grow
our direct sales force will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The members of our direct
sales force are highly trained and possess substantial technical expertise, which we believe is critical in increasing adoption of our
products. The members of our U.K. sales force are at-will employees. The loss of these personnel to competitors, or otherwise, will negatively
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. If we are unable to retain our direct sales force personnel or replace
them with individuals of equivalent technical expertise and qualifications, or if we are unable to successfully install such technical
expertise in replacement personnel, it may negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In
order to generate future growth, we plan to continue to expand and leverage our sales and marketing infrastructure to increase the number
of customers. Identifying and recruiting qualified sales and marketing personnel and training them on our product, on applicable laws
and regulations and on our internal policies and procedures requires significant time, expense and attention. It often takes several
months or more before a sales representative is fully trained and productive. Our sales force may subject us to higher fixed costs than
those of companies with competing techniques or products that utilize independent third parties, which could place us at a competitive
disadvantage. It will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations if our efforts to expand and train
our sales force do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue, and our higher fixed costs may slow our ability to reduce costs
in the face of a sudden decline in demand for our products. Any failure to hire, develop and retain talented sales personnel, to achieve
desired productivity levels in a reasonable period of time or timely reduce fixed costs, could negatively affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations.
Our
ability to increase our customer base and achieve broader market acceptance of our product will depend to a significant extent on our
ability to expand our marketing efforts. We plan to dedicate significant resources to our marketing programs, as we plan to further plan
to expand our geographical reach especially in the APAC Region and the North America region. It will negatively affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations if our marketing efforts and expenditures do not generate a corresponding increase in revenue.
In addition, we believe that developing and maintaining broad awareness of our product in a cost-effective manner is critical to achieving
broad acceptance of our product and expanding domestically and internationally.
34
Our
results of operations will be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast customer demand for our products and manage our
inventory.
To
ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and manufacture our products based on our estimates of future demand
for our solution. Our ability to accurately forecast demand for our solution could be negatively affected by many factors, including
our failure to accurately manage our expansion strategy, product introductions by competitors, an increase or decrease in customer demand
for our products or products of our competitors, our failure to accurately forecast customer acceptance of new products, unanticipated
changes in general market conditions or regulatory matters and weakening of economic conditions or consumer confidence in future economic
conditions.
Inventory
levels in excess of customer demand may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs, which would cause our gross margin to be adversely
affected and could impair the strength of our brand. Conversely, if we underestimate customer demand for our products, our internal manufacturing
team may not be able to deliver products to meet our requirements, and this could result in damage to our reputation and customer relationships.
In addition, if we experience a significant increase in demand, additional supplies of raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity
may not be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or suppliers or may not be able to allocate sufficient
capacity in order to meet our increased requirements, which will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We
seek to maintain sufficient levels of inventory in order to protect ourselves from supply interruptions. As a result, we are subject
to the risk that a portion of our inventory will become obsolete or expire, which could have a material adverse effect on our earnings
and cash flows due to the resulting costs associated with the inventory impairment charges and costs required to replace such inventory.
If
our facilities become damaged or inoperable, we will be unable to continue to research, develop and supply our product which could negatively
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations until we are able to secure a new facility and rebuild our inventory.
We
do not have redundant facilities. We perform substantially all of our manufacturing, research and development and back office activity
for our IFP products in a single location at our Cambridge office in the United Kingdom. We store our finished goods inventory at the
same facility. Our facilities, equipment and inventory would be costly to replace and could require substantial lead time to repair or
replace. The facilities will be harmed or rendered inoperable by natural or man-made disasters, including, but not limited to, earthquakes,
flooding, fire and power outages, which may render it difficult or impossible for us to perform our research, development and commercialization
activities for some period of time for IFP Drug Screening System. The inability to perform those activities, combined with the time it
may take to rebuild our manufacturing capabilities, inventory of finished product, may result in the loss of customers or harm to our
reputation. Although we possess insurance for damage to our property and the disruption of our business, this insurance may not be sufficient
to cover all of our potential losses and this insurance may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all.
Our
ability to achieve profitability depends in part on maintaining or increasing our gross margins on product sales which we may not be
able to achieve.
A
number of factors may adversely impact our gross margins on product sales and services, including:
●
lower
than expected manufacturing yields of high-cost components leading to increased manufacturing costs;
●
shortages
of electric components resulting in higher prices or an inability to supply key parts;
●
low
production volume which will result in high levels of overhead cost per unit of production;
●
the
timing of revenue recognition and revenue deferrals;
●
increased
material or labor costs;
●
increased
service or warranty costs or the failure to reduce service or warranty costs;
●
increased
price competition;
●
variation
in the margins across products in a particular period; and
●
how
well we execute on our strategic and operating plans.
If
we are unable to maintain or increase our gross margins on product sales, our results of operations could be adversely impacted, we may
not achieve profitability and our stock price could decline.
35
Our
results may be impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
A
significant proportion of our sales are outside of the United States, and a majority of those are denominated in foreign currencies,
which exposes us to foreign currency risks, including changes in currency exchange rates. We do not currently engage in any hedging transactions.
If we are unable to address these risks and challenges effectively, our international operations may not be successful, and our business
could be harmed.
The
license agreement with the Licensor, which covers the license of the core technology used in our Biosensor Platform products, contains
significant risks that may have a material adverse effect on us and our business, assets and its prospects.
The
Amended and Restated Technology License Agreement dated September 12, 2019, which amends and restates all previous license agreements
(the “SGT License Agreement”) is limited to the APAC Region. We have no contractual rights to the intellectual property covered
in the SGT License Agreement other than as expressly set forth therein. Our plans, business, prospects are substantially dependent on
that intellectual property and subject to the limitations relating thereto as set forth in the SGT License Agreement:
●
The
SGT license granted to us is limited in territorial scope. The Licensor granted us a license to its proprietary rights in the biosensor
technology used in the products from Licensor (the “Licensed Products”) solely in the APAC Region, and primarily to act
as authorized party for obtaining regulatory approval and to manufacture (subject to being approved as an Authorized Supplier by
the Licensor) for use in the APAC Region, and to promote, market, import, offer sell and distribute the Licensed Products in the
APAC Region. We may not exploit or seek to exploit any rights in respect of the Licensed Product outside of the APAC Region through
any means, including digitally or online where the end user is not physically resident in the APAC Region. Accordingly, to the extent
that such users are prohibited, we will be unable to realize any commercialization from such users and ensure that such users do
not do business with us, even as such commercialization and business might be appropriate, related, synergistic or enhanced by our
operations. In addition, we may be responsible for costs and other liabilities that might arise to the extent that users outside
the APAC Region obtain such access and may incur costs to comply with these prohibitions. Further, the non-coverage of digital or
online use for users not physically in the APAC Region may constitute a material limitation on our ability to freely conduct business
digitally, online or through any other medium that may reach outside of the APAC Region. This limitation may have a material adverse
effect on our marketing, sales, operational and other business efforts.
●
After
the receipt of regulatory approval in a jurisdiction, we may be required to pay the Minimum Royalty with respect to such jurisdiction
regardless of the actual amount of sales by us of Licensed Products. Accordingly, although the Minimum Royalty is based on our projected
sales in each such jurisdiction, and although the determination of the Minimum Royalty is subject to agreement between us and the
Licensor as to certain parameters, as described elsewhere in this report, with disputes generally resolved by an independent third-party,
we could be obligated to pay royalties even though we have generated no or limited revenue. Such payments could materially and adversely
affect our profitability and could limit our investment in our business.
●
The
Licensed Products include only products that are supplied by an Authorized Supplier. Accordingly, we will not have unfettered right
to select our suppliers, regardless of whether an unauthorized supplier could provide products on better pricing, delivery, quality
or other terms, thus potentially materially and adversely impacting those aspects of our business, economies, profitability and prospects.
36
●
We
are required to collect and anonymize demographic information about the end users of the Licensed Products, as well as data acquired
from the Licensed Products. The data collection and retention may be expensive in cost, resources, legal and regulatory compliance
and other ways, none of which costs can be quantified at this time. Further, changing regulations with respect to medical and similar
such data may make such compliance beyond the scope of our capabilities. Any failure to comply may result in financial liability,
as well as reputational harm.
●
The
license is non-transferable, non-assignable and non-sublicensable, except that the Licensor will in good faith consider any request
by us for any sublicense. The Licensor is not obligated to agree to any such sub-license. These restrictions may limit our flexibility
to structure our operations in the most advantageous manner.
●
We
must manufacture, promote, market, import, offer, sell, distribute and supply the Licensed Products in accordance with certain distribution
requirements set forth in the License Agreement. For instance, we may not package the Licensed Products with other products, and
we may deliver them only as supplied by an Authorized Supplier. Accordingly, the limitations imposed by the License Agreement may
impact our ability to pursue certain marketing strategies and distribution channels, which may have a material adverse effect on
us and our business, assets and prospects.
●
The
Licensor may require any change to any Licensed Product by any Authorized Supplier and may make any change to any sales or promotional
literature made available by the Licensor, provided that such changes do not affect any regulatory approvals we obtain. This right
of the Licensor may create material expense for us, may be practically difficult to accomplish and may cause relationship, reputational
and other adverse harm to us, our business and our prospects, without our having any control over these changes. Further, the Licensor
is not liable for any of the costs to us of such changes.
●
We
must file for, prosecute the application for, and obtain all regulatory approvals for each of the Licensed Products and all legal
permits necessary for promoting, marketing, offering or selling each Licensed Product. The regulatory approval process can be expensive
and time consuming, and there can be no assurances that we will be able to obtain or maintain any or all required permits.
●
Except
with respect to the Licensor’s ownership of all intellectual property rights in respect of the licensed property and the non-infringement
by our exercise of those rights, the Licensor provides no, and disclaims all, representations, warranties or covenants relating to
the licensed intellectual property or any other matters under the License Agreement and in particular disclaims any fitness of the
property for any purpose. These provisions limit our recourse in the event that the licensed intellectual property is flawed, defective,
inadequate, incomplete, uncommercial, wrongly described or otherwise not useful for our purposes. We have not independently verified
any of the technical, scientific, commercial, legal, medical or other circumstances or nature of the licensed intellectual property
and therefore there can be no assurances that any of the foregoing risks have been reduced or eliminated. These provisions represent
a significant risk of a material adverse impact on us, our business and our prospects.
We
cannot accurately predict the volume or timing of any sales of any of our products, making the timing of any associated revenues uncertain
and difficult to forecast.
We
may be faced with lengthy and unpredictable customer evaluation and approval processes associated with the SGT and our other products.
Consequently, we may incur substantial expenses and devote significant management effort and expense in developing customer adoption
of our products, which may not result in revenue generation for those products. We must also obtain regulatory approvals our products
in the respective jurisdiction, which is subject to risk and potential delays, and may actually occur. The same risks apply to other
tests we may develop based on the Biosensor Platform and planned tests from IFP Drug Screening System. As such, we cannot accurately
predict the volume, if any, or timing of any future sales.
37
If
the SGT fails to satisfy current or future customer requirements, we may be required to make significant expenditures to redesign the
product candidate, and we may have insufficient resources to do so.
The
SGT is being designed to address an existing marketplace and must comply with current and evolving customer requirements in order to
gain market acceptance. There is a risk that the SGT will not meet anticipated customer requirements or desires. If we are required to
redesign our products to address customer demands or otherwise modify our business model, we may incur significant unanticipated expenses
and losses, and we may be left with insufficient resources to engage in such activities. If we are unable to redesign our products, develop
new products or modify our business model to meet customer desires or any other customer requirements that may emerge, our operating
results would be materially adversely affected, and our business might fail.
We
are yet to finalize the manufacturing plan for the production of the SGT and its components on a mass market commercial scale, and may
be dependent upon third-party manufacturers and suppliers, making us vulnerable to contractual relationships and market forces, supply
shortages and problems and price fluctuations, which could harm our business.
While
we are using the facilities of Australian National Fabrication Facility to manufacture the SGB for clinical evaluation, we are yet to
finalize the manufacturing plan for the production of the SGT and its components on a mass market commercial scale. We presently do not
possess the manufacturing and processing capacity to meet the production requirements of consumer demand in a timely manner. Accordingly,
we may rely on outsourcing the manufacturing of the SGT or its components. Our capacity to conduct clinical evaluation and launch our
products in the market will depend in part on our ability or the ability of third-party manufacturers to provide our products on a large
scale, at a competitive cost and in accordance with regulatory requirements. We cannot guarantee that we or our third-party manufacturers
or suppliers will be able to provide the SGT and its components in mass-market quantities in a timely or cost-effective manner, or at
all. Delays in providing or increasing production or processing capacity could result in additional expense or delays in our clinical
evaluation, regulatory submissions and the market launch of our products. In addition, we or our third-party manufacturers or suppliers
could make errors that could adversely affect the efficacy or safety of the SGT or cause delays in shipment. Any third-party party manufacturers
or suppliers may encounter problems for a variety of reasons, including, for example, failure to follow specific protocols and procedures,
failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, equipment malfunction and environmental factors, failure to properly
conduct their own business affairs, and infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, any of which could delay or impede
their ability to meet our requirements. Reliance on these third-party manufacturers or suppliers also subjects us to other risks where:
●
we
may have difficulty locating and qualifying alternative manufacturers or suppliers;
●
switching
manufacturers or suppliers may require product redesign and possibly submission to regulatory bodies, which could significantly impede
or delay our commercial activities;
●
sole-source
manufacturers or suppliers could fail to supply the SGT or components of the SGT; and
●
manufacturers
or suppliers could encounter financial or other business hardships unrelated to us, interfering with their fulfilment of our orders
and requirements.
We
may not be able to quickly establish additional or alternative manufacturers or suppliers, if necessary, in part because we may need
to undertake additional activities to establish such manufacturers or suppliers as required by the regulatory approval process. We potentially
will rely on certain single-source manufacturers or suppliers, and to the extent we do so, these risks will be intensified. Any interruption
or delay in obtaining products or components from our third-party manufacturers or suppliers, or shortages of products or components,
could impair our ability to meet the demand of our customers and cause them to switch to competing products.
38
We
expect to rely in part on third-party distributors to effectively distribute our products, if our distributors fail to effectively market
and sell the SGT and IFP products in full compliance with applicable laws, our operating results and business may suffer.
We
will depend in part on qualified distributors for the marketing and selling of our products. We will depend on these distributors’
efforts to market our products, yet we will be unable to control their efforts completely. While we entered into non-binding memoranda
of understanding with two large distributors in China for the SGT, we have not yet executed any definitive distribution agreements in
this regard and there can be no assurances that suitable distributors will be engaged on terms acceptable to us. These distributors typically
would sell a variety of other, non-competing products that may limit the resources they dedicate to selling our products. In addition,
we are unable to ensure that our distributors will comply with all applicable laws regarding the sale of our products. If our distributors
fail to effectively market and sell our products in full compliance with applicable laws, our operating results and business may suffer.
Recruiting and retaining qualified third-party distributors and training them in our technology and product offering will require significant
time and resources. To develop and expand our distribution, we will be required to scale and improve our processes and procedures that
support our distributors. Further, if our relationship with a successful distributor terminates, we may be unable to replace that distributor
without disruption to our business. If we fail to develop or maintain positive relationships with our distributors, including in new
markets, fail to manage, train or incentivize these distributors effectively, or fail to provide distributors with competitive products
on attractive terms, or if these distributors are not successful in their sales efforts, we may not achieve or may have a reduction in
revenue and our operating results, reputation and business would be harmed.
Failure
in our conventional, online and digital marketing efforts could impact our ability to generate sales.
We
intend to engage in conventional marketing strategies and also may utilize online and digital marketing in order to create awareness
to the SGT and the IFP products. Our management believes that using a wide variety of marketing strategies, including online advertisement
and a variety of other pay-for-performance methods may be effective for marketing and generating sales of the SGT and the IFP products,
as opposed to relying exclusively on traditional, expensive retail channels. In any event, there is a risk that any or all of our marketing
strategies could fail. We cannot predict whether the use of traditional and/or non-traditional retail sales tools, in combination with
reliance on healthcare providers to educate our customers about the SGT and the IFP products, will be successful in effectively marketing
the SGT and the IFP products. The failure of our marketing efforts could negatively impact our ability to generate sales.
As
we intend to conduct business internationally, we are susceptible to risks associated with international relationships, which could adversely
impact our results of operations and financial condition
We
are based in the United States, and expect to market, promote and sell our products globally. The international nature of our business
requires significant management attention, which could negatively affect our business if it diverts their attention from their other
responsibilities. In addition, doing business with foreign customers subjects us to additional risks that companies do not generally
face if they operate exclusively within a single jurisdiction. These risks and uncertainties include:
●
different
regulatory requirements for medical product approvals in foreign countries;
●
different
standards of care in various countries that could complicate the evaluation of our product candidates;
●
different
medical product import and export rules;
●
different
labor laws;
●
reduced
protection for intellectual property rights in certain countries;
●
unexpected
changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;
39
●
different
reimbursement systems and different competitive medical products indicated for glucose testing;
●
localization
of products and services, including translation of foreign languages;
●
delivery,
logistics and storage costs;
●
longer
accounts receivable payment cycles and difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;
●
difficulties
providing customer services;
●
economic
weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
●
compliance
with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;
●
compliance
with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the “FCPA,” and other anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws;
●
foreign
taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
●
foreign
currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenues, and other obligations incident to
doing business in another country;
●
restrictions
on the repatriation of earnings;
●
workforce
uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;
●
potential
liability resulting from development work conducted by third-party foreign distributors; and
●
business
interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters, management, communication, and
integration problems resulting from cultural differences and geographic dispersion.
The
occurrence of any or all of these risks could adversely affect our business. In the event that we are unable to manage the complications
associated with international operations, our results of operations, financial condition and business prospects could be materially and
adversely affected.
If
third-party payors do not provide coverage and reimbursement for the use of the SGT and IFP products, our business and prospects may
be negatively impacted.
Third-party
payors, whether governmental or commercial, are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. In addition,
in certain countries, no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services exists among third-party
payors. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for medical device products and services can differ significantly from payor to payor.
In addition, payors continually review new technologies for possible coverage and can, without notice, deny coverage for these new products
and procedures. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to
provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate
reimbursement will be obtained or maintained if obtained. Reimbursement systems in international markets vary significantly by country
and by region within some countries, and reimbursement approvals must be obtained on a country-by-country basis. In many international
markets, a product must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that country. Further, many international
markets have government-managed healthcare systems that control reimbursement for new devices and procedures. For example, no government
in the areas where we hold our license has approved reimbursement of the SGT or the IFP Drug Screening System. If sufficient coverage
and reimbursement is not available for our current or future products, in any country where our license operates, the demand for our
products and our revenues will be adversely affected.
40
Non-United
States governments often impose strict price controls, which may adversely affect our future profitability.
We
intend to seek approval to market the SGT across the APAC Region and expand IFP products offerings in the APAC region. If we obtain approval
for SGT in one or more of the jurisdictions within our License Agreement, we will be subject to rules and regulations in those jurisdictions
relating to our products. In some countries, pricing may be subject to governmental control under certain circumstances, which may vary
country by country. In these countries, pricing negotiations with governmental authorities can take considerable time after the receipt
of requisite marketing approval. To obtain reimbursement or pricing approval in some countries, we may be required to conduct a clinical
evaluation that compares the cost-effectiveness of our product to other available products. If reimbursement of our products or product
candidates is unavailable or limited in scope or amount, or if pricing is set at unsatisfactory levels, we may be unable to achieve or
sustain profitability. Price controls may reduce prices to levels significantly below those that would prevail in less regulated markets
or limit the volume of products which may be sold, either of which may have a material and adverse effect on potential revenues from
sales of the SGT and IFP products. Moreover, the process and timing for the implementation of price restrictions is unpredictable, which
may cause potential revenues from the sales of the SGT and IFP products to fluctuate from period to period.
The
SGT and IFP Drug Screening System, including its software and systems, may contain undetected errors, which could limit our ability to
provide our products and services and diminish the attractiveness of our service offerings.
The
SGT and IFP Drug Screening System may contain undetected errors, defects or bugs. As a result, our customers or end users may discover
errors or defects in our products, software or systems, or our products, software or systems may not operate as expected. We may discover
significant errors or defects in the future that we may not be able to fix. Our inability to fix any of those errors could limit our
ability to provide our products and services, impair the reputation of our brand and diminish the attractiveness of our product and service
offerings to our customers. In addition, we may utilize third-party technology or components in our products, and we rely on those third
parties to provide support services to us. The existence of errors, defects or bugs in third-party technology or components, or the failure
of those third parties to provide necessary support services to us, could materially adversely impact our business.
We
will rely on the proper function, security and availability of our information technology systems and data to operate our business, and
a breach, cyber-attack or other disruption to these systems or data could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations,
financial condition, cash flows, reputation or competitive position.
We
will depend on sophisticated software and other information technology systems to operate our business, including to process, transmit
and store sensitive data, and our products and services will include information technology systems that collect data regarding patients.
We could experience attempted or actual interference with the integrity of, and interruptions in, our technology systems, as well as
data breaches, such as cyber-attacks, malicious intrusions, breakdowns, interference with the integrity of our products and data or other
significant disruptions. Furthermore, we may rely on third-party vendors to supply and/or support certain aspects of our information
technology systems. These third-party systems could also become vulnerable to cyber-attack, malicious intrusions, breakdowns, interference
or other significant disruptions, and may contain defects in design or manufacture or other problems that could result in system disruption
or compromise the information security of our own systems. Our international operations mean that we are subject to laws and regulations,
including data protection and cybersecurity laws and regulations, in many jurisdictions. Furthermore, there has been a developing trend
of civil lawsuits and class actions relating to breaches of consumer data held by large companies or incidents arising from other cyber-attacks.
Any data security breaches, cyber-attacks, malicious intrusions or significant disruptions could result in actions by regulatory bodies
and/or civil litigation, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition,
cash flows, reputation or competitive position. In addition, our information technology systems require an ongoing commitment of significant
resources to maintain, protect, and enhance existing systems and develop new systems to keep pace with continuing changes in information
processing technology, evolving legal and regulatory standards, the increasing need to protect patient and customer information, changes
in the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to data and information systems, and the information technology needs associated
any new products and services. There can be no assurance that our process of consolidating, protecting, upgrading and expanding our systems
and capabilities, continuing to build security into the design of our products, and developing new systems to keep pace with continuing
changes in information processing technology will be successful or that additional systems issues will not arise in the future. If our
information technology systems, products or services or sensitive data are compromised, patients or employees could be exposed to financial
or medical identity theft or suffer a loss of product functionality, and we could lose existing customers, have difficulty attracting
new customers, have difficulty preventing, detecting, and controlling fraud, be exposed to the loss or misuse of confidential information,
have disputes with customers, physicians, and other health care professionals, suffer regulatory sanctions or penalties, experience increases
in operating expenses or an impairment in our ability to conduct our operations, incur expenses or lose revenues as a result of a data
privacy breach, product failure, information technology outages or disruptions, or suffer other adverse consequences including lawsuits
or other legal action and damage to our reputation.
41
Our
future performance will depend on the continued engagement of key members of our management team, and the loss of one or more of the
key members of our management team could have a negative impact on our business.
Our
future performance depends to a large extent on the continued services of members of our current management including, in particular,
our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In the event that we lose the continued services of such key personnel for any
reason, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and prospects.
If
we are not able to attract and retain highly skilled managerial, scientific and technical personnel, we may not be able to implement
our business model successfully.
We
believe that our management team must be able to act decisively to apply and adapt our business model in the markets in which we will
compete. In addition, we will rely upon technical and scientific employees or third-party contractors to effectively establish, manage
and grow our business. Consequently, we believe that our future viability will depend largely on our ability to attract and retain highly
skilled managerial, sales, scientific and technical personnel. In order to do so, we may need to pay higher compensation or fees to our
employees or consultants than we currently expect, and such higher compensation payments would have a negative effect on our operating
results. Competition for experienced, high-quality personnel is intense and we cannot assure that we will be able to recruit and retain
such personnel. We may not be able to hire or retain the necessary personnel to implement our business strategy. Our failure to hire
and retain such personnel could impair our ability to develop new products and manage our business effectively.
If
we or our manufacturers fail to comply with applicable regulatory quality system regulations or any applicable equivalent regulations,
our proposed operations could be interrupted, and our operating results may be negatively impacted.
We
and any third-party manufacturers and suppliers of ours will be required, to the extent of applicable regulation, to follow the quality
system regulations of each jurisdiction we will seek to penetrate and also will be subject to the regulations of these jurisdictions
regarding the manufacturing processes. If we or any third-party manufacturers or suppliers of ours are found to be in significant non-compliance
or fail to take satisfactory corrective action in response to adverse regulatory findings in this regard, regulatory agencies could take
enforcement actions against us and such manufacturers or suppliers, which could impair or prevent our ability to produce our products
in a cost-effective and timely manner in order to meet customers’ demands. Accordingly, our operating results would suffer.
42
We
may be subject to healthcare fraud and abuse laws and regulations which, if violated, could subject us to substantial penalties. Additionally,
any challenge to or investigation into our practices under these laws could cause adverse publicity and be costly to respond to, and
thus could harm our business.
There
are numerous U.S. federal and state, as well as foreign, laws pertaining to healthcare fraud and abuse, including anti-kickback, false
claims and transparency laws. Many international healthcare laws and regulations apply to the glucose monitoring business and medical
devices. We will be subject to certain regulations regarding commercial practices false claims. The federal civil and criminal false
claims laws, including the federal civil False Claims Act, which prohibit, among other things, individuals, or entities from knowingly
presenting, or causing to be presented, claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs that are false
or fraudulent. Private individuals can bring False Claims Act “qui tam” actions, on behalf of the government and such individuals,
commonly known as “whistleblowers,” may share in amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. When
an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose substantial penalties plus three
times the amount of damages which the government sustains because of the submission of a false claim, and exclude the entity from participation
in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs.
If
our operations or arrangements are found to be in violation of governmental regulations, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties,
damages, fines and the curtailment of our operations. All of these penalties could adversely affect our ability to operate our business
and our financial results.
Product
liability suits, whether or not meritorious, could be brought against us due to an alleged defective product or for the misuse of the
SGT and IFP Drug Screening System. These suits could result in expensive and time-consuming litigation, payment of substantial damages,
and an increase in our insurance rates.
If
the SGT and IFP Drug Screening System or any future diagnostic test based on the Biosensor Platform or IFP Drug Screening System is defectively
designed or manufactured, contains defective components or is misused, or if someone claims any of the foregoing, whether or not meritorious,
we may become subject to substantial and costly litigation. Misusing our devices or failing to adhere to the operating guidelines or
our devices producing inaccurate meter readings could cause significant harm to patients, including death. In addition, if our operating
guidelines are found to be inadequate, we may be subject to liability. Product liability claims could divert management’s attention
from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizable damage awards against us. While we expect to maintain product liability
insurance, we may not have sufficient insurance coverage for all future claims. Any product liability claims brought against us, with
or without merit, could increase our product liability insurance rates or prevent us from securing continuing coverage, could harm our
reputation in the industry and could reduce revenue. Product liability claims in excess of our insurance coverage would be paid out of
cash reserves harming our financial condition and adversely affecting our results of operations.
If
we are found to have violated laws protecting the confidentiality of patient health information, we could be subject to civil or criminal
penalties, which could increase our liabilities and harm our reputation or our business.
Part
of our business plan includes the storage and potential monetization of data of users of the SGT. There are several laws around the world
protecting the confidentiality of certain patient health information, including patient records, and restricting the use and disclosure
of that protected information. Privacy rules protect medical records and other personal health information by limiting their use and
disclosure, giving individuals the right to access, amend and seek accounting of their own health information and limiting most use and
disclosures of health information to the minimum amount reasonably necessary to accomplish the intended purpose. We may face difficulties
in holding such information in compliance with applicable law. If we are found to be in violation of the privacy rules, we could be subject
to civil or criminal penalties, which could increase our liabilities, harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
43
We
could be party to litigation or other legal proceedings that could adversely affect our business, results of operations and reputation.
We
may be subject to litigation and other legal proceedings that may adversely affect our business. These legal proceedings may involve
claims brought by employees, government agencies, suppliers, shareholders or others through private actions, class actions, administrative
proceedings, regulatory actions, or other litigation. These legal proceedings may involve allegations of illegal, unfair or inconsistent
employment practices, including wage and hour, employment of minors, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and vacation and
family leave laws; data security or privacy breaches; violation of the federal securities laws or other concerns.
We
could be involved in litigation and legal proceedings in the future. Even if the allegations against us in future legal matters are unfounded
or we ultimately are not held liable, the costs to defend ourselves may be significant and the litigation may subject us to substantial
settlements, fines, penalties or judgments against us and may consume management’s bandwidth and attention, some or all of which
may negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Litigation also may generate negative publicity, regardless
of whether the allegations are valid, or we ultimately are liable, which could damage our reputation, and adversely impact our sales
and our relationship with our employees, clients, and guests.
Risks
Related to Product Development and Regulatory Approval
The
regulatory approval process which we may be required to navigate may be expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain and may prevent us from
obtaining clearance for the product launch of the SGT and IFP products in certain jurisdiction or our any future product.
We
intend to market the SGT following regulatory approval. The IFP products may also require regulatory approval in certain jurisdictions
to market. To date, we have not received regulatory approval in any jurisdiction and we have not yet commenced 510(k) premarket notification
process for expansion into United States markets that require FDA approval. While we are currently planning to sell our IFP products
throughout the Asia Pacific Region, Europe and North America, to date we have only sold IFP products in the United Kingdom, Australia
and Nepal.
The
research, design, testing, manufacturing, labelling, selling, marketing and distribution of medical devices are subject to extensive
regulation by country-specific regulatory authorities, which regulations differ from country to country. There can be no assurance that,
even after such time and expenditures, we will be able to obtain necessary regulatory approvals for clinical testing or for the manufacturing
or marketing of any products. In addition, during the regulatory process, other companies may develop other technologies with the same
intended use as our products. We also will be subject to numerous post-marketing regulatory requirements, which may include labelling
regulations and medical device reporting regulations, which may require us to report to different regulatory agencies if our device causes
or contributes to a death or serious injury, or malfunctions in a way that would likely cause or contribute to a death or serious injury.
In addition, these regulatory requirements may change in the future in a way that adversely affects us. If we fail to comply with present
or future regulatory requirements that are applicable to us, we may be subject to enforcement action by regulatory agencies, which may
include, among others, any of the following sanctions:
●
untitled
letters, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;
●
customer
notification, or orders for repair, replacement or refunds;
●
voluntary
or mandatory recall or seizure of our current or future products;
●
imposing
operating restrictions, suspension or shutdown of production;
●
refusing
our requests for clearance or pre-market approval of new products, new intended uses or modifications to the SGT, IFP products or
future products;
●
rescinding
clearance or suspending or withdrawing pre-market approvals that have already been granted; and
●
criminal
prosecution.
The
occurrence of any of these events may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
44
Clinical
data obtained subsequent to the implementation of the clinical evidence module may not meet the required objectives, which could delay,
limit or prevent additional regulatory approval.
There
can be no assurance that we will successfully complete any clinical evaluations necessary to receive regulatory approvals. The preliminary
results have been encouraging and indicative of the potential performance of the SGT, data already obtained, or to be obtained in future,
from clinical studies do not necessarily predict the results that will be obtained from later clinical evaluations. We market the IFP
products in certain jurisdiction as POCT screening device. The clinical studies undertaken to date, may not meet the requirements of
certain regulatory bodies for us to market in those jurisdictions. The failure to adequately demonstrate the analytical performance characteristics
of the device under development could delay or prevent regulatory approval of the device, which could prevent or result in delays to
market launch and could materially harm our business. There can be no assurance that we will be able to receive approval for any potential
applications of our principal technology, or that we will receive regulatory clearances from targeted regions or countries.
We
may be unable to complete required clinical evaluations, or we may experience significant delays in completing such clinical evaluations,
which could prevent or significantly delay our targeted product launch timeframe and impair our business plan.
The
completion of any future clinical evaluations for the SGT and IFP products, or other studies that we may be required to undertake in
the future for the SGT or other products based on the Biosensor Platform and IFP Drug Screening System could be delayed, suspended or
terminated for several reasons, including:
●
we
may fail to or be unable to conduct the clinical evaluation in accordance with regulatory requirements;
●
sites
participating in the trial may drop out of the trial, which may require us to engage new sites for an expansion of the number of
sites that are permitted to be involved in the trial;
●
patients
may not enroll in, remain in or complete, the clinical evaluation at the rates we expect; and
●
clinical
investigators may not perform our clinical evaluation on our anticipated schedule or consistent with the clinical evaluation protocol
and good clinical practices.
If
our clinical evaluations are delayed it will take us longer to ultimately launch the SGT and our other products in the market and generate
revenues. Moreover, our development costs will increase if we have material delays in our clinical evaluation or if we need to perform
more or larger clinical evaluations than planned.
We
are subject to the risk of reliance on third parties to conduct our clinical evaluation work, their inability to comply with good clinical
practice and relevant regulation could adversely affect the clinical development of our product candidates and harm our business.
We
will depend on independent clinical investigators to conduct our clinical evaluations. Contract research organizations may also assist
us in the collection and analysis of data. These investigators and contract research organizations will not be our employees and we will
not be able to control, other than by contract, the amount of resources, including time that they devote to products that we develop.
If independent investigators fail to devote sufficient resources to our clinical evaluations, or if their performance is substandard,
it will delay the approval or clearance and ultimately the market launch of any products that we develop. Further, regulatory bodies
require that we comply with standards, commonly referred to as good clinical practice, for conducting, recording and reporting clinical
evaluations to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality of
trial subjects are protected. If our independent clinical investigators and contract research organizations fail to comply with good
clinical practice, the results of our clinical evaluations could be called into question and the clinical development of our product
candidates could be delayed. Failure of clinical investigators or contract research organizations to meet their obligations to us or
comply with applicable regulations could adversely affect the clinical development of our product candidates and harm our business. Moreover,
we intend to have several clinical evaluations in order to support our marketing efforts and business development purposes. Such clinical
evaluations will be conducted by third parties as well. Failure of such clinical evaluations to meet their primary endpoints could adversely
affect our marketing efforts.
45
Risks
Related to Our Intellectual Property
Our
success will depend on our ability to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights.
In
order to remain competitive, we must develop, maintain and protect the proprietary aspects of our brands, technologies and data. We rely
on a combination of contractual provisions, confidentiality procedures and patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual
property laws to protect the proprietary aspects of our brands, technologies and data. These legal measures afford only limited protection,
and competitors or others may gain access to or use our intellectual property and proprietary information. Our success will depend, in
part, on preserving our trade secrets, maintaining the security of our data and know-how and obtaining and maintaining other intellectual
property rights by us. We may not be able to obtain or maintain intellectual property or other proprietary rights necessary to our business
or in a form that provides us with a competitive advantage.
In
addition, our trade secrets, data and know-how could be subject to unauthorized use, misappropriation, or disclosure to unauthorized
parties, despite our efforts to enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, clients and other vendors who
have access to such information and could otherwise become known or be independently discovered by third parties. Our intellectual property,
including trademarks, could be challenged, invalidated, infringed, and circumvented by third parties, and our trademarks could also be
diluted, declared generic or found to be infringing on other marks. If any of the foregoing occurs, we could be forced to re-brand our
products, resulting in loss of brand recognition and requiring us to devote resources to advertising and marketing new brands, and suffer
other competitive harm. Third parties may also adopt trademarks similar to ours, which could harm our brand identity and lead to market
confusion. Failure to obtain and maintain intellectual property rights necessary to our business and failure to protect, monitor and
control the use of our intellectual property rights could negatively impact our ability to compete and cause us to incur significant
expenses. The intellectual property laws and other statutory and contractual arrangements in the United States and other jurisdictions
we depend upon may not provide sufficient protection in the future to prevent the infringement, use, violation or misappropriation of
our trademarks, data, technology and other intellectual property and services, and may not provide an adequate remedy if our intellectual
property rights are infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated.
We
rely, in part, on our ability to obtain, maintain, expand, enforce, and defend the scope of our intellectual property portfolio or other
proprietary rights, including the amount and timing of any payments we may be required to make in connection the filing, defense and
enforcement of any patents or other intellectual property rights. The process of applying for and obtaining a patent is expensive, time
consuming and complex, and we may not be able to file, prosecute, maintain, enforce all necessary or desirable patent applications at
a reasonable cost, in a timely manner, or in all jurisdictions where protection may be commercially advantageous, or we may not be able
to protect our proprietary rights at all. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may be able to
obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary. In addition, the issuance of a patent does not ensure that it is valid or enforceable,
so even if we obtain patents, they may not be valid or enforceable against third parties. Our patent applications may not result in issued
patents and our patents may not be sufficiently broad to protect our technology.
46
The
degree of future protection for our proprietary rights is uncertain, and we cannot ensure that:
●
any
of our patents, or any of our pending patent applications, if issued, will include claims having a scope sufficient to protect our
products;
●
any
of our pending patent applications will issue as patents;
●
we
will be able to successfully commercialize our products on a substantial scale, if approved, before our relevant patents we may have
expire;
●
we
were the first to make the inventions covered by each of our patents and pending patent applications;
●
we
were the first to file patent applications for these inventions;
●
others
will not develop similar or alternative technologies that do not infringe our patents; any of our patents will be found to ultimately
be valid and enforceable;
●
any
patents issued to us will provide a basis for an exclusive market for our commercially viable products, will provide us with any
competitive advantages or will not be challenged by third parties;
●
we
will develop additional proprietary technologies or products that are separately patentable; or
●
our
commercial activities or products will not infringe upon the patents of others.
Moreover,
even if we are able to obtain patent protection, such patent protection may be of insufficient scope to achieve our business objectives.
Issued patents may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or circumvented. Decisions by courts and governmental patent agencies may introduce
uncertainty in the enforceability or scope of patents owned by or licensed to us. Furthermore, the issuance of a patent does not give
us the right to practice the patented invention. Third parties may have blocking patents that could prevent us from marketing our own
products and practicing our own technology. Alternatively, third parties may seek approval to market their own products similar to or
otherwise competitive with our products. In these circumstances, we may need to defend or assert our patents, including by filing lawsuits
alleging patent infringement. In any of these types of proceedings, a court or agency with jurisdiction may find our patents invalid,
unenforceable or not infringed; competitors may then be able to market products and use manufacturing and analytical processes that are
substantially similar to ours. Even if we have valid and enforceable patents, these patents still may not provide protection against
competing products or processes sufficient to achieve our business objectives.
Obtaining
and maintaining patent protection depends on compliance with various procedural, document submission, fee payment and other requirements
imposed by governmental patent agencies, and our patent protection could be reduced or eliminated for non-compliance with these requirements.
The
United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) and various foreign governmental patent agencies require compliance
with a number of procedural, documentary, fee payment and other similar provisions during the patent application process. In addition,
periodic maintenance fees on issued patents often must be paid to the USPTO and foreign patent agencies over the lifetime of the patent.
While an unintentional lapse can in many cases be cured by payment of a late fee or by other means in accordance with the applicable
rules, there are situations in which noncompliance can result in abandonment or lapse of the patent or patent application, resulting
in partial or complete loss of patent rights in the relevant jurisdiction. Non-compliance events that could result in abandonment or
lapse of a patent or patent application include, but are not limited to, failure to respond to official actions within prescribed time
limits, non-payment of fees and failure to properly legalize and submit formal documents. If we fail to maintain the patents and patent
applications covering our products, we may not be able to stop a competitor from marketing products that are the same as or similar to
our products, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.
47
Patent
terms may not be able to protect our competitive position for an adequate period of time with respect to our current or future technologies.
Patents
have a limited lifespan. In the United States, the standard patent term is typically 20 years after filing. Various extensions may be
available. Even so, the life of a patent and the protection it affords are limited. As a result, our patent portfolio provides us with
limited rights that may not last for a sufficient period of time to exclude others from commercializing products similar or identical
to ours. For example, given the large amount of time required for the research, development, testing and regulatory review of medical
devices, patents protecting our products might expire before or shortly after they are commercialized.
Extensions
of patent term may be available, but there is no guarantee that we would succeed in obtaining any particular extension and no
guarantee any such extension would confer patent term for a sufficient period of time to exclude others from commercializing
products similar or identical to ours.
Additionally,
an extension may not be granted or may be limited where there is, for example, a failure to exercise due diligence during the testing
phase or regulatory review process, failure to apply within applicable deadlines, failure to apply before expiration of relevant patents,
or some other failure to satisfy applicable requirements. If this occurs, our competitors may be able to launch their products earlier
by taking advantage of our investment in development and clinical trials along with our clinical and pre-clinical data. This could have
a material adverse effect on our business and ability to achieve profitability.
We
and/or the Licensor may be subject to claims alleging the violation of the intellectual property rights of others, which could involve
in lawsuits to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, which could be expensive, time consuming and unsuccessful.
We
may face significant expense and liability as a result of litigation or other proceedings relating to intellectual property rights of
others. In the event that another party has intellectual property protection relating to an invention or technologies licensed by us
from the Licensor, we and/or the Licensor may be required to participate in an interference proceeding declared by the regulatory authorities
to determine priority of invention, which could result in substantial uncertainties and costs for us, even if the eventual outcome was
favorable to us. We and/or the Licensor also could be required to participate in interference proceedings involving intellectual property
of another entity. An adverse outcome in an interference proceeding could require us and/or the Licensor to cease using the technology,
to substantially modify it or to license rights from prevailing third parties, which could delay or prevent the launch of our products
in the market or adversely affect our profitability. The cost to us of any intellectual property litigation or other proceeding relating to
the intellectual property licensed by us from the Licensor, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial, especially given our
early stage of development. A third-party may claim that we and/or the Licensor are using inventions claimed by their intellectual property
and may go to court to stop us and/or the Licensor from engaging in our normal operations and activities, such as research, development
and the sale of any future products. Such lawsuits are expensive and would consume significant time and other resources. There is a risk
that a court will decide that we and/or the Licensor are infringing the third-party’s intellectual property and will order us to
stop the activities claimed by the intellectual property. In addition, there is a risk that a court will order us and/or the Licensor
to pay the other party damages for having infringed their intellectual property. While the Licensor is required to indemnify us for certain
losses in connection with such proceedings, there can be no assurance that the Licensor will be able to satisfy any such obligation.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that any prevailing intellectual property owner would offer us a license so that we could continue to
engage in activities claimed by the intellectual property, or that such a license, if made available to us, could be acquired on commercially
acceptable terms.
48
We
understand that the External Administrator of LSBD (the Licensor of our SGT and COV2T products), pursuant to a creditors meeting held
on July 21, 2023, sent notice to the creditors on July 24, 2023, stating that LSBD has appointed a liquidator on July 21, 2023. Our understanding
is that the ownership of the intellectual property rights licensed by us reverts to the University of Newcastle. Accordingly, the Company
plans to discuss the future licensing of SGT products with the University of Newcastle. There is an inherent risk related to the possibility
of modifications to our rights to, or the Company’s ability to use, the Licensed Products, which could materially and adversely
affect the Company’s business, financial condition, and operating results.
We
are party to the SGT License Agreement with LSBD, pursuant to which, among other things, the Company licenses certain products from LSBD,
and has a 50% interest in BiosensX (North America) Inc. which has exclusive license to use, make, sell and offer to sell products under
the intellectual property rights in connection with the Biosensor technology and the glucose/diabetes management field in the United
States, Mexico and Canada. According to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission’s (ASIC’s), Companies and Organizations
Register, on May 10, 2022, LSBD filed a Notice of Appointment of External Administrator, followed by a filing of a Deed of Company Arrangement
on the August 2, 2022.
We
understand that the External Administrator of LSBD (the Licensor of our SGT and COV2T products), pursuant to a creditors meeting held
on July 21, 2023, sent notice to the creditors on July 24, 2023, stating that LSBD has appointed a liquidator on July 21, 2023. Our understanding
is that the ownership of the intellectual property rights licensed by us reverts to the University of Newcastle. Accordingly, the Company
plans to discuss the future licensing of the SGT products with the University of Newcastle. There is an inherent risk related to the
possibility of modifications to our rights to, or the Company’s ability to use, the Licensed Products, which could materially and
adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition, and operating results.
We
depend on intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT products, and any absence of legal effect of the license or dispute
over the license would significantly harm our business.
We
are dependent on the intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT products. Although the License Agreement may not be
terminated by the Licensor as long as we are continuing our operations, any absence of legal effect of the license could result in the
loss of significant rights and could harm our ability to launch the SGT in the market. Disputes may also arise between us and the Licensor
regarding intellectual property subject to the License Agreement. If disputes over intellectual property that we have licensed prevent
or impair our ability to maintain our current licensing arrangements on acceptable terms or are insufficient to provide us the necessary
rights to use the intellectual property, we may be unable to successfully develop and launch the SGT and our other product candidates
from Biosensor Platform. If we or the Licensor fail to adequately protect this intellectual property, our ability to launch our products
in the market also could suffer. For so long as we are dependent on the intellectual property covered by the License Agreement for the
pursuit of our business, any such disputes relating to the License Agreement or failure to protect the intellectual property could adversely
affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We
will depend primarily on the Licensor to file, prosecute, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property that we license from it
and that is material to our business.
The
intellectual property relating to the COV2T and/or SGT is owned by the Licensor. Under the License Agreement, the Licensor generally
has the right to file, prosecute, maintain and defend the intellectual property we have licensed from the Licensor. If the Licensor fails
to conduct these activities for intellectual property protection covering any of our product candidates, our ability to develop and launch
those product candidates may be adversely affected and we may not be able to prevent competitors from making, using or selling competing
products. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the License Agreement with the Licensor, the Licensor generally has the right to control
the enforcement of our licensed intellectual property and the defense of any claims asserting the invalidity of that intellectual property.
We cannot be certain that the Licensor will allocate sufficient resources to and otherwise prioritize the enforcement of such intellectual
property or the defense of such claims to protect our interests in the licensed intellectual property. In the absence of action by the
Licensor, we may be unable to protect and enforce the proprietary rights on which our business relies. Even if we are not a party to
these legal actions, an adverse outcome could harm our business because it might prevent us from continuing to use the licensed intellectual
property that we need to operate our business. In addition, even if we take control of the prosecution of licensed intellectual property
and related applications, enforcement of licensed intellectual property, or defense of claims asserting the invalidity of that intellectual
property, we may still be adversely affected or prejudiced by actions or inactions of the Licensor and its counsel that took place prior
to or after our assuming control, and we cannot ensure the cooperation of the Licensor in any such action. Furthermore, if we take action
to protect, enforce or defend the licensed intellectual property, we may incur significant costs and the attention of our management
may be diverted from our normal business operations. As a result, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be
materially and adversely affected.
49
We and the Licensor may be unable to protect
or enforce the intellectual property rights licensed to us, which could impair our competitive position.
For our business to be viable
and to compete effectively, the proprietary rights with respect to the technologies and intellectual property used in our products must
be developed and maintained. The Licensor relies primarily on patent protection and trade secrets, as well as a combination of copyright
and trademark laws and nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements to protect its technology and intellectual property rights. There
are significant risks associated with the Licensor’s ability (or our ability, in the absence of action by the Licensor) to protect
the intellectual property licensed to us, including:
●
pending intellectual property applications may not be approved or may take longer than expected to result in approval in one or more of the countries in which we operate;
●
the Licensor’s intellectual property rights may not provide meaningful protection;
●
other companies may challenge the validity or extent of the Licensor’s patents and other proprietary intellectual property rights through litigation, oppositions and other proceedings. These proceedings can be protracted as well as unpredictable;
●
other companies may have independently developed (or may in the future independently develop) similar or alternative technologies, may duplicate the Licensor’s technologies or may design their technologies around the Licensor’s technologies;
●
enforcement of intellectual property rights is complex, uncertain and expensive, and may be subject to lengthy delays. In the event we take control of any such action under the License Agreement, our ability to enforce our intellectual property protection could be limited by our financial resources; and
●
the other risks described under “ Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property. ”
If any of the Licensor’s
patents or other intellectual property rights fail to protect the technologies licensed by us, it would make it easier for our competitors
to offer similar products. Any inability on the Licensor’s part (or on our part, in the absence of action by the Licensor) to adequately
protect its intellectual property may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We and the Licensor have limited foreign intellectual
property rights and may not be able to protect those intellectual property rights, which means that we and/or Licensor may not be able
to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions or from selling or importing products made using those inventions.
Our intellectual property rights
include intellectual property licensed from the Licensor for our SGT Products and rights related to the IFP products. The we and the Licensor
have determined that filing, prosecuting and defending intellectual property rights in all countries globally would be prohibitively expensive,
and intellectual property rights in some countries can be less extensive than those in the United States. In addition, the laws of some
foreign countries do not protect intellectual property to the same extent as laws in the United States. Consequently, we and/or the Licensor
may not be able to prevent third parties from practicing our inventions or from selling or importing products made using our inventions.
Competitors may use our technologies in jurisdictions where we have not obtained intellectual property rights to develop their own products
and further, may export otherwise infringing products to territories where we have intellectual property protection, but enforcement is
not as strong as that in the United States. Policing unauthorized use of proprietary technology is difficult and expensive. The legal
systems of certain countries do not favor the enforcement of trade secrets and other intellectual property, particularly those relating
to medical device products, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our intellectual property or marketing of
competing products industry of our proprietary rights generally. An adverse determination or an insufficient damage award in any such
litigation could materially impair our intellectual property rights and may otherwise harm our business. In addition, some developing
countries in the APAC Region have compulsory licensing laws under which an intellectual property owner may be compelled to grant licenses
to third parties. In those countries, we and/or the Licensor may have limited remedies if our intellectual property is infringed or if
we and/or the Licensor are compelled to grant a license to a third-party, which could materially diminish the value of that intellectual
property. Furthermore, we may not be able to register or otherwise protect the trademark “Glucose Biosensor” in developing
countries in the APAC Region.
50
We and the Licensor rely on confidentiality
agreements that could be breached and may be difficult to enforce, which could result in third parties using our intellectual property
to compete against us.
Although we believe that we and
the Licensor take reasonable steps to protect our intellectual property, including the use of agreements relating to the non-disclosure
of confidential information to third parties, as well as agreements that purport to require the disclosure and assignment to us of the
rights to the ideas, developments, discoveries and inventions of our employees and consultants while we or the Licensor employ them, the
agreements can be difficult and costly to enforce. Although we and the Licensor seek to enter into these types of agreements with contractors,
consultants, advisors and research collaborators, to the extent that employees and consultants utilize or independently develop intellectual
property in connection with any of our projects, disputes may arise as to the intellectual property rights associated with our technology.
If a dispute arises, a court may determine that the right belongs to a third-party. In addition, enforcement of our rights and the rights
of the Licensor can be costly and unpredictable. We and the Licensor also rely on trade secrets and proprietary know-how that we and the
Licensor may seek to protect in part by confidentiality agreements with employees, contractors, consultants, advisors or others. Despite
the protective measures we employ, we and the Licensor still face the risk that:
●
these agreements may be breached;
●
these agreements may not provide adequate remedies for the applicable type of breach;
●
our proprietary know-how will otherwise become known; or
●
our competitors will independently develop similar technology or proprietary information.
We and the Licensor may be subject to claims
challenging the invention of the intellectual property that we license from the Licensor.
We and the Licensor may be subject
to claims that former employees, collaborators or other third parties have an interest in intellectual property as an inventor or co-inventor.
For example, we and the Licensor may have inventorship disputes arising from conflicting obligations of consultants or others who are
involved in developing our product candidates. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these and other claims challenging inventorship.
If we and the Licensor fail in defending any such claims, in addition to paying monetary damages, we and the Licensor may lose valuable
intellectual property rights, such as exclusive ownership of, or right to use, valuable intellectual property. Such an outcome could have
a material adverse effect on our business. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial
costs and be a distraction to management and other employees. As a result, it is unclear whether and, if so, to what extent employees
of ours and the Licensor may be able to claim compensation with respect to our future revenue. We may receive less revenue from future
products if any of employees of the Licensor or us successfully claim compensation for their work in developing our intellectual property,
which in turn could impact our future profitability.
51
Risks Related to Our Industry
Our products and operations are subject to extensive
government regulation and oversight both in the United States and abroad. If we fail to obtain and maintain necessary regulatory approvals
current IFP products, or if approvals for future products and indications are delayed or not issued, it will negatively affect our business,
financial condition and results of operations.
Our proprietary IFP Drug Screening
System is subject to extensive regulation in the United States and abroad, including the European Union, our largest market for the IFP
Drug Screening System. Government regulations specific to medical devices are wide ranging and govern, among other things:
●
Product design, development, manufacture, and release;
●
Laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical testing, labeling, packaging, storage and distribution;
●
Product safety and efficacy;
●
Premarketing clearance or approval;
●
Service operations;
●
Record keeping;
●
Product marketing, promotion and advertising, sales and distribution;
●
Post-marketing surveillance, including reporting of deaths or serious injuries and recalls and correction and removals;
●
Post-market approval studies; and
●
Product import and export.
If we fail to remain in compliance
with applicable European laws and directives, we would be unable to continue to affix the CE mark to our products, which would prevent
us from selling them within the European Economic Area (“EEA”).
We plan to commence required regulatory
approval process with FDA in the United States, which may be an expensive, lengthy and unpredictable process. We may not be able to obtain
any necessary clearances or approval or may be unduly delayed in doing so, which will negatively affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations. Furthermore, even if we are granted regulatory clearances or approvals, they may include significant limitations
on the indicated uses for the product, which may limit the market for product.
The FDA can delay, limit or deny clearance or approval
of a device for many reasons, including:
●
Our inability to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA or the applicable regulatory entity or notified body that our products are safe or effective for their intended uses;
●
The disagreement of the FDA or the applicable foreign regulatory body with the design or implementation of our clinical trials or the interpretation of data from pre-clinical studies or clinical trials;
●
Serious and unexpected adverse effects experienced by participants in our clinical trials;
●
The data from our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials may be insufficient to support clearance or approval, where required;
●
Our inability to demonstrate that the clinical and other benefits of the product outweigh the risks;
●
The manufacturing process or facilities we use may not meet applicable requirements; and
●
The potential for approval policies or regulations of the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory bodies to change significantly in a manner rendering our clinical data or regulatory filings insufficient for clearance or approval.
52
Furthermore, the FDA and state
and international authorities have broad enforcement powers. Our failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements could result
in enforcement action by any such agency, which may include any of the following sanctions:
●
Adverse publicity, warning letters, fines, injunctions, consent decrees and civil penalties;
●
Repair, replacement, refunds, recall or seizure of our products;
●
Operating restrictions, partial suspension or total shutdown of production;
●
Denial of our requests for regulatory clearance or premarket approval of new products or services, new intended uses or modifications to existing products or services;
●
Withdrawal of regulatory clearance or premarket approvals that have already been granted; or
●
Criminal prosecution.
If any of these events were to
occur, it will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, the medical device
and other medical product industries in the APAC Region, where we plan to expand our product offering in the near future are generally
subject to comprehensive government regulation and supervision, encompassing the approval, registration, manufacturing, packaging, licensing
and marketing of new products. In addition, the regulatory frameworks in the APAC Region regarding our industry are subject to change.
Any such changes may result in increased compliance costs on our business or cause delays in or prevent the successful development or
launch of our product candidates in the APAC Region. The regulatory authorities in the countries and territories constituting the APAC
Region also may launch investigations of individual companies or on an industry-wide basis. The costs and time necessary to respond to
an investigation can be material. Any failure by us or our partners to maintain compliance with applicable laws and regulations or obtain
and maintain required licenses and permits may result in the suspension or termination of our business activities in certain countries
and territories in the APAC Region or in the region as a whole.
Compliance with environmental laws and regulations
could be expensive, and the failure to comply with these laws and regulations could subject us to significant liability.
Our research, development and
manufacturing operations including product assembly line at Cambridge, UK involve the use of hazardous substances, and we are subject
to a variety foreign environmental laws and regulations relating to the storage, use, handling, generation, manufacture, treatment, discharge
and disposal of hazardous substances. Our products may also contain hazardous substances, and they are subject laws and regulations relating
to labelling requirements and to their sale, collection, recycling, treatment, storage and disposal. Compliance with these laws and regulations
may be expensive and noncompliance could result in substantial fines and penalties. Environmental laws and regulations also impose liability
for the remediation of releases of hazardous substances into the environment and for personal injuries resulting from exposure to hazardous
substances, and they can give rise to substantial remediation costs and to third-party claims, including for property damage and personal
injury. Liability under environmental laws and regulations can be joint and several and without regard to fault or negligence, and they
tend to become more stringent over time, imposing greater compliance costs and increased risks and penalties associated with violations.
We cannot assure you that violations of these laws and regulations, or releases of or exposure to hazardous substances, will not occur
in the future or have not occurred in the past, including as a result of human error, accidents, equipment failure or other causes. The
costs of complying with environmental laws and regulations, and liabilities that may be imposed for violating them, or for remediation
obligations or responding to third-party claims, could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
53
If we or our suppliers fail to comply The United
Kingdom Accreditation Services (UKAS), FDA’s Quality System Regulation (QSR) and CE (European Conformity) Markings and other relevant
regulations regulation, our manufacturing or distribution operations could be delayed or shut down and our revenue could suffer.
Our manufacturing and design processes
for certain of our products and those of certain of our third-party suppliers are required to comply with The United Kingdom Accreditation
Services (UKAS), FDA’s QSR and CE markings in the European Union. This covers procedures and documentation of the design, testing,
production, control, quality assurance, labelling, packaging, storage and shipping of our IFP Drug Screening System. We are also subject
to ongoing International Organization for Standardization (“ISO 13485”) compliance in all operations, including design, manufacturing,
and service, to maintain our CE Mark. In addition, we must engage in extensive recordkeeping and reporting and must make available our
facilities and records for periodic unannounced inspections by governmental agencies, including the FDA, state authorities, European Union
Notified Bodies and comparable agencies in other countries. If we fail a regulatory inspection, our operations could be disrupted and
our manufacturing interrupted. Failure to take adequate corrective action in response to an adverse regulatory inspection could result
in, among other things, a shutdown of our manufacturing or product distribution operations, significant fines, suspension of marketing
clearances and approvals, seizures or recalls of our device, operating restrictions and criminal prosecutions, any of which would negatively
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, our key component suppliers may not currently be or may
not continue to be in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, which may result in manufacturing delays for our product and
cause our revenue to decline.
We can provide no assurance that
we will continue to remain in compliance with the UKAS, QSR and European Union Notified Bodies. If the FDA, UKAS and European Union of
Notified Bodies inspect any of our facilities and discover compliance problems, we may have to cease manufacturing and product distribution
until we can take the appropriate remedial steps to correct the audit findings. Taking corrective action may be expensive, time consuming
and a distraction for management and if we experience a delay at our manufacturing facility, we may be unable to produce our solutions,
which will negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We face intense competition in the self-monitoring
of glucose market, particularly blood-based products, and as a result we may be unable to effectively compete in our industry.
The SGT, which is currently in the commercialization phase, is expected to compete directly and primarily with large medical device companies, as well as with second and
third tier companies having various levels of sophistication and resources. Large companies have most of the glucose monitoring business
and strong research and development capacity. Their dominant market position over the last few decades and significant control over markets
could significantly limit our ability to introduce the SGT and other products from the Biosensor Platform or effectively market and generate
sales of the products. We have not yet entered the revenue stage from our SGT products, as these are still in the commercialization phase,
and most of our competitors have long histories and strong reputations within the industry. They have significantly greater brand recognition,
financial and human resources than we do. They also have more experience and capabilities in researching and developing testing devices,
obtaining and maintaining regulatory clearances and other requirements, manufacturing and marketing those products than we do. There is
a significant risk that we may be unable to overcome the advantages held by our competition, and our inability to do so could lead to
the failure of our business. Competition in the glucose monitoring markets is intense, which can lead to, among other things, price reductions,
longer selling cycles, lower product margins, loss of market share and additional working capital requirements. To succeed, we must, among
other things, gain consumer acceptance for the SGT and other products that stem from the Biosensor Platform, as well as for our technical
solutions, prices and response time, or a combination of these factors, other than those of other competitors. If our competitors offer
significant discounts on certain products, we may need to lower our prices or offer other favorable terms in order to compete successfully.
Moreover, any broad-based changes to our prices and pricing policies could make it difficult to generate revenues or cause our revenues,
if established, to decline. Moreover, if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are more desirable than the SGT or the
other products that we may develop, we may not convince customers to use our products. Any such changes would likely reduce our commercial
opportunity and revenue potential and could materially adversely impact our operating results.
54
If we or the Licensor fail to respond quickly
to technological or other developments, our products may become uncompetitive and obsolete.
The drug screening, medical testing
and glucose monitoring markets may experience rapid technology developments, changes in industry standards, changes in customer requirements,
changes in demand, and frequent new product introductions and improvements. If we or the Licensor are unable to respond to these developments,
we may lose competitive position, and our other products may become uncompetitive or obsolete, causing our business and prospects to suffer.
In order to compete, we and the
Licensor need to adjust, develop, license or acquire new technology on a schedule that keeps pace with technological and other developments
and the requirements for products addressing a broad spectrum of needs. For example, as a result of the significant global progress made
in mitigating the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for COVID-19 testing products significantly diminished, which led us to
redirect our resources and efforts away from developing products related to COVID testing to instead acquire and develop drug testing
and screening systems.
Fluctuation in the
value of foreign currencies may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
A substantial
portion of our revenues and costs may be denominated in foreign currencies, such as the British Pound, Australian Dollar or Japanese Yen.
Any significant change in value of these foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar may materially affect our cash flows, net revenues,
earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, our common stock in U.S. dollars. For example, an appreciation
of any such foreign currency against the U.S. dollar would make any new investments or expenditures denominated in the foreign currency
costlier to us, to the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into the foreign currency for such purposes. Conversely, a significant
depreciation of any such foreign currency against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings,
which in turn could adversely affect the price of our common stock. If we decide to convert any such foreign currency into U.S. dollars
for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our common stock, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes,
appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the foreign currency would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. We
do not expect to hedge against the risks associated with fluctuations in exchange rates and, therefore, exchange rate fluctuations could
have an adverse impact on our future operating results. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect
on your investment.
We are subject to laws and regulations governing
business conduct, which will require us to develop and implement costly compliance programs.
We must comply with a wide range
of laws and regulations to prevent corruption, bribery, and other unethical business practices, including the FCPA, anti-bribery and anti-corruption
laws in other countries. The creation and implementation of international business practices compliance programs is costly and such programs
are difficult to enforce, particularly where reliance on third parties is required. Anti-bribery laws prohibit us, our employees, and
some of our agents or representatives from offering or providing any personal benefit to covered government officials to influence their
performance of their duties or induce them to serve interests other than the missions of the public organizations in which they serve.
Certain commercial bribery rules also prohibit offering or providing any personal benefit to employees and representatives of commercial
companies to influence their performance of their duties or induce them to serve interests other than their employers. The FCPA also obligates
companies whose securities are listed in the United States to comply with certain accounting provisions requiring us to maintain books
and records that accurately and fairly reflect all transactions of the corporation, including international subsidiaries, and devise and
maintain an adequate system of internal accounting controls for international operations. The anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA are
enforced primarily by the Department of Justice. The SEC is involved with enforcement of the books and records provisions of the FCPA.
Compliance with these anti-bribery laws is expensive and difficult, particularly in countries in which corruption is a recognized problem.
In addition, the anti-bribery laws present particular challenges in the medical products industries because in many countries, a majority
of hospitals are state-owned or operated by the government, and doctors and other hospital employees are considered civil servants. Furthermore,
in certain countries, hospitals and clinics are permitted to sell medical devices to their patients and are primary or significant distributors
of medical devices. Certain payments to hospitals in connection with clinical studies, procurement of medical devices and other work have
been deemed to be improper payments to government officials that have led to vigorous anti-bribery law enforcement actions and heavy fines
in multiple jurisdictions, particularly in the United States and China. It is not always possible to identify and deter violations, and
the precautions we take to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in controlling unknown or unmanaged risks or losses or
in protecting us from governmental investigations or other actions or lawsuits stemming from a failure to be in compliance with such laws
or regulations. In the medical products industries, corrupt practices include, among others, acceptance of kickbacks, bribes or other
illegal gains or benefits by the hospitals and medical practitioners from medical device manufacturers, distributors or their third-party
agents in connection with the prescription of certain medical devices or disposables. If our employees, affiliates, distributors or third-party
marketing firms violate these laws or otherwise engage in illegal practices with respect to their sales or marketing of our products or
other activities involving our products, we could be required to pay damages or heavy fines by multiple jurisdictions where we operate,
which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Our potential customers also may deny access
to sales representatives from medical device companies because the potential customers want to avoid the perception of corruption, which
could adversely affect our ability to promote our products. As we expand our operations in the APAC Region, we will need to increase the
scope of our compliance programs to address the risks relating to the potential for violations of the FCPA and other anti-bribery and
anti-corruption laws. Our compliance programs will need to include policies addressing not only the FCPA, but also the provisions of a
variety of anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws in multiple jurisdictions, including provisions relating to books and records that apply
to us as a public company, and will need to include effective training for our personnel throughout our organization. The creation and
implementation of anti-corruption compliance programs is costly and such programs are difficult to enforce, particularly where reliance
on third parties is required. Violation of the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws can result in significant administrative and criminal
penalties for us and our employees, including substantial fines, suspension or debarment from government contracting, prison sentences,
or even the death penalty in extremely serious cases in certain countries. The SEC also may suspend or bar us from trading securities
on United States exchanges for violation of the FCPA’s accounting provisions. Even if we are not ultimately punished by government
authorities, the costs of investigation and review, distraction of company personnel, legal defense costs, and harm to our reputation
could be substantial and could limit our profitability or our ability to develop or launch our product candidates. In addition, if any
of our competitors are not subject to the FCPA, they may engage in practices that will lead to their receipt of preferential treatment
from potential customers and enable them to secure business from potential customers in ways that are unavailable to us.
55
Changes in the economic, political or social
conditions or government policies in the APAC Region could have a material adverse effect on our business and operations.
The economies and societies of
certain countries and territories in the APAC Region, continue to undergo significant change. Adverse changes in the political and economic
policies in these countries and territories could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of these countries and
territories, which could adversely affect our ability to conduct business in these countries and territories. The governments of these
countries and territories continue to adjust economic policies to promote economic growth. Some of these measures may benefit the overall
economy but may also have a negative effect on us. As the medical product industry grows and evolves in these countries and territories,
the governments may also implement measures to change the structure of foreign investment in this industry. We are unable to predict any
such policy changes, any of which could materially and adversely affect our ability to finance or conduct our business in these countries
and territories. Any failure on our part to comply with changing government regulations and policies could result in the loss of our ability
to develop and launch our product candidates in these countries and territories.
Risks Related to the Ownership of Our Common Stock
We may not be able to satisfy the continued
listing requirements of Nasdaq or maintain the listing of our common stock on Nasdaq.
We must meet certain financial,
liquidity and other listing requirements in order to maintain the listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market. One of these
requirements is that our common stock listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 or more per share (“Minimum
Bid Price Requirement”). If we violate Nasdaq’s listing requirements or if we fail to meet any of Nasdaq’s listing standards
without regaining compliance, our common stock may be delisted. A delisting of our common stock from Nasdaq may materially impair our
shareholders’ ability to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market price of, and the efficiency
of the trading market for, our common stock. The delisting of our common stock could significantly impair our ability to raise capital
and the value of your investment. The Company was previously out of compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement, but on February
27, 2023, the Company received a letter from Nasdaq notifying the Company that it had regained compliance with this requirement. However,
there can be no assurance that we will remain in compliance with the Minimum Bid Price Requirement.
We have identified material weaknesses in our
internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation of the material weaknesses is not effective, or if we experience additional
material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls in the future, we may not be
able to accurately or timely report our financial condition or results of operations, which may adversely affect investor confidence in
us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
In connection with the
preparation of our financial statements for the years ended June 30, 2021, June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2023, we identified material
weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in
internal controls such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our financial statements will not be
prevented or detected on a timely basis.
56
The material weaknesses related
to (a) the fact that the Company has not yet designed and maintained an effective control environment commensurate with its financial
reporting requirements, including (i) that the Company had not yet completed the formally documented policies and procedures with respect
to the review, supervision and monitoring of the Company’s accounting and reporting functions, (ii) the lack of evidence to support
the performance of controls and the adequacy of review procedures, including the completeness and accuracy of information used in the
performance of controls and (iii) that the Company had limited accounting personnel and other supervisory resources necessary to adequately
execute the Company’s accounting processes and address its internal controls over financial reporting requirements; and (b) the
lack of sufficient financial reporting and accounting personnel with appropriate knowledge of US GAAP and SEC reporting requirements to
prepare consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in accordance with US GAAP and SEC reporting requirements.
We have implemented and are in
the process of implementing measures designed to improve our internal control over financial reporting to remediate these material weaknesses,
including the hiring of additional qualified accounting and finance personnel, enhancing our controls to improve the preparation and review
over complex accounting measurements and the application of GAAP, and engaging independent experts and outside consultants.
We cannot assure you that the
measures we have taken and that we intend to take will be sufficient to remediate the material weaknesses we have identified or avoid
potential future material weaknesses. While we believe that our efforts will enhance our internal control, remediation of the material
weaknesses will require further validation and testing of the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over a sustained
period of financial reporting cycles, and we cannot assure you that we have identified all, or that we will not in the future have additional,
material weaknesses.
We are obligated to develop and maintain a system
of effective internal control over financial reporting. We may not complete our analysis of our internal control over financial reporting
in a timely manner, or these internal controls may not be determined to be effective, which may harm investor confidence in our company
and, as a result, the value of our common stock.
As a public company, we are required
to maintain internal control over financial reporting and to report any material weaknesses in such internal controls. We are required,
pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our
internal control over financial reporting. This assessment will need to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our
management in our internal control over financial reporting. However, our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness
of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 until we are no longer an “emerging growth company”
as defined in the JOBS Act, if we take advantage of the exemptions available to us through the JOBS Act. Even after we cease to be an
“emerging growth company,” our auditors will not be required to formally attest to the effectiveness of our internal control
over financial reporting unless we are an accelerated filer or a large accelerated filer (as defined under the Exchange Act). We are in
the very early stages of the costly and challenging process of compiling the system and process documentation necessary to perform the
evaluation needed to comply with Section 404. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, engage outside
consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue
steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement
a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. As we transition to the requirements of
reporting as a public company, we may need to add additional finance staff. We may not be able to complete our evaluation and testing
in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify one or more material weaknesses in our internal control
over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that our internal controls are effective. We may not be able to remediate any material
weaknesses in a timely fashion. If we are unable to complete our evaluation and testing, or if we are unable to assert that our internal
control over financial reporting is effective, particularly if we have been unable to remediate any material weaknesses identified, or
if or our auditors, when required to do so, are unable to express an opinion that our internal controls are effective, investors could
lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could harm our stock price.
57
We are an emerging
growth company and currently have limited accounting personnel and other supervisory resources. This can result in a lack of necessary resources
to adequately execute our accounting processes and address our internal controls over financial reporting requirements.
The Company is an emerging growth
company. Prior to our initial public offering (“IPO”), which we completed in December 2020, the Company was a private corporation
with limited accounting personnel and other supervisory resources necessary to adequately execute its accounting processes and address
its internal controls over financial reporting requirements. As a result, previously existing internal controls are no longer sufficient,
and the Company is in the process of updating these controls. The design and implementation of internal control over financial reporting
for the Company’s post-IPO has required and will continue to require significant time and resources from management and other personnel.
Raising additional
capital may cause dilution to our stockholders, restrict our operations or require us to relinquish rights to our technologies or products.
Since our inception, our operations
have been financed primarily by net proceeds from the sale of our convertible preferred stock and common stock, indebtedness and revenue
from the sales of our products. We anticipate our future capital requirements will be substantial and that we will need to raise significant
additional capital to fund our operations through equity or debt financing, or some combination thereof. We are currently exploring fundraising
opportunities to meet these capital requirements. If we are unable to raise additional funding to meet our operational needs, we will
be forced to limit or cease our operations.
In addition to our current capital
needs, we regularly consider fundraising opportunities and may decide, from time to time, to raise capital based on various factors, including
market conditions and our plans of operation. We may seek funds through borrowings or through additional rounds of financing, including
private or public equity or debt offerings. Additional capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms on a timely basis, or at
all. If adequate funds are not available, or if the terms of potential funding sources are unfavorable, our business and our ability to
develop our technology and our products would be harmed. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may
suffer dilution and the terms of any financing may adversely affect the rights of our stockholders. In addition, as a condition to providing
additional funds to us, future investors may demand, and may be granted, rights superior to those of existing stockholders. Debt financing,
if available, is likely to involve restrictive covenants limiting our flexibility in conducting future business activities, and, in the
event of insolvency, debt holders would be repaid before holders of our equity securities receive any distribution of our corporate assets.
We also could be required to seek funds through arrangements with partners or others that may require us to relinquish rights or jointly
own some aspects of our technologies or products that we would otherwise pursue on our own.
The market price of our common stock may be
significantly volatile.
The market price for our common
stock may be significantly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors including the following:
●
developments prior to commercial sales relating to regulatory approval, manufacturing and distribution of our products;
●
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results;
●
changes in financial or operational estimates or projections;
●
conditions in markets generally;
●
changes in the economic performance or market valuations of companies similar to ours; and
●
general economic or political conditions in the United States or elsewhere.
58
In particular, the market prices
for securities of medical device companies have historically been particularly volatile. Some of the factors that may cause the market
price of our common stock to fluctuate include:
●
any delay in or the results of our clinical evaluations;
●
any delay in manufacturing of our products;
●
any delay with the approval for reimbursement for the patients from their insurance companies;
●
our failure to comply with regulatory requirements;
●
the announcements of clinical evaluation data, and the investment community’s perception of and reaction to those data;
●
the results of clinical evaluations conducted by others on products that would compete with ours;
●
any delay or failure to receive clearance or approval from regulatory agencies or bodies;
●
our inability to commercially launch products or market and generate sales of our products, including the SGT;
●
failure of the SGT or any other products, even if approved for marketing, to achieve any level of commercial success;
●
our failure to obtain intellectual property protection for any of our technologies and products (including those related to the SGT) or the issuance of third-party intellectual property that cover our proposed technologies or products;
●
developments or disputes concerning our product’s intellectual property rights;
●
our or our competitors’ technological innovations;
●
general and industry-specific economic conditions that may affect our expenditures;
●
changes in market valuations of similar companies;
●
announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, capital commitments, new technologies, or intellectual property;
●
failure to adequately manufacture the SGT or any other products through third parties;
●
future sales of our common stock or other securities, including shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants or otherwise issued pursuant to certain contractual rights;
●
period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results; and
●
low or high trading volume of our common stock due to many factors, including the terms of our financing arrangements.
In addition, if we fail to reach
an important research, development or commercialization milestone or result by a publicly expected deadline, even if by only a small margin,
there could be a significant impact on the market price of our common stock. Additionally, as we approach the announcement of anticipated
significant information and as we announce such information, we expect the price of our common stock to be volatile and negative results
would have a substantial negative impact on the price of our common stock. In some cases, following periods of volatility in the market
price of a company’s securities, stockholders have often instituted class action securities litigation against those companies.
Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could significantly
harm our business operations and reputation.
59
We incur significantly increased costs and are
subject to additional regulations and requirements as a result of becoming a public company, which could lower our profits or make it
more difficult to run our business.
As a public company, and particularly
after we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” we will incur significant legal, accounting, and other expenses that we
did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the
listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on
public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to compliance with these requirements.
Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming
and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain directors’
and officers’ liability insurance, which could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board
of directors. Furthermore, new or changing laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to
their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory
and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing
revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we will incur as a public
company or the timing of such costs. Moreover, our executive officers have little experience in operating a United States public company,
which makes our ability to comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations uncertain. Our failure to company with all laws, rules and
regulations applicable to United States public companies could subject us or our management to regulatory scrutiny or sanction, which
could harm our reputation and stock price.
If we are unable to achieve certain agreed milestones
for the government grant we received, we may become liable to refund the grant we received.
The Company has only completed 4 of the 8 agreed milestones set forth in
the Company’s grant agreement with the Australian Government. As of June 30, 2023, there is uncertainty regarding the potential
extension of the grant agreement past its original end date of March 28, 2024. If we are not given an extension beyond the original end
date, or if we are unable to achieve the agreed milestones on time, we may become liable to refund the grant we received.
We may have difficulties integrating
acquired businesses and as a result, our business, results of operations and/or financial condition may be materially adversely
affected.
The Company believes that the
acquisition of IFP will result in several benefits, including synergy in operations, drive product innovations, and operational efficiencies.
However, to realize these anticipated benefits, the businesses of INBS and IFP must be successfully integrated. The success of the acquisition
of IFP will depend on, among other things, the combined Company’s ability to realize these anticipated benefits from combining the
businesses of INBS and IFP. The combined company may fail to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition for a variety of reasons,
including the following:
●
inability to efficiently operate new businesses or to integrate acquired products.
●
failure to successfully manage relationships with customers, distributors, and suppliers.
●
failure of customers to accept new products or to continue as customers of the combined company.
●
potential incompatibility of technologies and systems.
●
failure to leverage the increased scale of the combined company quickly and effectively.
●
potential difficulties integrating and harmonizing financial reporting systems.
●
difficulties in retaining key employees of the acquired business.
●
failure of the acquired business to produce the expected value.
●
failure to effectively coordinate sales and marketing efforts to communicate the capabilities of the combined company.
60
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
None.
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.