Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Forward-Looking Statements
This Form 10-Q contains certain
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements
contained in this Form 10-Q that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Without limiting
the foregoing, words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “believe,” “anticipate,”
“estimate” or “continue” or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety
of factors, many of which are not within our control. These factors include but are not limited to economic conditions generally and in
the industries in which we may participate; competition within our chosen industry, including competition from much larger competitors;
technological advances and failure to successfully develop business relationships.
Description of Business
Overview
Description of Business
Overview
We are a clinical-stage inflammation
and immunology company focused on developing drugs that modify the patient’s innate immune system to treat disease. We believe targeting
cells of the innate immune system that cause chronic inflammation and are involved in immune dysfunction such as cancer and neurodegenerative
diseases may make a therapeutic impact on many diseases. The Company’s drugs are in clinical trials and have not been approved by
a regulatory authority. The Company has two therapeutic platforms – a dominant-negative TNF platform (“DN-TNF”, “XPro™”,
“XPro1595™”, “INB03”, or “pegipanermin”) and a Natural Killer (“NK”, or “INKmune™”)
platform. The DN-TNF platform neutralizes soluble TNF (“sTNF”) without affecting trans-membrane TNF (“tmTNF”)
or TNF receptors. This unique biologic mechanism differentiates the DN-TNF drugs from currently approved non-selective TNF inhibitors
that inhibit both sTNF and tmTNF. Protecting the function of tmTNF and TNF receptors while neutralizing the function of sTNF is a potent
anti-inflammatory strategy that does not cause immunosuppression or demyelination which can occur with currently approved non-selective
TNF inhibitors and may occur with many other potent anti-inflammatory drugs. Currently approved non-selective TNF inhibitors treat autoimmune
disease, but are contraindicated in patients with infection, cancer and neurologic diseases because they increase the risk of infection,
cancer and demyelinating neurologic diseases; these safety problems are due to off-target effects on inhibiting tmTNF.
The NK platform targets the
dysfunctional natural killer cells in patients with cancer. NK cells are part of the normal immune response to cancer with important roles
in immunosurveillance to prevent cancer and in preventing relapse by eliminating residual disease. Residual disease is the cancer left
behind after therapy is finished. Residual disease can grow to cause relapse. The NK cells of cancer patients lose the ability to bind
and kill cancer cells. INKmune converts the patient’s resting NK cells into cancer killing memory like NK cells (mlNK). INKmune
improves mlNK killing in the hostile tumor microenvironment in at least three ways: increasing avidity, improving mitochondrial and cellular
respiration and allowing the cells to function in the immunosuppressive and hypoxic TME. Avidity is a measure of NK cell binding to cancer
cells. The higher the avidity, the greater the bond between the NK cell to cancer cell and thus the greater NK killing of cancer cells.
INKmune increases NK avidity and further improves mitochondrial function and upregulates nutrient receptors. These metabolic changes may
help the INKmune™ primed NK cell to function in the hostile tumor microenvironment and persist much longer. These mechanisms improve
the ability of INKmune™ primed NK cells to overcome the immune evasion of the patient’s cancer cells. We believe INKmune™
may be best used to eliminate residual disease after the patient has completed other cancer therapies.
Both the DN-TNF platform and
the INKmune platform can be used to treat multiple diseases. The DN-TNF platform will be used as an immunotherapy for the treatment of
cancer (INB03) and neurodegenerative disease. INKmune™ is being developed to treat NK-resistant hematologic malignancies and solid
tumors.
18
We believe our DN-TNF platform
can be used as a CNS (“central nervous system”) therapy to target glial activation to prevent progression of Alzheimer’s
disease (“AD”); to target neuroinflammation in treatment resistant depression (“TRD”); as a drug to treat many
chronic inflammatory diseases; and as a cancer therapy to reduce resistance in immunotherapy. The primary focus of the company’s
development efforts for XPro™ is AD which is currently in a Phase 2 trial to determine if reduction of chronic inflammation without
immunosuppression makes a difference in cognition. The next indication to be developed with XPro™ will be TRD. There is a significant
pre-clinical program on the use on DN-TNF in cancer. The drug is named differently for the oncology and CNS indications; INB03™
or XPro, respectively, but it is the same drug product. This novel compound has the same mechanism of action but has novel IP protection.
In each case, we believe neutralizing sTNF without blocking tmTNF or TNF receptors is a cornerstone to the treatment of these diseases.
As an immunotherapy for cancer, we are using INB03 to neutralize sTNF produced by HER2+ trastuzumab resistant breast cancers to reverse
resistance to targeted therapy. sTNF produced by the tumor causes an up-regulation of MUC4 express causing steric hindrance of trastuzumab
binding to the HER receptor on HER2+ breast cancer cells. Without binding, trastuzumab based therapies are not effective. Neutralizing
sTNF reverses MUC4 expression converting a trastuzumab resistant breast cancer cell into a trastuzumab sensitive breast cancer cell. In
mouse models, INB03 changes the immunobiology of the tumor microenvironment (“TME”) by decreasing the number of immunosuppressive
myeloid cells, both myeloid derived suppressor cells and tumor active macrophages (TAM; phagocytic macrophages) in the TME. In the TME
of immunocompetent mice, INB03 increases the number of cytotoxic lymphocytes modifies and the TME by downregulating immune exhaustion
markers – PDL-1, TIGIT, LAG3, CTLA4, CD47 and SIRPꭤ. The Company has completed an open label dose escalation trial in cancer
patients with metastatic solid tumors that have failed multiple lines of therapy. The pre-clinical data in MUC4+ expressing tumors and
the clinical trial informs the design of a future Phase II trial by demonstrating that INB03 was safe and well tolerated, defined the
dose of INB03 to carry into Phase II trials, and demonstrated a pharmacodynamic endpoint. The company does not plan to commence a Phase
II trial in patients with advanced MUC4+ expressing cancer until a partner can be found or extra-mural funding is secured.
Likewise, we believe the DN-TNF
platform can be used to treat selected neurodegenerative diseases by modifying the brain microenvironment (“BME”). The Company
believes the core pathology of cognitive decline is a combination of neurodegeneration and synaptic dysfunction. Neurodegeneration is
nerve cell death that may include demyelination. Synaptic dysfunction means the connections between nerve cells stop working efficiently
and may decrease in number. The combination of neurodegeneration and synaptic dysfunction causes cognitive decline and behavioral changes
associated with Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”). XPro™ completed a Phase I trial treating patients with Alzheimer’s
disease that was partially funded by a Part-the-Clouds Award from the Alzheimer’s Association. We believe XPro targets activated
microglia and astrocytes of the brain that produce sTNF causing nerve cell loss, synaptic dysfunction and prevents myelin repair - key
elements in the development of dementia. In animal models, elimination of sTNF prevents nerve cell dysfunction, reverses synaptic pruning
and promotes myelin repair. The Phase I trial in patients with biomarkers of inflammation with AD has been completed. The open label,
dose escalation trial was designed to demonstrate that XPro can safely decrease neuroinflammation in patients with ADi. ADi is the term
used to delineate patients with AD with biomarkers of inflammation. The endpoints of the trial were measures of neuroinflammation and
neurodegeneration in blood and cerebral spinal fluid by measuring changes in inflammatory cytokine levels in the CNS. XPro, at the 1mg/kg/week
dose, decreased inflammatory cytokines in the CSF in the brain demonstrating that XPro can decrease neuroinflammation in patients with
AD. We also studied downstream benefits of decreasing neuroinflammation by measuring changes in the CSF proteome and using EEG as a functional
measure of brain function. XPro significantly decreases biomarkers of neurodegeneration as measured by changes in the CSF proteome
including neurofilament light chain, phospho Tau 217 and VILIP-1; decreases of 84%, 46% and 91% respectively after 3 months of therapy.
Three months of XPro therapy improved measures of synaptic function, as measured in the CSF proteome including a 222% increase in Contactin
2 and a 56% decrease neurogranin, changes that contribute to improved synaptic function. After 4 weeks of XPro therapy, EEG Alpha power
improved in patients with AD suggesting improved brain activity.
The successful completion
of the Phase I trial in AD informed the design of the ongoing blinded randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II trial in patients with early
AD with biomarkers of inflammation. Early ADi. Early ADi includes patients have mild AD or MCI with at least one biomarker of inflammation.
The early ADi trial is a blinded randomized trial to test if treatment of early AD patients with neuroinflammation with XPro will affect
cognitive decline. The Phase II trial in early ADi has six important elements. Two hundred and one patients are being enrolled in a 2:1
ratio (XPro vs placebo). The patients will receive 1mg/kg/week as a subcutaneous injection for six months. An enrichment strategy identical
to the successful strategy used in the Phase I trial will be used to ensure patients have neuroinflammation. Patients will need to have
one or more enrichment criteria: elevated blood level of at least one of C-reactive protein, hemoglobin A1c, erythrocyte sedimentation
or at least one allele of ApoE4. The primary endpoint will be Early/mild Alzheimer’s Cognitive Composite (“EMACC”),
a validated cognitive measure that is more sensitive than traditional endpoints used in many studies of patient with early AD. Although
EMACC is a primary endpoint, CDR-SB, a well recognized cognitive test is being used as a secondary endpoint as well. The AD program is
enrolling patients in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Because of resource
constraints, a planned open-label extension has been stopped.
19
There are at least 4 clinical
milestones associated with the Phase II trial in AD. Closing enrollment to screening of patients in the Phase II AD trial was announced
at the end of the third quarter of 2024. Approximately seven months after the last patient is enrolled into AD02, top line cognition data
with EMACC and CDR will be available. Secondary endpoints which include blood biomarker, neuroimaging and additional neuropsychiatric
endpoints will be available after data-base lock 2-3 months after top line data. Finally, several months after all the data are analyzed,
the Company plans an end-of-phase II meeting with the FDA to finalize plans for the pivotal Phase III trial. XPro for treatment of AD
may be eligible for one or both accelerated approval pathways. The Company plans to apply for an accelerated pathway and plans to submit
of Fast Track status. We expect to be eligible for Break Through status after completion of the Phase II trial in 2025.
Effective therapy for TRD
is a large unmet need. Twenty percent of patients with Major Depressive Disorder have TRD. Once third of TRD patients have peripheral
biomarkers to inflammation (elevated CRP) – the target population of the TRD program. This is a large patient population. The role
of TNF and anti-TNF therapeutics was explored in a small open label clinical trial by Prof. Andrew Miller, MD of Emory University demonstrated
the patients have elevated TNF levels and treatment with infliximab treated their depression (Miller, 2011). The Company received a $2.9M
USD award from the National Institute of Mental Health (“NIMH”) to treat TRD with XPro. The blinded, randomized Phase II trial
will use biomarkers of peripheral inflammation to select patients with TRD for enrollment. Patients will be treated for 6 weeks. Primary
end-points include both clinical and neuroimaging measures. The final trial design is ongoing and discussions with the FDA are not complete.
The Company expects to receive authorization to initiate a clinical trial in TRD during the second half of 2024. The TRD trial is expected
to start enrollment after the AD Phase II trial finishes patient enrollment.
Our data show that INKmune
improves the ability of the patient’s own NK cells to attack their tumor. INKmune interacts with the patient’s NK cells to
convert them from inert resting NK cells into memory-like NK cells that kill the patient’s cancer cells. INKmune is a replication
incompetent proprietary cell line that is given to the patient after determining i) the patient has adequate NK cells in their circulation
and ii) those NK cells are functional when exposed to INKmune in vitro. INKmune is designed to be given to patients after their immune
system has recovered after cytotoxic chemotherapy to target the residual disease that remains after conventional treatment. We have in
vitro data suggesting that INKmune can be used to treat numerous hematologic malignancies and solid tumors including leukemia, multiple
myeloma, lymphoma, lung, ovary, breast, renal and prostate cancer. The Company had a Phase I trial using INKmune to treat patients with
high risk MDS/AML, a form of leukemia. Two patients were treated in the Phase I trial for MDS, three patients have been treated compassionately
in AML. During March 2024, the Company decided to terminate further enrollment in the MDS/AML trial due to recruitment difficulties in
the European trial sites. However, in the patients who were treated, INKmune therapy was shown to be safe, and induced development of
cancer killing memory-like NK cells that were found in the patient’s circulation for up to 4 months. The Company initiated a separate
Phase I/2 trial of INKmune in a metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer in 8 trials sites across the US. The open label trial enrolled
the first patient in December 2023, opened the second cohort in June 2024, and expects to open the third cohort to patient enrollment
in November 2024.
The Phase I/II trial using
INKmune™ to treat patients with metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCPRC) is an open label trial. Biomarker data from
the patients will be visible as patients are treated. The Company will report data from each cohort as it becomes available. In addition
to clinical data, the Company will communicate when the Phase I portion of the trial has completed follow-up. The limited immunologic
data was reported from the low dose Phase I cohort during the third quarter of 2024 and showed an increase in functional memory like NK
cells in the patient’s circulation. Because of the modified Bayesian design, the Company estimates trial enrollment will be completed
during the first half of 2025 with top-line data available 6 months later. Topline data are divided into immunologic and tumor response
variables. The most important immunologic response variable is related to memory like NK cell persistence. Persistence is how long are
the number of mlNK cells in patients’ blood compared to baseline. There are 3 important variables to tumor response: i) blood PSA
changes; ii) change in PMSA scan and iii) change in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Ideally, the levels of all three variables decrease
with treatment, but, in this patient group with advanced disease, absence of progression will be a notable achievement. We do not expect
this 6-month trial to provide survival data.
We continue to look for ways to
utilize our unique manufacturing and biologic capabilities to optimize clinical application of cell therapies. We believe that we have
developed a way to manufacture human mesenchymal stromal cells for the medical research and biotech community that offers large volumes
of high-quality, low passage human umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells with minimal batch-to-batch variability. We have established
a reliable supply of human umbilical cords based on our agreement with the Anthony Nolan Cord Blood Bank in the United Kingdom and may
seek additional supplies from US sources in the future. We have developed a validated manufacturing process that reliably produces clinical
grade (“cGMP”) quality mesenchymal stromal cells that we call CORDstrom. The manufacturing process is currently performed
at a contract manufacturing site under the direction of Mark Lowdell, the Company’s CSO. To date, we are supporting a multicenter
academic clinical trial in the UK with CORDstrom. This is a Phase I/IIb trial sponsored by the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital
in London treating children with the most severe form of Epidermolysis Bullosa (“EB”), a disfiguring and sometimes fatal skin
disease that is similar to a second-degree burn. INmune Bio is supplying the clinical product for treatment of these patients. We have
identified contract manufacturers in the UK that have the capability to produce cGMP stem cells. We expect the commercial arrangement
with academic laboratories or biopharma companies to be a combination of fee-for-service and licensing that does not require additional
investment by us. We will be opportunistic in pursuing therapeutic opportunities for our own portfolio with this platform in the future
if resources become available. The regulatory path for therapeutic applications of the mesenchymal stem cell products is well established
and similar to the regulatory approval process for other cell therapies. We will only be responsible for regulatory compliance related
to manufacturing of the mesenchymal stromal cells when the product is being developed by a third party. When developing a therapeutic
product for the Company’s commercial portfolio, the Company will be responsible for all aspects of the regulatory process.
We continue to incur significant
development and other expenses related to our ongoing operations. As a result, we are not and have never been profitable and have incurred
losses in each period since our inception, resulting in substantial doubt in our ability to continue as a going concern. We reported a
net loss of $32.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, we had cash and
cash equivalents of $33.6 million and $35.8 million, respectively. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable
future, and we expect these losses to increase as we continue our research and development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our
product candidates. The size of our future net losses will depend, in part, on the rate of future growth of our expenses and our ability
to generate revenues, if any.
20
Our recurring net losses and
negative cash flows from operations raised substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern within one year after
the issuance of our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Until we can generate
sufficient revenue from the commercialization of our product candidates, we expect to finance our operations through the public or private
sale of equity, debt financings or other capital sources, such as government funding, collaborations, strategic alliances, divestment
of non-core assets, or licensing arrangements with third parties. To date, the Company has relied on equity and debt financing to fund
its operations.
As a company with less than
$1.235 billion in revenue during our last fiscal year, we qualify as an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act. As an
emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally
to public companies. These provisions include:
● only
two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements with correspondingly reduced
“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” disclosure;
● reduced
disclosure about our executive compensation arrangements;
● no
non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements;
● exemption
from the auditor attestation requirement in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting; and
● delaying
the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those
standards apply to private companies.
We have elected to take advantage
of the above-referenced exemptions and we may take advantage of these exemptions for up to five years or such earlier time that we are
no longer an emerging growth company. We would cease to be an emerging growth company if we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenues,
we have more than $700 million in market value of our stock held by non-affiliates, or we issue more than $1 billion of non-convertible
debt over a three-year period. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these reduced burdens.
Research and Development
Research and development expense
consists of expenses incurred while performing research and development activities to discover and develop our product candidates. This
includes conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, manufacturing development efforts and activities related to regulatory filings
for product candidates. We recognize research and development expenses as they are incurred. Our research and development expense primarily
consist of:
● clinical
trial and regulatory-related costs;
●
expenses incurred under agreements with investigative sites and consultants that conduct our clinical trials;
●
manufacturing and testing costs and related supplies and materials; and
●
employee-related expenses, including salaries, benefits, travel and stock-based compensation.
21
The following table summarizes
our research and development expenses by product candidate for the periods indicated (in thousands):
Three Months Ended
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
September 30,
2024
2023
2024
2023
External Costs
DN-TNF - Alzheimer’s disease
$ 7,629
$ 3,823
$ 18,759
$ 8,498
INKmune - High Risk MDS/AML & Prostate cancer
1,214
840
3,468
1,697
Preclinical and other programs
157
214
518
632
Accrued research and development rebate
(262 )
(224 )
(1,524 )
(493 )
Total external costs
8,738
4,653
21,221
10,334
Internal costs
1,329
1,332
4,592
3,932
Total
$ 10,067
$ 5,985
$ 25,813
$ 14,266
We typically use our employee
resources across our development programs. We track outsourced development costs by product candidate or development program, but we do
not allocate internal costs personnel costs including salaries and stock-based compensation to specific product candidates or development
programs.
We
participate, through our wholly owned subsidiary in Australia, in the Australian research and development tax incentive program, such
that a percentage of our qualifying research and development expenditures are reimbursed by the Australian government, and such incentives
are reflected as a reduction of research and development expense. The Australian research and development tax incentive is recognized
when there is reasonable assurance that the incentive will be received, the relevant expenditure has been incurred and the amount of the
consideration can be reliably measured.
We
participate, through our wholly owned subsidiary in the United Kingdom, in the research and development program provided by the United
Kingdom tax relief program, such that a percentage of our qualifying research and development expenditures are reimbursed by the United
Kingdom government, and such incentives are reflected as a reduction of research and development expense. The United Kingdom research
and development tax incentive is recognized when there is reasonable assurance that the incentive will be received, the relevant expenditure
has been incurred and the amount of the consideration can be reliably measured.
Substantially all our research
and development expenses to date have been incurred in connection with our current and future product candidates. We expect our research
and development expenses to increase significantly for the foreseeable future as we advance an increased number of our product candidates
through clinical development, including the conduct of our planned clinical trials and manufacturing drug to be used in those clinical
trials. The process of conducting clinical trials necessary to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time consuming. The successful
development of product candidates is highly uncertain. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature, timing or costs required
to complete the remaining development of any product candidates. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the
development of product candidates.
The costs of clinical trials
may vary significantly over the life of a project owing to, but not limited to, the following:
●
per patient trial costs;
●
the number of sites included in the clinical trials;
●
the countries in which the clinical trials are conducted;
●
the length of time required to enroll eligible patients;
●
the number of patients that participate in the clinical trials;
●
the number of doses that patients receive;
●
the cost of comparative agents used in clinical trials;
●
the drop-out or discontinuation rates of patients;
22
●
potential additional safety monitoring or other studies requested by regulatory agencies;
●
the duration of patient follow-up;
●
the efficacy and safety profile of the product candidate; and
●
the cost of manufacturing, finishing, labelling and storage drug used in the clinical trial.
We do not expect any of our
product candidates to be commercially available for at least the next several years, if ever. We expect to continue to incur significant
expenses and increasing operating losses for the foreseeable future, which may fluctuate significantly from quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year.
We anticipate that our expenses will increase substantially as we:
●
continue research and development, including preclinical and clinical development of our existing product candidates;
●
potentially seek regulatory approval for our product candidates;
●
seek to discover and develop additional product candidates;
●
establish a commercialization infrastructure and scale up our manufacturing and distribution capabilities to commercialize any of our product candidates for which we may obtain regulatory approval;
●
seek to comply with regulatory standards and laws;
●
maintain, leverage and expand our intellectual property portfolio;
●
hire clinical, manufacturing, scientific and other personnel to support our product candidates development and future commercialization efforts;
●
add operational, financial and management information systems and personnel; and
●
incur additional legal, accounting and other expenses in operating as a public company.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and administrative
expenses consist principally of payroll and personnel expenses, including stock-based compensation; professional fees for legal, consulting,
accounting and tax services; overhead, including rent and utilities; and other general operating expenses not otherwise classified as
research and development expenses.
Other income (expense)
Other income (expense) consists
primarily of interest expense incurred on debt and interest income on investments in money market accounts.
23
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended September
30, 2024 and 2023
The following table summarizes
our results of operations for the periods indicated:
Three Months Ended
September 30,
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Revenues
$ -
$ 43
$ (43 )
Operating expenses:
Research and development
10,067
5,985
4,082
General and administrative
2,219
2,586
(367 )
Total operating expenses
12,286
8,571
3,715
Loss from operations
(12,286 )
(8,528 )
(3,758 )
Other income (expense), net
193
(35 )
(228 )
Net loss
$ (12,093 )
$ (8,563 )
$ (3,530 )
Revenues
The Company had no sales during the three months ended September 30,
2024. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, the Company sold Mesenchymal stem cells to one third-party and recognized $43,000
of revenues.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses
were approximately $10.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to approximately $6.0 million during
the three months ended September 30, 2023. The change in research and development expenses during the three months ending September 30,
2024 compared to the three months ending September 30, 2023 is largely due to incurring $3.8 million more expenses with our Alzheimer’s
clinical program due to the advancement of enrollment in the clinical trial.
General and Administrative
General and administrative
expenses were approximately $2.2 and $2.6 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The decrease
in general and administrative expenses was mainly due to the Company incurring $0.3 million lower consulting expenses in 2024.
Other Income (Expense), net
The Company’s other
income, net is higher during the three months ended September 30, 2024, due to the Company earning interest income on its money market
accounts and incurring less interest expense compared to 2023 due to a reduction in the amount of debt owed.
Comparison of the Nine Months Ended September
30, 2024 and 2023
The following table summarizes
our results of operations for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
Revenues
$ 14
$ 127
$ (113 )
Operating expenses:
Research and development
25,813
14,266
11,547
General and administrative
7,369
7,223
146
Total operating expenses
33,182
21,489
11,693
Loss from operations
(33,168 )
(21,362 )
(11,806 )
Other income (expense), net
304
(238 )
542
Net loss
$ (32,864 )
$ (21,600 )
$ (11,264 )
24
Revenues
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, and 2023, the Company
sold Mesenchymal stem cells to one third-party and recognized $14,000 and $127,000, respectively, of revenues.
Research and Development
Research and development expenses
were approximately $25.8 million and $14.3 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The change
in research and development expenses during the nine months ending September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ending September 30,
2023 is mainly due to the advancement of our clinical trials which include incurring $10.3 million of higher expenses with our Alzheimer’s
clinical program as a result of higher enrollment, $1.8 million of higher expenses with our INKmune clinical programs as a result of progress
in our metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer clinical trial and 0.7 million higher salaries and stock-based compensation, partially
offset by a $1.0 million increase in our accrued research and development rebate accrual.
General and Administrative
General and administrative
expenses were approximately $7.4 million and $7.2 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The
$0.2 million increase in general and administrative expenses was mainly due to higher compensation expense in 2024.
Other Income (Expense), net
The Company’s other
income, net is higher during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, due to the Company earning interest income on its money market
accounts and incurring less interest expense compared to 2024 due to a reduction in the amount of debt owed.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity
is the ability of a company to generate funds to support its current and future operations, satisfy its obligations and otherwise operate
on an ongoing basis.
We
incurred a net loss of $32.9 million and $21.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Net cash used
in operating activities was $22,348,000 and $8,579,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Since inception,
we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from the sales of our common stock and warrants. As of September 30, 2024, we had
cash and cash equivalents of $33,552,000. We anticipate that operating losses and net cash used in operating activities will increase
over the next few years as we advance our products under development.
During the nine months ending
September 30, 2024, the Company sold 247,126 shares of common stock at an average price of $9.85 for gross proceeds of approximately $2.4 million
under the at the market offerings.
During September 2024,
the Company entered into securities purchase agreements with investors whereby the Company sold 2,341,260 shares of the Company’s
common stock and warrants to purchase an additional 2,341,260 shares of the Company’s common stock exercisable six months from the
issuance date in a registered direct offering in exchange for gross proceeds of $13.0 million (net proceeds of approximately $12.0 million).
Directors and officers that participated in the offering paid a combined offering price of
$6.50 per share and warrant, and other investors paid $5.50 per share and warrant. The exercise price of the warrants is $6.40, and are
exercisable beginning on March 16, 2025 and will terminate on March 16, 2030 unless accelerated pursuant to the terms of the warrant agreements.
On April 24, 2024, the Company entered into a securities purchase agreement with an investor in which the Company sold 986,000 shares
of common stock and warrants to purchase 986,000 shares of common stock for gross proceeds of approximately $9.7 million (net proceeds
of approximately $8.9 million). The exercise price of the warrants is $9.84, and the term is the earlier of two years from the issuance
of the warrants and thirty trading days following the release of top line data in the Phase 2 Alzheimer’s program.
On April 19, 2024, the Company entered into securities purchase agreements with purchasers in which the Company sold 571,592 shares of
common stock and warrants to purchase 571,592 shares of common stock for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $4.8 million (net proceeds
of approximately $4.5 million). The exercise price of the warrants is $9.152, and the term is the earlier of two years from the issuance
of the warrants and thirty trading days following the release of top line data in the Phase 2 Alzheimer’s program, provided that
directors and officers of the Company that are subject to a blackout with respect to trading in the Company’s stock will have an
additional 60 days from the termination of the blackout date to exercise the warrant. Directors and officers that participated in the
offering paid a combined offering price of $8.445 per share and warrant, and other investors paid $8.32 per share and warrant.
25
Our
primary uses of capital are, and we expect will continue to be, third-party clinical and preclinical research and development services,
costs incurred to manufacture our drugs under development, compensation and related expenses, legal, patent and other regulatory expenses
and general overhead costs. We believe our use of CROs provides us with flexibility in managing our spending.
The
Company incurs significant research and development expenses in Australia and the United Kingdom. Fluctuations in the rate of exchange
between the United States dollar and the pound sterling as well as the Australian dollar could adversely affect our financial results,
including our expenses as well as assets and liabilities. We currently do not hedge foreign currencies but will continue to assess whether
that strategy is appropriate. As of September 30, 2024, the cash balance held by our foreign subsidiaries with currencies other than the
United States dollar was approximately $0.9 million.
Our
recurring net losses and negative cash flows from operations, as well as forecast of continued losses and negative cash flows from operations,
raised substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the issuance of our unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2024. Until we can generate sufficient revenue from the commercialization
of our product candidates, we expect to finance our operations through the public or private sale of equity, debt financing or other capital
sources, such as government funding, collaborations, strategic alliances, divestment of non-core assets, or licensing arrangements with
third parties. Our cash and cash equivalents were $33.6 million and total current assets were $35.9 million at September 30, 2024, which
the Company is projecting will be insufficient to sustain its operations through one year following the date that the financial statements
are issued.
Additional
capital may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on
terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development of one or more of our product candidates
or cease operations. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities it could result in dilution
to our existing stockholders, increased fixed payment obligations and these securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock
and could contain covenants that would restrict our operations and potentially impair our competitiveness, such as limitations on our
ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license our intellectual property rights and other operating
restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Any of these events could significantly harm our business,
financial condition and prospects.
Financing
strategies we may pursue include, but are not limited to, the public or private sale of equity, debt financing or funds from other capital
sources, such as government or grant funding, collaborations, strategic alliances, divestment of non-core assets, or licensing arrangements
with third parties. There can be no assurances additional capital will be available to secure additional financing, or if available, that
it will be sufficient to meet our needs on favorable terms. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms
acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development of one or more of our product candidates.
If we raise additional funds through the public or private sale of equity or debt financings, it could result in dilution to our existing
stockholders or increased fixed payment obligations and these securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock and could
contain covenants that would restrict our operations and potentially impair our competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to
incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license our intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions
that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Any of these events could significantly harm our business, financial
condition and prospects.
Cash Flows
The following table summarizes
our cash flows for the periods indicated:
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
(in thousands)
2024
2023
Net cash and cash equivalents (used in) provided by:
Operating activities
$ (22,348 )
$ (8,579 )
Financing activities
20,289
(1,725 )
Change in cash and cash equivalents
(2,059 )
(10,304 )
Impact on cash from foreign currency translation
(237 )
(36 )
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period
35,848
52,153
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period
$ 33,552
$ 41,813
26
Operating Activities
Our
cash used in operating activities was primarily driven by our net loss.
Operating
activities used approximately $22.3 million of cash during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, resulting from our loss of $32.9
million, partially offset by changes in our net operating assets and liabilities of $4.6 million and non-cash stock-based compensation
of $5.8 million. The change in our net operating assets and liabilities was mainly due to an increase in accounts payable and accrued
liabilities of $2.7 million, a decrease in research and development tax receivable of $0.8 million, a decrease in prepaid expenses of
$0.6 million and a decrease in other tax receivable of $0.2 million.
Operating activities used
approximately $8.6 million of cash during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, resulting from our loss of $21.6 million, partially
offset by changes in our net operating assets and liabilities of $7.4 million and non-cash stock-based compensation of $5.5 million. The
change in our net operating assets and liabilities was mainly due to a decrease in research and development tax credit receivable of $6.0
million and a decrease in prepaid expenses of $2.5 million, partially offset by a decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities
of $1.5 million.
Financing Activities
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company sold 247,126 shares of its common stock under its ATM programs for net proceeds
of approximately $2.4 million.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Company sold 3,898,852 shares of its common stock and 3,898,852 warrants to purchase its
common stock in registered direct offerings for net proceeds of approximately $25.4 million.
During the nine months ended
September 30, 2023, the Company sold 75,697 shares of its common stock for net proceeds of $775,000 under the Company’s ATM program
with BTIG.
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Company repaid $7.5 and $2.5 million, respectively, of its debt.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis
of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our unaudited consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared
in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements
requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and expenses. Actual results may differ
from these estimates. Our critical accounting policies and estimates are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2023, and there have been no material changes during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures
About Market Risk
Pursuant to Item 305(e) of
Regulation S-K (§ 229.305(e)), the Company is not required to provide the information required by this Item as it is a “smaller
reporting company,” as defined by Rule 229.10(f)(1).
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.