Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
RISK FACTORS
Investing in shares of our common stock
is very speculative and involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described
below, the section of this Annual Report entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations” and our financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. The risks and uncertainties
described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently believe
are not material, may also become important factors that affect us. If any of the following risks occur, our business, operating results
and prospects could be materially harmed. In that event, the price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part or all
of your investment.
Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property
We depend on rights to Telomir-1 that are
or will be licensed to us. We do not own the intellectual property rights to Telomir-1 and any loss of our rights to it could prevent
us from selling our product.
Within our present and future pipeline of treatments,
Telomir-1 is in-licensed from MIRALOGX. We do not currently own any intellectual property rights, including the patent application that
underlies this license. Our rights to use Telomir-1 is subject to the negotiation of, continuation of and compliance with the terms of
this license. Thus, the non-provisional patent application is not written by us or our attorneys, and we did not have control over the
drafting and prosecution. The patent owner and our licensor might not have given the same attention to the drafting and prosecution of
these patents and applications as we would have if we had been the owner of the patent application and had control over the drafting.
We cannot be certain that drafting of the licensed patent application, or patent prosecution, by the licensor have been or will be conducted
in compliance with applicable laws and regulations or will result in valid and enforceable patents and other intellectual property rights.
This absence of control over the drafting, prosecution of patent and applications, along with non-compliance with royalty payments and
confidentiality breaches are just some of the ways that may result in the Company’s’ loss of the license and inability to
continue operations.
Significant additional research and development
activity, pre-clinical testing, and/or clinical testing Telomir-1 is required before we will have a chance to achieve a viable product
for licensing or commercialization. Our business currently depends entirely on the successful development, regulatory approval, and licensing
or commercialization of our product candidate, which may never occur.
Enforcement of our licensed patent application
or defense of any claims asserting invalidity of these patents is often subject to the control or cooperation of our licensor. Legal
action could be initiated against the owners of the intellectual property that we license and an adverse outcome in such legal action
could harm our business because it might prevent such companies or institutions from continuing to license intellectual property that
we may need to operate our business. In addition, such licensor may resolve such litigation in a way that benefits it but adversely affects
our ability to have freedom to operate to develop and commercialize Telomir-1.
We may not be able to adequately protect
our product candidates or our proprietary technology in the marketplace.
Our success will depend, in part, on our ability
to obtain patents, protect our trade secrets and operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. We may rely upon a combination
of patents, trade secret protection (i.e., know-how), trademarks, licenses, and confidentiality agreements to protect the intellectual
property of our product candidates. The strengths of patents in the pharmaceutical field involve complex legal and scientific questions
and can be uncertain. Where appropriate, we seek patent protection for certain aspects of our products and technology. However, patent
protection for naturally occurring compounds is exceedingly difficult to obtain, defend and enforce. Filing, prosecuting and defending
patents throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, so our policy is to look to patent technologies with commercial potential
in jurisdictions with significant commercial opportunities. However, patent protection may not be available for some of the products
or technology we are developing. If we must spend significant time and money protecting, defending, or enforcing our patents, designing
around patents held by others or licensing, potentially for large fees, patents or other proprietary rights held by others, our business,
results of operations and financial condition may be harmed. We may not develop additional proprietary products that are patentable.
The patent positions of pharmaceutical products
are complex and uncertain. Although we have sought and expect to continue to seek patent protection for our product candidates, their
methods of use, and methods of manufacture, any, or all of them may not be subject to effective patent protection. If any of our products
are approved and marketed for an indication for which we do not have an issued patent, our ability to use our patents to prevent a competitor
from commercializing a non-branded version of our commercial products for that non-patented indication could be significantly impaired
or even eliminated.
Publication of information related to our product
candidates by us, or others may prevent us from obtaining or enforcing patents relating to these products and product candidates. Furthermore,
others may independently develop similar products, may duplicate our products, or may design around our patent rights. In addition, any
of our issued patents may be opposed and/or declared invalid or unenforceable. If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property,
we may face competition from companies who attempt to create a generic product to compete with our product candidates. We may also face
competition from companies who develop a substantially similar product to one of our product candidates that is not covered by any of
our patents.
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Many companies have encountered significant problems
in protecting, defending and enforcing intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. The legal systems of certain countries,
particularly certain developing countries, do not favor the enforcement of patents and other intellectual property rights, particularly
those relating to pharmaceuticals, which could make it difficult for us to stop the infringement of our patents or marketing of competing
products in violation of our proprietary rights generally. Proceedings to enforce our patent rights in foreign jurisdictions could result
in substantial cost and divert our efforts and attention from other aspects of our business.
Currently, we do not own the rights to the intellectual
property and technology that will be used to commercially develop our initial product candidate, Telomir-1. MIRALOGX, which is a separate
intellectual property development company owned by a trust established by the Company’s founder, holds the patent rights to Telomir-1,
which are currently comprised of a pending non-provisional patent application. Pending the issuance of the non-provisional patent application,
we will have an exclusive, license from MIRALOGX to develop and commercialize Telomir-1 in the U.S. for human and non-human applications.
The term of the license will continue through the date of the expiration of the last-to-expire licensed patent or, if later, the date
of the expiration of the last strategic partnership/sublicensing agreement covering the licensed products. The licensed patent rights
are expected to extend through 2043. We expect additional patent terms may be awarded, including additional patent terms based on the
time for regulatory review of drug products. There are no up-front, execution, or milestone payments required under the license agreement.
Further, no payments have been made to date under the agreement. We are also required to pay an 8% royalty on net sales or revenue in
exchange for an exclusive, worldwide license to patent rights, and we may bring suit in our own name to enforce our patent rights under
the license agreement. In the event we are unable to enforce our rights under the agreement or are unable to detect unauthorized use
of our intellectual property, we may lose the benefit of the licensed rights used to commercially develop Telomir-1. MIRALOGX will control
the prosecution of the patent applications for Telomir-1.
If third parties claim that our intellectual
property, products, processes, or anything else used by us infringes upon their intellectual property, our operating profits could be
adversely affected.
There is a substantial amount of litigation,
both within and outside the U.S., involving patent and other intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical industry. We may, from
time to time, be notified of claims that we are infringing upon patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights
owned by third parties, and we cannot provide assurances that other companies will not, in the future, pursue such infringement claims
against us, our commercial partners or any third-party proprietary technologies we have licensed. If we were found to infringe upon a
patent or other intellectual property right, or if we failed to obtain or renew a license under a patent or other intellectual property
right from a third party, or if a third party that we were licensing technologies from was found to infringe upon a patent or other intellectual
property rights of another third party, we may be required to pay damages, including damages of up to three times the damages found or
assessed, if the infringement is found to be willful, suspend the manufacture of certain products or reengineer or rebrand our products,
if feasible, or we may be unable to enter certain new product markets. Any such claims could also be expensive and time consuming to
defend and divert management’s attention and resources. Our competitive position could suffer as a result. In addition, if we have
declined or failed to enter into a valid non-disclosure or assignment agreement for any reason, we may not own the invention or our intellectual
property, and our products may not be adequately protected. Thus, we cannot guarantee that our product candidates, or our commercialization
thereof, does not and will not infringe any third party’s intellectual property.
We have been granted a license to the right
to develop Telomir-1 in the United States in human and pet application, but we have not been granted a license to the rights to patents
covering Telomir-1 in foreign jurisdictions.
We have been granted a license to the right to
develop Telomir-1 in the United States but not in countries outside the United States, as MIRALOGX has retained all rights outside the
United States and may license such rights to other parties. Accordingly, MIRALOGX potentially could develop a competing product for such
jurisdictions outside of the United States.
Risks Related to Our Operations and Financial
Condition
We are an early development-stage company
with no revenues.
As an early development-stage enterprise that
is focused on the development of a pre-clinical pharmaceutical product, we have generated no revenue and have an accumulated deficit
of $41.0 million and $30.6 million as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. There can be no assurance that sufficient
funds required to pursue our development program will be generated from operations or that funds will be available from external sources,
such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of additional capital resulting from the inability to generate
cash flow from operations, or to raise capital from external sources would force us to substantially curtail or cease operations and
would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on business. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that any such required funds, if
available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significant dilutive effect on our existing stockholders.
It is for these reasons substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern exists and an explanatory paragraph relating
to our ability to continue as a going concern can be found within the report of our independent registered public accounting firm on
our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
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We seek to overcome the circumstances that impact
our ability to remain a going concern in the future through the growth of revenues with interim cash flow deficiencies being addressed
through additional equity and debt financing. We anticipate raising additional funds through public or private financing, strategic relationships,
or other arrangements in the near future to support our business operations; however, we may not have commitments from third parties
for a sufficient amount of additional capital. We cannot be certain that any such financing will be available on acceptable terms, or
at all, and our failure to raise capital when needed could limit our ability to continue operations. Our ability to obtain additional
funding will determine our ability to continue as a going concern. Failure to secure additional financing in a timely manner and on favorable
terms would have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, results of operations and stock price and require us to curtail
or cease operations, sell off our assets, seek protection from our creditors through bankruptcy proceedings, or otherwise. Furthermore,
additional equity financing may be dilutive to the holders of our common stock, and debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive
covenants, and strategic relationships, if necessary, to raise additional funds, and may require that we relinquish valuable rights.
Because
we have a limited operating history, you may not be able to accurately evaluate our operations.
We have had limited operations to date. Therefore,
we have a limited operating history upon which to evaluate the merits of investing in our company. Our stockholders should be aware of
the difficulties normally encountered by new companies and the high rate of failure of such enterprises. The likelihood of success must
be considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications, and delays encountered in connection with the operations
that we plan to undertake. These potential problems include, but are not limited to, unanticipated problems relating to the ability to
generate sufficient cash flow to operate our business, and additional costs and expenses that may exceed current estimates. We expect
to continue to incur significant losses into the foreseeable future. We recognize that if the effectiveness of our business plan is not
forthcoming, we will not be able to continue business operations. There is no history upon which to base any assumption as to the likelihood
that we will prove successful, and it is doubtful that we will generate any operating revenues or ever achieve profitable operations.
If we are unsuccessful in addressing these risks, our business will most likely fail.
We will need to raise additional financing
for the continuation of our operations.
Because we have generated no revenues and currently
operate at a loss, we are completely dependent on the continued availability of financing in order to continue our business operations.
There can be no assurance that financing sufficient to enable us to continue our operations will be available to us in the future.
We will require additional capital to advance
our development activities and to achieve a sustainable level at which operations could be supported by revenues, if any. Based on our
current operating plan and available cash resources, we believe that our existing capital will be sufficient to fund operations and planned
initial clinical development activities into the first quarter of 2027. We will require additional financing to continue development
beyond that period and to fully implement our business strategy. There can be no assurance that additional financing will be available
when needed or, if available, on terms acceptable to us.
Our failure to obtain future financing or to
produce levels of revenue to meet our financial needs could result in our inability to continue as a going concern and the failure of
our business.
Our operating results may fluctuate, which
could have a negative impact on our ability to grow our client base, establish sustainable revenues and succeed overall.
Our results of operations may fluctuate as a
result of a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control including but not limited to:
●
general
economic conditions in the geographies and industries where we sell our services and conduct operations; legislative policies where
we sell our services and conduct operations;
●
the
budgetary constraints of our customers;
●
success
of our strategic growth initiatives;
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●
costs
associated with the launching or integration of new or acquired businesses; timing of new product introductions by us, our suppliers
and our competitors; product and service mix, availability, utilization and pricing;
●
the
mix, by state and country, of our revenues, personnel, and assets; movements in interest rates or tax rates;
●
changes
in, and application of, accounting rules; changes in the regulations applicable to us; and litigation matters.
As a result of these factors, we may not
succeed in our business, and we could go out of business.
We have yet to achieve a profit and will
not achieve a profit in the near future, if at all.
We have not yet produced any revenues or profit
and will not in the near future, if at all. We cannot be certain that we will be able to realize sufficient revenue to achieve profitability.
Further, many of our competitors have a significantly larger industry presence and revenue stream but have yet to achieve profitability.
Our ability to continue as a going concern in the future is dependent upon raising capital from financing transactions, increasing revenue
and keeping operating expenses below our revenue levels in order to achieve positive cash flows, none of which can be assured.
Certain of our executive officers are not
employed by us on a full-time basis.
Erez Aminov, our Chief Executive Officer and
Chairman of our board of directors, is not employed by our company on a full-time basis. Mr. Aminov is the son-in-law of Jonnie R. Williams,
Sr., the founder of the Company. As intended to be provided in his employment agreement with our company, he works on a part-time and
as-needed basis. Because he does not work full time for our company, instances may occur where he may not be immediately available to
provide solutions to problems or address concerns that arise in the course of us conducting our business and thus adversely affect our
business. In addition, he can become subject to conflicts of interest because he devotes part of his working time to other business endeavors
and may have responsibilities to other entities. Although Mr. Aminov is aware of his duties and accountability to our company and to
applicable laws and policies relating to corporate opportunity and conflicts of interest, such conflicts of interest may include deciding
how much time to devote to our affairs, as well as what business opportunities should be presented to us.
Alan Weichselbaum, our Chief Financial Officer,
is not employed by our company on a full-time basis. He works on a part-time and as-needed basis. Because he does not work full time
for our company, instances may occur where he may not be immediately available to provide solutions to problems or address concerns that
arise in the course of us conducting our business and thus adversely affect our business. In addition, he can become subject to conflicts
of interest because he devotes part of her working time to other business endeavors and may have responsibilities to other entities.
Although Mr. Weichselbaum is aware of his duties and accountability to our company and to applicable laws and policies relating to corporate
opportunity and conflicts of interest, such conflicts of interest may include deciding how much time to devote to our affairs, as well
as what business opportunities should be presented to us.
Conflicts of interest may arise between
us and MIRALOGX.
MIRALOGX has a non-provisional patent application
to the rights to Telomir-1. MIRALOGX is a separate intellectual property development company owned by the Bay Shore Trust, which is an
irrevocable trust established by our founder, Jonnie R. Williams, Sr., and in which Brian McNulty is the trustee. The Bay Shore Trust
is also our largest stockholder. We have an exclusive license from MIRALOGX to develop and commercialize Telomir-1 in the U.S. for human
and non-human applications. Although the interests of MIRALOGX are 100% owned by the Bay Shore Trust, and Mr. Williams is not an officer
or director of MIRALOGX and Mr. Williams does not have voting or dispositive power over the shares of our company held by Bay Shore Trust,
our relationship with the Bay Shore Trust, Mr. Williams may create, or may create the appearance of, conflicts of interest when we are
faced with decisions that could have different implications for MIRALOGX than the decisions have for us. Furthermore, in light of the
license agreement that we have with MIRALOGX, if a dispute were to arise between MIRALOGX and us relating to our past or future relationship
with MIRALOGX or with respect to intellectual property matters, these potential conflicts of interest may make it more difficult for
us to favorably resolve such disputes.
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Risks Relating to Our Business and Our Industry
Our future success will largely depend
on the success of Telomir-1 and any future product candidates, which development will require significant capital resources and years
of clinical development effort.
We currently have no drug products on the market,
and all of our drug development projects are in a pre-clinical stage of development. Our business depends almost entirely on the successful
pre-clinical and clinical development, FDA regulatory approval, and commercialization of our product candidates, principally Telomir-1.
Our stockholders need to be aware that substantial additional investments including pre-clinical and clinical development and FDA regulatory
submission and approval efforts will be required before we are permitted to undertake clinical studies and market and commercialize our
product candidates, if ever. It may be several years before we can commence clinical trials, if ever. Any clinical trial will be subject
to extensive and rigorous review and regulation by numerous government authorities in the United States and other jurisdictions where
we intend, if approved, to market our product candidates. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for any of our product candidates, we
must demonstrate through pre-clinical testing and clinical trials that the product candidate is safe and effective for its specific application.
This process can take many years and may include post- marketing studies and surveillance, which would require the expenditure of substantial
resources. Of the large number of drugs in development for approval in the United States (and the rest of the world), only a small percentage
will successfully complete the FDA regulatory approval financing to fund our planned research, development, and clinical programs, we
cannot assure you that any of our product candidates will be successfully developed or commercialized.
We may be unable to formulate or scale up any
or all of our product candidates. There is no guarantee that any of the product candidates will be or are able to be manufactured or
produced in a manner to meet the FDA’s criteria for product stability, content uniformity and all other criteria necessary for
product approval in the United States and other markets. Any of our product candidates may fail to achieve their specified endpoints
in clinical trials.
Furthermore, product candidates may not be approved
even if they achieve their specified endpoints in clinical trials. The FDA may disagree with our trial design and our interpretation
of data from clinical trials or may change the requirements for approval even after it has reviewed and commented on the design for our
clinical trials. The FDA may also approve a drug for fewer or more limited indications than we request or may grant approval contingent
on the performance of costly post-approval clinical trials (i.e., Phase IV trials). In addition, the FDA may not approve the labeling
claims that we believe are necessary or desirable for the successful commercialization of our product candidates.
If we are unable to expand our pipeline and obtain
regulatory approval for our product candidates within the timelines we anticipate, we will not be able to execute our business strategy
effectively and our ability to substantially grow our revenues will be limited, which would have a material adverse impact on our long-term
business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.
We are dependent on our current and future
product candidates, some of which may not receive regulatory approval or be successfully commercialized.
Our ability to progress our plan will depend
on our ability to clinically develop, gain regulatory approval for and ultimately commercialize our product candidates. Our ability to
successfully commercialize our product candidates will depend on, among other things, our ability to:
●
complete
pre-clinical and other nonclinical studies and clinical trials in a manner that allows us to progress our studies;
●
receive
IND acceptance and regulatory approvals from the FDA;
●
produce,
through a validated process, in manufacturing facilities inspected and approved by regulatory authorities, including the FDA, sufficiently
large quantities of product candidates to permit successful commercialization;
●
obtain
reimbursement from payers such as government health care programs and insurance companies and achieve commercially attractive levels
of pricing;
●
secure
acceptance of our product candidates from physicians, health care payers, patients, and the medical community;
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●
create
positive publicity surrounding our product candidates;
●
manage
our spending as costs and expenses increase due to clinical trials and commercialization; and
●
obtain
and enforce sufficient intellectual property for our product candidates.
Our failure or delay with respect to any of the
factors above could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Results of pre-clinical studies and earlier
clinical trials are not necessarily predictive indicators of future results.
Any positive results from future pre-clinical
testing of our product candidates and potential future clinical trials may not necessarily be predictive of the results from Phase I,
Phase II or Phase III clinical trials. In addition, our interpretation of results derived from clinical data or our conclusions based
on our pre-clinical data may prove inaccurate. Frequently, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have suffered significant setbacks
in clinical trials after achieving positive results in pre-clinical testing and early phase clinical trials, and we cannot be certain
that we will not face similar setbacks. These setbacks may be caused by the fact that pre-clinical and clinical data can be susceptible
to varying interpretations and analyses. Furthermore, certain product candidates may perform satisfactorily in pre-clinical studies and
clinical trials but nonetheless fail to obtain FDA approval or appropriate approvals by the appropriate regulatory authorities in other
countries. If we fail to produce positive results in our clinical trials for our product candidates, the development timeline and regulatory
approval and commercialization prospects for them and as a result our business and financial prospects, would be materially adversely
affected.
We have limited marketing experience, and
we do not anticipate at this time establishing a sales force or distribution and reimbursement capabilities, and we may not be able to
successfully commercialize any of our product candidates if they are approved in the future.
Our ability to generate revenues ultimately depends
on our ability to sell our approved products and secure adequate third-party reimbursement. We currently have limited experience in marketing
and selling our products. We currently do not have any products approved for sale in the United States or in any other country.
The commercial success of our product candidates
will not happen for the foreseeable future and will depend on a number of factors beyond our control, including the willingness of physicians
to prescribe our products to patients, payers’ willingness and ability to pay for the drugs, the level of pricing achieved, patients’
response to our drugs and the ability of our marketing partners to generate sales. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to
establish or maintain the personnel, systems, arrangements and capabilities necessary to successfully commercialize Telomir-1 or any
product candidate approved by the FDA in the future. If we fail to establish or maintain successful marketing, sales and reimbursement
capabilities or fail to enter into successful marketing arrangements with third parties, our product revenues may suffer.
We will need to further increase the size
and complexity of our organization in the future, and we may experience difficulties in managing our growth and executing our growth
strategy.
Our management and personnel, systems, and facilities
currently in place may not be adequate to support our business plan and future growth. As a result, we may need to further expand certain
areas of our organization.
Our need to effectively manage our operations,
growth and various projects requires that we:
●
continue
to improve our operational, financial, management and regulatory compliance controls and reporting systems and procedures;
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●
attract
and retain enough talented employees;
●
manage
our clinical trials effectively;
●
manage
our external manufacturing operations with contract research organizations effectively and in a cost-effective manner;
●
manage
our development efforts effectively while carrying out our contractual obligations to contractors and other third parties; and
In addition, we may utilize the services of part-time
outside consultants and contractors to perform several tasks for us, including tasks related to compliance programs, clinical trial management,
regulatory affairs, formulation development and other drug development functions. Our growth strategy may entail expanding our use of
consultants and contractors to implement these and other tasks going forward. If we are not able to effectively expand our organization
by hiring new employees and expanding our use of consultants and contractors, we may be unable to successfully implement the tasks necessary
to effectively execute on our planned research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization activities and, accordingly, may not
achieve our research, development and commercialization goals.
We expect to face intense competition,
often from companies with greater resources and experience than we have.
The development and commercialization of drugs
and medicines is highly competitive. We compete with a variety of multinational pharmaceutical companies and specialized biotechnology
companies, as well as products and processes being developed by universities and other research institutions. Many of our competitors
have developed, are developing, or will develop drugs and processes which may be competitive with our drug candidates. Competitive products
include those that have already been approved by medicines regulators and accepted by the medical community and any new products that
may enter the market. For some of our drug development programs / areas of interest, other treatment options or products are currently
available, under development, and may become commercially available in the future. If any of our product candidates are approved for
the diseases and conditions we are currently pursuing, they may compete with a range of medicines or therapeutic treatments that are
either in development, will be developed in the future or currently marketed.
Established companies may have a competitive
advantage over us due to their size and experiences, financial resources, and institutional networks. Many of our competitors may have
significantly greater financial, technical, and human resources than we do. Due to these factors, our competitors may have an advantage
in marketing their approved drugs and may obtain regulatory approval of their drug candidates before we are able to, which may limit
our ability to develop or commercialize our drug candidates. Our competitors may also develop drugs or medicines that are safer, more
effective, more widely used and less expensive than ours. These advantages could materially impact our ability to develop and, if approved,
commercialize our product candidates successfully. Furthermore, some of these competitors may make acquisitions or establish collaborative
relationships among themselves or with third parties to increase their ability to rapidly gain market share.
Business interruptions could delay us in
the process of developing our product candidates and could disrupt our product sales.
Our research and development activities are conducted
through outside contractors and manufacturers. Loss of our contracted manufacturing facilities, stored inventory or laboratory facilities
through fire, theft or other causes, or loss of our raw material, could have an adverse effect on our ability to continue product development
activities and to conduct our business. Failure to supply our partners with commercial product may lead to adverse consequences, including
the right of partners to take over responsibility for product supply. We currently do not have insurance coverage to compensate us for
such business interruptions. Our contract manufacturers and suppliers provide that in their separate operations; however, such coverage
may prove insufficient to fully compensate us for the damage to our business resulting from any significant property or casualty loss
to those facilities.
We have significant and increasing liquidity
needs and may require additional funding.
Our operations have consumed substantial amounts
of cash since inception. For the year ended December 31, 2025, we reported a net operating cash outflow of $3.7 million and a net cash
inflow from financing activities of $9.7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we reported a net operating cash outflow of $5.1
million and a net cash inflow from financing activities of $6.3 million.
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Research and development, and general and administrative
expenses, and cash used for operations will continue to be significant and may increase substantially in the future in connection with
new research and development initiatives and continued product commercialization efforts. We may need to raise additional capital to
fund our operations, continue to conduct clinical trials to support potential regulatory approval of marketing applications and to fund
commercialization of our products.
The amount and timing of our future funding requirements
will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:
●
the
timing of FDA approval, if any, and approvals in international markets of our product candidates, if at all;
●
the
timing and amount of revenue from sales of our products, or revenue from grants or other sources;
●
The
rate of progress and cost of our clinical trials and other product development programs;
●
costs
of establishing or outsourcing sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities;
●
costs
and timing of completion of expanded in-house manufacturing facilities as well as any outsourced commercial manufacturing supply
arrangements for our product candidates;
●
costs
of filing, prosecuting, defending, and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights associated with our product
candidates;
●
the
effect of competing technological and market developments;
●
personnel,
facilities, and equipment requirements; and
●
the
terms and timing of any additional collaborative, licensing, co-promotion, or other arrangements that we may establish.
While we expect to fund our future capital requirements
from several sources including existing cash balances, future cash flows from operations and the proceeds from equity offerings, we cannot
assure you that any of these funding sources will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. Further, even if we can raise funds
from all of the above sources, the amounts raised may not be sufficient to meet our future capital requirements.
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Operating results may vary significantly
in future periods.
Our expenses and operating results have fluctuated
in the past and our revenues, expenses, and operating results are likely to fluctuate significantly in the future. Our financial results
are unpredictable and may fluctuate, for among other reasons, due to:
●
commercial
sales of our products;
●
our
achievement of product development objectives and milestones;
●
clinical
trial enrollment and expenses;
●
research
and development expenses; and
●
the
timing and nature of contract manufacturing and contract research payments.
A
high portion of our costs are predetermined on an annual basis, due in part to our significant research and development costs. Thus,
small declines in revenue could disproportionately affect financial results in a quarter. Because of these factors, our financial results
in one or more future quarters may fail to meet the expectations of securities analysts or our stockholders, which could cause our share
price to decline.
We depend upon our key personnel and our
ability to attract and retain employees.
Our future growth and success depend on our ability
to recruit, retain, manage, and motivate our employees. The inability to hire or retain experienced management personnel could adversely
affect our ability to execute our business plan and harm our operating results. Due to the specialized scientific and managerial nature
of our business, we rely heavily on our ability to attract and retain qualified scientific, technical, and managerial personnel. The
competition for qualified personnel in the pharmaceutical field is intense. Due to this intense competition, we may be unable to continue
to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business or to recruit suitable replacement personnel.
Our proprietary information, or that of
our customers, suppliers, and business partners, may be lost or we may suffer security breaches.
In the ordinary course of our business, we will
collect and store sensitive data, including valuable and commercially sensitive intellectual property, clinical trial data, our proprietary
business information and that of our customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of our customers,
clinical trial subjects and employees, and patients, on our networks, and with our third-party cloud service providers. The secure processing,
maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to our operations. Despite our security measures, our information technology
and infrastructure, and that of our third parties, may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance,
or other disruptions. Any breach could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed,
lost, or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under
laws that protect the privacy of personal information, regulatory penalties, disrupt our operations, damage our reputation, and cause
a loss of confidence in our products and our ability to conduct clinical trials, which could adversely affect our business and reputation
and lead to delays in gaining regulatory approvals for Telomir-1 or other product candidates.
Failure of our information technology systems,
including cybersecurity attacks or other data security incidents, could significantly disrupt the operation of our business.
Our business is increasingly dependent on critical,
complex, and interdependent information technology (“IT”) systems, including internet-based systems, some of which are managed
or hosted by third parties, to support business processes as well as internal and external communications. The size and complexity of
our IT systems make us potentially vulnerable to IT system breakdowns, malicious intrusion, and computer viruses, which may result in
the impairment of our ability to operate our business effectively.
30
We are continuously evaluating and, where appropriate,
enhancing our IT systems to address our planned growth, including to support our planned manufacturing operations. There are inherent
costs and risks associated with implementing the enhancements to our IT systems, including potential delays in access to, or errors in,
critical business and financial information, substantial capital expenditures, additional administrative time and operating expenses,
retention of sufficiently skilled personnel to implement and operate the enhanced systems, demands on management time, and costs of delays
or difficulties in transitioning to the enhanced systems, any of which could harm our business and results of operations. In addition,
the implementation of enhancements to our IT systems may not result in productivity improvements to a level that outweighs the costs
of implementation, or at all. In addition, our systems and the systems of our third-party providers and collaborators are potentially
vulnerable to data security breaches which may expose sensitive data to unauthorized persons or to the public. Such data security breaches
could lead to the loss of confidential information, trade secrets or other intellectual property, could lead to the public exposure of
personal information (including personally identifiable information or individually identifiable health information) of our employees,
clinical trial patients, customers, business partners, and others, could lead to potential identity theft, or could lead to reputational
harm. Data security breaches could also result in loss of clinical trial data or damage to the integrity of that data. In addition, the
increased use of social media by our employees and contractors could result in inadvertent disclosure of sensitive data or personal information,
including but not limited to, confidential information, trade secrets and other intellectual property.
Any
such disruption or security breach, as well as any action by us or our employees or contractors that might be inconsistent with the rapidly
evolving data privacy and security laws and regulations applicable within the United States and elsewhere where we conduct business,
could result in enforcement actions by U.S. states, the U.S. federal government or foreign governments, liability or sanctions under
data privacy laws, including healthcare laws such as HIPAA, that protect certain types of sensitive information, regulatory penalties,
other legal proceedings such as but not limited to private litigation, the incurrence of significant remediation costs, disruptions to
our development programs, business operations and collaborations, diversion of management efforts and damage to our reputation, which
could harm our business and operations. Because of the rapidly moving nature of technology and the increasing sophistication of cybersecurity
threats, our measures to prevent, respond to and minimize such risks may be unsuccessful.
Security breaches, loss of data and other
disruptions could compromise sensitive information related to our business, prevent us from accessing critical information or expose
us to liability, which could adversely affect our business and our reputation.
In the ordinary course of our business, we, our
vendors, and our third-party cloud service providers may collect and store sensitive data, including legally protected patient health
information, credit card information, personally identifiable information about our employees and patients, intellectual property, and
proprietary business information. We manage and maintain our applications and data utilizing cloud-based and on-site systems. These applications
and data encompass a wide variety of business-critical information including research and development information, commercial information
and business and financial information.
The secure processing, storage, maintenance,
and transmission of this critical information is vital to our operations and business strategy, and we devote significant resources to
protecting such information. Although we take measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or disclosure, our information
technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers, or viruses, breaches, or interruptions due to employee error,
malfeasance or other disruptions, or lapses in compliance with privacy and security mandates. Any such virus, breach or interruption
could compromise our networks and the information stored there could be accessed by unauthorized parties, publicly disclosed, lost or
stolen. We have measures in place that are designed to prevent, and if necessary to detect and respond to such security incidents, breaches
of privacy, and security mandates. However, in the future, any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal
claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, such as HIPAA in the United States and
the General Data Protection Regulation in the European Union, or GDPR, government enforcement actions and regulatory penalties. Unauthorized
access, loss or dissemination could also disrupt our operations, including our ability to process samples, provide test results, share
and monitor safety data, bill payers or patients, provide customer support services, conduct research and development activities, process
and prepare company financial information, manage various general and administrative aspects of our business and may damage our reputation,
any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Geopolitical events and global economic
conditions, such as the Israel-Hamas war may impact the third parties that we engage to supply materials or manufacture any products
for our preclinical tests and clinical trials, which increases the risk of potential delay of development efforts, as applicable.
If the third parties that we engage to supply
any materials or manufacture any products for our preclinical tests and clinical trials should cease to continue to do so for any reason,
including due to the effects of global economic conditions, including the Hamas-Israel war, we likely would experience delays in advancing
these tests and trials while we identify and qualify replacement suppliers or manufacturers, as applicable, and we may be unable to obtain
replacement supplies on terms that are favorable to us. In addition, if we are not able to obtain adequate supplies of our product, or
the substances used to manufacture them, it will be more difficult for us to develop our product and compete effectively.
Our
current and anticipated dependence upon third-party suppliers may adversely affect our ability to develop our product, and product candidates
and could delay our clinical trials and development programs as well as affect our marketing and commercialization efforts. In addition,
such dependence may increase our costs and expenses, and may otherwise harm our operations and financial condition
31
Risks Related to Development and Regulatory
Approval of Our Product Candidates
Clinical trials for our product candidates
are expensive, time-consuming, uncertain, and susceptible to change, delay or termination. The results of clinical trials are open to
differing interpretations.
Clinical trials are expensive, time consuming
and difficult to design and implement. Regulatory agencies may analyze or interpret the results differently than us. Even if the results
of our clinical trials are favorable, the clinical trials for a number of our product candidates are expected to continue for several
years and may take significantly longer to complete. In addition, we, the FDA, or other regulatory authorities, including state and local
authorities, or an Institutional Review Board, or IRB, with respect to a trial at its institution, may suspend, delay or terminate our
clinical trials at any time, require us to conduct additional clinical trials, require a particular clinical trial to continue for a
longer duration than originally planned, require a change to our development plans such that we conduct clinical trials for a product
candidate in a different order, e.g., in a step-wise fashion rather than running two trials of the same product candidate in parallel.
The suspension, delay or termination could be for various reasons, including:
●
lack
of effectiveness of any product candidate during clinical trials;
●
discovery
of serious or unexpected toxicities or side effects experienced by trial participants or other safety issues, such as drug interactions,
including those which cause confounding changes to the levels of other concomitant medications;
●
slower
than expected rates of subject recruitment and enrollment rates in clinical trials;
●
difficulty
in retaining subjects who have initiated a clinical trial but may withdraw at any time due to adverse side effects from the therapy,
insufficient efficacy, fatigue with the clinical trial process or for any other reason;
●
delays
or inability in manufacturing or obtaining sufficient quantities of materials for use in clinical trials due to regulatory and manufacturing
constraints;
●
inadequacy
of or changes in our manufacturing process or product formulation;
●
delays
in obtaining regulatory authorization to commence a trial, including “clinical holds” or delays requiring suspension
or termination of a trial by a regulatory agency, such as the FDA, before or after a trial is commenced;
●
changes
in applicable regulatory policies and regulation, including changes to requirements imposed on the extent, nature, or timing of studies;
●
delays
or failure in reaching agreement on acceptable terms in clinical trial contracts or protocols with prospective clinical trial sites;
●
uncertainty
regarding proper dosing;
32
●
delay
or failure to supply product for use in clinical trials which conforms to regulatory specification;
●
unfavorable
results from ongoing pre-clinical studies and clinical trials;
●
failure
of our contract research organizations, or CROs, or other third-party contractors to comply with all contractual requirements or
to perform their services in a timely or acceptable manner;
●
failure
by us, our employees, our CROs or their employees to comply with all applicable FDA or other regulatory requirements relating to
the conduct of clinical trials or the handling, storage, security, and recordkeeping;
●
scheduling
conflicts with participating clinicians and clinical institutions;
●
failure
to design appropriate clinical trial protocols;
●
insufficient
data to support regulatory approval;
●
inability
or unwillingness of medical investigators to follow our clinical protocols; or
●
difficulty
in maintaining contact with patients during or after treatment, which may result in incomplete data.
Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Any failure by us to comply with existing
regulations could harm our reputation and operating results.
We are subject to extensive regulation by U.S.
federal and state governments in each of the markets where we have product candidates progressing through the approval process.
We must also adhere to all regulatory requirements
including FDA’s Good Laboratory Practice, Good Clinical Practice, and current Good Manufacturing Practices requirements (“cGMP”)
pharmacovigilance requirements, advertising, and promotion restrictions, reporting and recordkeeping requirements. If we or our suppliers
fail to comply with applicable regulations, including FDA pre-or post-approval cGMP requirements, then FDA could sanction us. Even if
a drug is FDA-approved, regulatory authorities may impose significant restrictions on a product’s indicated uses or marketing or
impose ongoing requirements for potentially costly post-marketing trials. Telomir-1, and any of our product candidates that may be approved
in the U.S. in the future, will be subject to ongoing regulatory requirements for manufacturing, labeling, packaging, storage, distribution,
import, export, advertising, promotion, sampling, recordkeeping and submission of safety and other post-market information, including
both federal and state requirements in the U.S. In addition, manufacturers and manufacturers’ facilities are required to comply
with extensive FDA requirements, including ensuring that quality control and manufacturing procedures conform to GMP. As such, we, and
our contract manufacturers (in the event contract manufacturers are appointed in the future) are subject to continual review and periodic
inspections to assess compliance with GMP. Accordingly, we and others with whom we work must continue to spend time, money, and effort
in all areas of regulatory compliance, including manufacturing, production, quality control and quality assurance. We will also be required
to report certain adverse reactions and production problems, if any, to the FDA, and to comply with requirements concerning advertising
and promotion for our products. Promotional communications with respect to prescription drugs are subject to a variety of legal and regulatory
restrictions and must be consistent with the information in the product’s approved label.
33
If a regulatory agency discovers previously unknown
problems with a product, such as adverse events of unanticipated severity or frequency, or problems with the facility where the product
is manufactured, or disagrees with the promotion, marketing or labeling of the product, it may impose restrictions on that product or
us, including requiring withdrawal of the product from the market. If we fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, a regulatory
agency or enforcement authority may:
●
issue
untitled or warning letters;
●
seek
to enjoin our activities;
●
impose
civil or criminal penalties;
●
suspend
regulatory approval;
●
suspend
any of our ongoing clinical trials;
●
refuse
to approve pending applications or supplements to approved applications submitted by us;
●
impose
restrictions on our operations, including by requiring us to enter into a Corporate Integrity Agreement or closing our contract manufacturers’
facilities, if any; or
●
seize
or detain products or require a product recall.
In
addition, any government investigation of alleged violations of law could require us to expend significant time and resources in response
and could generate negative publicity. Any failure to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements may significantly and adversely affect
our ability to commercialize and generate revenue from our product candidates. If regulatory sanctions are applied or if regulatory approval
is withdrawn, the value of our business and our operating results may be adversely affected.
Any action against us for violation of these
laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses, divert our management’s attention
from the operation of our business and damage our reputation. We expend significant resources on compliance efforts and such expenses
are unpredictable and might adversely affect our results. Changing laws, regulations and standards might also create uncertainty, higher
expenses and increase insurance costs. As a result, we intend to invest all reasonably necessary resources to comply with evolving standards,
and this investment might result in increased management and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention
from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
34
The regulatory approval processes with
the FDA are lengthy and inherently unpredictable.
We are not permitted to market our drug candidates
as medicines in the United States or other countries until we receive approval of a New Drug Application (“NDA”) from the
FDA or in any foreign countries until we receive the approval from the regulatory authorities of such countries. Prior to submitting
an NDA to the FDA for approval of our drug candidates we will need to have completed our pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and
demonstrate that our products meet all applicable standards of identity, strength, quality, and purity throughout their expiration date.
Successfully completing any clinical program and obtaining approval of an NDA is a complex, lengthy, expensive, and uncertain process,
and the FDA (or other country medicines regulatory body) may delay, limit, or deny approval of product candidates for many reasons, including,
among others, because:
●
an
inability to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective in treating patients to the satisfaction of the FDA;
●
results
of clinical trials that may not meet the level of statistical or clinical significance required by the FDA;
●
disagreements
with the FDA with respect to the number, design, size, conduct or implementation of clinical trials;
●
requirements
by the FDA to conduct additional clinical trials;
●
disapproval
by the FDA of certain formulations, labeling or specifications of product candidates;
●
findings
by the FDA that the data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials are insufficient;
●
findings
by the FDA that our API or finished products do not meet all applicable standards of identity, strength, quality, and purity;
●
the
FDA may disagree with the interpretation of data from pre-clinical studies and clinical trials; and
●
the
FDA may change their approval policies or adopt new regulations.
Any
of these factors, many of which are beyond our control, could increase development time and / or costs or jeopardize our ability to obtain
regulatory approval for our drug candidates.
There is a high rate of failure for drug candidates proceeding
through clinical trials.
Generally, there is a high rate of failure for
drug candidates proceeding through clinical trials. We may suffer significant setbacks in our clinical trials similar to the experience
of a number of other companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, even after receiving promising results in earlier
trials. Further, even if we view the results of a clinical trial to be positive, FDA may disagree with our interpretation of the data.
In the event that we obtain negative results from clinical trials for product candidates or other problems related to potential chemistry,
manufacturing and control issues or other hurdles occur and our product candidates are not approved, we may not be able to generate sufficient
revenue or obtain financing to continue our operations, our ability to execute on our current business plan may be materially impaired,
our reputation in the industry and in the investment community might be significantly damaged and the price of our common stock could
decrease significantly. In addition, our inability to properly design, commence and complete clinical trials may negatively impact the
timing and results of our clinical trials and ability to seek approvals for our drug candidates.
35
If we are found in violation of federal
or state “fraud and abuse” laws, we may be required to pay a penalty and/or be suspended from participation in federal or
state health care programs, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In the United States, we are subject to various
federal and state health care “fraud and abuse” laws, including anti-kickback laws, false claims laws and other laws intended
to reduce fraud and abuse in federal and state health care programs, which could affect us particularly upon successful commercialization
of our products in the U.S. The Medicare and Medicaid Patient Protection Act of 1987, or federal Anti-Kickback Statute, makes it illegal
for any person, including a prescription drug manufacturer (or a party acting on its behalf), to knowingly and willfully solicit, receive,
offer or pay any remuneration that is intended to induce the referral of business, including the purchase, order or prescription of a
particular drug for which payment may be made under a federal health care program, such as Medicare or Medicaid. Under federal law, some
arrangements, known as safe harbors, are deemed not to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Although we seek to structure our business
arrangements in compliance with all applicable requirements, it is often difficult to determine precisely how the law will be applied
in specific circumstances. Accordingly, it is possible that our practices may be challenged under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and
Federal False Claims Act. Violations of fraud and abuse laws may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, including fines and/or
exclusion or suspension from federal and state health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid and debarment from contracting with
the U.S. government. In addition, private individuals have the ability to bring actions on behalf of the government under the federal
False Claims Act as well as under the false claims laws of several states.
Many states have adopted laws similar to the
federal anti-kickback statute, some of which apply to the referral of patients for health care services reimbursed by any source, not
just governmental payers. There are ambiguities as to what is required to comply with these state requirements and if we fail to comply
with an applicable state law requirement, we could be subject to penalties.
Neither the government nor the courts have provided
definitive guidance on the application of fraud and abuse laws to our business. Law enforcement authorities are increasingly focused
on enforcing these laws, and it is possible that some of our practices may be challenged under these laws. While we believe we have structured
our business arrangements to comply with these laws, it is possible that the government could allege violations of, or convict us of
violating, these laws. If we are found in violation of one of these laws, we could be required to pay a penalty and could be suspended
or excluded from participation in federal or state health care programs, and our business, results of operations and financial condition
may be adversely affected.
Serious adverse events or other safety
risks could require us to abandon development and preclude, delay or limit approval of our product candidates, limit the scope of any
approved label or market acceptance, or cause the recall or loss of marketing approval of products that are already marketed.
If any of our product candidates prior to or
after any approval for commercial sale, cause serious or unexpected side effects, or are associated with other safety risks such as misuse,
abuse or diversion, a number of potentially significant negative consequences could result, including:
●
regulatory
authorities may interrupt, delay or halt clinical trials;
●
regulatory
authorities may deny regulatory approval of our product candidates;
●
regulatory
authorities may require certain labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications or limitations on the indications for
use, and/or impose restrictions on distribution in the form of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (“REMS”) in
connection with approval or post-approval;
●
regulatory
authorities may withdraw their approval, require more onerous labeling statements, impose a more restrictive REMS, or require us
to recall any product that is approved;
●
we
may be required to change the way the product is administered or conduct additional clinical trials;
36
●
our
relationships with our collaboration partners may suffer;
●
we
could be sued and held liable for harm caused to patients; or
●
our
reputation may suffer. The reputational risk is heightened with respect to those of our product candidates that are being developed
for pediatric indications.
We may voluntarily suspend or terminate our clinical
trials if at any time we believe that they present an unacceptable risk to participants or if preliminary data demonstrate that our product
candidates are unlikely to receive regulatory approval or unlikely to be successfully commercialized. Following receipt of approval for
commercial sale of a product we may voluntarily withdraw or recall that product from the market if at any time we believe that its use,
or a person’s exposure to it, may cause adverse health consequences or death. To date we have not withdrawn, recalled, or taken
any other action, voluntary or mandatory, to remove an approved product from the market. In addition, regulatory agencies, IRBs, or data
safety monitoring boards may at any time recommend the temporary or permanent discontinuation of our clinical trials or request that
we cease using investigators in the clinical trials if they believe that the clinical trials are not being conducted in accordance with
applicable regulatory requirements, or that they present an unacceptable safety risk to participants. Although we have never been asked
by a regulatory agency, IRB, or data safety monitoring board to discontinue a clinical trial temporarily or permanently, if we elect
or are forced to suspend or terminate a clinical trial of any of our product candidates, the commercial prospects for that product will
be harmed and our ability to generate product revenue from that product may be delayed or eliminated. Furthermore, any of these events
may result in labeling statements such as warnings or contraindications. In addition, such events or labeling could prevent us or our
partners from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product and could substantially increase the costs of commercializing
our product candidates and impair our ability to generate revenue from the commercialization of these products either by us or by our
collaboration partners.
Risks Related to Our Reliance Upon Third Parties
We rely on, and expect to continue to rely
on, third parties to conduct clinical trials for our product candidates. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual
duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, we may not be able to obtain marketing approval for or commercialize
our product candidates, and our business could be substantially harmed.
We
are dependent on third parties to conduct our clinical trials and preclinical and nonclinical studies. Specifically, we rely on, and
intend to continue to rely on, medical institutions, clinical investigators, contract research organizations, or CROs, and consultants
to conduct nonclinical studies and clinical trials, in each case in accordance with our study protocols and applicable regulatory requirements.
These CROs, investigators and other third parties play a significant role in the conduct and timing of these studies or trials and the
subsequent collection and analysis of data. Though we expect to carefully manage our relationships with our CROs, investigators and other
third parties, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter challenges or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges
will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and prospects. Further, while we have and will have agreements
governing the activities of our third-party contractors, we have limited influence over their actual performance. Nevertheless, we are
responsible for ensuring that each of our clinical trials is conducted in accordance with the applicable protocol and legal, regulatory
and scientific standards and requirements, and our reliance on our CROs and other third parties does not relieve us of our regulatory
responsibilities. In addition, we and our CROs are required to comply with GLP and GCP requirements, as applicable, which are regulations
and guidelines enforced by the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory authorities related to the conduct of nonclinical studies and clinical
trials, respectively. Regulatory authorities enforce GCPs through periodic inspections of trial sponsors, principal investigators and
trial sites. If we or any of our CROs or trial sites fail to comply with applicable GLP or GCP or other requirements, the collected nonclinical
data or the clinical data generated in our clinical trials may be deemed unreliable, and the FDA or comparable foreign regulatory authorities
may require us to perform additional nonclinical studies or clinical trials before approving our marketing applications, if ever. Furthermore,
our clinical trials must be conducted with materials manufactured in accordance with cGMP regulations. Failure to comply with these regulations
may require us to repeat clinical trials, which would delay the regulatory approval process.
There is a risk that our CROs, investigators
or other third parties will be unable to devote adequate time and resources to such trials or studies or perform as contractually required.
If any of these third parties fail to meet expected deadlines, adhere to our clinical protocols or meet regulatory requirements, or otherwise
perform in a substandard manner, our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated. In addition, many of the third parties with
whom we contract may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also be conducting
clinical trials or other development activities that could harm our competitive position. In addition, principal investigators for our
clinical trials are expected to serve as scientific advisors or consultants to us from time to time and may receive cash or equity compensation
in connection with such services. If these relationships and any related compensation result in perceived or actual conflicts of interest,
or the FDA concludes that the financial relationship may have affected the interpretation of the study, the integrity of the data generated
at the applicable clinical trial site may be questioned and the utility of the clinical trial itself may be jeopardized, which could
result in the delay or rejection by the FDA of any NDA we submit. Any such delay or rejection could prevent us from receiving regulatory
approval for, or commercializing, Telomir-1 and any future product candidates.
37
Our CROs have the right to terminate their agreements
with us in the event of an uncured material breach and under other specified circumstances. If any of our relationships with these third
parties terminate, we may not be able to enter into arrangements with alternative third parties on commercially reasonable terms, in
a timely manner or at all. Switching or adding CROs, investigators and other third parties involves additional cost and requires our
management’s time and focus. In addition, there is a natural transition period when a new CRO commences work. As a result, delays
occur, which can materially impact our ability to meet our desired clinical development timelines. Though we work to carefully manage
our relationships with our CROs, investigators and other third parties, there can be no assurance that we will not encounter challenges
or delays in the future or that these delays or challenges will not have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition
and prospects.
We currently rely on a third party for
the manufacture of Telomir-1 for clinical development and expect to continue to rely on third parties for the foreseeable future. This
reliance on third parties increases the risk that supplies of our product may not be manufactured in accordance with specifications or
that we will not have sufficient quantities of Telomir-1 or such quantities at an acceptable cost, which could delay, prevent or impair
our development or potential commercialization efforts.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities
and have no plans to develop our own clinical or commercial-scale manufacturing capabilities. We rely on a third party and expect to
continue to rely on third parties for the manufacture of Telomir-1 and related raw materials for clinical development, as well as for
commercial manufacture if Telomir-1 receives marketing approval. There is a risk that supplies of our product for use in pre-clinical
or clinical testing will not be manufactured in accordance with our specifications, which could render our trial data useless or lead
to the creation of compounds which are novel and for which we do not have intellectual property protection. Based on the terms of our
contracts with our manufacturers, we may have no recourse against them in the case of such errors.
Further,
the facilities used by third-party manufacturers to manufacture Telomir-1 must be approved by the FDA and any comparable foreign regulatory
authority pursuant to inspections that will be conducted after we submit an NDA to the FDA or make any comparable submission to a foreign
regulatory authority. We do not control the manufacturing process of, and are completely dependent on, third-party manufacturers for
compliance with cGMP requirements for manufacture of products. If these third-party manufacturers cannot successfully manufacture material
that conforms to our specifications and the strict regulatory requirements of the FDA or any comparable foreign regulatory authority,
they will not be able to secure and/or maintain regulatory approval for their manufacturing facilities.
In addition, we have no control over the ability
of third-party manufacturers to maintain adequate quality control, quality assurance and qualified personnel. If the FDA or any comparable
foreign regulatory authority does not approve these facilities for the manufacture of Telomir-1 or if it withdraws any such approval
in the future, we may need to find alternative manufacturing facilities, which would significantly impact our ability to develop, obtain
regulatory approval for or market Telomir-1, if approved. Our failure, or the failure of our third-party manufacturers, to comply with
applicable regulations also could result in sanctions being imposed on us, including clinical holds, fines, injunctions, civil penalties,
delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, seizures or recalls of Telomir-1 or other future products, operating restrictions and
criminal prosecutions, any of which could significantly and adversely affect supplies of our products and our financial position.
Our or a third party’s failure to execute
on our manufacturing requirements on commercially reasonable terms, in a timely manner and in compliance with cGMP or other regulatory
requirements could adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including:
●
an
inability to initiate or complete clinical trials of Telomir-1 or any future product candidates in a timely manner;
●
delay
in submitting regulatory applications, or receiving marketing approvals, for Telomir-1 or any future product candidates;
●
subjecting
third-party manufacturing facilities or our potential future manufacturing facilities to additional inspections by regulatory authorities;
●
requirements
to cease development or to recall batches of Telomir-1 or any future product candidates; and
●
in
the event of approval to market and commercialize Telomir-1 or any future product candidates, an inability to meet commercial demands
for Telomir-1 or any future product candidates.
38
In addition, we do not have any long-term commitments
or supply agreements with any third-party manufacturers. We may be unable to establish any long-term supply agreements with third-party
manufacturers or to do so on acceptable terms, which increases the risk of failing to timely obtain sufficient quantities of Telomir-1
or such quantities at an acceptable cost. Even if we are able to establish agreements with third-party manufacturers, reliance on third-party
manufacturers entails additional risks, including:
●
failure
of third-party manufacturers to comply with regulatory requirements and maintain quality assurance;
●
breach
of the manufacturing agreement by the third party;
●
failure
to manufacture our product candidates according to our specifications;
●
failure
to obtain adequate raw materials and other materials required for manufacturing;
●
failure
to manufacture our product according to our schedule or at all;
●
failure
to successfully scale up manufacturing capacity, if required;
●
misappropriation
of our proprietary information, including any potential trade secrets and know-how; and
●
termination
or nonrenewal of the agreement by the third party at a time that is costly or inconvenient for us.
Any performance failure on the part of our existing
or future manufacturers could delay clinical development or marketing approval or jeopardize our ability to commence or continue commercialization
of Telomir-1 or any future product candidates, and any related remedial measures may be costly or time consuming to implement. We do
not currently have arrangements in place for redundant supply or a second source for all required raw materials used in the manufacture
of our product candidates. If our existing or future third-party manufacturers cannot perform as agreed, we may be required to replace
such manufacturers and we may be unable to replace them on a timely basis or at all. Without additional suppliers of required raw materials,
we may also be unable to meet the commercial needs of a commercial launch of any future product candidates.
In addition, our current and anticipated future
dependence upon others for the manufacture of Telomir-1 and any future product candidates may adversely affect our future profit margins
and our ability to commercialize any products that receive marketing approval on a timely and competitive basis.
Our existing collaboration arrangements
and any that we may enter into in the future may not be successful, which could adversely affect our ability to develop and commercialize
our product candidates.
We have existing, and will likely continue to
seek additional collaboration arrangements with pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies for the manufacturing, testing, development
or commercialization of our product candidates. We may, with respect to our product candidates, enter into new arrangements on a selective
basis depending on the merits of retaining commercialization rights for ourselves as compared to entering into selective collaboration
arrangements with leading pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies for each product candidate, both in the U.S. and internationally.
To the extent that we decide to enter into collaboration agreements, we will face significant competition in seeking appropriate collaborators
and the terms of any collaboration or other arrangements that we may establish may not be favorable to us.
Any
existing or future collaboration entered into may not allow us to achieve our goals for such collaboration on a timely basis or at all.
Our collaboration arrangements will depend heavily on the efforts and activities of our collaborators. Collaborators generally have significant
discretion in determining the efforts and resources that they will apply to these collaborations. Disagreements between parties to a
collaboration arrangement regarding development, intellectual property, regulatory or commercialization matters can lead to delays in
the development process or commercialization of the applicable product candidate and, in some cases, termination of the collaboration
arrangement. These disagreements can be difficult to resolve if neither of the parties has final decision-making authority. Any such
termination or expiration could harm our business reputation and may adversely affect us financially.
39
Risks Relating to the Ownership of Our Common
Stock
Future sales of our common stock, or the
perception that future sales may occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock
in the public market after our IPO, or the perception that these sales may occur, could materially and adversely affect the price of
our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Those shares of common
stock sold in our IPO will be freely tradable, without restriction, in the public market, except for any shares sold to our affiliates.
Furthermore, additional shares of our common
stock may be publicly tradable as a result of exercises of stock options and restricted stock units (RSUs) under the 2023 Omnibus Incentive
Plan. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after the completion of the IPO, or the perception that such
sales could occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and could materially impair our ability to raise capital
through offerings of our common stock.
Because of the speculative nature of an
investment in our company, you may lose your entire investment.
An investment in our securities carries a high
degree of risk and should be considered as a speculative investment. We have a very limited operating history, are in the pre-clinical
stage of development of our product candidate, have never generated revenues, have not paid dividends, and are unlikely to pay dividends
in the immediate or near future. The likelihood of our being able to achieve our goals and run our business must be considered in light
of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications and delays frequently encountered in connection with the establishment of early-stage
biotechnology companies. An investment in our securities may result in the loss of the entirety of such investment. Only stockholders
and potential stockholders who are experienced in high-risk investments and who can afford to lose their entire investment should consider
an investment in our securities.
Certain of our
founding stockholders, plus our existing officers and directors, control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain
actions requiring stockholder vote.
Our founding stockholders,
which include five trusts for the benefit of the family of our founder Johnnie R. Williams, Sr., as well as MIRALOGX, collectively own
of our issued and outstanding common stock. Brian McNulty acts as the trustee for such trusts. Our officers and directors also own shares
of our common stock. Therefore, these entities and individuals could influence the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval,
including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions.
Sales of a significant number of shares
of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur, could depress the market price of our common
stock.
Sales
of a significant number of shares of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales could occur as a result
of our utilization of a universal shelf registration statement or otherwise could depress the market price of our common stock and impair
our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Notably, a large number of shares of our common stock
held by founding stockholders of our company have been registered for public resale and could be sold on the public market, depressing
our stock price. Moreover, we cannot in general predict the effect that future sales of our common stock or the market perception that
we are permitted to sell a significant number of our securities would have on the market price of our common stock.
The requirements of being a public company
may strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain executive management and qualified
board members.
As a reporting issuer, we are subject to the
reporting requirements of applicable securities legislation of the jurisdiction in which it is a reporting issuer, the listing requirements
of Nasdaq and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal
and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on its systems and
resources. Applicable securities laws will require us to, among other things, file certain annual and quarterly reports with respect
to its business and results of operations. In addition, applicable securities laws require us to, among other things, maintain effective
disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting.
In order to maintain and, if required, improve
its disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to meet this standard, significant resources and
management oversight are required. Specifically, due to the increasing complexity of its transactions, it is anticipated that we will
improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting primarily through the continued development
and implementation of formal policies, improved processes and documentation procedures, as well as the continued sourcing of additional
finance resources. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted from other business concerns, which could harm our business
and results of operations. To comply with these requirements, we may need to hire more employees in the future or engage outside consultants,
which will increase costs and expenses.
40
In addition, changing laws, regulations and standards
relating to corporate governance and public disclosure are creating uncertainty for public companies, increasing legal and financial
compliance costs and making some activities more time consuming. These 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. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs
necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. We intend to continue to invest resources to comply with evolving
laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s
time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new laws, regulations and
standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to their application and practice,
regulatory authorities may initiate legal proceedings against us, which could adversely affect our business and financial results.
As a public company subject to these rules and
regulations, we may find it more expensive for it to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and it may be required to accept
reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract
and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on its Audit Committee and Compensation Committee, and
qualified executive officers.
As
a result of disclosure of information in filings required of a public company, our business and financial condition will become more
visible, which may result in threatened or actual litigation, including by competitors and other third parties. If such claims are successful,
our business and results of operations could be harmed, and even if the claims do not result in litigation or are resolved in its favor,
these claims, and the time and resources necessary to resolve them, could divert the resources of our management and harm its business
and results of operations.
We are an “emerging growth company”
and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth
companies could make shares of our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company,”
as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take
advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies,
including, but not limited to, not being required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control
over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation
in our periodic reports and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder
approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company until the fifth anniversary
of the fiscal year end date following the completion of our initial public offering, however, our status would change more quickly if
we have more than US$1.235 billion in annual revenue, if the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates equals
or exceeds US$700 million as of June 30 of any year, or we issue more than US$1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period
before the end of that period.
Investors could find our shares less attractive
if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find shares less attractive as a result of any choice to reduce future disclosure,
there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price may be more volatile.
For as long as we are an “emerging growth
company”, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal
controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404. We could be an “emerging growth company” until the fifth anniversary
of the fiscal year end date following our initial public offering, which became effective on February 9, 2024. An independent assessment
of the effectiveness of our internal controls could detect problems that our management’s assessment might not. Undetected material
weaknesses in our internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation.
If we identify material weaknesses in our internal
control over financial reporting, or if we are unable to comply with the requirements of Section 404 in a timely manner or assert that
our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express
an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting when required, investors may lose confidence in the
accuracy and completeness of our financial reports and the market price of our securities could be negatively affected, and we could
become subject to investigations by the stock exchange on which our securities are listed, the SEC, or other regulatory authorities,
which could require additional financial and management resources.
41
We are a “smaller reporting company”
and, even if we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still be subject to reduced reporting requirements.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting
company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure
obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting
company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either: (i) the market value of our shares of common stock held by non-affiliates
does not equal or exceed $250 million as of the prior June 30th; or (ii) our annual revenues did not equal or exceed $100 million during
such completed fiscal year. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make the comparison of
our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
If we fail to maintain compliance with
Nasdaq Listing Rules, our shares may be delisted from Nasdaq, which would result in a limited trading market for our shares and make
obtaining future debt or equity financing more difficult for the Company.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital
Market under the symbol “TELO”. However, there is no assurance that we will be able to continue to maintain our compliance
with the Nasdaq continued listing requirements. If we fail to do so, our securities may be de-listed and cease trading on Nasdaq. As
a result, selling our securities could be more difficult because smaller quantities of shares or warrants would likely be bought and
sold, transactions could be delayed, and security analysts’ coverage of us may be reduced. In addition, in the event our securities
are delisted, broker-dealers would face certain regulatory requirements which may discourage them from effecting transactions in the
securities and further limit the liquidity of the securities. These factors could result in lower prices and larger spreads in the bid
and ask prices for the securities. Such delisting from Nasdaq and continued or further declines in the share price of the securities
could also greatly impair our ability to raise additional necessary capital through equity or debt financing and could significantly
increase the ownership dilution to shareholders caused by our issuing equity in financing or other transactions.
If our shares were to be delisted from
Nasdaq, they may become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules.
Delisting from Nasdaq may cause the securities
of the Company to become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules. The SEC generally defines a penny stock as an equity
security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, and that is not listed
on a national securities exchange, such as Nasdaq subject to certain exemptions. Therefore, if shares of our common stock were to be
delisted from Nasdaq, the securities of the Company could become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules. These rules
require, among other things, that any broker engaging in a purchase or sale of our securities provide its customers with: (i) a risk
disclosure document, (ii) disclosure of market quotations, if any, (iii) disclosure of the compensation of the broker and its salespersons
in the transaction, and (iv) monthly account statements showing the market values of our securities held in the customer’s accounts.
A broker would be required to provide the bid and offer quotations and compensation information before effecting the transaction. This
information must be contained in the customer’s confirmation. Generally, brokers are less willing to affect transactions in penny
stocks due to these additional delivery requirements. These requirements may make it more difficult for shareholders to purchase or sell
the shares of our common stock. Since the broker, not us, prepares this information, we would not be able to assure that such information
is accurate, complete or current.
Some provisions
of Florida law and our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have anti-takeover effects
that could discourage an acquisition of us by others, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders and may prevent
attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management.
Our status as a Florida
corporation and the anti-takeover provisions of the Florida Business Corporation Act, which we sometimes refer to as the FBCA, may discourage,
delay or prevent a change in control even if a change in control would be beneficial to our shareholders.
The control share acquisition statute, Section
607.0902 of the FBCA, generally provides that in the event a person acquires voting shares of the company in excess of 20% of the voting
power of all of our issued and outstanding shares, such acquired shares will not have any voting rights unless such rights are restored
by the holders of a majority of the votes of each class or series entitled to vote separately, excluding shares held by the person acquiring
the control shares or any of our officers or employees who are also directors of the company. Certain acquisitions of shares are exempt
from these rules, such as shares acquired pursuant to the laws of intestate succession or pursuant to a gift or testamentary transfer,
pursuant to a merger or share exchange effected in compliance with the FBCA if we are a party to the agreement, or pursuant to an acquisition
of our shares if the acquisition has been approved by our board of directors before the acquisition. The control share acquisition statute
generally applies to any “issuing public corporation,” which means a Florida corporation which has:
●
One
hundred or more shareholders;
●
Its
principal place of business, its principal office, or substantial assets within Florida; and
●
Either
(i) more than 10% of its shareholders are resident in Florida; (ii) more than 10% of its shares are owned by residents of Florida;
or (iii) one thousand shareholders are resident in Florida.
42
The affiliated transaction (or so-called “business
combination”) statute, Section 607.0901 of the FBCA, provides that we may not engage in certain mergers, consolidations, sales
of assets, issuances of stock, reclassifications, recapitalizations, and other affiliated transactions with any “interested shareholder”
for a period of three years following the time that such shareholder became an interested shareholder, unless:
●
Prior
to the time that such shareholder became an interested shareholder, our board of directors approved either the affiliated transaction
or the transaction which resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder; or
●
Upon
consummation of the transaction that resulted in the shareholder becoming an interested shareholder, the interested shareholder owned
at least 85% of our voting shares outstanding at the time the transaction commenced; or
●
At
or subsequent to the time that such shareholder became an interested shareholder, the affiliated transaction is approved by our board
of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of shareholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote
of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting shares which are not owned by the interested shareholder.
An “interested shareholder” is generally
defined as any person who is the beneficial owner of more than 15% of our outstanding voting shares.
The voting requirements set forth above do not
apply to a particular affiliated transaction if one or more conditions are met, including, but not limited to, the following: if the
affiliated transaction has been approved by a majority of our disinterested directors; if we have not had more than 300 shareholders
of record at any time during the three years preceding the date the affiliated transaction is announced; if the interested shareholder
has been the beneficial owner of at least 80% of our outstanding voting shares for at least three years preceding the date the affiliated
transaction is announced; or if the consideration to be paid to the holders of each class or series of voting shares in the affiliated
transaction meets certain requirements of the statute with respect to form and amount, among other things.
Both the control share acquisition statute and
the affiliated transactions statute may have the effect of discouraging or preventing certain change of control or takeover transactions
involving us.
In addition, our amended and restated articles
of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us or
increase the cost of acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our shareholders, including transactions in which shareholders might
otherwise receive a premium for their shares. These provisions include:
●
nothing
in our amended and restated articles of incorporation precludes future issuances without shareholder approval of the authorized but
unissued shares of our common stock;
●
advance
notice procedures apply for shareholders to nominate candidates for election as directors or to bring matters before an annual meeting
of shareholders;
●
a
special meeting of shareholders can only be called by our chairman of the board of directors, our chief executive officer, our president
(in the absence of a chief executive officer), a majority of our board of directors or the holders of 10% or more of all of our votes
entitled to be cast on any issue proposed to be considered at the special meeting of shareholders;
●
no
provision in our amended and restated articles of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws provides for cumulative voting, which
limits the ability of minority shareholders to elect director candidates; directors will only be able to be removed for cause;
43
●
our
amended and restated articles of incorporation authorize undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and
shares of which may be issued, without the approval of the holders of our capital stock; and
●
certain
litigation against us can only be brought in Florida.
These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent
a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult
for you and other shareholders to elect directors of your choosing and cause us to take corporate actions other than those you desire.
See “Description of Capital Stock.”
Our amended and
restated bylaws designate the state courts located within the state of Florida as the exclusive forum for substantially all disputes
between us and our shareholders and the federal district courts as the exclusive forum for Securities Act claims, which could limit our
shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that,
unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or
proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our current or former
directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action arising pursuant to any provision of the FBCA, our
amended and restated articles of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or (iv) any other action asserting a claim that is
governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be a state court located within the state of Florida (or, if a state court located within
the state of Florida does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the Middle District of Florida); provided that, the exclusive
forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act, or to any claim for which
the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our amended and restated bylaws also provide that, unless we consent in writing to the
selection of an alternative forum, the U.S. federal district courts shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any claims arising
under the Securities Act. Under the Securities Act, federal and state courts have concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce
any duty or liability created by the Securities Act, and our stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and
the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a forum selection provision
as written in connection with claims arising under the Securities Act.
By becoming a shareholder in our company, you
will be deemed to have notice of and have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated bylaws related to choice of forum.
The choice of forum provisions in our amended and restated bylaws may limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial
forum for disputes with us. Additionally, the enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies’ governing documents
has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that, in connection with any applicable action brought against us, a court
could find the choice of forum provisions contained in our amended and restated bylaws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in such action.
If so, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results
of operations, and financial condition.
Securities or industry analysts may not
regularly publish reports on us, which could cause the price of our securities or trading volumes to decline.
The trading market for our securities could be
influenced by research and reports that industry and/or securities analysts may publish about us, our business, the market or our competitors.
We do not have any control over these analysts and cannot be assured that such analysts will cover us or provide favorable coverage.
If any of the analysts who may cover our business change their recommendation regarding our securities adversely, or provide more favorable
relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our securities would likely decline. If any analysts who may cover our business
were to cease coverage or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could
cause the price of our securities or trading volumes to decline.
We will likely conduct further offerings
of our equity securities in the future, in which case your proportionate interest may become diluted.
We
will likely be required to conduct equity offerings in the future to finance our current projects or to finance subsequent projects that
we decide to undertake. If our common stock shares are issued in return for additional funds, the price per share could be lower than
that paid by our current shareholders. We anticipate continuing to rely on equity sales of our common stock shares in order to fund our
business operations. If we issue additional common stock shares or securities convertible into shares of our common stock, your percentage
interest in us could become diluted.
44
We may issue shares of preferred stock
in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our common
stock, which could depress the price of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us
to issue one or more series of preferred stock. Our board of directors will have the authority to determine the preferences, limitations
and relative rights of the shares of preferred stock and to fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such
series, without any further vote or action by our shareholders. Our preferred stock could be issued with voting, liquidation, dividend
and other rights superior to the rights of our common stock. The potential issuance of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change
in control of us, discouraging bids for our common stock at a premium to the market price, and materially adversely affect the market
price and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock.
We have never declared or paid any cash
dividends or distributions on our capital stock. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable
future.
We have never declared or paid any cash dividends
or distributions on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to support operations and to finance
expansion and therefore we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.
The declaration, payment and amount of any future
dividends will be made at the discretion of the board of directors, and will depend upon, among other things, the results of our operations,
cash flows and financial condition, operating and capital requirements, and other factors as the board of directors considers relevant.
There is no assurance that future dividends will be paid, and, if dividends are paid, there is no assurance with respect to the amount
of any such dividend.
Risks Related to the planned merger with TELI
Because TELI has a limited operating history,
you may not be able to accurately evaluate TELI’s operations.
TELI has had no operations to date, and therefore,
TELI has a limited operating history upon which to evaluate the merits of investing in TELI. Potential investors should be aware of the
difficulties normally encountered by new companies and the high rate of failure of such enterprises. The likelihood of success must be
considered in light of the problems, expenses, difficulties, complications, and delays encountered in connection with the operations
that TELI plans to undertake. These potential problems include, but are not limited to, unanticipated problems relating to the ability
to generate sufficient cash flow to operate TELI’s business, and additional costs and expenses that may exceed current estimates.
TELI expects to continue to incur significant losses into the foreseeable future. TELI recognizes that if the effectiveness of its business
plan is not forthcoming, it will not be able to continue business operations. There is no history upon which to base any assumption as
to the likelihood that TELI will prove successful, and it is doubtful that TELI will generate any operating revenues or ever achieve
profitable operations. If TELI is unsuccessful in addressing these risks, TELI’s business will most likely fail.
TELI is an early development-stage company
with no revenues.
As a very early development-stage enterprise
that is focused on the development of a pre-clinical pharmaceutical product, TELI has generated no revenue to date. There can be no assurance
that TELI will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding on terms acceptable to it to fund continuing operations, if at all, identify
and enter into any strategic transactions that will provide the capital that TELI will require or achieve the other strategies to alleviate
the conditions that raise substantial doubt about TELI’s ability to continue as a going concern. The failure to obtain sufficient
capital on acceptable terms when needed may require TELI to delay, limit, or eliminate the development of business opportunities and
TELI’s ability to achieve its business objectives. Any of such failures will materially adversely affect TELI’s competitiveness,
and TELI’s business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, the perception that TELI may not be able to continue
as a going concern may cause others to choose not to deal with it due to concerns about TELI’s ability to meet TELI’s contractual
obligations.
TELI has significant and increasing liquidity
needs and will require additional funding.
Research and development, general and administrative
expenses and cash used for operations will continue to be significant and may increase substantially in the future in connection with
new research and development initiatives and continued product commercialization efforts. Following the Merger, the combined company
will need to raise additional capital to fund its operations, continue clinical trials to support potential regulatory approval of marketing
applications and to fund commercialization of its products.
Operating results may vary significantly
in future periods.
Following the Merger, the combined company’s
operating and financial results are likely to fluctuate significantly in the future. TELI’s operating and financial results are
unpredictable and may fluctuate, for among other reasons, due to:
● TELI’s
achievement of product development objectives and milestones;
45
● clinical
trial enrollment and expenses;
● research
and development expenses; and
● the
timing and nature of contract manufacturing and contract research payments.
In addition, a high portion of TELI’s costs
are determined on an annual basis, due in part to TELI’s significant research and development costs. Thus, increases in TELI’s
costs could disproportionately affect financial results in a quarter. Other factors, including non-cash expenses associated with financing
activity, could also lead to fluctuations in TELI’s results of operations. Because of these factors, TELI’s operating and
financial results in one or more future quarters may fail to meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, which could cause
TELO’s share price to decline.
TELI has yet to generate revenues or achieve
a profit and may not generate revenue or achieve a profit for many years, if at all.
TELI has not yet produced any revenues or profit
and may not for many years, if at all. TELI’s ability to generate revenue is dependent on the receipt of regulatory approval of
TELI’s product candidates, which will take years to achieve and may not be obtained. We therefore cannot assure you TELI will be
able to ever generate sufficient revenue to pay for TELI’s expenses or achieve profitability. TELI’s ability to continue
as a going concern in the future is dependent upon raising capital from financing transactions and keeping operating expenses below TELI’s
revenue levels in order to achieve positive cash flows, none of which can be assured.
TELI does not own rights to Telomir-1
All of TELI’s rights in Telomir-1 are granted
to it under a license (“License”) from MIRALOGX LLC, a Florida corporation (“Licensor”), so TELI does not have
an ownership interest in Telomir-1. The License gives TELI the right to make, use and sell Telomir-1 outside the United States. If TELI breaches the License or if the Licensor goes
bankrupt, TELI could lose its rights to Telomir-1 and all of such rights would revert back to the Licensor. Further, Licensor will control
the process of applying for and obtaining any patents or other intellectual property rights in Telomir-1, all at the expense of TELI.
All of such patents and intellectual rights will be owned by Licensor, subject to TELI’s rights under the License. Furthermore,
TELI has no control over the patent prosecution strategy, which is fully managed by the Licensor.
TELI’s rights to Telomir-1 are subject
to royalties.
TELI entered into an exclusive licensing agreement
with MIRALOGX for the licensing by MIRALOGX to TELI the international commercial rights of Telomir-1 (the “Telomir-1 Licensing
Agreement”) in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Under the Telomir-1 Licensing Agreement TELI will owe MIRALOGX a royalty of
8% on all revenue it receives from Telomir-1, with a minimum annual royalty of $250,000 that begins in the first year that there is any
revenue from Telomir-1. This $250,000 will be owed even if in any later year there is no revenue from Telomir-1 or if the 8% royalty
rate on actual revenues yields less than $250,000. TELI’s failure to pay minimum royalties in any year would be a breach of the
Telomir-1 Licensing Agreement and such breach would let the Licensor terminate TELI’s rights to Telomir-1.
Conflicts of interest may arise between
TELI and MIRALOGX.
MIRALOGX is the licensor of TELI’s rights
to Telomir-1. MIRALOGX is a separate intellectual property development company owned by the Bayshore Trust. The Bayshore Trust is also
TELI’s largest stockholder. MIRALOGX is 100% owned by the Bayshore Trust. TELI’s relationship with MIRALOGX and the Bayshore
Trust may create, or may create the appearance of, conflicts of interest when TELI is faced with decisions that benefit MIRALOGX but
do not benefit other holders of TELO Common Stock. Furthermore, in light of the license agreement that TELI has with MIRALOGX, if a dispute
were to arise between MIRALOGX and TELO relating to TELI’s past or future relationship with MIRALOGX or with respect to intellectual
property matters, there could be a conflict of interest that may make it more difficult for TELI to resolve such disputes on terms that
are acceptable to TELI.
TELI’s product candidates, if approved,
may not achieve the expected market acceptance and, consequently, limit TELI’s ability to generate revenue.
Even when product development is successful and
regulatory approval has been obtained, TELI’s ability to generate sufficient revenue depends on the acceptance of its products
by physicians and patients. There is no assurance that TELI’s product candidates will achieve the expected level of market acceptance
and revenue if and when they obtain the requisite regulatory approvals. The market acceptance of any product depends on a number of factors,
including the indication statement and warnings required by regulatory authorities in the product label. Market acceptance can also be
influenced by continued demonstrations of efficacy and safety in commercial use, physicians’ willingness to prescribe the product,
reimbursement from third-party payers such as government health care programs and private third-party payers, the price of the product,
the nature of any post-approval risk management activities mandated by regulatory authorities, competition, and marketing and distribution
support. Further, an ineffective or inefficient distribution model at launch may lead to the inability to fulfill demand, and consequently
a loss of revenue. Any factors preventing or limiting the market acceptance of TELI’s products could have a material adverse effect
on TELI’s business, results of operations and financial condition.
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If the price for any future approved products
decreases or if government and other third-party payers do not provide coverage and adequate reimbursement levels, TELI’s revenue
and prospects for profitability will suffer.
Patients who are prescribed medicine for the
treatment of their conditions generally rely on third-party payers to reimburse all or part of the costs associated with their prescription
drugs. Reimbursement systems in international markets vary significantly by country and by region, and reimbursement approvals generally
must be obtained on a country-by-country basis. Coverage and adequate reimbursement from governmental healthcare programs, such as Medicare
and Medicaid, and commercial payers is critical to new product acceptance. Coverage decisions may depend upon clinical and economic standards
that disfavor new drug products when more established or lower-cost therapeutic alternatives are already available or subsequently become
available. Even if TELI obtains coverage for products TELI may market, the resulting reimbursement payment rates may require co-payments
that patients find unacceptably high. Patients may not use TELI’s products if coverage is not provided, or reimbursement is inadequate
to cover a significant portion of their cost.
In addition, the market for TELI’s products
will depend significantly on access to third-party payers’ drug formularies or lists of medications for which third-party payers
provide coverage and reimbursement. The industry competition to be included in such formularies often leads to downward pricing pressures
on pharmaceutical companies. Also, third-party payers may refuse to include a particular branded drug in their formularies or otherwise
restrict patient access to a branded drug when a less costly generic equivalent or other alternative is available, even if not approved
for the indications for which TELI’s products are approved.
Third-party payers or governmental or commercial
entities are developing increasingly sophisticated methods of controlling healthcare costs. The current environment is putting pressure
on companies to price products below what they may feel is appropriate. Selling TELI’s products at less than an optimized price
could impact its revenues and overall success as a company. It will be difficult to determine the optimized price for TELI’s products.
In addition, in the U.S., no uniform policy of coverage and reimbursement for drug products exists among third-party payers. Therefore,
coverage and reimbursement for its products may differ significantly from payer to payer. As a result, the coverage determination process
is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require TELI to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of its products
to each payer separately, with no assurance that coverage will be obtained. If TELI is unable to obtain coverage of, and adequate payment
levels for, products we may market to third-party payers, physicians may limit how much or under what circumstances they will prescribe
or administer them, and patients may decline to purchase them. This in turn could affect TELI’s ability to successfully commercialize
products we may market, and thereby adversely impact TELI’s profitability, results of operations, financial condition, and future
success.
In addition, where TELI has chosen to collaborate
with a third party on product candidate development and commercialization, TELI’s partner may elect to reduce the price of its
products in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining reimbursement approvals. In many countries, products cannot be commercially
launched until reimbursement is approved and the negotiation process in some countries can exceed 12 months. In addition, pricing and
reimbursement decisions in certain countries can be affected by decisions taken in other countries, which can lead to mandatory price
reductions and/or additional reimbursement restrictions across a number of other countries, which may thereby adversely affect TELI’s
sales and profitability. In the event that countries impose prices that are not sufficient to allow TELI or its partners to generate
a profit, TELI’s partners may refuse to launch the product in such countries or withdraw the product from the market, which would
adversely affect sales and profitability. Events, such as price decreases, government mandated rebates or unfavorable reimbursement decisions,
could affect the pricing and reimbursement of TELI’s products and its other product candidates and could have a material adverse
effect on TELI’s business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.
TELI expects to face intense competition,
often from companies with greater resources and experience.
Demand for TELI’s product candidates will
likely be dependent on a number of social, political, legislative, and economic factors that are beyond its control. While we believe
that there will be a demand for such drugs, and that the demand will grow, there is no assurance that such demand will happen, that we
will benefit from any demand or that its business, in fact, will ever generate revenues from its drug development programs or become
profitable.
The emerging markets for product candidates like
TELI’s and related medical research and development are and will likely remain competitive. The development and commercialization
of drugs and medicines is highly competitive. TELI competes with a variety of multinational pharmaceutical companies and specialized
biotechnology companies, as well as products and processes being developed by universities and other research institutions. Many of TELI’s
competitors have developed, are developing, or will develop drugs and processes which may be competitive with TELI’s drug candidates.
Competitive therapeutic treatments include those that have already been approved by medicines regulators and accepted by the medical
community and any new treatments that may enter the market. For some of TELI’s drug development programs / areas of therapeutic
interest, other treatment options are currently available, under development, and may become commercially available in the future. If
any of TELI’s product candidates are approved for the diseases and conditions TELI is currently pursuing, they may compete with
a range of medicines or therapeutic treatments that are either in development, will be developed in the future or currently marketed.
Established companies may have a competitive
advantage over TELI due to their size and experience, financial resources, and institutional networks. Many of TELI’s competitors
may have significantly greater financial, technical, and human resources than TELI does. Due to these factors, TELI’s competitors
may have an advantage in marketing their approved drugs and may obtain regulatory approval of their drug candidates before TELI is able
to, which may limit its ability to develop or commercialize TELI’s drug candidates. TELI’s competitors may also develop drugs
/ medicines that are safer, more effective, more widely used and less expensive than TELI’s. These advantages could materially
impact TELI’s ability to develop and, if approved, commercialize TELI’s product candidates successfully. Furthermore, some
of these competitors may make acquisitions or establish collaborative relationships among themselves or with third parties to increase
their ability to rapidly gain market share.
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Moreover, as generic versions of drug products
enter the market, the price for such medicines may be expected to decline rapidly and substantially. Even if Telomir-1 is the first to
obtain FDA approval of one of its product candidates, the future potential approval of generics could adversely affect the price TELI
is able to charge, and the profitability of TELI’s product(s) will likely decline.
Mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology industries may result in more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of TELI’s competitors. Smaller
and other early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large
and established companies.
These companies may compete with TELI in recruiting
and retaining qualified scientific, management and commercial personnel, utilizing contract manufacturing facilities or contract research
organizations (CROs), or establishing clinical trial sites and subject registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies
complementary to TELI’s research projects.
There are several conflicts of interests
inherent in the Merger.
Several beneficial owners of TELI, are also related
parties of Telomir. For example, our Chief Executive Officer, Erez Aminov, and owner of 5,369,860 shares of Telomir also holds a beneficial
ownership interest of 7,919,710 shares, or 23%, on a fully diluted basis, of TELI. Furthermore, shares of Telomir are held by several
trusts or individuals, also own shares of TELI. Specifically, (i) Bayshore Trust, holders of 5,406,431 shares of TELO, on a fully diluted
basis, hold 10,798,767 shares of Telomir, or 31.4% on a fully diluted basis, and (ii) the Celeste J Williams Lifetime QTIP Trust holds
of 1,853,659 shares of TELO and 1,000,000, or 2.9% shares of Telomir. Following the Merger, Mr. Aminov and Bayshore Trust are expected
to each beneficially own 13,289,570 and 16,205,198 shares of Telomir, respectively, or 19.32% and 23.56% shares of Telomir respectively.
Furthermore, several of the parties in the Merger
are related by marriage. For example, Erez Aminov, CEO of each of TELI and Telomir, is the son-in-law of Jonny Williams Sr., the beneficiary
of the Bayshore Trust, and the largest shareholder of TELO, Telomir and the primary owner of MIRALOGX LLC, the licensor of Telomir-1
to each of TELI and Telomir.
Additionally, in connection with the approval
of the Merger, the Board previously adopted an Executive Compensation Plan that provides for certain performance-based compensation arrangements
for executive officers, including Erez Aminov, the Chief Executive Officer of TELO. These arrangements may be tied to the successful
completion and overall value of the Merger. This would be separate from the shares of TELI Common Stock issued to Mr. Aminov in
connection with the Merger.
Following the Merger, the TELI shareholders
may potentially own a majority of TELO.
Following the issuance of the Merger Share Consideration,
at the Closing, pre-Merger holders of TELI may potentially own a majority of the post-Merger TELO shares. Accordingly, after the completion
of the Merger, the current stockholders of TELI will own a smaller percentage of the post-Merger combined company than their ownership
of their respective companies prior to the Merger. Immediately after the Merger, TELO securityholders as of immediately prior to the
Merger are currently estimated to own approximately 50% of the outstanding shares of the post-Merger company on a fully-diluted basis
and former TELI securityholders are currently estimated to own approximately 50% of the outstanding shares of the combined post-Merger
company on a fully-diluted basis.
There is no assurance when or if the Merger
will be completed.
The completion of the Merger is subject to the
satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions as set forth in the Merger Agreement, including, among others, the receipt of the TELO
Stockholder Approval. Further, at the time of the completion of the Merger, under the terms of the Merger Agreement, TELI must have cash
and marketable securities valued at $1 million. There can be no assurance that any conditions, consents, clearances or approvals necessary
or advisable to be obtained in connection with the Merger will be obtained in a timely manner or at all, or whether they will be subject
to actions, conditions, limitations or restrictions that may jeopardize or delay the completion of the Transaction, materially reduce
or delay the anticipated benefits of the Merger or allow the parties to terminate the Merger Agreement.
The Merger Agreement may be terminated in certain
circumstances, including, among others, if the Merger has not been completed by the outside date of June 30, 2026 or if a governmental
entity of competent jurisdiction has issued or granted an order, judgment, decree, ruling or injunction that results in a permanent restraint
that has become final and nonappealable or imposes, as a final and nonappealable condition. See “ The Merger Agreement—Termination. ”
The price of TELO’s common stock
is subject to fluctuations
The market price of TELO Common Stock is subject
to general price fluctuations in the market for publicly traded equity securities and has experienced volatility in the past. Stock price
changes may result from a variety of factors, including, among others, general market and economic conditions, changes in the businesses,
operations and prospects of TELI, and an evolving regulatory landscape. Market assessments of the benefits of the Merger and the likelihood
that the Merger will be completed, as well as general and industry specific market and economic conditions, may also impact the market
price of TELI Common Stock. Many of these factors are beyond TELI’s control. You are encouraged to obtain current market price
quotations for TELO Common Stock before you determine how to vote on the Merger.
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The Merger may be time-consuming to complete
and may not be completed in a timely manner, or at all, due to pending or potential litigation or regulatory challenges.
The proposed Merger and related transactions
may be challenged in court by shareholders or other interested parties. While management believes any such claims would be without merit,
we may be subject to various lawsuits or other legal proceedings, including but not limited to shareholder class action lawsuits alleging
breaches of fiduciary duties related to the proposed transaction structure, valuation, conflicts of interest or disclosure. Responding
to and defending against these claims can be time-consuming, expensive, and could divert management’s attention and resources away
from day-to-day business operations.
Further, government agencies, including antitrust
authorities, may seek to block, delay, or impose conditions on the Merger. These regulatory reviews and filings are a common aspect of
mergers and acquisitions and are subject to significant costs, including substantial legal fees and potential judgments or settlements;
transaction delays or the inability to close the merger on the contemplated terms; the imposition of burdensome conditions or restrictions
on the combined company’s operations; or the termination of the Merger agreement altogether, which could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition, and stock price.
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.