UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For
the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2021
Commission
File Number 001-36019
TONIX
PHARMACEUTICALS HOLDING CORP.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Nevada
26-1434750
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
26
Main Street , Suite 101
Chatham ,
New Jersey
07928
(Address
of principal executive office)
(Zip
Code)
( 862 )
799-8599
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class
Trading Symbol
Name
of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001
par value
TNXP
The NASDAQ Stock
Market LLC
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined by Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
No ☒
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐
No ☒
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports),
and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File
required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller
reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐
Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☒
Smaller reporting company ☒
Emerging growth company ☐
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The
aggregate market value of the voting common equity held by non-affiliates as of June 30, 2021, based on the closing sales price of
the common stock as quoted on The NASDAQ Global Market was $ 384,121,940 .
For purposes of this computation, all officers and directors are deemed to be
affiliates. Such determination should not be deemed an admission that such directors, officers, or 5 percent beneficial owners are,
in fact, affiliates of the registrant.
As
of March 14, 2022, there were 533,928,624 ,
shares of registrant’s common stock outstanding.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
PAGE
PART I
Item 1.
Business
3
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
46
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
72
Item 2.
Properties
72
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings
73
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
73
PART II
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
73
Item 6.
Reserved
73
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
73
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
87
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
F-1
– F-32
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures
88
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures
88
Item 9B.
Other Information
89
Item 9C.
Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
89
PART III
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
89
Item 11.
Executive Compensation
95
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
102
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
104
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
104
PART IV
Item 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
105
Signatures
108
2
PART
I
ITEM
1 - BUSINESS
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K (including the section regarding Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations) contains forward-looking statements regarding our business, financial condition, results of operations
and prospects. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,”
“seeks,” “estimates” and similar expressions or variations of such words are intended to identify forward-looking
statements, but are not deemed to represent an all-inclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements as denoted in this
Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additionally, statements concerning future matters are forward-looking statements.
Although
forward-looking statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K reflect the good faith judgment of our Management, such statements
can only be based on facts and factors currently known by us. Consequently, forward-looking statements are inherently subject
to risks and uncertainties and actual results and outcomes may differ materially from the results and outcomes discussed in or
anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences in results and outcomes
include, without limitation, those specifically addressed under the heading “Risks Factors” below, as well as those
discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We file reports with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”). You can read and copy any materials we file or will file with the SEC, which, among other places,
can be found on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, as well as on our corporate website at www.tonixpharma.com).
We
undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that
may arise after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures
made throughout the entirety of this Annual Report, which attempt to advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may
affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Tonix
Pharmaceuticals ® , Tonmya ® , Protectic™, Angstro-Technology™ and other trademarks and
intellectual property of ours appearing in this report are our property. This report contains additional trade names and trademarks
of other companies. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names or trademarks to imply an endorsement
or sponsorship of us by such companies, or any relationship with any of these companies.
Business
Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering, licensing, acquiring and developing therapeutics and diagnostics to treat and prevent human disease and
alleviate suffering. We are building capabilities in synthetic biology, precision medicine, protein engineering and vaccine manufacturing
through internal efforts as well as through collaborations with academic institutions and contract research organizations. Our therapeutics
under development include both small molecules and biologics. All of our drug, biologic and diagnostic candidates are still in development.
Tonix’s portfolio is primarily
composed of immunology, central nervous system, or CNS, and infectious disease product candidates. Tonix’s immunology portfolio
includes biologics to address organ transplant rejection, autoimmune diseases and cancer. The CNS portfolio includes small molecules and
biologics to treat pain, neurologic, psychiatric and addiction conditions. Tonix’s infectious disease portfolio of product candidates
includes next-generation vaccines to prevent COVID-19, an antiviral to treat COVID-19, and a potential treatment for Long COVID. The infectious
disease portfolio also includes a vaccine in development to prevent smallpox and monkeypox.
Tonix’s lead candidate within
its immunology pipeline is TNX-1500*, a humanized monoclonal antibody, or mAb, directed against CD40-ligand,
or CD40L, engineered to modulate binding to Fc receptors, that is being developed as a prophylaxis against organ transplant rejection
as well as to treat autoimmune conditions. In experiments at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical
School, TNX-1500 is being studied as monotherapy or in combination with other immunosuppressive agents in heart and kidney organ transplants
in non-human primates. Preliminary results from an ongoing experiment in heart transplants indicate that TNX-1500 appears to have comparable
efficacy to historical experiments using the chimeric mouse/human IgG1 version (5c8H1) of the anti-CD40L mAb 5c8. First generation anti-CD40L
mAb were associated with an increased risk of blood clots or thrombosis. In the non-human primate studies with TNX-1500, no evidence of
thrombosis has been observed so far. We expect to start a Phase 1 study of TNX-1500 in the second half of 2022.
Among the CNS candidates
in development is TNX-1300* (double-mutant cocaine esterase) which is in Phase 2 for the treatment of life-threatening cocaine intoxication.
TNX-1300 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation, or BTD, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. TNX-1300 was licensed
from Columbia University in 2019 after a Phase 2 study showed that it rapidly and efficiently disintegrates cocaine in the blood of volunteers
who received intravenous, or i.v., cocaine. We expect to initiate a Phase 2 open-label safety study of TNX-1300 in an emergency room setting
in the first half of 2022.
3
Our latest stage CNS product candidate is TNX-102 SL*, a proprietary sublingual
tablet formulation of CBP, designed for bedtime administration. TNX-102 SL has active INDs for fibromyalgia, or FM, posttraumatic
stress disorder, or PTSD, agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, or AAD, and alcohol use disorder, or AUD. We also intend to develop
TNX-102 SL as a treatment for Long COVID, which is also known as post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or PASC.
TNX-102 SL is in mid-Phase
3 development for the management of FM, a pain disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain, non-restorative sleep, fatigue and impaired
cognition. In December 2020, we reported positive results from the Phase 3 RELIEF study of TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg for the management of FM.
In July 2021, we reported pre-planned interim analysis results from a second Phase 3 study, RALLY. Based on the recommendation from the
independent data monitoring committee that the RALLY trial was unlikely to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in the
primary endpoint, we stopped enrollment of new participants but allowed those participants who were already enrolled to complete the study.
We expect to report topline data from the completed study in the first quarter of 2022. We expect to analyze the RALLY results to improve
the design of subsequent Phase 3 studies. In addition, we plan to employ pharmacogenomic techniques to compare the RALLY and RELIEF study
populations, which may provide a path to precision medicine-based companion diagnostics for TNX-102 SL in FM. We intend to start a new
Phase 3 study of TNX-102 SL in FM in the first half of 2022.
TNX-102 SL is also being developed as a potential treatment for Long COVID.
We met with the FDA in the third quarter of 2021 to seek agreement on the design of a Phase 2 potential pivotal study and the overall
clinical development plan to qualify TNX-102 SL as an indicated treatment for Long COVID. We intend to focus our clinical development
on the subgroup of Long COVID patients whose symptoms overlap with FM, particularly with respect to widespread pain. We received the official
minutes from this meeting in the third quarter of 2021 and intend to initiate a Phase 2 study in the first half of 2022.
For
TNX-102 SL in PTSD, we completed the Phase 3 RECOVERY trial and reported topline results in the fourth quarter of 2020 in which
TNX-102 SL did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint. PTSD is a serious psychiatric condition that develops in response to experiencing
a traumatic event. We subsequently completed a meeting with the FDA to discuss potential new endpoints for the indication of treatment
of PTSD, and we expect to begin enrolling a Phase 2 study of TNX-102 SL in police in Kenya in the first half of 2022. The AAD
program is Phase 2 ready with an active IND and FDA Fast Track designation. AAD, which includes emotional lability, restlessness,
irritability, and aggression, is one of the most distressing and debilitating of the behavioral complications of Alzheimer’s
disease. Tonix does not have any near-term plans to start a Phase 2 study in AAD. The AUD program is also Phase 2 ready with an
active IND. AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol intake,
and a negative emotional state when not using alcohol. Tonix does not have any near-term plans to start a Phase 2 study in AUD.
TNX-1900* (intranasal potentiated oxytocin) is in development for prophylaxis
of chronic migraine and for the treatment of craniofacial pain, insulin resistance and related conditions as well binge eating disorder,
or BED. TNX-1900 was acquired from Trigemina, Inc. and licensed from Stanford University in 2020. The potentiated formulation includes
magnesium, which has been shown in animals to potentiate binding of oxytocin to the oxytocin receptor in the trigeminal ganglion. We received
IND clearance from the FDA in the fourth quarter of 2021 and intend to initiate a Phase 2 study in migraine in the second half of 2022.
Tonix also licensed technology to use TNX-1900 for the treatment of insulin resistance from the University of Geneva. TNX-1900 will be
studied as a potential treatment for BED in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 clinical trial. The Phase 2 clinical trial is expected to
start in the second half of 2022. In March 2022, we announced an agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of
Harvard Medical School, to conduct this study. Tonix does not own an IND for BED.
TNX-2900* is another intranasal oxytocin-based therapeutic in development
for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome, or PWS. The technology for TNX-2900 was licensed from Inserm, the French National Institute
of Health and Medical Research. PWS, an orphan condition, is a rare genetic disorder of failure to thrive in infancy, associated with
uncontrolled appetite beginning in childhood with complications of obesity and diabetes. We have sponsored a research program at the Inserm
to study oxytocin on suckling behavior in mice that have been engineered to express one of the Prader-Willi genes. TNX-2900 has been granted
Orphan-Drug Designation for the treatment of PWS.
TNX-601 CR* (tianeptine oxalate and naloxone controlled-release tablets)
is a CNS product candidate in development as a treatment for major depressive disorder, or depression, for PTSD, and for neurocognitive
dysfunction associated with corticosteroid use. We completed a Phase 1 trial for formulation development outside of the U.S. Based on
official minutes from a pre-IND meeting with the FDA, we expect to initiate a pharmacokinetic study in the third quarter of 2022, and
a Phase 2 study in the first quarter of 2023.
Tonix’s
infectious disease portfolio includes vaccines based on Tonix’s recombinant pox vaccine, or “RPV” technology platform.
RPV vaccines are believed to protect against negative outcomes of infectious diseases by eliciting T cell responses in addition to antibody
responses. TNX-801* is an RPV live horsepox virus vaccine for percutaneous administration in the pre-IND stage of development to protect
against smallpox and monkeypox. TNX-801 vaccinated non-human primates were protected from monkeypox in studies reported in the first
quarter of 2020.
TNX-1800*
is a live virus vaccine that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from the ancestral Wuhan strain, which has shown encouraging results
in non-human primates. Because the subsequent omicron variant has out-competed the ancestral Wuhan strain, we are now planning new vaccine
versions, TNX-1840* and TNX-1850*, that are designed to express spike protein from the omicron variant and from the BA.2 variant, respectively.
The COVID-19 vaccines that are approved for use, or have emergency use authorization, or EUA, in the U.S. have provided significant health
benefits to the vaccinated population; however, they are showing limitations in the durability of protection conferred and, in their ability,
to block forward transmission. Live virus vaccines that protect against other viral diseases by eliciting T cell responses have shown
durability of protection that lasts years to decades and some live virus vaccines have significantly inhibited forward transmission. With
respect to TNX-1800 vaccination, we reported positive efficacy data from animal challenge studies using live SARS-CoV-2 in the first quarter
of 2021. In this study, TNX-1800 vaccinated, SARS-CoV-2 challenged animals had undetectable SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airways, which we
believe relates to potential inhibition of forward transmission of this respiratory pathogen.
4
TNX-3500*
(sangivamycin) is an antiviral inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 which has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity in laboratory-based assays against
the coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. Tonix licensed this technology from OyaGen, Inc. and intends to develop it as a treatment for
COVID-19 and potentially other viral diseases. The active ingredient of TNX-3500 has been studied for safety in humans in prior studies
with cancer patients at the U.S. National Cancer Institute but has not been approved for marketing in any jurisdiction. Tonix intends
to conduct further animal studies in preparation for filing an IND.
TNX-3600* refers to a series of
fully human mAbs generated by a human-human hybridomas from COVID-19 convalescent volunteers. Tonix is collaborating with Columbia University
to produce these fully human mAbs to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins from variants such as delta and omicron and to other viral targets. The
initial focus is to develop COVID-19 therapeutic mAbs. Tonix plans to seek indications similar to current EUA therapeutic mAbs for treating
individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease. TNX-3600 mAbs may also be used in combination
therapy with other COVID-19 therapeutic mAbs. Combination therapies with other anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs may reduce the emergence of resistant
viral strains. Given the unpredictable trajectory of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and new variants, we seek to contribute to a broad set of mAbs
from a variety of patients, that can be scaled up quickly and potentially combined with other mAbs. We envision the future of mAb therapy
for COVID-19 to be cocktails of mAbs with specificity to variants of concern. TNX-3600 is in the preclinical stage of development.
Tonix intends to study inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 variants in tissue culture and initiate animal studies in the first half of 2022.
Tonix also
is collaborating with Columbia University to better understand immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in healthy individuals who have recovered
from COVID-19, which is expected to provide a foundation for tailoring therapeutics to appropriate individuals using precision medicine.
TNX-3700*
is a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate employing a zinc nanoparticle (ZNP) formulation. In collaboration with Kansas State University, Tonix
is developing this ZNP technology as a potential replacement for the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology used in current mRNA vaccines.
ZNP technology potentially allows for improved stability which facilitates shipping and storage and addresses the limitations in current
mRNA vaccines which require ultra-cold storage and shipping. This current requirement limits the use of mRNA vaccines in less developed
countries. We plan to seek initial indications as a booster, similar to the current FDA approved mRNA vaccines. Tonix intends to conduct
research with Kansas State University on ZNP SARS-CoV-2 spike based vaccines in tissue culture and animals in the first half of 2022.
TNX-2100*
is an in vivo diagnostic skin test we are developing to measure SARS-CoV-2 exposure and T cell immunity. T cell immunity is more
durable than antibody immunity since serum antibodies wane between six months and one year after vaccination. TNX-2100 is a potential
test to measure delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to SARS-CoV-2. The DTH response for other pathogens, notably tuberculosis,
can serve as an in vivo measure of functional T cell immunity. TNX-2100 is comprised of GMP peptides designed to mimic SARS-CoV-2
proteins and stimulate SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells. We initiated a first-in-human, dose-finding clinical study in the first quarter of
2022 and expect study results in the first half of 2022.
Our immunology pipeline also includes TNX-1700*. TNX-1700
is a recombinant modified form of Trefoil Family Factor 2, or rTFF2, that was licensed from Columbia University in 2019. TNX-1700 is a
biologic being developed to treat gastric and colorectal cancers by an immune-oncology mechanism and is in the preclinical stage of development.
Our biodefense
pipeline includes TNX-701*, an undisclosed small molecule technology being developed to prevent deleterious effects of radiation exposure
which has the potential to be used as a medical countermeasure to improve biodefense. TNX-701 is in the preclinical stage of development.
5
Finally,
our CNS pipeline includes TNX-1600*, an inhibitor of the reuptake of neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, or a triple
reuptake inhibitor. TNX-1600 was licensed from Wayne State University in 2019 and is being developed as a treatment for PTSD, depression
and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. TNX-1600 is in the preclinical stage of development.
Relating
to our COVID-19 and other infectious disease development programs, we are developing the resources necessary to enable internal research,
development and manufacturing capabilities necessary to meet the goal of producing new vaccine candidates within 100 days of recognition
and new diagnostics within weeks of obtaining sequence information. As articulated in the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan, or AP3,
released by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, this 100-day goal for vaccines is a key component of preparedness for future
pandemics. We intend to establish the infrastructure necessary to support the pandemic preparedness goals established in the AP3, specifically
with respect to our RPV vaccine and skin test platforms and potentially to other vaccine, diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. This infrastructure
consists of (i) our infectious disease R&D Center, or “RDC”, (ii) our Advanced Development Center, or ADC, and (iii) our
Commercial Manufacturing Center, or CMC. We acquired the infectious disease RDC in Frederick, Maryland consisting of two buildings totaling
approximately 48,000 square feet. The acquisition closed in October 2021 and was operational at closing, but as of December 31, 2021,
the facility was not ready for its intended use. It is our intention to have the facility ready for use in the first half of 2022. The
RDC facility will focus on our development of vaccines and antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2, its variants, and other infectious diseases.
The RDC facility is currently biosafety level 2 (BSL-2), but we intend to upgrade components to BSL-3. We are in the process of a substantial
renovation of the ADC located in the New Bedford business park in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. This facility is intended to accelerate development
and clinical scale manufacturing of live-virus vaccines to support Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. It is currently under construction
and will be an approximately 45,000 square foot BSL-2 facility once completed. It is expected to be partially operational in the first
half of 2022. We also plan to build the CMC in Hamilton, Montana, where we purchased approximately 44 acres of land. The CMC will focus
on developing and manufacturing commercial scale live-virus vaccines and is also intended to be BSL-2. Site enabling work is expected
to be initiated for the CMC in 2022. Together, we expect these facilities may qualify the RPV vaccine and skin test platforms for
programs that are designed to carry out the goals of AP3.
*All
of Tonix’s product candidates are investigational new drugs or biologics and have not been approved for any indication.
We are led by a management team with significant industry experience in
drug development. We complement our management team with a network of scientific, clinical, and regulatory advisors that includes recognized
experts in their respective fields.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated on November
16, 2007 under the laws of the State of Nevada as Tamandare Explorations Inc. On October 11, 2011, we changed our name to Tonix Pharmaceuticals
Holding Corp. Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “TNXP”. Our principal executive offices
are located at 26 Main Street, Suite 101, Chatham, New Jersey 07928, and our telephone number is (862) 799-8599. Our website addresses
are www.tonixpharma.com, www.tonix.com, and www.krele.com .
Our Strategy
Our objective is to develop and commercialize our
product candidates. The principal components of our strategy are to:
●
Pursue CNS, infectious disease and immunology
indications with high unmet medical need and significant commercial potential. Within the therapeutic areas that Tonix is focusing,
we are pursuing multiple indications that are underserved with limited, effective treatment options. One of our latest stage product candidates,
TNX-102 SL for the management of FM, affects between 6-12 million adults in the U.S. and fewer than half of those treated for FM receive
relief from the three FDA-approved drugs. We are also pursuing a treatment for Long COVID using TNX-102 SL, a condition for which there
is no currently approved therapy. Our broader development strategy is to leverage the patented formulation to explore the clinical potential
of TNX-102 SL in multiple other pain, psychiatric, and addiction conditions, including PTSD, Agitation in Alzheimer’s and Alcohol
Use Disorder (AUD), all of which are underserved by currently approved medications or have no approved treatment thus representing large
unmet medical needs. Within CNS, Tonix is also developing TNX-1300, a treatment for cocaine intoxication, one of the leading causes of
overdose deaths and for which there is no currently approved drug. Within infectious diseases, we are currently focusing on the development
of TNX-1840 and TNX-1850 for protection against COVID-19. While there are FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines which use mRNA technology, we
believe that there are limitations to these vaccines relating to durability of protection and their relative inability to block forward
transmission. We believe that the live virus technology intended to be employed in TNX-1840 and TNX-1850 has the potential to solve these
problems and serve as a booster or initial vaccine to the U.S. population. Finally, with TNX-1500, we are pursuing a treatment to prevent
organ transplant rejection as well as autoimmune conditions. TNX-1500 is a third generation humanized mAb targeting the CD40L that has
the potential to deliver efficacy without compromising safety, based on modulated binding to Fc receptors. At this time, no mAb against
CD40L has been licensed anywhere in the world.
6
● Maximize
the commercial potential of our lead product candidates . We plan to commercialize
each of our lead product candidates, including our latest stage candidate, TNX-102 SL,
either on our own or through collaboration with partners. We believe our lead candidates
can be marketed to U.S. physicians either by an internal sales force that we would build
or by a contract sales organization, which we would engage. An alternative strategy would
be to enter into partnership agreements with drug companies that already have significant
marketing capabilities in the same, or similar, therapeutic areas. If we determine that
such a strategy would be more favorable than developing our own sales capabilities, we
would seek to enter into collaborations with pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies
for commercialization.
● Pursue
a broad intellectual property strategy to protect our product candidates . We
are pursuing a broad patent strategy for our product candidates, and we endeavor to generate
new patent applications as supported by our innovations and conceptions as well as to
advance their prosecution. In the case of TNX-102 SL, we own patents and patent applications
protecting its composition-of-matter, certain methods of its use, its formulation, and
its pharmacokinetic properties. In the case of TNX-801, TNX-1800, TNX-1840 and TNX-1850, we own
patent applications protecting their composition-of-matter and certain methods of use.
We also own patents through in-licensing transactions for TNX-1900, TNX-1700, TNX-2900
and TNX-1300. We own patents outright for TNX-601 CR and have filed patent applications
for TNX-2100, TNX-3500, TNX-3700 and TNX-1500. We plan to opportunistically apply for
new patents to protect our product candidates.
● Pursue
additional indications and commercial opportunities for our product candidates. We will seek to maximize the value of our
other product candidates by pursuing other indications and commercial opportunities for such candidates. For example, we own rights
related to the development and commercialization of TNX-102 SL for generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and fatigue related to
disordered sleep. For TNX-1900, we own the rights to develop this for craniofacial pain, episodic migraine, acute migraine and
insulin resistance, in addition to chronic migraine. For TNX-601 CR, we own the rights to develop this for PTSD and neurocognitive
disorder from corticosteroid use, in addition to major depressive disorder. Finally, our live virus platform using our RPV
technology may be developed for future pandemics, infectious diseases generally and oncology, in addition to COVID-19.
Disease
and Market Overview
Our
product candidates address disorders that are not well served by currently available therapies or have no approved treatment which
represent large potential commercial market opportunities. Background information on the disorders and related commercial markets
that may be addressed by our product candidates in or nearing the clinical-stage is set forth below.
Immunology
Organ Transplant Rejection
Organ transplant
rejection occurs when the immune system of the organ recipient attacks the new organ as if it was an infection or tumor. Often transplantation
is the last resort for most end-stage organ failure patients, affecting either kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, and/or pancreas. Genetic
disparity between organ donor and recipient is often at the root of the rejection. Mismatched or not closely matched organs triggers
an immune reaction that leads to rejection. Overcoming this difficulty is paramount to a patient’s survival as organ donations
are in limited supply.
Gastric
and Colorectal cancers
Gastric
or stomach cancer is a disease in which malignant cancer cells line the inner lumen of the stomach. Development of this form of cancer
is often influenced by age, diet and other stomach disease. This type of cancer begins to form in the mucosa, the surface of the lumen
that is in direct contact with the contents of the stomach, and spreads through the outer layers of the stomach as the tumor grows.
Currently,
per the National Cancer Institute, the 5-year relative survival for stomach cancer is 32.4%. The lifetime risk of developing stomach
cancer is higher in men (about 1 in 96) than in women (about 1 in 152). 2 In 2018, there were an estimated 120,301 people living
with stomach cancer in the United States.
7
Colorectal
cancer includes cancers in the colon and the rectum, organs that are crucial to absorption of water by the body and the elimination of
food-waste. Most colorectal cancers start as a growth or polyp on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Some types of polyps can change
into cancer over time (usually many years), but not all polyps become cancer. Adenomatous polyps are the ones that turn malignant with
time. Similar to gastric cancer, the malignancy begins in the mucosal layer and spreads outwards.
The
5-year relative survival rate is 64.7%. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 23 (4.3%) for men and
1 in 25 (4.0%) for women. In 2018, there were an estimated 1,365,135 people living with colorectal cancer in the United States.
Central
Nervous System
Cocaine
Intoxication
Cocaine
is an illegal recreational drug taken for its pleasurable effects and associated euphoria. Pharmacologically, cocaine blocks the
reuptake of the neurotransmitter dopamine from central nervous system synapses, resulting in the accumulation of dopamine within
the synapse and an amplification of dopamine signaling that is related to its role in creating positive feeling. With the continued
use of cocaine, however, intense cocaine cravings occur resulting in a high potential for abuse and addiction, or dependence,
as well as the risk of cocaine intoxication. Cocaine intoxication refers to the deleterious effects on other parts of the body,
especially those involving the cardiovascular system. Common symptoms of cocaine intoxication include tachyarrhythmias and
elevated blood pressure, either of which can be life-threatening. As a result, individuals with known or suspected cocaine
intoxication are sent immediately to the emergency department, preferably by ambulance in case cardiac arrest occurs during transit.
There are approximately 505,000 emergency room visits for cocaine abuse each year in the U.S., of which 61,000 require detoxification
services. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over 15,883 individuals died of cocaine overdose in 2019.
Fibromyalgia
(FM)
FM
is a chronic syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues.
The peak incidence of FM occurs between 20-50 years of age, and 80-90% of diagnosed patients are female. FM may have a substantial
negative impact on social and occupational function, including disrupted relationships with family and friends, social isolation,
reduced activities of daily living and leisure activities, avoidance of physical activity, and loss of career or inability to
advance in career or education. According to the American Chronic Pain Association, an estimated six to twelve million adults
in the U.S. have FM.
According
to a report by Frost and Sullivan that we commissioned, despite the availability of approved medications, the majority of patients
fail therapy due to either insufficient efficacy, poor tolerability, or both. Prescription pain and sleep medications are frequently
prescribed off-label for symptomatic relief, despite the lack of evidence that such medications provide a meaningful or durable
therapeutic benefit, and many of these medications carry significant safety risks and risk of dependence. For example, approximately
30% of patients diagnosed with FM take chronic opioids, despite the lack of evidence for their effectiveness and the risk of addiction
and toxicity, including overdose.
Long
COVID
Long
COVID, or PASC, is a condition that some survivors of COVID-19 infection experience in varying degrees
of severity. It is a chronic disabling condition that is expected to result in a significant global health and economic burden. The symptoms
include intense fatigue, fevers, sleep problems, pain, and cognitive issues (“brain fog”). Post infection, many patients
experience one or many of the symptoms of Long COVID: some patients have initial symptoms that become prolonged; others manifest entirely
new syndromes that impact more than one system or organ. According to a recent publication in the Journal of American Medical Association
(JAMA), over 1 in 10 healthcare workers who had recovered from COVID-19 were still coping with at least one moderate to severe symptom
eight months later. Several cohort studies have reported that persistence of symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection occurs in more than
30% of patients. There is currently no approved drug for the treatment of Long COVID.
8
Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder, or PTSD
PTSD
is a chronic condition that may develop after a person is exposed to one or more traumatic events, such as warfare, sexual assault,
serious injury, or threat of imminent death. The core symptom clusters of PTSD are avoidance, emotional numbing, hyperarousal,
and intrusion, where the triggering traumatic event is commonly re-experienced by the individual through intrusive, recurrent
recollections, flashbacks, and nightmares. People with PTSD suffer significant impairment in their daily functioning, including
occupational activities and social relations, and are at elevated risk for impulsive violent behaviors toward others and themselves,
including suicide. Of those who experience a significant trauma, approximately 20% of women and 8% of men develop PTSD. An estimated
12 million adults annually in the U.S. suffer from PTSD. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the prevalence
rate of PTSD in the military population is higher than that among civilians. As of 2012, there were approximately 638,000 veterans
receiving treatment for PTSD in the Veterans Health Administration, or VHA. Based on March 2015 VHA data, more than 19% of military
veterans involved in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were seen at VHA facilities for potential or provisional PTSD.
Many
patients fail to adequately respond to the medications approved for PTSD and approved medications show little evidence of a treatment
effect in men, lack evidence of efficacy in those for whom the traumatic event was combat-related, and carry suicidality warnings.
Sleep disturbances are central features of PTSD and are predictive of disease severity, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal
ideation, yet are resistant to the approved medications and present a difficult therapeutic challenge. Current PTSD treatments
include off-label use of anxiolytics, sedative-hypnotics, and antipsychotics, many of which lack reliable evidence of efficacy,
and several have significant safety liabilities and dependence risk.
Migraine
Headaches
Migraine
is a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent headaches that are moderate to severe. Typically, episodes affect one
side of the head, are pulsating in nature, and last from a few hours to three days. Associated symptoms may include nausea, vomiting,
and sensitivity to light, sound, or smell. The pain is generally made worse by physical activity, although regular exercise may
have prophylactic effects. Up to one-third of people affected have aura, typically a short period of visual disturbance that signals
that the headache will soon occur. Occasionally, aura can occur with little or no headache following it. Approximately one billion
individuals worldwide suffer from migraine (~14% of the population). Migraine is the second leading cause of years lived with
disability. Chronic migraine (≥ 15 headache/migraine days per month) affects about 1-2% of individuals (~75-150 million individuals
worldwide; 3-7 million in the U.S.). CGRP antibodies are the only migraine specific prophylaxis drugs approved in decades, but
they require parenteral administration and there are long term safety concerns with prolonged systemic blockade of CGRP receptor.
Prader-Willi Syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is
recognized as the most common genetic cause of life-threatening childhood obesity and affects males and females with equal frequency and
all races and ethnicities. The hallmarks of PWS are lack of suckling in infants and, in children and adults, severe hyperphagia, an overriding
physiological drive to eat, leading to severe obesity and other complications associated with significant mortality. PWS is an orphan
disease that occurs in approximately one in 15,000 births. There is currently no approved treatment for the obesity and hyperphagia in
adults and older children associated with PWS.
Major Depressive Disorder
According to the National Institute
of Mental Health, depression affects approximately 17 million adults in the U.S., with approximately 2.5 million adults treated with adjunctive
therapy. Depression is a condition characterized by symptoms such as a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities
most of the time for two weeks or more, accompanied by appetite changes, sleep disturbances, motor restlessness or retardation, loss of
energy, feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt, poor concentration, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. These symptoms cause clinically
significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. The majority of people who suffer
from depression do not respond adequately to initial antidepressant therapy.
9
Infectious Diseases
COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 is a contagious virus
causing the disease COVID-19 that became a global pandemic in 2019 and has resulted in more than three million deaths. While the infection
and mortality rates have slowed in regions of the world with high vaccination rates, the struggle with the pathogen is ongoing and evolving
since SARS-CoV-2 is mutating into new variants. COVID-19 is characterized by fever, sore throat, acute shortness of breath, cough, and
oxygen desaturation in the blood. At least three major variants have swept across the world in successive waves and overwhelmed healthcare
systems during these waves. With new variants of the virus emerging, therapeutic research is addressing the challenge of keeping up with
this rapidly mutating virus. The early vaccines have been effective in limiting the severity of disease in vaccinated individuals. Vaccines
that elicit strong T cell responses are believed to have the potential to provide long-term or durable protection.
Smallpox and Monkeypox
Smallpox is an acute contagious
disease caused by the variola virus, or VARV, which is a member of the orthopoxvirus family. Smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980
following a global immunization campaign. Smallpox is transmitted from person to person by infective droplets during close contact with
infected symptomatic people. Monkeypox is an acute contagious disease caused by the monkeypox virus or MPXV, which is also a member of
the orthopoxvirus family. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to those of smallpox, although less severe. Monkeypox is emerging as an important
zoonotic infection in humans in Central and West Africa. Some cases of monkeypox have been reported outside of Africa in patients who
had been infected while in Africa.
Smallpox was eradicated by a World
Health Organization program that vaccinated individuals with live replicating vaccinia vaccines wherever smallpox appeared. In the 1970s,
vaccination of civilians to protect against smallpox was discontinued in the U.S.; however, smallpox remains a material threat to national
security and a proportion of military personnel, including members of the Global Response Force continue to be vaccinated. We are developing
TNX-801 as a potential smallpox-preventing vaccine for the U.S. strategic national stockpile and for potential widespread immunization
in the event of malicious reintroduction of VARV.
Lead Product Candidates
We believe that our product candidates
offer innovative therapeutic approaches and may provide significant advantages relative to available therapies. We have worldwide commercialization
rights to all of our product candidates listed below. The following table summarizes our product candidates:
Product Candidate
Indication
Stage of Development
TNX-1500
Organ transplant rejection
Pre-IND; Phase 1 Start Expected 2H22
TNX-1300
Cocaine Intoxication
Phase 2 Ready
TNX-102 SL
Fibromyalgia
Mid-Phase 3
TNX-102 SL
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Phase 2 ready
TNX-102 SL
Long COVID
Pre-IND; Phase 2 Start Expected 1H22
TNX-1900
Binge eating disorder
Non-IND; Phase 2 Start Expected 2H22
TNX-1900
Migraine
Pre-IND; Phase 2 Start Expected 2H22
TNX-601 CR
Depression
Pre-IND; Phase 2 Start Expected 1Q23
TNX-801
Smallpox and monkeypox vaccine
Preclinical
TNX-1800/1840/1850
COVID-19 vaccine
Preclinical
TNX-2100
COVID-19 Skin test
Phase 1 ongoing
10
TNX-1500
TNX-1500 is a humanized mAb directed
against CD40-ligand, or CD40L, engineered to modulate binding to Fc receptors, that is being developed to prevent and treat organ transplant
rejection as well as to treat autoimmune conditions. TNX-1500 incorporates the antigen binding fragment (Fab) region of hu5c8, which has
been extensively characterized including at the atomic level in complex with CD40-ligand.
In experiments at the Massachusetts
General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, TNX-1500 is being studied as monotherapy or in combination with immunosuppressive
drugs in heart and kidney organ transplants in non-human primates. Preliminary results from an ongoing experiment in heart transplants
indicates that TNX-1500 appears to have comparable efficacy to historical experiments using the chimeric mouse/primate version of the
anti-CD40L mAb 5c8. In the non-human primate studies with TNX-1500 no evidence of thrombosis has been observed so far.
CD40-ligand
is a protein expressed on the surface of activated T lymphocytes that mediates T cell helper function. CD40-ligand is also known as CD154,
the T cell-B cell activating molecule (T-BAM), TRAP and gp39. CD154 is a member of the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Super Family. No mAb
against CD154 has been approved for commercial use anywhere in the world. Other TNF Super Family members have been successfully targeted
by antagonist mAbs. Approved mAbs against TNFα include: infliximab (Remicade®), adalimumab (Humira®), certolizumab pegol
(Cimzia®), and golimumab (Simponi®) for the treatment of certain autoimmune conditions. Also, etanercept (Enbrel®) is a TNFα
antagonist receptor fusion protein. An approved mAb against RANKL (CD254) is denosumab (Prolia® or Xgeva®) for the treatment of
osteoporosis, treatment-induced bone loss, metastases to bone, and giant cell tumor of bone.
In January 2021, the World Intellectual
Property Organization has published a patent application filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty covering TNX-1500, a humanized mAb
directed against CD40-ligand, which is also known as CD154, T-BAM, 5c8 antigen, TRAP and gp39. The patent application is titled “Anti-CD154
Antibodies and Uses Thereof” and published under International Publication No. WO 2021/001458 A1. The application entered national phase in December 2021. The patent applications
include claims related to proprietary anti-human CD40-ligand mAbs that were engineered to have modified effector function, including TNX-1500,
which have reduced potential for Fc binding to FcγRII. The patent applications also claim uses of TNX-1500 for preventing and treating
conditions, such as organ transplant rejection and autoimmune disorders. If claims are granted, a patent
issuing from a national stage of this application could potentially provide U.S. patent coverage for the TNX-1500 composition of matter
through 2040 excluding possible patent term extensions or patent term adjustments. We also have filed a PCT patent application, PCT/US2022/011404, in January
2022, entitled “Methods of Inducing Immune Tolerance with Modified Anti-CD154 Antibodies.” It claims methods of inducing immune
tolerance in transplant recipients using anti-CD154 antibodies having modified effector functions. We expect to start a Phase 1 study of TNX-1500 in the second
half of 2022.
Remicade® and Simponi® are trademarks of Janssen;
Humira® is a trademark of AbbVie Inc.; Cimzia® is a trademark of UCB S. A.; Enbrel®, Prolia® and Xgeva® are trademarks
of Amgen Inc.
TNX-1300
TNX-1300 (T172R/G173Q double-mutant
cocaine esterase 200 mg, i.v. solution) is being developed for the treatment of cocaine intoxication. TNX-1300 is a recombinant protein
enzyme produced through rDNA technology in a non-disease-producing strain of E. coli bacteria. Cocaine Esterase (CocE) was identified
in bacteria (Rhodococcus) that use cocaine as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen and that grow in soil surrounding coca plants. 1
The gene encoding CocE was identified and the protein was extensively characterized. 1-4 CocE catalyzes the breakdown of cocaine
into metabolite ecgonine methyl ester and benzoic acid. Wild-type CocE is unstable at body temperature, so targeted mutations were introduced
in the CocE gene and resulted in the T172R/G173Q double-mutant CocE, which is active for approximately 6 hours at body temperature 5 .
Currently there is no specific
pharmacotherapy indicated for cocaine intoxication, a state characterized by acute agitation, hyperthermia, tachycardia, arrhythmias,
and hypertension, with the potential life-threatening sequalae of myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, rhabdomyolysis, respiratory
failure, and seizures. Patients are currently managed only by supportive care for the adverse effects of cocaine overdose on the cardiovascular
and central nervous systems. By targeting the cause of cocaine intoxication, rather than the symptoms like other medicines in emergency
usage, we believe TNX-1300 may offer significant advantages to the current standard of care for cocaine overdose. TNX-1300 was developed
by Columbia University, University of Kentucky and University of Michigan, and in-licensed by Tonix from Columbia University in 2019.
TNX-1300 is designated as a breakthrough therapy by the FDA.
In a Phase 2 randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled clinical study, TNX-1300 at 100 mg or 200 mg i.v. doses was well tolerated and interrupted cocaine effects after cocaine
50 mg i.v. challenge. 6 Tonix expects to initiate a Phase 2 open-label, safety study of TNX-1300 to take place in emergency
departments in the U.S. in the first half of 2022.
As
a biologic and new molecular entity, TNX-1300 is eligible for 12 years of U.S. market exclusivity upon approval by the FDA, in addition
to expected patent protection through 2029. Since in-licensing, Tonix has requalified existing inventory, developed a lyophilized drug
product to facilitate enhanced stability and handling conditions applicable for an ER treatment, updated the process and analytical methods
to current standards and are in the process of manufacturing Phase 2/3 drug product clinical supply.
1 Bresler MM, Rosser SJ, Basran A, Bruce
NC. Gene cloning and nucleotide sequencing and properties of a cocaine esterase from Rhodococcus sp. strain MB1. Appl Environ Microbiol.
2000. 66(3):904-8.
2 Larsen NA, Turner JM, Stevens J, Rosser
SJ, Basran A, Lerner RA, Bruce NC, Wilson IA. Crystal structure of a bacterial cocaine esterase. Nat Struct Biol. 2002. 9(1):17-21.
3 Turner JM, Larsen NA, Basran A, Barbas
CF 3rd, Bruce NC, Wilson IA, Lerner RA. Biochemical characterization and structural analysis of a highly proficient cocaine esterase.
Biochemistry. 2002. 41(41):12297-307.
4 Gao D, Narasimhan DL, Macdonald J, Brim
R, Ko MC, Landry DW, Woods JH, Sunahara RK, Zhan CG. Thermostable variants of cocaine esterase for long-time protection against cocaine
toxicity. Mol Pharmacol. 2009. 75(2):318-23 .
5 Overdose Death Rates - National Institute
on Drug Abuse - https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates; accessed May 11, 2019
6 Nasser AF, Fudala PJ, Zheng B, Liu Y,
Heidbreder C. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of RBP-8000 in cocaine abusers: pharmacokinetic profile of rbp-8000
and cocaine and effects of RBP-8000 on cocaine-induced physiological effects. J Addict Dis. 2014;33(4):289-302.
11
TNX-102
SL
Overview
TNX-102
SL, in clinical development for registration in five indications. TNX-102 SL is a proprietary sublingual tablet formulation of
CBP that efficiently delivers CBP across the oral mucosal membrane into the systemic circulation. We are developing TNX-102 SL
as a bedtime treatment for FM, PTSD, PASC or Long Covid and AAD and AUD. We own all rights to TNX-102 SL in all geographies, and
we bear no obligations to third-parties for any future development or commercialization. Excipients used in TNX-102 SL are approved
for pharmaceutical use. Some of the excipients were specially selected to promote a local oral environment that facilitates mucosal
absorption of cyclobenzaprine or CBP.
The
current TNX-102 SL sublingual tablets contain 2.8 mg of CBP. For the treatment of FM, TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg (two 2.8 mg tablets) at
bedtime is in Phase 3 development. We selected this dose with the goal of providing a balance of efficacy, safety, and tolerability
that would be acceptable as a first-line therapy and for long-term use, and in-patient populations characterized by burdensome
symptoms and sensitivity to medications.
The
active ingredient in TNX-102 SL, is CBP, a serotonin-2A and alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist as well as an inhibitor of
serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake. In addition, TNX-102 SL acts upon other receptors in the central nervous system including
muscarinic M 1 and histaminergic H 1 receptors.
CBP
is the active ingredient of two products that are approved in the U.S. for the treatment of muscle spasm: Flexeril ® (5
mg and 10 mg oral immediate-release, or IR, tablet) and Amrix ® (15 mg and 30 mg oral extended-release capsule).
The Flexeril brand of CBP IR tablet has been discontinued since May 2013. There are numerous generic versions of CBP IR tablets
on the market. CBP-containing products are approved for short term use (two to three weeks) only as an adjunct to rest and physical
therapy for relief of muscle spasm associated with acute, painful musculoskeletal conditions. CBP IR tablets are recommended for
three times per day dosing, which results in relatively stable blood levels of CBP after several days of treatment. Extended-release
CBP capsules taken once a day mimic, and flatten, the pharmacokinetic profile of three times per day CBP IR tablets.
We
designed TNX-102 SL to be administered once-daily at bedtime and with the intention for long-term use. We believe the selected
dose of TNX-102 SL and its unique pharmacokinetic profile will enable it to achieve a desirable balance of efficacy, safety, and
tolerability. Our Phase 1 comparative trials showed that, on a dose-adjusted basis, TNX-102 SL results in faster systemic absorption
and significantly higher plasma levels of CBP in the first hour following sublingual administration relative to oral IR CBP tablets.
It also showed that the sublingual route of administration, which largely bypasses the “first pass” hepatic metabolism
that swallowed medications undergo, results in a higher plasma ratio of CBP to its main active metabolite, norcyclobenzaprine.
In clinical studies, TNX-102 SL 2.8 mg and TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg were generally well-tolerated, with no drug-related serious and unexpected
adverse reactions reported in these studies. Some subjects experienced transient numbness of the tongue after TNX-102 SL administration.
We
have successfully completed the pivotal exposure bridging study with TNX-102 SL compared to Amrix. Results from this study
support the approval of TNX-102 SL under Section 505(b)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, with Amrix as
the reference listed drug, or RLD. In general, the development timeline for a 505(b)(2) NDA is shorter and less expensive than
an NDA developed under Section 505(b)(1), which is for new chemical entities, or NCEs, that have never been approved in the U.S.
We believe that TNX-102 SL has the potential to provide clinical benefit to FM, PTSD and Long COVID patients and possibly other
CNS (central nervous system) indications that are underserved by currently marketed products or have no approved treatment.
TNX-102
SL – FM program
We
are developing TNX-102 SL as a bedtime treatment for FM under an active IND application. The potential approval of TNX-102 SL
for FM is expected to be under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA.
12
Clinical
Development Plan
Phase
3 RALLY Study (F306)
The
Phase 3 RALLY study is clinically complete. We enrolled the first patient in September 2020. The RALLY study is a double-blind,
randomized, placebo-controlled adaptive design trial designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TNX-102 SL in FM. The trial
was expected to enroll approximately 670 patients across approximately 40 U.S. sites. For the first two weeks of treatment, there
was a run-in period in which patients started on TNX-102 SL 2.8 mg (1 tablet) or placebo. After the first two weeks, all patients
had the dose increased to TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg (2 x 2.8 mg tablets) or two placebo tablets for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was
daily diary pain severity score change from baseline to Week 14 (using the weekly averages of the daily numerical rating scale
scores), analyzed by mixed model repeated measures with multiple imputation.
The
RALLY study had one pre-specified unblinded interim analysis by an Independent Data Monitoring Committee, or IDMC, to be conducted
when the study has results from approximately the first 50% of efficacy-evaluable patients. In July 2021, we reported interim
analysis and, based on the recommendation from the IDMC that the RALLY trial was unlikely to demonstrate a statistically significant
improvement in the primary endpoint, we stopped enrollment of new participants but allowed those participants who were already
enrolled to complete the study. We expect to report topline data from the completed study in the first quarter of 2022. We expect
to analyze the RALLY results to improve the design of subsequent Phase 3 studies. In addition, we plan to employ pharmacogenomic
techniques to compare the RALLY and RELIEF study populations, which may provide a path to precision medicine-based companion diagnostics
for TNX-102 SL in FM.
Tonix
intends to initiate a new Phase 3 study in FM, F307, in the first half of 2022. Following analysis of F306 results, including
pharmacogenomic comparison of RELIEF and RALLY, Tonix may modify the protocol for this next Phase 3 study.
Completed
Phase 3 RELIEF Study (F304)
In
the fourth quarter of 2020, we announced the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week Phase 3 study
of TNX-102 SL in 503 participants with FM, which we refer to as the RELIEF study. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate
the potential clinical benefit of using TNX-102 SL to treat FM at a dose of 5.6 mg, administered sublingually once daily at bedtime
for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint of the RELIEF trial was the daily diary pain severity score change from baseline to Week 14
(using the weekly averages of the daily numerical rating scale scores), analyzed by mixed model repeated measures with multiple
imputation. The RELIEF study achieved statistical significance on the primary efficacy endpoint: change from baseline in the weekly
average of daily diary pain severity numerical rating scale (NRS) scores for TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg (LS mean [SE]: -1.9 [0.12] units)
versus placebo (-1.5 [0.12] units), analyzed by mixed model repeated measures with multiple imputation (LS mean [SE] difference:
-0.4 [0.16] units, p=0.010). The statistically significant improvement in pain is further substantiated when diary pain was analyzed
by another standard statistical approach, a 30 percent responder analysis, with 46.8% on active and 34.9% on placebo having a
30 percent or greater reduction in pain (logistic regression; odds ratio [95% CI]: 1.67 [1.16, 2.40]; p=0.006). Consistent with
the proposed mechanism that TNX-102 SL acts in fibromyalgia through improving sleep quality, TNX-102 SL showed nominal improvement
of sleep by several measures. For daily diary sleep quality ratings, TNX-102 SL (-2.0 [0.12] units) compared to placebo (-1.5
[0.12] units) was nominally significant (LS mean difference: -0.6 [0.17] units; p<0.001). For the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance
instrument, TNX-102 SL was also nominally significant over placebo on T-scores (LS mean difference: -2.9 [0.82] units; p<0.001).
The effect sizes on the diary sleep ratings and PROMIS Sleep Disturbance instrument were 0.31 and 0.32, respectively.
In
the RELIEF study, TNX-102 SL was similarly well tolerated as in the Phase 2 BESTFIT and Phase 3 AFFIRM studies, which both studied
TNX-102 SL at a lower dose of 2.8 mg daily. There were no new safety signals observed in the RELIEF study at the 5.6 mg daily
dose. Among participants randomized to the TNX-102 SL and placebo arms, 82.3% and 83.5%, respectively, completed the 14-week dosing
period. As expected based on prior TNX-102 SL studies, administration site reactions are the most commonly reported adverse events
and were higher in the TNX-102 SL treatment group, including rates of oral numbness (17.3% vs. 0.8%), oral pain/discomfort (11.7%
v. 2.0%), taste impairment (6.5% vs. 0.4%), and oral tingling (5.6% v. 0.4%). Oral numbness or tingling and taste impairment were
local administration site effects nearly always temporally related to dose administration and transiently expressed (<60 minutes)
in almost all occurrences. The only systemic treatment-emergent adverse events that occurred at a rate of 5.0% or greater in either
arm was somnolence/sedation at 5.6 percent in the TNX-102 SL arm vs. 1.2% in placebo, which was consistent with known side effects
of marketed oral cyclobenzaprine. Adverse events resulted in premature study discontinuation in 8.9% of those who received TNX-102
SL compared with 3.9% of placebo recipients. There were a total of seven serious adverse events reported during the study, none
of which were deemed related to investigational product; five in placebo arm, and two in TNX-102 SL arm. Of the two in the TNX-102
SL arm, one was a motor vehicle accident with multiple bone fractures, and the other was a pneumonia secondary to an infection.
Completed
Phase 3 AFFIRM Study (F301)
In
the third quarter of 2016, we announced the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 12-week Phase 3 study of
TNX-102 SL in 519 participants with FM, which we refer to as the AFFIRM study. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate
the potential clinical benefit of using TNX-102 SL to treat FM at a dose of 2.8 mg, administered sublingually once daily at bedtime
for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint of the AFFIRM trial was the 30% pain responder analysis in which a responder is defined as
a subject for whom pain intensity was reduced by at least 30% at Week 12 as compared to baseline. AFFIRM did not achieve statistical
significance at the primary endpoint (p=0.095). Yet, statistical significance was achieved when pain was analyzed instead
as a continuous variable, either by MMRM (p<0.001) or by MMRM with multiple imputation for missing data (p=0.005), a generally
accepted approach to pain data. TNX-102 SL also showed statistically significant improvements in the declared secondary analyses
of the Patient Global Impression of Change, or PGIC (p=0.038) and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire-Revised, or FIQ-R (p<0.001).
The study also showed statistically significant improvement with TNX-102 SL on measures of sleep quality, including the Patient-Reported
Outcomes Measurement Information System, or PROMIS, Sleep Disturbance instrument (p<0.001).
13
TNX-102
SL was well tolerated in the AFFIRM trial. Among patients randomized to the active and control arms, 78% and 86%, respectively,
completed the 12-week dosing period. The most common adverse events were local in nature, with transient tongue or mouth numbness
occurring in 40% of participants on TNX-102 SL vs. 1% on placebo. These local adverse events did not appear to affect either rates
of retention of study participants or their compliance with taking TNX-102 SL. Systemic adverse events were similar between TNX-102
SL and placebo. No serious adverse events were reported.
Other
NDA Requirements
The
Agreed Initial Pediatric Study Plan, or Agreed iPSP, was accepted by the FDA in September 2015. An amendment to the Agreed iPSP
will be submitted for FDA agreement prior to marketing application.
Based
on our discussions with the FDA and the FDA official meeting minutes, we will not have to conduct special populations, such as
geriatric and renal/hepatic impaired patients, drug-drug interaction or cardiovascular safety studies to support the TNX-102 SL
NDA filing since the pivotal systemic exposure bridging study using Amrix as the reference listed drug, or RLD, has been successfully
completed. Due to the well-established safety profile of CBP at much higher doses than we proposed for FM and the long-term safety
data in PTSD, up to 15 months, on TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg, the FDA has not requested a risk management plan or medication guide for
this product.
Phase
1 Bioequivalence, Bridging PK, Food-Effect and Dose-Proportionality Studies
We
have completed the required Phase 1 bioequivalence, multi-dose bridging pharmacokinetic, and food effect and dose-proportionality
studies.
Cyclobenzaprine
Hydrochloride Nonclinical Development
In
October 2016, we completed the six-month repeated-dose toxicology study of the active ingredient, CBP, in rats and a nine-month
repeated-dose toxicology study in dogs required for the NDA filing. These chronic toxicity studies were requested by the FDA to
augment the nonclinical information in the AMRIX prescribing information, or labeling, which is necessary to support the TNX-102
SL labeling for long-term use. Due to the lack of evidence of potential abuse in clinical studies of TNX-102 SL, the FDA agreed
that nonclinical study to assess CBP abuse and dependency potential is not required to support the TNX-102 SL NDA filing.
Tonix
is planning to develop TNX-102 SL for the treatment of FM in Japan. Cyclobenzaprine, the active ingredient of TNX-102 SL, has
not been approved in Japan, and is considered a NCE (new chemical entity). In February 2022, Tonix held an End of Phase 2 Consultation
with the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, or PMDA, an independent administrative institution responsible for ensuring
the safety, efficacy and quality of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in Japan, to discuss the Japan development plan. Agreement
was reached on the design of a Phase 1 bridging study (TNX-CY-F108/F108) in ethnic Japanese healthy volunteers to enable clinical
studies of TNX-102 SL in Japan. PMDA also provided guidance on the overall nonclinical package to support a Japan NDA filing for
TNX-102 SL for the treatment of FM.
The
F108 Phase 1 study will be initiated in March 2022.
Tonix
has initiated nonclinical safety, pharmacology and embryo-fetal development toxicology studies as part of the agreed IND-enabling nonclinical
data package to support clinical studies of TNX-102 SL in Japan.
TNX
102 SL – Long COVID Program
We are developing TNX-102 SL as
a bedtime treatment for Long COVID. The potential approval of TNX-102 SL for Long COVID is expected to be under Section 505(b)(2) of the
FDCA.
Tonix completed a pre-IND meeting
with the FDA in August 2021 to develop TNX-102 as a potential treatment for Long COVID. Tonix expects to initiate a Phase 2 study of TNX-102
SL as an indicated treatment for a subset of patients affected by Long COVID whose symptoms overlap with fibromyalgia. Long COVID is a
protracted syndrome experienced by many people following SARS-CoV-2 infection that can include a number of persistent disabling symptoms,
including fatigue, widespread pain, sleep disturbance, brain fog or difficulty concentrating, arthralgias, diffuse myalgia, olfactory
dysfunction, and headache. The Phase 2 study will focus on Long COVID patients whose primary symptoms overlap with fibromyalgia, and,
therefore, the Long COVID program leverages learnings about the pharmacodynamic activity of TNX-102 SL from more than 1,000 participants
who have been or are enrolled in Tonix’s fibromyalgia trials to date. Long COVID has been compared to fibromyalgia because of the
common symptoms of sleep disturbance, persistent widespread pain, fatigue, and brain fog. Additionally, Long COVID, like fibromyalgia,
is experienced by women at a rate approximately four times that of men.
14
TNX-102
SL – Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Program
We
are developing TNX-102 SL as a bedtime treatment of PTSD under an active IND application. The potential approval of TNX-102 SL
for PTSD is expected to be under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA.
Phase
3 RECOVERY Study (P302)
We
initiated the RECOVERY study (P302) in March 2019. The RECOVERY Phase 3 study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
study of TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg (2 x 2.8 mg sublingual tablets) over 12 weeks of treatment. The RECOVERY study was conducted at approximately
30 U.S. sites. The study planned to enroll 250 participants with civilian and military-related PTSD. RECOVERY
restricts enrollment of study participants to individuals with PTSD who experienced an index trauma within nine years of screening.
The two previous PTSD studies of TNX-102 SL (P201 and P301) restricted enrollment to participants who experienced traumas during
military service since 2001. The primary efficacy endpoint in P302 was the Week 12 mean change from baseline in the severity
of PTSD symptoms as measured by CAPS-5 between those treated with TNX-102 SL and those receiving placebo. Based on interim
analysis results of the first 50% of enrolled participants, an Independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended stopping the
Phase 3 RECOVERY trial (P302) in PTSD for futility as TNX-102 SL was unlikely to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement
in the primary endpoint of overall change from baseline in the severity of PTSD symptoms between those treated with TNX-102 SL
and those receiving placebo. New enrollment for the RECOVERY study was stopped in February 2020, but we continued studying those
participants currently enrolled until completion and proceeded with a full analysis of the unblinded data to determine the next
steps in this program. Topline data was reported during the fourth quarter of 2020, which revealed that the RECOVERY study did
not achieve statistical significance in the prespecified primary efficacy endpoint of change from baseline to Week 12 in the CAPS-5
between TNX-102 SL and placebo (p=0.343). TNX-102 SL separated from placebo in the first key secondary endpoint, CGI-S scale (p=0.024)
and in the PGIC, (p=0.007). TNX-102 SL also trended for improvement on the PROMIS Sleep Disturbance scale (p=0.055), consistent
with the proposed mechanism of targeting the PTSD sleep disturbance. TNX-102 SL is generally well tolerated and no new safety
signals were observed. Tonix met with the FDA to discuss potential new endpoints for the indication of treatment of PTSD. The
new PTSD study can use 1 month look-back CAPS-5 as endpoint v. 1 week look-back.
Tonix
intends to initiate a new Phase 2 study of TNX-102 SL in police in Kenya in the first half of 2022.
Discontinued
Phase 3 HONOR Study (P301)
In
the third quarter of 2018, we announced the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study of TNX-102
SL, planned for enrollment of approximately 550 participants with military-related PTSD conducted at approximately 40 U.S. sites,
which we refer to as the HONOR study. This study was an adaptive design study based on the results of the Phase 2 AtEase study.
The study design was very similar to the Phase 2 AtEase study, except there was one planned IA and the involvement of an
IDMC, which reviewed the unblinded IA results. In addition, only one active dose (5.6 mg administered as 2 x 2.8 mg tablets) was
investigated and the baseline severity entrance criterion was a CAPS-5 total score ≥ 33 in this Phase 3 study. The primary
efficacy endpoint of the HONOR study was the 12-week mean change from baseline in the severity of PTSD symptoms as measured by
the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, or CAPS-5, between those treated with TNX-102 SL and those receiving placebo.
The CAPS-5 is a standardized structured clinical interview and serves as the standard in research for measuring the symptom severity
of PTSD. The IA was conducted when approximately 50% of the initially planned participant enrollment was evaluable for efficacy.
HONOR was discontinued after the results of the IA indicated a pre-defined threshold p-value for continuing enrollment was not
achieved, i.e. IDMC recommended stopping for futility. The modified Intent-to-Treat (mITT) population analyzed at the time
of the IA included 252 participants.
The
most common adverse events were mostly related to local administration site reactions, such as oral hypoaesthesia (37.3%), abnormal
product taste (11.9%), and oral paraesthesia (9.7%). The most common systemic adverse event was somnolence (15.7%).
Retrospective
analysis of the HONOR study revealed a treatment effect in participants who experienced trauma less than or equal to nine years
prior to screening. In the participants who experienced trauma within nine years, the p-value of the CAPS-5 primary endpoint at
Week 12, using mixed model repeated measures with multiple imputation (MMRM with MI), was 0.039, with a least-squares mean difference
from placebo of -5.9 units. In contrast, there was no difference in CAPS-5 in the participants who experienced trauma more than
nine years prior to screening compared to placebo. This analysis defined an optimal treatment window for treatment with TNX-102
SL for PTSD of the first nine years after the index trauma that resulted in PTSD and guided the design of the next Phase 3 study
in PTSD, RECOVERY.
15
Long-Term
Safety Exposure Study for TNX-102 SL
In
October 2019, we completed long-term safety exposure studies in participants with PTSD to evaluate the tolerability of TNX-102
SL 5.6 mg to support an NDA for the treatment of PTSD. The data provide us with exposure data of daily dosing of TNX-102
SL 5.6 mg for at least 12 months in more than 50 individuals, and daily dosing of TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg for at least 6 months in more
than 100 individuals. The data was collected in OLE studies of the PTSD program. Based on the FDA’s guidance, the
long-term safety exposure studies in PTSD are also expected to support an NDA for the management of FM.
Other
NDA Requirements
An
Agreed Initial Pediatric Study Plan, or Agreed iPSP, is required for the initial NDA submission. We submitted a revised iPSP in
the first quarter of 2017, which incorporated the FDA comments received on our iPSP submitted in the third quarter of 2016. Additional
comments from the FDA were received in second quarter of 2017 on our revised iPSP. We plan to submit an Agreed PSP once a therapeutic
dose in adults is established. An acceptable Pediatric Study Plan will be determined at the time of the NDA approval.
Based
on our discussions with the FDA and the FDA official meeting minutes, we will not have to conduct special populations (geriatric
and renal/hepatic impaired), drug-drug interaction or cardiovascular safety studies to support the TNX-102 SL NDA filing since
the pivotal systemic exposure bridging study using AMRIX as the reference listed drug, or RLD, has been successfully completed.
Due to the well-established safety profile of CBP at much higher doses than we proposed for PTSD and the long-term safety data
(up to 15 months) on TNX-102 SL 2.8 mg in a prior FM program, the FDA has not requested a risk management plan or medication guide
for this product.
Manufacturing
TNX-102
SL drug product for Phase 3 and the associated registration batches for the NDA were manufactured at commercial cGMP facilities.
We currently have in excess of 24 months stability data in the proposed packaging configurations ready for commercialization.
The FDA has reviewed the proposed CMC data package to support TNX-102 SL’s NDA approval and commercial manufacturing plans
as part of the IND process. Tonix is ready to manufacture TNX-102 SL commercial product for the forecasted FM market.
TNX-1900
TNX-1900
(intranasal potentiated oxytocin) is a proprietary formulation of oxytocin in development for BED, prophylaxis of chronic migraine
and for the treatment of craniofacial pain, insulin resistance and related conditions. In 2020, TNX-1900 was acquired from Trigemina,
Inc. and licensed from Stanford University. TNX-1900 is a drug-device combination product, based on an intranasal actuator device
that delivers oxytocin into the nose.
Oxytocin
is a naturally occurring human hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. Oxytocin has no recognized addiction potential.
It has been observed that low oxytocin levels in the body can lead to increase in migraine headache frequency, and that increased
oxytocin levels can relieve migraine headaches. Certain other chronic pain conditions are also associated with decreased oxytocin
levels. Migraine attacks are caused, in part, by the activity of pain-sensing trigeminal nerve cells which, when activated, release
of CGRP which binds to receptors on other nerve cells and starts a cascade of events that is believed to result in headache. Oxytocin
when delivered via the nasal route, concentrates in the trigeminal system 1 resulting in binding of oxytocin to receptors
on neurons in the trigeminal system, inhibiting the release of CGRP and transmission of pain signals. 2 Blocking CGRP
release is a distinct mechanism compared with CGRP antagonist and anti-CGRP antibody drugs, which block the binding of CGRP to
its receptor.
With
TNX-1900, the addition of magnesium to the oxytocin formula enhances oxytocin receptor binding 3 as well as its effects
on trigeminal neurons and craniofacial analgesic effects in animal models 5 . Intranasal oxytocin has been well tolerated
in several clinical trials in both adults and children 4 . Targeted nasal delivery results in low systemic exposure and
lower risk of non-nervous system, off-target effects which could potentially occur with systemic CGRP antagonists such as anti-CGRP
antibodies 6 . For example, CGRP has roles in dilating blood vessels in response to ischemia, including in the heart.
We believe nasally targeted delivery of oxytocin could translate into selective blockade of CGRP release in the trigeminal ganglion
and not throughout the body, which could be a potential safety advantage over systemic CGRP inhibition. In addition, daily dosing
is more quickly reversible, in contrast to monthly or quarterly dosing, as is the case with anti-CGRP antibodies, giving physicians
and their patients greater control.
We
intend to initiate a Phase 2 study in chronic migraine in the second half of 2022. We also plan to develop TNX-1900 for treatment
of episodic migraine, craniofacial pain and insulin resistance. Tonix has a license with the University of Geneva to use TNX-1900
for the treatment of insulin resistance and related conditions. TNX-1900 is also being studied as a potential treatment for binge
eating disorder in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 clinical trial. The Phase 2 clinical trial is expected to start in the second
half of 2022. In March 2022, we announced an agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical
School, to conduct this study. Tonix does not own this IND.
1
Yeomans DC, et al. Transl Psychiatry. 2021. 11(1) :388.
2
Tzabazis A, et al. Cephalalgia. 2016. 36(10):943-50.
3
Antoni FA and Chadio SE. Biochem J. 1989. 257(2):611-4.
4
Yeomans, DC et al. 2017. US patent US2017368095.
5
Cai Q, et al., Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2018. Mar;72(3):140-151.
6
MaassenVanDenBrink A, et al. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2016. 37(9):779-788.
16
TNX-2900
TNX-2900
is based on Tonix’s patented intranasal potentiated oxytocin formulation, or TNX-1900, but being developed for Prader-Willi
syndrome. Tonix licensed technology using oxytocin-based therapeutics for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome and non-organic
failure to thrive disease from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). The licensing agreement
has been negotiated and signed by Inserm Transfert, the private subsidiary of Inserm, on behalf of Inserm (the French National
Institute of Health and Medical Research), Aix-Marseille Université and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Toulouse. Prader-Willi
syndrome is recognized as the most common genetic cause of life-threatening childhood obesity and affects males and females with
equal frequency and all races and ethnicities. There is currently no approved treatment for either the suckling deficit in infants
or the obesity and hyperphagia in older children associated with Prader-Willi syndrome. Since Prader-Willi syndrome is an orphan
disease that occurs in approximately one in 15,000 births, Tonix has been granted Orphan Drug Designation for TNX-2900 by the
FDA.
In
2022, Tonix entered into a research collaboration with Inserm involving in vitro and in vivo animal studies designed
to validate and characterize the role of oxytocin in suckling and in the maturation of feeding behavior during infancy in order
to support an intranasal therapeutic approach to restore a normal nutritive suckling. The studies will include mice that have
been engineered to precisely recapitulate the genetic issue underlying Prader-Willi in humans. The mechanisms involved in suckling
activity required for normal feeding and the role of oxytocin system in this process will be investigated. The results of this
work are expected to be useful in the clinical care of infants requiring support to achieve efficient suckling behavior. Intranasal
oxytocin has previously been shown to improve suckling in newborn animals and suppress feeding behaviors in adult animal models.
Our
preclinical pipeline of drugs and biologic candidates includes TNX-801, a smallpox vaccine, TNX-3500, a COVID-19 antiviral; TNX-3600,
a COVID-19 therapeutic platform; TNX-3700, a COVID-19 vaccine; TNX-701, a drug candidate for radioprotection; TNX-1700 a preclinical
candidate for cancers of the gastrointestinal system and TNX-1600, a preclinical candidate for PTSD, ADHD and depression.
TNX-601
CR
TNX-601
CR is a novel oral formulation of tianeptine oxalate designed for once-daily daytime dosing that is currently in development for
the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), but may also be developed for PTSD and neurocognitive disorder from corticosteroids.
Tianeptine sodium (amorphous) immediate release was first marketed for depression in France in 1989 and has been available for
decades in Europe, Russia, Asia, and Latin America for the treatment of depression. Tianeptine sodium has an established safety
profile from decades of use in these jurisdictions. Currently there is no tianeptine-containing product approved in the U.S. and
no controlled-release tianeptine product approved in any jurisdiction. Tonix discovered a novel oxalate salt of tianeptine that
may provide improved stability, consistency, and manufacturability compared to known forms of tianeptine. Tianeptine is believed
to work in depression as a modulator of the glutamatergic system. Tianeptine modulates the glutamatergic system indirectly since
it does not directly bind to NMDA, AMPA or kainate receptors. In animals, tianeptine has been shown to reverse the adverse neuroplastic
changes that are observed during periods of stress and elevated corticosteroid exposure. Tianeptine and its MC5 metabolite are
weak µ-opioid receptor agonists. Tonix has added naloxone to the TNX-601 CR tablet to mitigate potential for parenteral
abuse as tianeptine has been linked to illicit misuse at much higher doses than the reported therapeutic dose in the treatment
of MDD. Neither tianeptine nor MC5 have been shown to bind other neurotransmitter receptors. Tianeptine’s reported pro-cognitive
and anxiolytic effects as well as its ability to attenuate the neuropathological effects of excessive stress responses suggest
that it may also be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder by a different mechanism of action than TNX-102 SL.
We
intend to develop TNX-601 CR under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA. Tonix completed a Phase 1 clinical trial for formulation development
outside of the U.S in 2019. Based on this study, the final formulation of TNX-601 CR to be used in Phase 2 testing will be 39.4
mg tianeptine oxalate and 1 mg naloxone for once daily treatment of MDD. Naloxone is included in the formulation to mitigate the
potential for high dose parenteral abuse. Tianeptine has weak off-target activity at the µ-opioid receptor that presents
the potential for parenteral abuse with doses on the order of eight to 80 times the therapeutic daily dose for depression. Based
on official minutes from a pre-IND meeting with the FDA, we expect to initiate a pharmacokinetic study,
in the third quarter of 2022, and a Phase 2 study in the first quarter of 2023.
17
The
Phase 2 study, expected to start in the first quarter of 2023, is expected to be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled,
parallel group study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TNX-601 CR monotherapy compared to placebo in MDD. Treatment duration
will be six weeks, preceded by up to five weeks in screening and followed by a two-week safety follow-up period (total up to 13
weeks of participation). We plan to randomize approximately 260 individuals with MDD at a 1:1 ratio to two arms of 130 each for
drug and placebo at approximately 25-30 U.S. sites. The primary efficacy endpoint will be the change from baseline to Week 6 in
the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score.
TNX-801
– Potential Smallpox and Monkeypox Vaccine
TNX-801
is a novel potential smallpox-preventing vaccine based on a synthetic version of live horsepox virus, grown in cell culture. Though
it shares structural characteristics with vaccinia-based vaccines, TNX-801 has unique properties that we believe indicate potential
safety advantages over existing live replicating vaccinia virus vaccines, which have been associated with adverse side effects
such as myopericarditis in some individuals. Emergent BioSolutions’ ACAM2000 ® is the only replicating
vaccinia virus vaccine currently approved by the FDA to protect against smallpox. We believe replicating virus vaccines have potential
efficacy advantages over non-replicating vaccines, relating to the stimulation of cell mediated immunity. Bavarian Nordic’s
Jynneos ® is the only non-replicating virus vaccine currently approved by the FDA to protect against smallpox and
monkeypox. We believe TNX-801 has the potential to have improved tolerability relative to replicating vaccinia vaccines and the
potential to have improved efficacy relative to non-replicating vaccinia vaccines.
Smallpox
was eradicated by a World Health Organization program that vaccinated individuals with live replicating vaccinia vaccines wherever
smallpox appeared. In the 1970s, vaccination of civilians to protect against smallpox was discontinued in the U.S.; however, smallpox
remains a material threat to national security and a proportion of military personnel, including members of the Global Response
Force, continue to be vaccinated. We are developing TNX-801 as a potential smallpox-preventing vaccine for the U.S. strategic
national stockpile and for potential widespread immunization in the event of malicious reintroduction of variola, the virus that
causes smallpox.
Monkeypox
is a growing problem in certain regions of Africa. Some cases of monkeypox have been reported outside of Africa in patients who
had been infected while in Africa.
In
January 2020 at the American Society of Microbiology Biothreats conference, we reported the results of experiments on TNX-801
that were performed in collaboration with Southern Research, that showed TNX-801 vaccinated macaques were protected against monkeypox
challenge. The TNX-801 vaccinated macaques showed no overt clinical signs after monkeypox challenge. Furthermore, eight of eight
animals vaccinated with two different doses of TNX-801 showed no lesions after monkeypox challenge.
We
have filed a patent application to protect the TNX-801 vaccine candidate. In addition, we expect that TNX-801 will be eligible for
12 years of non-patent-based exclusivity under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA. Following the passage of
the 21st Century Cures Act, a law designed to help accelerate medical product development, we believe TNX-801 will qualify as a
medical countermeasure and would therefore be eligible for a Priority Review Voucher upon receiving FDA approval. However, the
Priority Review Voucher program provision of the 21st Century Cures Act is set to expire in 2023. If TNX-801 does not receive FDA
approval by 2023, we may not be able to capitalize on the incentives contained in the 21st Century Cures Act unless the provision
allowing for the Priority Review Voucher Program is extended until such time as TNX-801 is approved by the FDA.
We
intend to meet with the FDA to discuss the most efficient and appropriate investigational plan for TNX-801, to establish the safety
and effectiveness evidence to support the licensure TNX-801. We are currently working to develop a vaccine that meets cGMP quality
to support a clinical study.
TNX-1840
and TNX-1850 – Potential COVID-19 Vaccines
Tonix’s
infectious disease portfolio includes a platform for vaccines for COVID-19. TNX-1800 is live virus vaccine based on Tonix’s
RPV platform that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from the ancestral Wuhan strain. Because the subsequent omicron variant
has out-competed the ancestral Wuhan strain, we are now planning new versions of this vaccine, TNX-1840 and TNX-1850, that express
spike protein from the omicron variant and from the BA.2 variant, respectively. Each of these RPV vaccines is being developed
to protect against COVID-19 primarily by eliciting T cell responses. The COVID-19 vaccines that are approved for use, or have
emergency use authorization, or EUA, in the U.S. have provided significant health benefits to the vaccinated population; however,
they are showing limitations in the durability of protection conferred and in their ability to block forward transmission. Live
virus vaccines that protect against other viral diseases by eliciting T cell responses have shown durability of protection that
lasts years to decades and some live virus vaccines have significantly inhibited forward transmission.
We
reported positive efficacy data for the TNX-1800 (spike from Wuhan strain) from animal challenge studies using live SARS-CoV-2
in the first quarter of 2021. In this study, TNX-1800 vaccinated, SARS-CoV-2 challenged animals had undetectable SARS-CoV-2 in
the upper airways, which we believe relates to potential inhibition of forward transmission of this respiratory pathogen. This
study of non-human primates compared TNX-1800 (modified horsepox virus encoding CoV-2 spike protein) to TNX-801 (horsepox virus,
live vaccine) at two doses. A control group received a placebo. Each of these five groups (TNX-1800 high and low dose; TNX-801
high and low dose and placebo) included four animals. At day 41 after vaccination (or placebo), each animal was exposed to SARS-COV-2
by intra-tracheal (1 x 10 6 TCID50) and intra-nasal (1 x 10 6 TCID50) administration. Upper airway virus was
studied by oropharyngeal swabs and lower airway virus by tracheal lavage using qRT-PCR to determine the number of genome copies
of SARS-CoV-2 present in the samples. Six days after challenge, no (0/8) samples taken from animals vaccinated with TNX-1800 showed
infection (more than 1,000 genome copies of SARS CoV-2) in either upper or lower airway samples. In contrast, all (8/8) animals
vaccinated with the control vaccine TNX-801 showed infection in either the upper or lower airway samples as did all (4/4) monkeys
vaccinated with vehicle control. At day 14 after a single vaccination, all eight of the TNX-1800 vaccinated animals made anti-CoV-2
neutralizing antibodies (≥1:40 titer) and, as expected, none of the eight TNX-801 vaccinated control animals, or any of the
four animals in the placebo group made anti-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies (≤1:10 titer). At 6 days after CoV-2 challenge, TNX-1800
vaccinated animals showed neutralizing antibody titers of (≥1:1280 titer). The level of neutralizing anti-CoV-2 antibody production
was similar between the low and high dose TNX-1800 groups (1 x 10 6 Plaque Forming Units [PFU] and 3 x 10 6
PFU, (respectively). For unvaccinated animals challenged with SARS-CoV-2, neutralizing antibodies were measurable after vaccination
(≥1:40 titer) that were lower and appeared later than neutralizing antibodies in TNX-1800 vaccinated animals. TNX-1800 and
TNX-801 were well tolerated at both doses. Further, as an expected additional outcome, all 16 animals vaccinated with either dose
of TNX-1800 or the control TNX-801 manifested a “take”, or cutaneous response, signaling that the horsepox vector
elicits a strong T cell immune response. These results support the expectation that TNX-1800 at the low dose of 1 x 10 6
PFU is an appropriate dose for a one-shot vaccine in humans and indicate that 100 doses per vial is the target format for commercialization,
which is well suited to manufacturing and distribution at large scale.
18
Together, these data show that
TNX-1800 induces protection against SARS-COV-2 infection in non-human primates. These data confirm that “take” is a biomarker
of protection of upper and lower airways from SARS-CoV-2 challenge, and a biomarker of immunological response to TNX-1800’s cargo
COVID-19 antigen, which is the CoV-2 spike protein. Tonix completed a pre-IND meeting with the FDA to discuss the most efficient and appropriate
investigational plan to establish the safety and effectiveness evidence to support the licensure of TNX-1800. We believe that the animal
data and manufacturing process information that we have developed for TNX-1800 will facilitate expedited development of TNX-1840 and TNX-1850.
In addition, we believe the RPV platform can be engineered to express relevant protein antigens from different infectious diseases to
make a variety of vaccines.
In June 2020, we announced
a partnership with FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDBT) to provide contract manufacturing and development services to support the
manufacturing of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate at the time, TNX-1800, for clinical trial supply. In February 2022, this contract ended.
We continue to work with other third party CMOs for the manufacturing and development of TNX-1800, TNX-1840 and TNX-1850, in addition
to ultimately planning to utilize our in-house manufacturing capabilities which are currently in development.
We have filed patent
applications on the COVID-19 vaccines TNX-1800, TNX-1840 and TNX-1850 and also expect 12 years of non-patent-based exclusivity under PPACA.
TNX-2100
TNX-2100 is a diagnostic product candidate (a COVID skin test) comprising
three different mixtures of synthetic peptides (TNX-2110, -2120 and -2130), which are designed to represent different protein components
of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. TNX-2110 (SARS-CoV-2 multi-antigen peptides) represents epitopes of multiple proteins from SARS-CoV-2. TNX-2120
(SARS-CoV-2 spike peptides) represents only the spike protein. TNX-2130 (SARS-CoV-2 non-spike peptides) represents non-spike proteins.
Each of these three synthetic peptide mixtures is expected to be administered as part of the same procedure, at separate locations on
the forearm, and each is expected to elicit a DTH response after approximately 48 hours in individuals with pre-existing T cell immunity
to peptides in that mixture. Individuals who have been infected by or exposed to SARS-CoV-2 would be expected to respond to all three
mixtures. In contrast, a successfully vaccinated individual who has not been exposed or infected by SARS-CoV-2 would be expected to respond
only to TNX-2120 (SARS-CoV-2 spike peptides), since the currently available vaccines only encode spike protein. In the clinical protocol
for testing TNX-2100, positive skin test controls are being used to confirm that study participants have intact T cell immunity and are
not immunodeficient.
The
test is designed to be administered in the same manner as skin tests for tuberculosis, or TB, sold as Tubersol® or Aplisol®
or generically as the Mantoux tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD) test. A thin gauge needle is used to apply each of
the three separate TNX-2100 peptide mixtures into the skin, or intradermally, on the inner surface of the forearm between the
wrist and the elbow. In a typical positive test, the skin surrounding the injection site is expected to become red, raised and
hardened, or “indurated”, after approximately 48 hours. Induration above a threshold level would signify a positive
result and the diameter of the induration would indicate the amount of T cell immunity to the test peptides. DTH skin test responses
are believed to reflect functional in vivo immunity. Clinical trials are expected to correlate skin test results with clinical
history and laboratory findings to inform estimates about the sensitivity and specificity of the test as a marker of T cell immunity
in individuals who are pre- and post-COVID-19 vaccination, recovered from COVID-19, or exposed but asymptomatic.
Discovered
in 1882 by Robert Koch, the DTH reaction has been used for more than a century as a clinical test for T cell-mediated immune reactions 1 .
In the 1940s, Landsteiner and Chase demonstrated that the reaction was mediated by the cellular and not the antibody arm of the
immune system 2 . The DTH reaction has been shown to be dependent on the presence of memory T cells. Both the CD4+ and
CD8+ T cells have been shown to participate in this response. DTH skin tests have been commonly used to detect T cell responses
to tuberculosis, fungal pathogens, and mumps virus.
TNX-2100
has the potential to serve as: (i) a biomarker for T cell protective immunity and durability of vaccine protection; (ii) a personalized
approach for vaccine boosters; (ii) a method to stratify participants in COVID-19 vaccine trials with a more complete picture
of immune status; (iv) an endpoint in COVID-19 vaccine trials for vaccines that elicit T cell immunity, and (v) public health
surveillance. Tonix received IND clearance in the fourth quarter of 2021 and initiated enrollment in a first-in-human study of
TNX-2100 in the first quarter of 2022. We expect topline data from this study in the first half of 2022.
1
Black CA. Delayed type hypersensitivity: current theories with an historic perspective. Dermatol Online J. 1999;5:7.
2
Landsteiner K, Chase MW. Studies on the sensitization of animals with simple chemical compounds: vii. Skin sensitization
by intraperitoneal injections. J Exp Med. 1940;71:237.
Tubersol®
is a trademark of Sanfi Pasteur.
Aplisol®
is a trademark of Par Pharmaceutical, Inc.
19
Tonix’s
Facilities Overview
Relating
to our COVID-19 and other infectious disease development programs, we are developing the resources necessary to enable internal
research, development and manufacturing capabilities necessary to meet the goal of producing new vaccine candidates within 100
days and new diagnostics within weeks of obtaining sequence information. As articulated in the American Pandemic Preparedness
Plan, or AP3 released by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, this 100-day goal for vaccines is a key component of
preparedness for future pandemics. We are establishing the infrastructure necessary to support the pandemic preparedness goals
established in the AP3, specifically with respect to our RPV vaccine and skin test platforms and potentially to other vaccine,
diagnostic and therapeutic platforms.
The
Infectious Disease Research & Development Center (RDC)
We acquired the infectious disease RDC in Frederick, Maryland consisting
of two buildings totaling approximately 48,000 square feet. The acquisition closed in October 2021 and was operational at closing, but
as of December 31, 2021, the facility was not ready for its intended use. It is our intention to have the facility ready for use in the
first half of 2022. The RDC facility will focus on our development of vaccines and antiviral drugs against COVID-19, its variants, and
other infectious diseases. The RDC facility is currently biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) but we intend to upgrade components to BSL-3. At full
capacity, the RDC can employ 80-100 scientists and technical support staff.
The
Advanced Development Center (ADC)
We
are in the process of a substantial renovation of the ADC located in the New Bedford business park in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
This facility is intended to accelerate development and clinical scale manufacturing of live-virus vaccines to support Phase 1
and Phase 2 clinical trials. Plans for the ADC include single-use bioreactors and purification suites with equipment for Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production of vaccines for clinical trials, including when fully operational, the capability of producing
sterile vaccines in glass bottles.
The
ADC is currently being constructed and will be an approximately 45,000 square foot BSL-2 facility, once completed. At full capacity,
the facility can employ up to 70 researchers, scientists, manufacturing, and technical support staff. It is expected to be partially
operational in the first half of 2022.
The
Commercial Manufacturing Center (CMC)
We
intend to build the CMC in Hamilton, Montana where we purchased approximately 44 acres of land. The site is on land designated
by Ravalli County as a Target Economic Development District. The CMC will focus on developing and manufacturing Phase 3 and commercial
scale live-virus vaccines and is also intended to be BSL-2. Site enabling work is expected to be initiated for the CMC in 2022.
Competition
Our industry is highly competitive
and subject to rapid and significant technological change. Our potential competitors include large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies,
specialty pharmaceutical and generic drug companies, academic institutions, government agencies and research institutions. We believe
that key competitive factors that will affect the development and commercial success of our product candidates are efficacy, safety, tolerability,
reliability, price and reimbursement level. Many of our potential competitors, including many of the organizations named below, have substantially
greater financial, technical, and human resources than we do and significantly greater experience in the discovery and development of
product candidates, obtaining the FDA’s and other regulatory approvals of products and the commercialization of those products.
Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than we may be in obtaining FDA approval for drugs and achieving widespread market
acceptance. Our competitors’ drugs may be more effective, or more effectively marketed and sold, than any drug we may commercialize
and may render our product candidates obsolete or non-competitive before we can recover the expenses of developing and commercializing
any of our product candidates. We anticipate that we will face intense and increasing competition as new drugs enter the market and advanced
technologies become available. Further, the development of new treatment methods for the conditions we are targeting could render our
drugs non-competitive or obsolete. Summarized below is the competitive landscape for the indications in which Tonix has product candidates
in or nearing the clinical stages of development.
20
Anti-CD40-ligand mAbs
Tonix is aware of several companies
developing biologics that target CD40-L or CD40, including UCB S.A., Belgium/Biogen Inc., Eledon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Horizon Therapeutics
Plc. and Sanofi S.A. Furthermore, Tonix is aware of several companies developing antagonistic anti-CD40 mAbs including Novartis, Boehringer
Ingelheim, Kiniska Pharmaceuticals, and Boston Immune Technologies.
Cocaine Intoxication
There are no approved antidotes
for the treatment of cocaine intoxication. Patients generally receive supportive care. Tonix is not aware of any drugs in development
for the treatment of cocaine intoxication.
Fibromyalgia
Products
approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia include Lyrica® (pregabalin), marketed by Pfizer; Cymbalta (duloxetine), marketed by Eli
Lilly; and Savella (milnacipran), marketed by Allergan (acquired by AbbVie). Tonix is aware of several other companies developing
treatments for fibromyalgia, including Aptinyx, Virios Therapeutics, Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Axsome Therapeutics.
Long COVID (Post-Acute Sequelae
of COVID-19 or PASC)
There currently are no approved
products for the treatment of Long COVID/PASC. Tonix is aware of several other companies developing therapeutics for Long COVID, including
PureTech Health, Direct Biologics, American CryoStem, HopeBiosciences, Axcella Health Inc., Ampio Pharmaceuticals, CytoDyn, Pieris Pharmaceuticals,
Resolve Therapeutics, PaxMedia, GeNeuro and Organicell.
PTSD
Products approved for the treatment
of PTSD include Paxil ® (paroxetine), marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and Zoloft ® (sertraline), marketed by Pfizer.
Tonix is aware of other companies working to develop therapeutics for the treatment of PTSD including Bionomics, Otsuka/Lundbeck, Aptinyx,
Nobilis Therapeutics, the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and Tryp Therapeutics.
Chronic or Episodic Migraine
Prophylaxis
Currently there are several classes
of drugs that are approved for the prophylactic treatment of chronic or episodic migraine, including generic beta blockers (propranolol,
timolol), and anticonvulsants (divalproex, topiramate). Other drug classes that are used off-label to treat migraine prophylaxis, include
tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline). Also, Allergan markets Botox ® (onabotulinumtoxinA). More recently, several
products have received FDA approval for the treatment of migraine, including Aimovig ® (erenumab), which is marketed by
Amgen/Novartis; Ajovy ® (fremanezumab), which is marketed by Teva Pharmaceuticals; Emgality ® (galcanezumab)
which is marketed by Eli Lilly; and Yvepti ® (eptinezumab), which is marketed by Lundbeck. Other therapies are approved
as abortive treatment for acute migraine.
Prader-Willi Syndrome
There are no FDA approved therapies
for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome. Patients generally receive care to best manage individual symptom presentation. Tonix is aware
of several companies developing treatments for Prader-Willi syndrome including Aadvark Therapeutics, Radius, Levo Therapeutics, ConSynance
Therapeutics, Soleno Therapeutics, Lipidio Pharma, Helsinn, Inversago Pharma, Saniona, 9 Meters Biopharma, Neuren Pharmaceuticals, Neuracle
Science, Harmony Biosciences, Notitia Biotechnologies, and Taysha Gene Therapies.
Major Depressive Disorder
Many antidepressant medications
are beyond their patent life and are generally produced by generic drug companies, including several compounds in the tricyclic class
(e.g., amitriptyline), the serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor class (e.g, fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline), the serotonin-norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitor class (e.g., venlafaxine, duloxetine), as well as the norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, bupropion. A number
of companies are marketing prescription drugs for depression, including Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen division. Tonix is
aware of several companies developing novel prescription medicines for depression including Axsome Therapeutics, Janssen, Neumora Therapeutics
(formerly BlackThorn Therapeutics), Sage Therapeutics, Relmada Therapeutics, Clexio Biosciences Ltd., Allergan (acquired by AbbVie) and
Otsuka.
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Smallpox
vaccines and antivirals
Vaccines
approved for the treatment of smallpox include ACAM2000, marketed by Emergent BioSolutions and JYNNEOS ® , marketed
by Bavarian Nordic. Approved antivirals include TPOXX ® , marketed by SIGA and TEMBEXA ® , marketed
by Chimerix. Tonix is aware of other companies developing treatments for smallpox including EpiVax, HK inno.N, and BioFactura.
COVID-19
Vaccine
The
environment for developing vaccines for COVID-19 is competitive and includes over 150 companies and academic institutions in various
stages of development. Vaccines granted full FDA regulatory approval include Comirnaty (BNT162b2), marketed by Pfizer-BioNTech,
and Spikevax (mRNA-1273), marketed by Moderna. Ad.26.COV2S, developed by Janssen, has received emergency use authorization (EUA)
from the FDA. Other vaccines have received EUA in international markets. Tonix is aware of 120 vaccines currently in clinical
trials, and more than 75 vaccines in preclinical development.
Skin
Test for COVID-19 (measure of T cell immune response)
There
currently is no standardized laboratory test available to measure T cell immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, however the FDA granted
EUA to T-Detect™ COVID test by Adaptive Biotechnologies Corporation in March 2021. The only other currently available methods
to detect T cell immunity to SARS-CoV-2 require several tubes of blood from the test subject, a multi-step sample preparation
process including isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, tissue culture with in vitro T cell stimulation in highly
specialized laboratories that have fluorescent activated cells sorting (FACS) flow cytometry technology, methodologies that have
not been amenable to standardization or scalability for commercial clinical services. Tonix is aware of other companies developing
diagnostics to identify T cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 , including Biovaxys.
Intellectual
Property
We
believe that we have an extensive patent portfolio and substantial know-how relating to TNX-1800, TNX-801, TNX-102 SL and our
other product candidates. Our patent portfolio, described more fully below, includes claims directed to various compositions and
methods of use related to our product candidates. As of March 8, 2022, the patents we are either the owner of record of or own
the contractual right to include 31 issued U.S. patents and 213 issued non-U.S. patents. We are actively pursuing an additional
31 U.S. patent applications, of which 4 are provisional and 27 are non-provisional, 13 international patent applications, and
218 non-U.S./non-international patent applications.
We
strive to protect the proprietary technology that we believe is important to our business, including our proprietary technology
platform, our product candidates, and our processes. We seek patent protection in the U.S. and internationally for our products,
their methods of use and processes of manufacture, and any other technology to which we have rights, where available and when
appropriate. We also rely on trade secrets that may be important to the development of our business.
Our
success will depend on 1) the ability to obtain and maintain patent and other proprietary rights in commercially important technology,
inventions and know-how related to our business, 2) the validity and enforceability of our patents, 3) the continued confidentiality
of our trade secrets, and 4) our ability to operate without infringing the valid and enforceable patents and proprietary rights
of third parties. We also rely on continuing technological innovation and in-licensing opportunities to develop and maintain our
proprietary position.
We
cannot be certain that patents will be granted with respect to any of our pending patent applications or with respect to any patent
applications we may own or license in the future, nor can we be certain that any of our existing patents or any patents we may
own or license in the future will be useful in protecting our technology. For this and more comprehensive risks related to our
intellectual property, please see “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to Our Intellectual Property.”
The
term of individual patents depends upon the legal term of the patents in the countries in which they are obtained. In most countries
in which we file, the patent term is 20 years from the date of filing the first non-provisional priority application. In the United
States, a patent’s term may be lengthened by patent term adjustment, which compensates a patentee for administrative delays
by the PTO in granting a patent or may be shortened if a patent is terminally disclaimed over another patent.
The
term of a U.S. patent that covers a drug approved by the FDA or methods of making or using that drug may also be eligible for
patent term extension, which permits patent term restoration as compensation for the patent term lost during the FDA regulatory
review process. The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, also known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, is a federal law
that encourages new drug research by restoring patent term lost to regulatory delays by permitting a patent term extension of
up to five years beyond the statutory 20-year term of the patent for the approved product or its methods of manufacture or use
if the active ingredient has not been previously approved in the U.S. The length of the patent term extension is related to the
length of time the drug is under regulatory review. A patent term extension cannot extend the remaining term of a patent beyond
a total of 14 years from the date of product approval and only one patent applicable to an approved drug may be extended. Similar
provisions are available in Europe and some other foreign jurisdictions to extend the term of a patent that covers an approved
drug. When possible, depending upon the length of clinical trials and other factors involved in the filing of an NDA, we expect
to apply for patent term extensions for patents covering our product candidates and their methods of use.
22
The
patent portfolios for our proprietary technology platform and our five most advanced product candidates as of March 8, 2022 are
summarized below.
TNX-1500
— anti-CD40L Therapeutics
We
are collaborating with Harvard Medical School to develop TNX-1500, a humanized mAb that targets CD40L for
the prevention and treatment of organ transplant rejection. In this regard, we filed International Application No. PCT/EP2020/068589,
entitled “Anti-CD154 antibodies and uses thereof” on July 1, 2020 (nationalized in 15 countries). We also filed International
Patent Application No. PCT/US2020/028002 on April 13, 2020, entitled “Inhibitors of CD40-CD154 Binding” (nationalized
in Canada, European Patent Office and Japan). We also filed International Patent Application No. PCT/US2022/011404, entitled “Methods
of Inducing Immune Tolerance with Modified Anti-CD154 Antibodies” on January 6, 2022.
TNX-1300
— Cocaine Intoxication Treatment
We
have licensed rights from The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, The Regents of the University of Michigan,
and University of Kentucky Research Foundation to develop a potential product, TNX-1300, for the treatment of cocaine intoxication.
The licensed patents are directed to mutant cocaine esterase polypeptides and methods of using these polypeptides as anti-cocaine
therapeutics. They include U.S. Patent Nos. 8,318,156 and 9,200,265, entitled “Anti-Cocaine Compositions and Treatment”
and various counterpart patents outside of the U.S (e.g., European Patent 2046368). These patents provide TNX-1300 with US market
exclusivity until February 2029, and market exclusivity outside of the U.S. until July 10, 2027, subject to any patent term extensions.
TNX-102
SL — Central Nervous System Conditions
Our
patent portfolio for TNX-102 SL includes patent applications directed to compositions of matter of CBP, formulations containing
CBP, and methods for treating CNS conditions, such as TNX-102 SL for PTSD, for acute stress disorder, for sleep disturbances in
fibromyalgia, for alcohol abuse, for disordered sleep, for sexual dysfunction, for depression in fibromyalgia and for agitation
in neurodegenerative conditions, e.g., AAD, utilizing these compositions and formulations.
Certain
eutectic compositions were discovered by development partners and are termed the “Eutectic Technology.” The patent
portfolio for TNX-102 SL relating to the Eutectic Technology includes patent applications directed to eutectic compositions containing
CBP, eutectic CBP formulations, methods for treating PTSD and other CNS conditions utilizing eutectic CBP compositions and formulations,
and methods of manufacturing eutectic CBP compositions. The Eutectic Technology patent portfolio includes U.S. patents, such as
U.S. Patent No. 9,636,408, U.S. Patent No. 9,956,188, U.S. Patent No. 10,117,936, U.S. Patent No. 10,357,465; and U.S. Patent
No. 10,864,175. If U.S. and non-U.S. patents claiming priority from those applications issue, those patents would expire in 2034
or 2035, excluding any patent term adjustments or extensions.
The
unique pharmacokinetic profile of TNX-102 SL, or the PK Technology, was discovered by Tonix and its development partners. The
patent portfolio for TNX-102 SL relating to the PK Technology includes patent applications directed to compositions of matter
of CBP, formulations containing CBP, methods for treating PTSD, agitation in neurodegenerative conditions, and other CNS conditions
utilizing these compositions and formulations. The PK Technology patent portfolio includes U.S. Patent Application No. 13/918,692.
If U.S. and non-U.S. patents claiming priority from those applications issue, those patents would expire in 2033, excluding any
patent term adjustments or extensions.
On
May 2, 2017, U.S. Patent No. 9,636,408 entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline
Hydrochloride”, issued. The patent claims recite pharmaceutical compositions comprising the eutectic. The patent claims
also recite methods of manufacturing the eutectic.
On
September 13, 2017, European patent 2,501,234, entitled “Methods and Compositions for Treating Symptoms Associated with
PTSD Using Cyclobenzaprine”, issued. This patent recites the use of CBP for the treatment of PTSD, which covers the use
of TNX-102 SL for the treatment of PTSD, since the active ingredient in TNX-102 SL is CBP and provides TNX-102 SL with European
market exclusivity until 2030 and may be extended based on the timing of the European marketing authorization of TNX-102 SL for
PTSD. In response to an opposition filed in June 2018 by a German law firm, the European Patent Office’s Opposition
Division in October 2019 upheld the patent in unamended form. Opponent has appealed.
On
December 15, 2017, Japanese Patent No. 6259452, entitled “Compositions and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption”, issued.
These claims relate to the pharmacokinetic profile of TNX-102 SL.
23
On
March 20, 2018, U.S. Patent No. 9,918,948 entitled “Methods and Compositions for Treating Symptoms Associated with PTSD
Using Cyclobenzaprine”, issued. The claims recite a method of using TNX-102 SL’s active ingredient cyclobenzaprine
to treat PTSD and provides TNX-102 SL with US market exclusivity until 2030, excluding any patent term extensions.
On
March 23, 2018, Japanese Patent No. 6310542 entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline
Hydrochloride”, issued. The claims recite pharmaceutical compositions comprising the eutectics and methods of manufacturing
these eutectic formulations.
On
May 1, 2018, U.S. Patent No. 9,956,188, entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline
Hydrochloride”, issued. The claims recite a eutectic of cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride and mannitol and methods of making
those eutectics.
On
November 6, 2018, U.S. Patent No. 10,117,936, entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline
Hydrochloride”, issued. The claims recite pharmaceutical compositions of eutectics of cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride and
mannitol and methods of making those compositions.
On
April 16, 2019, Chinese Patent No. ZL 201480024011.1 entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and
Amitriptyline Hydrochloride”, issued. The claims recite pharmaceutical compositions comprising eutectics of cyclobenzaprine
hydrochloride and mannitol and methods of making those compositions.
On
July 23, 2019, U.S. Patent No. 10,357,465 entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride”, issued.
The claims recite pharmaceutical compositions comprising eutectics of cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride and mannitol and methods of
making those compositions.
On
December 11, 2019, European patent 2968992, entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride”, issued.
This patent recites pharmaceutical compositions comprising a eutectic of mannitol and Cyclobenzaprine HCl and methods of making
the same. In response to an opposition filed in September 2020 by Hexal AG, the European Patent Office’s Opposition Division
upheld the patent in unamended form in the January 2022 oral proceedings. The written decision is pending.
On
December 25, 2019, European patent 2,683,245, entitled “Methods and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine”,
issued. The claims recite the use of CBP for the treatment of depression in a FM patient. This patent provides TNX-102 SL
with European market exclusivity until March 2032 and may be extended based on the timing of the European marketing authorization
of TNX-102 SL for depression in a FM patient. In September 2020, Hexal AG filed an opposition against this patent. The European
Patent Office’s Opposition Division upheld the patent claims in unamended form at the February 2022 oral proceedings. The
written decision is pending.
On
December 15, 2020, U.S. Patent No. 10,864,175 entitled “Eutectic Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline
Hydrochloride”, issued. The claims recite a eutectic comprising cyclobenzaprine hydrochloride and beta-mannitol.
On
April 8, 2021, U.S. non-provisional Patent Application No. 17/226,058 and International Patent Application No. PCT/US2021/026492
were filed, entitled “Cyclobenzaprine Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction”. The claims are directed to methods using
pharmaceutical compositions and combinations for treating sexual dysfunction with cyclobenzaprine or pharmaceutically acceptable
salts of cyclobenzaprine.
On
October 25, 2016 and July 28, 2020, U.S. Patent No. 9,474,728 and U.S. Patent No. 10,722,478, entitled “Methods and Compositions
for Treating Fatigue Associated with Disordered Sleep Using Very Low Dose Cyclobenzaprine”, issued, respectively. The claims
are directed to a method for monitoring the effectiveness of cyclobenzaprine treatment for disordered sleep and method for reducing
CAP rates A2 or A3 by treating a subject with a pharmaceutical composition comprising cyclobenzaprine.
TNX-1900
— Oxytocin-based treatments for Migraine, Pain, Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Obesity
We
have acquired the migraine and pain treatment technologies of Trigemina, Inc., and have assumed its license rights to related
technologies from The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. TNX-1900, an enhanced formulation of nasal oxytocin,
has demonstrated activity in several non-clinical studies in pain, including migraine. As part of our acquisition, we acquired
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2016/012512, filed on January 7, 2016, entitled “Magnesium-Containing Oxytocin
Formulations and Methods of Use” (nationalized in 13 countries). We also acquired U.S. Patent No. 9,629,894, entitled “Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use”, which will expire in January 2036, excluding any patent term extensions. We also
have rights to International Patent Application No. PCT/US2019/020419, filed on April 12, 2017, entitled “Labeled Oxytocin
and Method of Manufacture and Use” (nationalized in the U.S., European Patent Office and Japan).
We
have entered into an exclusive license to the University of Geneva’s technology for using oxytocin to treat insulin resistance
and related syndromes, including obesity. This license expands our intranasal potentiated oxytocin development program, TNX-1900,
into cardiometabolic syndromes. Under the license, we have rights to European Patent No. EP2571511B1, entitled “New Uses
of Oxytocin-like Molecules and Related Methods”. We also have rights to U.S. Patent No. 9,101,569, entitled “Methods
for the Treatment of Insulin Resistance”. The U.S. and non-U.S. patents expire in May 2031, excluding any patent term adjustments
or extensions.
24
TNX-2900
— Oxytocin-based therapeutics for Prader-Willi syndrome
We
have licensed technology using oxytocin-based therapeutics for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome and non-organic failure
to thrive disease from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM). The co-exclusive license relates
to TNX-2900, an intranasal potentiated oxytocin, for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome and other feeding disorders. Under
the license, we have rights to European Patent No. EP2575853B1, entitled “Methods and Pharmaceutical Composition for the
Treatment of a Feeding Disorder with Early-Onset in a Patient”; U.S. Patent No. 8,853,158, entitled “Methods for the
Treatment of a Feeding Disorder with Onset During Neonate Development Using an Agonist of the Oxytocin Receptor”; and U.S.
Patent No. 9,125,862, entitled “Methods for the Treatment of Prader-Willi-like Syndrome or Non-Organic Failure to Thrive
(NOFITT) Feeding Disorder Using an Agonist of the Oxytocin Receptor”. The U.S. and non-U.S. patents expire in May 2031,
excluding any patent term extensions.
TNX-601
— Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Neurocognitive Dysfunction
Our
patent portfolio for tianeptine oxalate includes U.S. Patent No. 9,314,469 and European Patent No. 2,299,822, both entitled “Method
for Treating Neurocognitive Dysfunction”, which issued on April 29, 2016 and July 26, 2017, respectively. The ’822
patent recites pharmaceutical compositions comprising various compounds (which include tianeptine) and uses thereof. This
patent provides TNX-601 with European market exclusivity until April 2029 and may be extended based on the timing of the European
marketing authorization of TNX-601 for neurocognitive side effects associated with the use of corticosteroids. The ‘469
patent claims methods of treating cognitive impairment associated with corticosteroid treatment using compounds, including tianeptine,
excluding patent term extensions, the patent provides TNX-601 with US marketing exclusivity until 2028.
On
February 27, 2019, European Patent No. 3,246,031 entitled “Method for Treating Neurodegenerative Dysfunction”, issued.
The claims recite the use of TNX-601, or tianeptine oxalate and other salts, for treating neurocognitive dysfunction associated
with corticosteroid treatment. This patent provides TNX-601 with European market exclusivity until April 2029 and may be extended
based on the timing of the European market authorization of TNX-601 for neurocognitive disfunction associated with corticosteroid
treatment.
On
October 22, 2019, U.S. Patent No. 10,449,203 issued. The claims recite anhydrous crystalline oxalate salts of tianeptine
and provides TNX-601 with US market exclusivity until 2037, excluding any patent term extensions.
On
March 16, 2021, U.S. Patent No. 10,946,027 issued. The claims recite pharmaceutical compositions of anhydrous crystalline oxalate
salts of tianeptine and provides TNX-601 with US market exclusivity until 2037, excluding any patent term extensions.
Our
patent portfolio for TNX-601 also includes International Patent Application PCT/IB2017/001709 (now nationalized in 16 countries).
It includes claims directed to crystalline tianeptine oxalate and compositions of those crystal forms, and disclosures directed
to methods of using those crystalline forms and their compositions.
TNX-801
— Live Horsepox Vaccine for Prevention of Smallpox and Monkeypox
We
own the rights to develop a potential biodefense technology, TNX-801, a live horsepox that is being developed as a new smallpox
and monkeypox preventing vaccine, we have filed patent applications directed to synthetic chimeric poxviruses and methods of using
these poxviruses to protect individuals against smallpox. These applications include U.S. non-provisional Patent Application No.
15/802,189 and International Patent Application No. PCT/US2017/059782 (nationalized in 15 countries and filed in 4 non-PCT countries).
We also own the rights to develop other vaccine candidates against smallpox. With respect to these vaccine candidates, we
own U.S. Patent Application No. 14/207,727 and International Patent Application No. PCT/US2019/030486 and the non-convention and
national phase applications related thereto (nationalized in 17 countries and filed in 2 non-PCT countries). The smallpox vaccine
technologies relate to proprietary forms of live horsepox and vaccinia vaccines which may be safer than ACAM2000, the only currently
available replication competent, live vaccinia vaccine to protect against smallpox disease. We believe that this technology, after
further development, may be of interest to biodefense agencies in the U.S. and other countries.
TNX-1800
— Live HPXV Vaccine for Prevention of COVID-19
We
are developing TNX-1800, a live HPXV that is being developed as a new COVID-19 preventing vaccine. On February 26, 2021, we filed
International Patent Application No. PCT/US2021/020119 (as well as applications in 2 non-PCT countries) and U.S. Application No.
17/187,678, entitled “Recombinant Poxvirus Based Vaccine Against SARS-CoV-2”. These applications are directed to synthetic
poxviruses comprising a SARS-CoV-2 protein, poxvirus delivery vectors for SARS-CoV-2 proteins and methods of using these modified
poxviruses to protect individuals against COVID-19.
25
TNX-1700
— Recombinant Trefoil Family Factor 2 (rTFF2) to Treat Gastric and Pancreatic Cancers
We
have licensed rights from The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York to develop a potential product, TNX-1700,
for the treatment of gastric and pancreatic cancers. The licensed patents are directed to TFF2 compositions and methods
of treatment. The licensed patents U.S. Patent No. 10,124,037 and U.S. Patent No. 11,167,010. The licensed patents
provide TNX-1700 with US market exclusivity until April 2033, subject to any patent term extensions. On August 27, 2020, we filed
International Patent Application No. PCT/IB2020/000699 entitled “Modified TFF2 Polypeptides” (being nationalized in
11 countries).
TNX-1600
— Triple Reuptake Inhibitor to Treat PTSD
We
have licensed rights from Wayne State University to develop a potential product, TNX-1600, for PTSD treatment. The licensed
patents directed to pyran-based derivatives and analogues. They include U.S. Patent Nos. 7,915,433, 8,017,791, 8,519,159,
8,841,464, and 8,937,189, entitled “Tri-substituted 2-benzhydryl 5-benzlamino-tetrahydro-pyran-4-OL and 6-benzhydryl-4-benzylamino-tetrahydro-pyran-3-OL
analogues, and novel 3,6 disubstituted pyran derivatives” and U.S. Patent No. 9,458,124, entitled “Substituted Pyran
Derivatives”. These patents provide TNX-1600 with US market exclusivity between April 2024 and February 2034, respectively,
subject to any patent term extensions.
TNX-701
— Radioprotection Biodefense Technology
We
own the rights to develop a potential biodefense technology, which is a potential radioprotective therapy. For protection of our
intellectual property, we have not disclosed the identity of the new development candidate. On May 7, 2021, we filed International
Patent Application No. PCT/US2021/031441 and U.S. non-provisional Patent Application No. 17/315,258. They claim compounds, compositions
and methods of use in radioprotection.
TNX-1200
— Smallpox Vaccine Technology
We
own the rights to develop a potential biodefense technology, TNX-1200, a live vaccinia virus that is being developed as a new
smallpox preventing vaccine, we have patent applications directed to synthetic chimeric poxviruses and methods of using these
poxviruses to protect individuals against smallpox. These applications include U.S. non-provisional Patent Application No. 17/050,946
and International Patent Application No. PCT/US2019/030486 (nationalized in 16 countries and filed in 3 non-PCT countries). We
believe that this technology, after further development, may be of interest to biodefense agencies in the U.S. and other countries.
TNX-3500
— Sangivamycin for Treatment of COVID
We
have entered into an exclusive license to OyaGen, Inc.’s antiviral technology for use in treating coronavirus infections
(including SARS-CoV-2), Ebola virus, arenaviridae infections and poxviridae infections. This license expands our pipeline for
developing a potential treatment, TNX-3500, for COVID-19 and emerging variants. Under the license, we have rights to U.S. non-provisional
Patent Application No. 16/851,047 and International Patent Application Nos. PCT/US2020/028567 and PCT/US2021/016472, entitled
“Methods for Treating Coronavirus Infections”. We also have rights to U.S. non-provisional Patent Application No.
16/348,867 and European Patent Application No. 17869003.8, entitled “Methods of Treating and Inhibiting Ebola Virus Infection”.
We also have rights to International Patent Application Nos. PCT/US2021/027352 and PCT/US2021/027354, entitled “Method for
Treating Arenaviridae Infections” and “Method for Treating Poxviridae Infection,” respectively.
Trade
Secrets
In
addition to patents, we rely on trade secrets and know-how to develop and maintain our competitive position. For example, significant
aspects of our proprietary technology platform are based on unpatented trade secrets and know-how. Trade secrets and know-how
can be difficult to protect. We seek to protect our proprietary technology and processes, in part, by confidentiality agreements
and invention assignment agreements with our employees, consultants, scientific advisors, contractors, and commercial partners.
These agreements are designed to protect our proprietary information and, in the case of the invention assignment agreements,
to grant us ownership of technologies that are developed through a relationship with a third party. We also seek to preserve the
integrity and confidentiality of our data and trade secrets by maintaining physical security of our premises and physical and
electronic security of our information technology systems. While we have confidence in these individuals, organizations and systems,
agreements or security measures may be breached, and we may not have adequate remedies for any breach. In addition, our trade
secrets may otherwise become known or be independently discovered by competitors. To the extent that our contractors use intellectual
property owned by others in their work for us, disputes may arise as to rights in related or resulting inventions and know-how.
26
Issued
Patents
Our
current patents owned or licensed include:
Anti-Cocaine
Therapeutics
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
8,318,156
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
U.S.A.
February
14, 2029
9,200,265
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
U.S.A.
December
30, 2027
2007272955
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
Australia
July
10, 2027
2014201653
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
Australia
July
10, 2027
2657246
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
Canada
July
10, 2027
612929
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
New
Zealand
July
10, 2027
2046368
(602007045044.6 in Germany; 502016000056543 in Italy)
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
Europe
– (Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, and Italy)
July
10, 2027
2009/00197
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
South
Africa
July
10, 2027
305483
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
Mexico
July
10, 2027
196411
Anti-Cocaine
Compositions and Treatment
Israel
July
10, 2027
Sublingual
CBP/Amitriptyline
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
6259452
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Japan
June
14, 2033
631144
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
New
Zealand
June
14, 2033
I590820
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Taiwan
R.O.C.
June
14, 2033
2013274003
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Australia
June
14, 2033
I642429
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Taiwan
R.O.C.
June
14, 2033
726488
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
New
Zealand
June
14, 2033
I683660
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Taiwan
R.O.C.
June
14, 2033
2018241128
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Australia
June
14, 2033
2876902
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Canada
June
14, 2033
IDP000076019
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Indonesia
June
14, 2033
382516
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Mexico
June
14, 2033
27
CBP
– Depression
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
2012225548
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
Australia
March
6, 2032
2016222412
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
Australia
March
6, 2032
2018204633
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
Australia
March
6, 2032
2020203874
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
Australia
March
6, 2032
614725
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
New
Zealand
March
6, 2032
714294
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
New
Zealand
March
6, 2032
2683245
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
European
Patent Office – Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain,
Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco,
Republic of North Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San
Marino, and Turkey
March
6, 2032
CBP
– PTSD
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
9,918,948
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Symptoms Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Using Cyclobenzaprine
U.S.A.
November
18, 2030
2501234
(AL/P/17/691
in Albania; 602010045270.0 in Germany; 3094254 in Greece; 502017000142469 in Italy; MK/P/17/000807 in Republic of North
Macedonia; 56634 in Serbia; SM-T-201700578 in San Marino; 201717905 in Turkey)
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Symptoms Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Using Cyclobenzaprine
European
Patent Office – Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain,
Finland, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Monaco,
Republic of North Macedonia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San
Marino, Turkey
November
16, 2030
HK1176235
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Symptoms Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Using Cyclobenzaprine
Hong
Kong
November
16, 2030
28
CBP
Fatigue
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
9,474,728
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Fatigue Associated with Disordered Sleep Using Very Low Dose Cyclobenzaprine
U.S.A.
June
9, 2031
10,722,478
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Fatigue Associated with Disordered Sleep Using Very Low Dose Cyclobenzaprine
U.S.A.
June
9, 2031
CBP/Amitriptyline
Eutectic Formulations
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
631152
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
New
Zealand
March
14, 2034
747040
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
New
Zealand
March
14, 2034
9,636,408
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
9,956,188
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
10,117,936
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
10,322,094
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
10,357,465
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
September
18, 2035
10,736,859
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
10,864,175
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
10,864,176
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
March
14, 2034
11,026,898
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
September
18, 2035
6310542
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Japan
March
14, 2034
6614724
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Japan
September
18, 2035
6717902
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Japan
September
18, 2035
6088
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Saudi
Arabia
March
14, 2034
ZL201480024011.1
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
China
March
14, 2034
ZL.201580050140.2
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
China
September
18, 2035
2014233277
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Australia
March
14, 2034
2015317336
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Australia
September
18, 2035
I661825
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Taiwan
R.O.C.
March
14, 2034
I740136
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Taiwan
R.O.C.
March
14, 2034
IDP000055516
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Indonesia
March
14, 2034
IDP000063221
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Indonesia
September
18, 2035
IDP000076872
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Indonesia
March
14, 2034
2968992
(1211591
in Austria, CZ2014-762323 in Czechia, 602014058260.5 in Germany, E018723 in Estonia, P20200055 in Croatia, 201361792757
P in Ireland, 2020.67 in Monaco, P-2020/0094 in Serbia, 201431487 in Slovenia, 33269 in Slovakia, 2020000045 in San Marino)
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
European
Patent Office -Albania, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Republic
of North Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom
March
14, 2034
241353
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Israel
March
14, 2034
251218
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Methods of Producing Same
Israel
September
18, 2035
370021
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Mexico
March
14, 2034
387402
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Mexico
September
18, 2035
388137
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Mexico
March
14, 2034
2015/07443
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
South
Africa
March
14, 2034
2017/01637
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
South
Africa
September
18, 2035
BR112015022095-9
Pharmaceutical
Composition, Method of Fabrication, Eutectic Composition and Use of Compositions Containing Cyclobenzaprine HCl and Mannitol
Brazil
March
14, 2034
2904812
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Canada
March
14, 2034
HK1218727
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Hong
Kong
March
14, 2034
MY-186047-A
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Malaysia
September
18, 2035
29
Oxytocin
therapeutics
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
9,629,894
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
U.S.A.
January
7, 2036
11201705591P
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Singapore
January
7, 2036
Not
Yet Assigned
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Mexico
January
7, 2036
2575853
Methods
and Pharmaceutical Composition for the Treatment of a Feeding Disorder with Early-Onset in a Patient
Europe
– (Spain, France, and United Kingdom)
May
25, 2031
8,853,158
Methods
for the Treatment of a Feeding Disorder with Onset During Neonate Development Using an Agonist of the Oxytocin Receptor
U.S.A.
May
25, 2031
9,125,862
Methods
for the Treatment of Prader-Willi-like Syndrome or Non-Organic Failure to Thrive (NOFITT) Feeding Disorder Using an Agonist
of the Oxytocin Receptor
U.S.A.
May
25, 2031
2571511
New
Uses of Oxytocin-like Molecules and Related Methods
Europe
– (Switzerland, Spain, France, United Kingdom, and Ireland)
May
17, 2031
9,101,569
Methods
for the Treatment of Insulin Resistance
U.S.A.
June
22, 2031
30
Nociceptin/Orphanin
FQ therapeutics
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
8,551,949
Methods
for treatment of pain
U.S.A.
August
11, 2031
9,238,053
Methods
for treatment of pain
U.S.A.
October
12, 2030
2010281436
Methods
for treatment of pain
Australia
July
27, 2030
ZL
201080042858.4
Methods
for treatment of pain
China
July
27, 2030
2459183
(602010028120.5 in Germany)
Methods
for treatment of pain
Europe
– (Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, France, and United Kingdom)
July
27, 2030
1169804
Methods
for treatment of pain
Hong
Kong
July
27, 2030
329837
Methods
for treatment of pain
Mexico
July
27, 2030
597763
Methods
for treatment of pain
New
Zealand
July
27, 2030
10201406930U
Methods
for treatment of pain
Singapore
July
27, 2030
201200584
Methods
for treatment of pain
South
Africa
July
27, 2030
Tianeptine
Oxalate – Salts and Crystalline Forms
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
10,449,203
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
U.S.A.
December
28, 2037
10,946,027
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
U.S.A.
December
28, 2037
2019/04185
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
South
Africa
December
28, 2037
Tianeptine
– Neurocognitive Dysfunction
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
9,314,469
Method
for Treating Neurocognitive Dysfunction
U.S.A.
September
24, 2030
2723688
Method
for Treating Neurodegenerative Dysfunction
Canada
April
30, 2029
2299822
(602009047361.1 in Germany)
Method
for Treating Neurodegenerative Dysfunction
Europe
– Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal
April
30, 2029
3246031
(602009057284.9 in Germany)
Method
for Treating Neurocognitive Dysfunction
Europe
– Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal
April
30, 2029
31
Triple
reuptake inhibitor therapeutics
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
7,915,433
Tri-substituted
2-benzhydryl 5-benzlamino-tetrahydro-pyran-4-OL and 6-benzhydryl-4-benzylamino-tetrahydro-pyran-3-OL analogues, and novel
3,6 disubstituted pyran derivatives
U.S.A
March
10, 2028
8,017,791
Tri-substituted
2-benzhydryl 5-benzlamino-tetrahydro-pyran-4-OL and 6-benzhydryl-4-benzylamino-tetrahydro-pyran-3-OL analogues, and novel
3,6 disubstituted pyran derivatives
U.S.A.
April
14, 2024
8,519,159
Tri-substituted
2-benzhydryl 5-benzlamino-tetrahydro-pyran-4-OL and 6-benzhydryl-4-benzylamino-tetrahydro-pyran-3-OL analogues, and novel
3,6 disubstituted pyran derivatives
U.S.A
December
7, 2025
8,841,464
Tri-substituted
2-benzhydryl 5-benzlamino-tetrahydro-pyran-4-OL and 6-benzhydryl-4-benzylamino-tetrahydro-pyran-3-OL analogues, and novel
3,6 disubstituted pyran derivatives
U.S.A
April
15, 2025
8,937,189
Tri-substituted
2-benzhydryl 5-benzlamino-tetrahydro-pyran-4-OL and 6-benzhydryl-4-benzylamino-tetrahydro-pyran-3-OL analogues, and novel
3,6 disubstituted pyran derivatives
U.S.A
January
12, 2027
9,458,124
Substituted
Pyran Derivatives
U.S.A
February
6, 2034
TFF2
therapeutics
Patent
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
Expiration
Date
10,124,037
Trefoil
family factor proteins and uses thereof
U.S.A
April
2, 2033
11,167,010
Trefoil
family factor proteins and uses thereof
U.S.A
April
2, 2033
Pending
Patent Applications
Our
current pending patent applications are as follows:
CD40
and CD154 Therapeutics
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
17/623,710
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
U.S.A.
Not
Yet Assigned
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Australia
BR112021026410-8
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Brazil
Not
Yet Assigned
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Canada
Not
Yet Assigned
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
China
20764933.6
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
European
Patent Office
202217004870
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
India
P00202200763
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Indonesia
289354
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Israel
2021-578262
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Japan
PI
2021007835
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Malaysia
MX/a/2022/000133
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Mexico
Not
Yet Assigned
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
New
Zealand
11202114433Y
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
Singapore
Not
Yet Assigned
Anti-CD154
antibodies and uses thereof
South
Africa
PCT/US2022/011404
Methods
of Inducing Immune Tolerance with Modified Anti-CD154 Antibodies
PCT
3136725
Inhibitors
of CD40-CD154 Binding
Canada
20787970.1
Inhibitors
of CD40-CD154 Binding
European
Patent Office
2021-560713
Inhibitors
of CD40-CD154 Binding
Japan
CBP/Amitriptyline
Eutectic Formulations
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
17/121,547
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
17/082,949
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
U.S.A.
2020289838
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Australia
BR112017005231-8
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Brazil
BR122020020968-2
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Brazil
2,961,822
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Canada
3,119,755
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Canada
201910263541.6
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
China
202011576351.9
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
China
15841528.1
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
European
Patent Office
19214535.7
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
European
Patent Office
18101200.4
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Hong
Kong
42020003105.2
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Hong
Kong
42020019748.1
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Hong
Kong
42021036749.6
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Hong
Kong
277814
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Methods of Producing Same (Allowed)
Israel
3392/KOLNP/2015
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
India
201717013182
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
India
2021-105582
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Japan
2021-169539
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Japan
32
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PI
2015703142
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Malaysia
730379
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
New
Zealand
768064
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
New
Zealand
517381123
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Saudi
Arabia
10201707528W
10201902203V
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride
Singapore
Singapore
2014-000391
Eutectic
Formulations of Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride and Amitriptyline Hydrochloride
Venezuela
Sublingual
CBP/Amitriptyline
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
13/918,692
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
U.S.A.
P20130102101
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Argentina
BR112014031394-6
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Brazil
BR122019024508-8
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Brazil
3,118,913
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Canada
202010024102.2
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
China
13804115.7
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
European
Patent Office
2013/24661
2013/37088
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Gulf
Cooperation Council
Gulf
Cooperation Council
2013/40660
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Gulf
Cooperation Council
15110186.6
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Hong
Kong
42020020336.2
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Hong
Kong
P-00
2021 01421
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Indonesia
236268
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption (Allowed)
Israel
2021-100154
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Japan
MX/a/2021/005317
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Mexico
PI
2014703784
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Malaysia
10201605407T
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Singapore
2013-000737
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption
Venezuela
2015/00288
Compositions
and Methods for Transmucosal Absorption (Allowed)
South
Africa
33
CBP
– PTSD
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
15/915,688
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Symptoms Associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Using Cyclobenzaprine
U.S.A.
Assessing
Clinical Response – PTSD
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2022/015327
An
Improved Method of Assessing Clinical Response in the Treatment of PTSD Symptoms
PCT
CBP
– Fatigue
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
16/903,965
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Fatigue Associated with Disordered Sleep Using Very Low Dose Cyclobenzaprine
U.S.A.
CBP
– Agitation in Neurodegenerative Condition
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
16/215,952
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
U.S.A.
2018383098
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Australia
BR112020011345-0
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Brazil
3,083,341
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Canada
201880079917.1
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
China
18847270.8
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
European
Patent Office
P00202004178
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Indonesia
275289
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Israel
202017023747
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
India
2020-531611
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Japan
MX/a/2020/006140
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Mexico
PI2020002800
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Malaysia
765792
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
New
Zealand
520412146
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Saudi
Arabia
11202004799T
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Singapore
2020/03243
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
South
Africa
6202002246.2
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Hong
Kong
62021029558.5
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Agitation, Psychosis and Cognitive Decline in Dementia and Neurodegenerative Conditions
Hong
Kong
34
CBP
– Depression
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
13/412,571
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
U.S.A.
2,829,200
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine (Allowed)
Canada
19214568.8
Methods
and Compositions for Treating Depression Using Cyclobenzaprine
European
Patent Office
Analogs
of CBP
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
16/630,832
CA3069699
201880050758.2
EP18831505.5
Analogs
of Cyclobenzaprine and Amitryptilene
Analogs
of Cyclobenzaprine and Amitryptilene
Analogs
of Cyclobenzaprine and Amitryptilene
Analogs
of Cyclobenzaprine and Amitryptilene
Analogs
of Cyclobenzaprine and Amitryptilene
U.S.A.
Canada
China
European
Patent Office
2020-526592
Analogs
of Cyclobenzaprine and Amitryptilene
Japan
CBP
– ASD and PTSD
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
2019/38140
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Gulf
Cooperation Council
108129709
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Taiwan
R.O.C.
17/269,106
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
U.S.A.
2019323764
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Australia
PI2021000802
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Malaysia
772889
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
New
Zealand
CBP
– Fibromyalgia
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/062244
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Fibromyalgia
PCT
CBP
– Alcohol Use Disorder
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/060011
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder
PCT
CBP/Amitriptyline
– Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms as Predictive Markers
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
63/301,313
Single
Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) as Predictive Markers for Treatment with Cyclobenzaprine or Amitriptyline
U.S.A.
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
280921
Cyclobenzaprine
or Amitriptyline Containing Compositions for Use in Treating Stress Disorders
Israel
2021-509201
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Japan
BR1120210033107-3
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Brazil
MX/a/2021/002012
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Mexico
CA
3109258
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Canada
11202101443W
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Singapore
2021/01121
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
South
Africa
P00202101716
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Indonesia
202117011223
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
India
201980062283.3
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
China
19802247.7
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
European
Patent Office
62021045278.0
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Hong
Kong
62022046260.5
Methods
of Treating Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Hong
Kong
35
CBP
– Sexual dysfunction
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/026492
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction
PCT
17/226,058
Cyclobenzaprine
Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction
U.S.A
Oxytocin
therapeutics
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
15/541,991
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
U.S.A.
2020286221
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Australia
BR1120170145456
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Brazil
2972975
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Canada
201680013809.5
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
China
16735422.4
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
European
Patent Office
18112297.5
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Hong
Kong
253347
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use (Allowed)
Israel
2017-535877
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use (Allowed)
Japan
2021-179295
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Japan
1020177021998
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Republic
of Korea
734097
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
New
Zealand
771693
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
New
Zealand
201705176
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
South
Africa
16/976,912
Labeled
Oxytocin and Method of Manufacture and Use
U.S.A.
19710979.6
Labeled
Oxytocin and Method of Manufacture and Use
European
Patent Office
2020-545532
Labeled
Oxytocin and Method of Manufacture and Use
Japan
16/093,104
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
U.S.A.
2017250505
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Australia
3,020,179
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Canada
2017800361853
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
China
17783080.9
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
European
Patent Office
19128645.9
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Hong
Kong
2018-553235
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Japan
MX/a/2018/012351
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
Mexico
747221
Magnesium-Containing
Oxytocin Formulations and Methods of Use
New
Zealand
63/237,727
Cationic
Oxytocin Peptide Analogs
U.S.A.
Nociceptin/Orphanin
FQ therapeutics
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
BR122021007932-3
Methods
for Treatment of Pain
Brazil
2,769,347
Methods
for Treatment of Pain (Allowed)
Canada
1614/CHENP/2012
Methods
for Treatment of Pain
India
Tianeptine
Oxalate – Salts and Crystalline Forms
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
2017385958
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs (Allowed)
Australia
BR112019013244-9
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Brazil
3,048,324
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Canada
201780085697.9
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
China
17844642.3
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
European
Patent Office
62020006380.3
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Hong
Kong
62020006381.1
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Hong
Kong
P00201906474
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Indonesia
267708
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs, Compositions Comprising Same and Uses Thereof
Israel
201917029300
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
India
2019-535330
MX/a/2019/007891
PI2019003711
754797
519402021
11201905974W
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Tianeptine
Oxalate Salts and Polymorphs
Japan
Mexico
Malaysia
New
Zealand
Saudi
Arabia
Singapore
36
Tianeptine
Neurocognitive Dysfunction
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
16/937,919
Method
for Treating Neurocognitive Dysfunction
U.S.A.
Tianeptine
and Naloxone – Major Depressive Disorder
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
63/161,441
Tianeptine
Oxalate and Naloxone Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder
U.S.A.
Novel
Smallpox Vaccines
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
14/207,727
Novel
Smallpox Vaccines
U.S.A.
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
15/802,189
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
U.S.A.
P
20170103043
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Argentina
2017/34209
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Gulf
Cooperation Council
2017/41626
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Gulf
Cooperation Council
106137976
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Taiwan
R.O.C.
2017353868
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Australia
BR112019008781-8
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Brazil
3,042,694
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Canada
201780078546.0
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
China
17868045.0
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
European
Patent Office
201917021814
PID201904682
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
India
Indonesia
266399
2019-545700
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Israel
Japan
PI2019002462
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Malaysia
MX/a/2019/005102
752893
11201903893P
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Mexico
New
Zealand
Singapore
2019/02868
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
South
Africa
2017-000418
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Venezuela
62020003684.1
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Hong
Kong
62020003675.9
Synthetic
Chimeric Poxviruses
Hong
Kong
Synthetic
Vaccinia Virus
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
2019/37492
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Gulf
Cooperation Council
2019/41458
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Gulf
Cooperation Council
20190101165
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Argentina
108115290
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Taiwan
R.O.C.
17/050,946
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
U.S.A.
2019262149
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Australia
BR112020022181-3
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Brazil
3099330
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Canada
201980029677.9
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
China
19796145.1
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
European
Patent Office
202017052398
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
India
P00202008694
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Indonesia
278419
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Israel
2020-560920
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Japan
PI
2020005696
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Malaysia
MX/a/2020/011586
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Mexico
768999
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
New
Zealand
11202010272P
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Singapore
2020/06350
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
South
Africa
62021036744.2
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Hong
Kong
62021038254.0
Synthetic
Chimeric Vaccinia Virus
Hong
Kong
37
Stem
cells-scPV treatment
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
2019/37505
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Gulf
Cooperation Council
2019/41460
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Gulf
Cooperation Council
20190101166
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Argentina
108115294
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Taiwan
R.O.C.
17/049,741
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
U.S.A.
2019262150
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Australia
3098145
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Canada
201980029672.6
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
China
19797026.2
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
European
Patent Office
278420
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Israel
2020-561064
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Japan
62021038255.7
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Hong
Kong
62021031667.0
Stem
Cells Comprising Synthetic Chimeric Vaccinia Virus and Methods of Using Them
Hong
Kong
Poxvirus
vaccine against COVID-19
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/020119
Recombinant
Poxvirus Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 virus
PCT
17/187,678
Recombinant
Poxvirus Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 virus
U.S.A.
110107179
Recombinant
Poxvirus Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 virus
Taiwan
20210100512
Recombinant
Poxvirus Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 virus
Argentina
63/315,520
Recombinant
Poxvirus Based Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 virus
U.S.A.
38
Salts
of glutathione
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
17/442,258
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
U.S.A.
2020249868
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
Australia
3,134,875
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
Canada
202080034626.8
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
China
20727359.0
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
European
Patent Office
286730
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
Israel
2021-557223
Salt
forms of S-(N, N-diethylcarbamolyl) glutathione
Japan
TFF2
therapeutics
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
17/638,760
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
U.S.A.
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
Australia
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
Canada
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
China
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
European
Patent Office
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
India
290910
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
Israel
2022-513154
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
Japan
MX/a/2022/002337
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
Mexico
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
New
Zealand
Not
yet assigned
Modified
TFF2 polypeptides
South
Africa
Radioprotection
therapeutics
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/031441
Radio-
and Chemo-Protective Compounds
PCT
17/315,258
Radio-Protective
and Chemo-Protective Substituted Thiols
U.S.A.
Detecting
SARS-CoV-2
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/042102
Skin-based
Testing for Detection of Cell-Mediated Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2
PCT
17/378,642
Skin-based
Testing for Detection of Cell-Mediated Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2
U.S.A.
110126495
Skin-based
Testing for Detection of Cell-Mediated Immune Responses to SARS-CoV-2
Taiwan
Clinical
data statistical analysis
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/056213
Randomization
Honoring Methods to Assess the Significance of Interventions on Outcomes in Disorders
PCT
17/508,182
Randomization
Honoring Methods to Assess the Significance of Interventions on Outcomes in Disorders
U.S.A.
Sangivamycin
and nucleoside analogs – Ebola virus
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
16/348,867
Methods
of Treating and Inhibiting Ebola Virus Infection
U.S.A.
3040540
Methods
of Treating and Inhibiting Ebola Virus Infection
Canada
17869003.8
Methods
of Treating and Inhibiting Ebola Virus Infection
European
Patent Office
Sangivamycin
and nucleoside analogs – Coronavirus
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2020/028567
Method
for Treating Coronavirus Infections
PCT
PCT/US2021/016472
Method
for Treating Coronavirus Infections
PCT
16/851,047
Method
for Treating Coronavirus Infections
U.S.A.
39
Sangivamycin
and nucleoside analogs – Arenaviridae
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/027352
Method
for Treating Arenaviridae Infections
PCT
Sangivamycin
and nucleoside analogs – Poxviridae
Application
No.
Title
Country
/ Region
PCT/US2021/027354
Method
for Treating Poxviridae Infections
PCT
Trademarks
and Service Marks
We
seek trademark and service mark protection in the United States and outside of the United States where available and when appropriate.
We are the owner of the following U.S. federally registered marks: TONIX PHARMACEUTICALS (Reg. No. 4656463, issued December 16,
2014) and TONMYA (Reg. No. 4868328, issued December 8, 2015).
We
are the owner of the following marks for which applications for U.S. federal registration are currently pending: FYMRALIN (Serial
No. 88/064191, filed August 3, 2018), MODALTIN (Serial No. 88/196892, filed November 16, 2018), RAPONTIS (Serial No.
88/196897, filed November 16, 2018), PROTECTIC (Serial No. 88/196912, filed November 16, 2018), TONIX PHARMACEUTICALS (Serial
No. 88/896150, filed April 30, 2020), and ANGSTRO-TECHNOLOGY (Serial No. 88/690384, filed November 13, 2019) and TONMYA (Serial
No. 97/185424, filed December 22, 2021).
Research
and Development
We have approximately 52 employees dedicated to research and development.
Our research and development operations are located in Chatham, NJ, Dartmouth, MA, Frederick, Maryland, San Diego, CA, Dublin, Ireland
and Montreal, Canada. We have used, and expect to continue to use, third parties to conduct our nonclinical and clinical studies. We
acquired the infectious disease RDC in Frederick, Maryland consisting of two buildings totaling approximately 48,000 square feet. The
acquisition closed in October 2021 and was operational at closing, but as of December 31, 2021, the facility was not ready for its intended
use. It is our intention to have the facility ready for use in the first half of 2022.
Manufacturing
We
have contracted with a third-party cGMP-compliant contract manufacturer organization, or CMOs, for the manufacture of TNX-102
SL drug substances and drug products for investigational purposes, including nonclinical and clinical testing. For TNX-102 SL,
we have engaged a cGMP facility for manufacturing of to-be-marketed product for Phase 3 clinical and commercial. Our manufacturing
operations are managed and controlled in Dublin, Ireland.
All
of our small molecules drug candidates are synthesized using industry standard processes, and our drug products are formulated
using commercially available pharmaceutical grade excipients.
Our
smallpox-preventing vaccine candidate is a biologic and uses live form of horsepox. Both the drug substance (HPVX and the cell
bank) and the drug product (vaccine) will be manufactured by contract cGMP-compliant facilities capable of manufacturing for nonclinical/clinical
testing and licensed product.
On September 28, 2020, we completed
the purchase of our 40,000 square foot facility in Massachusetts, to house our new Advanced Development Center for accelerated development
and manufacturing of vaccines. As of December 31, 2021, the facility was not ready for its intended use.
On December 23, 2020, we completed
the purchase of our approximately 44-acre site in Hamilton, Montana, for the construction of a vaccine development and commercial scale
manufacturing facility. As of December 31, 2021, the facility was not ready for its intended use.
On March 5, 2021, the Company
announced that it entered into a $2.9 million non-binding Purchase and Sale Agreement in connection with a property in Massachusetts,
which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. The Property is intended for process development activities.
Government
Regulations
The
FDA and other federal, state, local and foreign regulatory agencies impose substantial requirements upon the clinical development,
approval, labeling, manufacture, marketing and distribution of drug products. These agencies regulate, among other things, research
and development activities and the testing, approval, manufacture, quality control, safety, effectiveness, labeling, storage,
record keeping, advertising and promotion of our product candidates. The regulatory approval process is generally lengthy and
expensive, with no guarantee of a positive result. Moreover, failure to comply with applicable requirements by the FDA or other
requirements may result in civil or criminal penalties, recall or seizure of products, injunctive relief including partial or
total suspension of production, or withdrawal of a product from the market.
40
The
FDA regulates, among other things, the research, manufacture, promotion and distribution of drugs in the U.S. under the FDCA and
other statutes and implementing regulations. The process required by the FDA before prescription drug product candidates may be
marketed in the U.S. generally involves the following:
●
completion
of extensive nonclinical laboratory tests, animal studies and formulation studies, all performed in accordance with the FDA’s
Good Laboratory Practice regulations;
●
submission
to the FDA of an IND, which must become effective before human clinical trials may begin;
●
performance
of adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials in accordance with the FDA’s regulations, including Good Clinical
Practices, to establish the safety and efficacy of the product candidate for each proposed indication;
●
submission
to the FDA of an NDA for drug products, or a Biologics License Application, or BLA, for biologic products;
●
satisfactory
completion of a preapproval inspection by the FDA of the manufacturing facilities at which the product is produced to assess
compliance with cGMP regulations; and
●
the
FDA’s review and approval of the NDA or BLA prior to any commercial marketing, sale or shipment of the drug.
The
testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and we cannot be certain that any approvals
for our product candidates will be granted on a timely basis, if at all.
Nonclinical
tests include laboratory evaluations of product chemistry, formulation and stability, as well as studies to evaluate toxicity
in animals and other animal studies. The results of nonclinical tests, together with manufacturing information and analytical
data, are submitted as part of an IND to the FDA. Some nonclinical testing may continue even after an IND is submitted. The IND
also includes one or more protocols for the initial clinical trial or trials and an investigator’s brochure. An IND automatically
becomes effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA, unless the FDA, within the 30-day time period, raises concerns or questions
relating to the proposed clinical trials as outlined in the IND and places the clinical trial on a clinical hold. In such cases,
the IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns or questions before any clinical trials can begin. Clinical
trial holds also may be imposed at any time before or during studies due to safety concerns or non-compliance with regulatory
requirements. An independent Institutional Review Board, or IRB, at each of the clinical centers proposing to conduct the clinical
trial must review and approve the plan for any clinical trial before it commences at that center. An IRB considers, among other
things, whether the risks to individuals participating in the trials are minimized and are reasonable in relation to anticipated
benefits. The IRB also approves the consent form signed by the trial participants and must monitor the study until completed.
Clinical
Trials
Clinical
trials involve the administration of the product candidate to human subjects under the supervision of qualified medical investigators
according to approved protocols that detail the objectives of the study, dosing procedures, subject selection and exclusion criteria,
and the parameters to be used to monitor participant safety. Each protocol for a U.S. study is submitted to the FDA as part of
the IND.
Human
clinical trials are typically conducted in three sequential phases, but the phases may overlap, or be combined.
●
Phase
1 clinical trials typically involve the initial introduction of the product candidate into healthy human volunteers. In Phase
1 clinical trials, the product candidate is typically tested for safety, dosage tolerance, absorption, metabolism, distribution,
excretion and pharmacodynamics.
●
Phase
2 clinical trials are generally conducted in a limited patient population to gather evidence about the efficacy of the product
candidate for specific, targeted indications; to determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage; and to identify possible adverse
effects and safety risks. Phase 2 clinical trials, in particular Phase 2b trials, can be undertaken to evaluate clinical efficacy
and to test for safety in an expanded patient population at geographically dispersed clinical trial sites.
●
Phase
3 clinical trials are undertaken to evaluate clinical efficacy and to test for safety in an expanded patient population at
geographically dispersed clinical trial sites. The size of Phase 3 clinical trials depends upon clinical and statistical considerations
for the product candidate and disease. Phase 3 clinical trials are intended to establish the overall risk-benefit ratio of
the product candidate and provide an adequate basis for product labeling.
41
Post-approval
clinical trials, sometimes referred to as Phase 4 clinical trials, may be conducted after initial approval. These clinical trials
are used to gain additional experience from the treatment of patients in the intended therapeutic indication, particularly for
long-term safety follow-up.
Clinical
testing must satisfy the extensive regulations of the FDA. Reports detailing the results of the clinical trials must be submitted
at least annually to the FDA and safety reports must be submitted for serious and unexpected adverse events. Success in early-stage
clinical trials does not assure success in later-stage clinical trials. The FDA, an IRB or we may suspend a clinical trial at
any time on various grounds, including a finding that the research subjects or patients are being exposed to an unacceptable health
risk.
New
Drug Applications
Assuming
successful completion of the required clinical trials, the results of product development, nonclinical studies and clinical trials
are submitted to the FDA as part of an NDA (or BLA, in the case of a biologic product). An NDA or BLA also must contain extensive
manufacturing information, as well as proposed labeling for the finished product. An NDA or BLA applicant must develop information
about the chemistry and physical characteristics of the drug and finalize a process for manufacturing the product in accordance
with cGMP. The manufacturing process must be capable of consistently producing quality product within specifications approved
by the FDA. The manufacturer must develop methods for testing the quality, purity and potency of the final product. In addition,
appropriate packaging must be selected and tested, and stability studies must be conducted to demonstrate that the product does
not undergo unacceptable deterioration over its shelf life. Prior to approval, the FDA will conduct an inspection of the manufacturing
facilities to assess compliance with cGMP.
The
FDA reviews all NDAs and BLAs submitted before it accepts them for filing. The FDA may request additional information rather than
accept an NDA for filing. In this event, the NDA or BLA must be resubmitted with the additional information and is subject to
review before the FDA accepts it for filing. After an application is filed, the FDA may refer the NDA or BLA to an advisory committee
for review, evaluation and recommendation as to whether the application should be approved and under what conditions. The FDA
is not bound by the recommendations of an advisory committee, but it considers them carefully when making decisions. The FDA may
deny approval of an NDA or BLA if the applicable regulatory criteria are not satisfied. Data obtained from clinical trials are
not always conclusive and the FDA may interpret data differently than we interpret the same data. The FDA may issue a complete
response letter, which may require additional clinical or other data or impose other conditions that must be met in order to secure
final approval of the NDA or BLA. If a product receives regulatory approval, the approval may be significantly limited to specific
diseases and dosages or the indications for use may otherwise be limited, which could restrict the commercial value of the product.
In addition, the FDA may require us to conduct Phase 4 testing which involves clinical trials designed to further assess a drug’s
safety and effectiveness after NDA or BLA approval, and may require surveillance programs to monitor the safety of approved products
which have been commercialized. Once issued, the FDA may withdraw product approval if ongoing regulatory requirements are not
met or if safety or efficacy questions are raised after the product reaches the market.
Section
505(b) NDAs
There
are two types of NDAs: the Section 505(b)(1) NDA, or full NDA, and the Section 505(b)(2) NDA. We intend to file Section 505(b)(2)
NDAs for TNX-102 SL for FM and PTSD, and for certain other products, that might, if accepted by the FDA, save time and expense
in the development and testing of our product candidates. We may need to file a Section 505(b)(1) NDA for certain other products
in the future. A full NDA is submitted under Section 505(b)(1) of the FDCA, and must contain full reports of investigations conducted
by the applicant to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the drug. A Section 505(b)(2) NDA may be submitted for a drug
for which one or more of the investigations relied upon by the applicant was not conducted by or for the applicant and for which
the applicant has no right of reference from the person by or for whom the investigations were conducted. A Section 505(b)(2)
NDA may be submitted based in whole or in part on published literature or on the FDA’s finding of safety and efficacy of
one or more previously approved drugs, which are known as reference drugs. Thus, the filing of a Section 505(b)(2) NDA may result
in approval of a drug based on fewer clinical or nonclinical studies than would be required under a full NDA. The number and size
of studies that need to be conducted by the sponsor depends on the amount and quality of data pertaining to the reference drug
that are publicly available, and on the similarity of and differences between the applicant’s drug and the reference drug.
In some cases, extensive, time-consuming, and costly clinical and nonclinical studies may still be required for approval of a
Section 505(b)(2) NDA.
Our
drug approval strategy for our new formulations of approved chemical entities is to submit Section 505(b)(2) NDAs to the FDA.
As such, we plan to submit an NDA under Section 505(b)(2) for TNX-102 SL for FM, PTSD and Long COVID; TNX-1900, TNX-2900 and TNX-601
CR. The FDA may not agree that these product candidates are approvable as a Section 505(b)(2) NDA. If the FDA determines that
a Section 505(b)(2) NDA is not appropriate and that a full NDA is required, the time and financial resources required to obtain
FDA approval could substantially and materially increase, and be less likely to be approved. If the FDA requires a full NDA, or
requires more extensive testing and development for some other reason, our ability to compete with alternative products that arrive
on the market more quickly than our product candidates would be adversely impacted. If reference listed products are withdrawn
from the market by the FDA for a safety reason, we may not be able to reference such products to support our anticipated 505(b)(2)
NDAs, and we may be required to follow the requirements of Section 505(b)(1).
42
Patent
Protections
An
applicant submitting a Section 505(b)(2) NDA must certify to the FDA with respect to the patent status of the reference drug upon
which the applicant relies in support of approval of its drug. With respect to every patent listed in the FDA’s Orange Book,
which is the FDA’s list of approved drug products, as claiming the reference drug or an approved method of use of the reference
drug, the Section 505(b)(2) applicant must certify that: (1) there is no patent information listed in the orange book for the
reference drug; (2) the listed patent has expired; (3) the listed patent has not expired, but will expire on a particular date;
(4) the listed patent is invalid or will not be infringed by the manufacture, use, or sale of the product in the Section 505(b)(2)
NDA; or (5) if the patent is a use patent, that the applicant does not seek approval for a use claimed by the patent. If the applicant
files a certification to the effect of clause (1), (2) or (5), FDA approval of the Section 505(b)(2) NDA may be made effective
immediately upon successful FDA review of the application, in the absence of marketing exclusivity delays, which are discussed
below. If the applicant files a certification to the effect of clause (3), the Section 505(b)(2) NDA approval may not be made
effective until the expiration of the relevant patent and the expiration of any marketing exclusivity delays.
If
the Section 505(b)(2) NDA applicant provides a certification to the effect of clause (4), referred to as a paragraph IV certification,
the applicant also must send notice of the certification to the patent owner and the holder of the NDA for the reference drug.
The filing of a patent infringement lawsuit within 45 days of the receipt of the notification may prevent the FDA from approving
the Section 505(b)(2) NDA for 30 months from the date of the receipt of the notification unless the court determines that a longer
or shorter period is appropriate because either party to the action failed to reasonably cooperate in expediting the action. However,
the FDA may approve the Section 505(b)(2) NDA before the 30 months have expired if a court decides that the patent is invalid
or not infringed, or if a court enters a settlement order or consent decree stating the patent is invalid or not infringed.
Notwithstanding
the approval of many products by the FDA pursuant to Section 505(b)(2), over the last few years certain brand-name pharmaceutical
companies and others have objected to the FDA’s interpretation of Section 505(b)(2). If the FDA’s interpretation of
Section 505(b)(2) is successfully challenged in court, the FDA may be required to change its interpretation of Section 505(b)(2)
which could delay or even prevent the FDA from approving any Section 505(b)(2) NDA that we submit. The pharmaceutical industry
is highly competitive, and it is not uncommon for a manufacturer of an approved product to file a citizen petition with the FDA
seeking to delay approval of, or impose additional approval requirements for, pending competing products. If successful, such
petitions can significantly delay, or even prevent, the approval of the new product. Moreover, even if the FDA ultimately denies
such a petition, the FDA may substantially delay approval while it considers and responds to the petition.
Marketing
Exclusivity
Market
exclusivity provisions under the FDCA can delay the submission or the approval of Section 505(b)(2) NDAs, thereby delaying a Section
505(b)(2) product from entering the market. The FDCA provides five-year marketing exclusivity to the first applicant to gain approval
of an NDA for an NCE, meaning that the FDA has not previously approved any other drug containing the same active moiety. This
exclusivity prohibits the submission of a Section 505(b)(2) NDA for any drug product containing the active ingredient during the
five-year exclusivity period. However, submission of a Section 505(b)(2) NDA that certifies that a listed patent is invalid, unenforceable,
or will not be infringed, as discussed above, is permitted after four years, but if a patent infringement lawsuit is brought within
45 days after such certification, FDA approval of the Section 505(b)(2) NDA may automatically be stayed until 7½ years
after the NCE approval date. The FDCA also provides three years of marketing exclusivity for the approval of new and supplemental
NDAs for product changes, including, among other things, new indications, dosage forms, routes of administration or strengths
of an existing drug, or for a new use, if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted
or sponsored by the applicant are deemed by FDA to be essential to the approval of the application. Five-year and three-year exclusivity
will not delay the submission or approval of another full NDA; however, as discussed above, an applicant submitting a full NDA
under Section 505(b)(1) would be required to conduct or obtain a right of reference to all of the nonclinical and adequate and
well-controlled clinical trials necessary to demonstrate safety and effectiveness.
Other
types of exclusivity in the United States include orphan drug exclusivity and pediatric exclusivity. The FDA may grant orphan
drug designation to a drug intended to treat a rare disease or condition, which is generally a disease or condition that affects
fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States, or more than 200,000 individuals in the United States and for which there
is no reasonable expectation that the cost of developing and making available in the United States a drug for this type of disease
or condition will be recovered from sales in the United States for that drug. Seven-year orphan drug exclusivity is available
to a product that has orphan drug designation and that receives the first FDA approval for the indication for which the drug has
such designation. Orphan drug exclusivity prevents approval of another application for the same drug for the same orphan indication,
for a period of seven years, regardless of whether the application is a full NDA or a Section 505(b)(2) NDA, except in limited
circumstances, such as a showing of clinical superiority to the product with orphan exclusivity. Pediatric exclusivity, if granted,
provides an additional six months to an existing exclusivity or statutory delay in approval resulting from a patent certification.
This six-month exclusivity, which runs from the end of other exclusivity protection or patent delay, may be granted based on the
voluntary completion of a pediatric study in accordance with an FDA-issued “Written Request” for such a study.
43
Section
505(b)(2) NDAs are similar to full NDAs filed under Section 505(b)(1) in that they are entitled to any of these forms of exclusivity
if they meet the qualifying criteria. They also are entitled to the patent protections described above, based on patents that
are listed in the FDA’s Orange Book in the same manner as patents claiming drugs and uses approved for NDAs submitted as
full NDAs.
Breakthrough
Therapy Designation
The
Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, or FDASIA, Section 902 provides for Breakthrough Therapy designation.
A Breakthrough Therapy is a drug:
●
intended
alone or in combination with one or more other drugs to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition; and
●
preliminary
clinical evidence indicates that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies on one or more clinically
significant endpoints, such as substantial treatment effects observed early in clinical development.
Fast
Track Designation
A
Fast Track is a designation by the FDA of an investigational drug which:
●
intended
alone or in combination with one or more other drugs to treat a serious or life-threatening disease or condition; and
●
non-clinical
or clinical data demonstrate the potential to address an unmet medical need
Fast
track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill
an unmet medical need. The benefits of a Fast Track designation include rolling submission of portions of the NDA for the drug
candidate and eligibility for priority review of the NDA. Additionally, more frequent meetings and written communication with
the FDA regarding the development plan and trial design for the drug candidate are encouraged throughout the entire drug development
and review process, with the goal of having earlier drug approval and access for patients.
Material
Threat Medical Countermeasures
In
2016, the 21 st Century Cures Act, or Act, was signed into law to support ongoing biomedical innovation. One part of
the Act, Section 3086, is aimed at “Encouraging Treatments for Agents that Present a National Security Threat.” The
Act created a new priority review voucher program for approved “material threat medical countermeasure applications.”
The Act defines such countermeasures as drug or biological products, including vaccines intended to treat biological, chemical,
radiological, or nuclear agents that present a national security threat or to treat harm from a condition that may be caused by
administering a drug or biological product against such an agent. The Department of Homeland Security has identified 13 such threats,
including anthrax, smallpox, Ebola/Marburg, tularemia, botulinum toxin, and pandemic influenza, which includes the SARS coronavirus
2, known as SARS-CoV-2. A priority review voucher can be applied to any other product application; it shortens the FDA review
timeline for a new application from 10-12 months to 6 months. The recipient of a priority review voucher may transfer it. We intend
to seek a priority review voucher if and when a TNX-801 Biologics License Application is approved as a material threat medical
countermeasure. However, the Priority Review Voucher program provision of the 21st Century Cures Act is set to expire in 2023.
If TNX-801 does not receive FDA licensure by 2023, we may not be able to capitalize on the incentives contained in the 21st Century
Cures Act unless the provision allowing for the Priority Review Voucher Program is extended until such time as TNX-801 is licensed.
Other
Regulatory Requirements
Maintaining
substantial compliance with appropriate federal, state and local statutes and regulations requires the expenditure of substantial
time and financial resources. Drug manufacturers are required to register their establishments with the FDA and certain state
agencies, and after approval, the FDA and these state agencies conduct periodic unannounced inspections to ensure continued compliance
with ongoing regulatory requirements, including cGMPs. In addition, after approval, some types of changes to the approved product,
such as adding new indications, manufacturing changes and additional labeling claims, are subject to further FDA review and approval.
The FDA may require post-approval testing and surveillance programs to monitor safety and the effectiveness of approved products
that have been commercialized. Any drug products manufactured or distributed by us pursuant to FDA approvals are subject to continuing
regulation by the FDA, including:
●
record-keeping
requirements;
44
●
reporting
of adverse experiences with the drug;
●
providing
the FDA with updated safety and efficacy information;
●
reporting
on advertisements and promotional labeling;
●
drug
sampling and distribution requirements; and
●
complying
with electronic record and signature requirements.
In
addition, the FDA strictly regulates labeling, advertising, promotion and other types of information on products that are placed
on the market. There are numerous regulations and policies that govern various means for disseminating information to health-care
professionals as well as consumers, including to industry sponsored scientific and educational activities, information provided
to the media and information provided over the Internet. Drugs may be promoted only for the approved indications and in accordance
with the provisions of the approved label.
The
FDA has very broad enforcement authority and the failure to comply with applicable regulatory requirements can result in administrative
or judicial sanctions being imposed on us or on the manufacturers and distributors of our approved products, including warning
letters, refusals of government contracts, clinical holds, civil penalties, injunctions, restitution and disgorgement of profits,
recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production or distribution, withdrawal of approvals, refusal to
approve pending applications, and criminal prosecution resulting in fines and incarceration. The FDA and other agencies actively
enforce the laws and regulations prohibiting the promotion of off-label uses, and a company that is found to have improperly promoted
off-label uses may be subject to significant liability. In addition, even after regulatory approval is obtained, later discovery
of previously unknown problems with a product may result in restrictions on the product or even complete withdrawal of the product
from the market.
Coverage
and Reimbursement
Sales
of our product candidates, if approved, will depend, in part, on the extent to which such products will be covered by third-party
payors, such as government health care programs, commercial insurance and managed healthcare organizations. These third-party
payors are increasingly limiting coverage or reducing reimbursements for medical products and services. In addition, the U.S.
government, state legislatures and foreign governments have continued implementing cost-containment programs, including price
controls, restrictions on reimbursement and requirements for substitution of generic products. Third-party payors decide which
therapies they will pay for and establish reimbursement levels. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and
payment limitations in setting their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage
and amount of reimbursement to be provided for any drug candidates that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis.
Each payor determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay the manufacturer for the
therapy, and on what tier of its formulary it will be placed. The position on a payor’s list of covered drugs, or formulary,
generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and can strongly influence
the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Adoption of price controls and cost-containment measures, and adoption
of more restrictive policies in jurisdictions with existing controls and measures, could further limit our net revenue and results.
Decreases in third-party reimbursement for our product candidates or a decision by a third-party payor to not cover our product
candidates could reduce physician usage of our product candidates, once approved, and have a material adverse effect on our sales,
results of operations and financial condition.
Other
Healthcare Laws
Because
of our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party
payors, we will also be subject to healthcare regulation and enforcement by the federal government and the states and foreign
governments in which we will conduct our business, including our clinical research, proposed sales, marketing and educational
programs. Failure to comply with these laws, where applicable, can result in the imposition of significant civil penalties, criminal
penalties, or both. The U.S. laws that may affect our ability to operate, among others, include: the federal Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical
Health Act, which governs the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and protects the security and privacy of protected
health information; certain state laws governing the privacy and security of health information in certain circumstances, some
of which are more stringent than HIPAA and many of which differ from each other in significant ways and may not have the same
effect, thus complicating compliance efforts; the federal healthcare programs’ Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among
other things, persons from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering or paying remuneration, directly or indirectly,
in exchange for or to induce either the referral of an individual for, or the purchase, order or recommendation of, any good or
service for which payment may be made under federal healthcare programs such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs; federal false
claims laws which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented,
claims for payment from Medicare, Medicaid, or other third-party payors that are false or fraudulent; federal criminal laws that
prohibit executing a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program or making false statements relating to healthcare matters;
the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which requires manufacturers of drugs, devices, biologics, and medical supplies to report
annually to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services information related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians
(defined to include doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and chiropractors) and teaching hospitals, and ownership and
investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members; and state law equivalents of each of the above federal
laws, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws which may apply to items or services reimbursed by any third-party payor, including
commercial insurers.
45
In
addition, many states have similar laws and regulations, such as anti-kickback and false claims laws that may be broader in scope
and may apply regardless of payor, in addition to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs. Additionally,
to the extent that our product is sold in a foreign country, we may be subject to similar foreign laws.
The
Impact of New Legislation and Amendments to Existing Laws
The
FDCA is subject to routine legislative amendments with a broad range of downstream effects. In addition to new legislation, such
as the FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017 or the FDASIA in 2012, Congress introduces amendments to reauthorize drug user fees and
address emerging concerns every five years. We cannot predict the impact of these new legislative acts and their implementing
regulations on our business. The programs established or to be established under the legislation may have adverse effects upon
us, including increased regulation of our industry. Compliance with such regulation may increase our costs and limit our ability
to pursue business opportunities. In addition, the FDA’s regulations, policies and guidance are often revised or reinterpreted
by the agency or the courts in ways that may significantly affect our business and our products.
We
expect that additional federal and state, as well as foreign, healthcare reform measures will be adopted in the future, any of
which could result in reduced demand for our products or additional pricing pressure.
Human
Capital Resources
As of March 14, 2022, we had 73 full-time employees, of whom 12 hold M.D.
or Ph.D. degrees. We have 52 employees dedicated to research and development. None of our employees are represented by a collective bargaining
agreement. We believe that the skills, experience and industry knowledge of our key employees significantly benefit our operations and
performance. Our research and development operations are located in Chatham, NJ, San Diego, CA, Dartmouth, MA, Frederick, Maryland, Dublin,
Ireland and Montreal, Canada. We have used, and expect to continue to use, third parties to conduct our nonclinical and clinical studies
as well as part-time employees.
Employee
health and safety in the workplace is one of our core values. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored for us the importance of keeping
our employees safe and healthy. In response to the pandemic, we have taken actions aligned with the World Health Organization
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an effort to protect our workforce so they can more safely and effectively
perform their work.
Employee
levels are managed to align with the pace of business and management believes it has sufficient human capital to operate its business
successfully.
Corporate
Information
We
lease the space for our principal executive offices, which are located at 26 Main Street, Suite 101, Chatham, New Jersey 07928,
and our telephone number is (862) 799 8599. Our website addresses are www.tonixpharma.com, www.tonix.com, and www.krele.com. We
do not incorporate the information on our websites into this annual report, and you should not consider such information part
of this annual report.
We
were incorporated on November 16, 2007 under the laws of the State of Nevada as Tamandare Explorations Inc. On October 11, 2011,
we changed our name to Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp.
Item
1A. Risk Factors
Summary
of Risk Factors
●
We
have a history of operating losses and may never generate revenues or achieve profitability.
●
We
expect our operating results to fluctuate, which may make it difficult to predict our future performance.
●
Our
product candidates are novel and still in development.
●
We
do not expect to generate any revenues from product sales in the foreseeable future, if at all.
●
We
are largely dependent on the success of our product candidates and cannot be certain that our product candidates will receive
regulatory approval or be successfully commercialized.
●
Clinical
studies required for our product candidates are expensive and time-consuming, and their outcome is uncertain.
46
●
We
are subject to extensive and costly government regulation.
●
We
have never submitted an NDA before, and may be unable to do so for our product candidates we are developing.
●
Our
product candidates may cause serious adverse events or undesirable side effects which may delay or prevent marketing approval,
or, if approval is received, require them to be taken off the market, require them to include safety warnings or otherwise
limit their sales.
●
We may be unable to meet our anticipated development and commercialization
timelines for approval of any of our product candidates.
●
Any
breakthrough, fast track or orphan drug designation or grant of priority review status by the FDA may not actually lead to
a faster development or regulatory review or approval process, nor assure FDA approval of our product candidates.
●
Even
if approved, our products may not be accepted by the market.
●
We
may use our financial and human resources to pursue a particular research program or product candidate and fail to capitalize
on programs or product candidates that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
●
Our
independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as
a going concern in its report on our audited financial statements. We may be unable to continue to operate without the threat
of liquidation for the foreseeable future.
●
We
will need additional capital. If additional capital is not available or is available at unattractive terms, we may be forced
to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate our research and development programs, reduce our commercialization efforts or
curtail our operations.
●
Outbreaks
of communicable diseases may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
●
Competition
and technological change may make our product candidates and technologies less attractive or obsolete.
●
If
we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our ability to pursue the development of our technologies and products
would be negatively affected.
●
We
may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, which could be expensive and time consuming.
●
If
we infringe the rights of third parties we could be prevented from selling products, forced to pay damages, and defend against
litigation.
●
We
rely on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our clinical studies, and if those third parties perform in an unsatisfactory
manner, it may harm our business.
●
We
will need to expand our operations and increase the size of our company, and we may experience difficulties in managing growth.
●
Our
executive officers and other key personnel are critical to our business, and our future success depends on our ability to
retain them.
●
If
we are unable to hire additional qualified personnel, our ability to grow our business may be harmed.
●
We
rely on third parties to manufacture the compounds used in our studies, and we intend to rely on them for the manufacture
of any approved products for commercial sale. If these third parties do not manufacture our product candidates in sufficient
quantities and at an acceptable cost, clinical development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed,
prevented or impaired.
●
Failure
by our third-party manufacturers to comply with the regulatory guidelines set forth by
the FDA with respect to our product candidates could delay or prevent the completion
of clinical studies, the approval of any product candidates or the commercialization
of our products.
●
Adverse
global conditions, including economic uncertainty, may negatively impact our financial results.
●
Our
internal computer systems, or those of our CRO’s or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches,
which could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.
●
Corporate
and academic collaborators may take actions to delay, prevent, or undermine the success of our products.
●
Data
provided by collaborators and others upon which we rely that has not been independently verified could turn out to be false,
misleading, or incomplete.
●
Our
product candidates may face competition sooner than expected.
●
If
we fail to establish marketing, sales and distribution capabilities, or fail to enter into arrangements with third parties,
we will not be able to create a market for our product candidates.
●
Our
relationships with customers, physicians, and third-party payors will be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state
healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, and other healthcare laws
and regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
●
Coverage
and adequate reimbursement may not be available for our current or any future drug candidates, which could make it difficult
for us to sell profitably, if approved.
●
Healthcare
legislative reform measures may have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
●
If
we obtain approval to commercialize any approved products outside of the United States, a variety of risks associated with
international operations could materially adversely affect our business.
●
We
face the risk of product liability claims and may not be able to obtain insurance.
47
●
We
use hazardous chemicals in our business. Potential claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these chemicals
could affect us and be time consuming and costly.
●
If
we retain collaborative partners and our partners do not satisfy their obligations, we will be unable to develop our partnered
product candidates.
●
We
may be unsuccessful in obtaining a priority review voucher for material threat medical countermeasures.
●
Government
entities may take actions that directly or indirectly have the effect of limiting opportunities for our vaccines for COVID-19.
●
If
technology developed for the purposes of developing new medicines or vaccines can be applied to the creation or development
of biological weapons, then our technology may be considered “dual use” technology and be subject to limitations
on public disclosure or export.
●
We
face risks in connection with existing and future collaborations with respect to the development, manufacture, and commercialization
of our product candidates.
●
We
face risks in connection with the testing, production and storage of our vaccine product candidates.
●
An
active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.
●
The
market price of our common stock has been extremely volatile and may continue to be volatile due to numerous circumstances
beyond our control.
●
We
could be delisted from Nasdaq, which could seriously harm the liquidity of our stock and our ability to raise capital.
●
We
do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock and, accordingly, shareholders must rely on stock appreciation for
any return on their investment.
●
We
expect that our quarterly results of operations will fluctuate, and this fluctuation could cause our stock price to decline.
●
If
we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to accounting controls and procedures, or if
we discover material weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could
decline significantly and raising capital could be more difficult.
●
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they change their recommendations
regarding our stock adversely, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
●
Other
companies may have difficulty acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders, due to provisions under our corporate
charter and bylaws, as well as Nevada law.
●
Other
companies may have difficulty acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders, due to provisions under our corporate
charter and bylaws, as well as Nevada law.
●
Our
bylaws designate the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types
of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to
obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
RISKS
RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS
We
have a history of operating losses and expect to incur losses for the foreseeable future. We may never generate revenues or, if
we are able to generate revenues, achieve profitability.
We
are focused on product development, and we have not generated any revenues to date. We have incurred losses in each year of our
operations, and we expect to continue to incur operating losses for the foreseeable future. These operating losses have adversely
affected and are likely to continue to adversely affect our working capital, total assets and shareholders’ equity.
We
and our prospects should be examined in light of the risks and difficulties frequently encountered by new and early-stage companies
in new and rapidly evolving markets. These risks include, among other things, the speed at which we can scale up operations, our
complete dependence upon development of our product candidates that currently have no market acceptance, our ability to establish
and expand our brand name, our ability to expand our operations to meet the commercial demand of our clients, our development
of and reliance on strategic and customer relationships and our ability to minimize fraud and other security risks.
The
process of developing our products requires significant clinical, nonclinical and CMC development, laboratory testing and clinical
studies. In addition, commercialization of our product candidates will require that we obtain necessary regulatory approvals and
establish sales, marketing and manufacturing capabilities, either through internal hiring or through contractual relationships
with others. We expect to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future as a result of anticipated increases in our research
and development costs, including costs associated with conducting preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies, and
regulatory compliance activities.
We
expect to incur substantial additional operating expenses over the next several years as our research, development, preclinical
and nonclinical testing, and clinical study activities increase , and if and when we acquire rights to additional product
candidates. The amount of future losses and when, if ever, we will achieve profitability are uncertain. We have no products that
have generated any commercial revenue, do not expect to generate revenues from the commercial sale of products in the near future,
and might never generate revenues from the sale of products. Our ability to generate revenue and achieve profitability will depend
on, among other things, successful completion of the development of our product candidates; obtaining necessary regulatory approvals
from the FDA; establishing manufacturing, sales, and marketing arrangements with third parties; successfully commercializing our
products; establishing a favorable competitive position; and raising sufficient funds to finance our activities. Many of these
factors will depend on circumstances beyond our control. We might not succeed at any of these undertakings. If we are unsuccessful
at some or all of these undertakings, our business, prospects, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
48
We
expect a number of factors to cause our operating results to fluctuate on a quarterly and annual basis, which may make it difficult
to predict our future performance.
We
are a development-stage biopharmaceutical and our operations to date have been primarily limited to developing our technology
and undertaking preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies of our clinical-stage product candidate, TNX-102 SL for
FM and PTSD. We have not yet obtained regulatory approvals for TNX-102 SL or any of our other product candidates. Consequently,
any predictions made about our future success or viability may not be as accurate as they could be if we had a longer operating
history or commercialized products. Our financial condition has varied significantly in the past and will continue to fluctuate
from quarter-to-quarter or year-to-year due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Factors relating to
our business that may contribute to these fluctuations include other factors described elsewhere in this annual report and also
include, among other things:
●
our
ability to obtain additional funding to develop our product candidates;
●
delays
in the commencement, enrollment and timing of clinical studies;
●
the
success of our clinical studies through all phases of clinical development, including studies of our most advanced product
candidate, TNX-102 SL for FM and PTSD;
●
any
delays in regulatory review and approval of product candidates in clinical development;
●
our
ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval for our product candidate TNX-102 SL for FM and PTSD or any of our other
product candidates in the United States and foreign jurisdictions;
●
potential
nonclinical toxicity and/or side effects of our product candidates that could delay or prevent commercialization, limit the
indications for any approved drug, require the establishment of REMS, or cause an approved drug to be taken off the market;
●
our
ability to establish or maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements;
●
market
acceptance of our product candidates;
●
competition
from existing products or new products that may emerge;
●
the
ability of patients or healthcare providers to obtain coverage of or sufficient reimbursement for our products;
●
our
ability to leverage our proprietary technology platform to discover and develop additional product candidates;
●
our
ability and our licensors’ abilities to successfully obtain, maintain, defend and enforce intellectual property rights
important to our business; and
●
potential
product liability claims;
Accordingly,
the results of any quarterly or annual periods should not be relied upon as indications of future operating performance.
RISKS
RELATED TO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, REGULATORY APPROVAL, MANUFACTURING AND COMMERCILAIZATION
Our
product candidates are novel and still in development.
We
are a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of drug product candidates, all of which are still in development.
Our drug development methods may not lead to commercially viable drugs for any of several reasons. For example, we may fail to
identify appropriate targets or compounds, our drug candidates may fail to be safe and effective in clinical studies, or we may
have inadequate financial or other resources to pursue development efforts for our drug candidates. Our drug candidates will require
significant additional development, clinical studies, regulatory clearances and additional investment by us or our collaborators
before they can be commercialized.
49
Further,
we and our product candidates are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and comparable regulatory authorities in other countries
governing, among other things, research, testing, clinical studies, manufacturing, labeling, promotion, selling, adverse event
reporting and recordkeeping. We are not permitted to market any of our product candidates in the United States until we receive
approval of an NDA for a product candidate from the FDA or the equivalent approval from a foreign regulatory authority. Obtaining
FDA approval is a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process. We currently have one product candidate, TNX-102 SL, in Phase 3 development
for the treatment of FM and Phase 2 development for the treatment of PTSD. The success of our business currently depends on the
successful development, approval and commercialization of our product candidates and TNX-102 SL. Any projected sales or future
revenue predictions are predicated upon FDA approval and market acceptance. If projected sales do not materialize for any reason,
it would have a material adverse effect on our business and our ability to continue operations.
As
we have no approved products on the market, we do not expect to generate any revenues from product sales in the foreseeable future,
if at all.
To
date, we have no approved product on the market and have generated no product revenues. We have funded our operations primarily
from sales of our securities. We have not received, and do not expect to receive for at least the next couple of years, if at
all, any revenues from the commercialization of our product candidates. To obtain revenues from sales of our product candidates,
we must succeed, either alone or with third parties, in developing, obtaining regulatory approval for, manufacturing and marketing
drugs with commercial potential. We may never succeed in these activities, and we may not generate sufficient revenues to continue
our business operations or achieve profitability.
We
are largely dependent on the success of our lead product candidates, and we cannot be certain that these product candidates will
receive regulatory approval or be successfully commercialized.
We
have not yet submitted an NDA or foreign equivalent or received marketing approval for our lead product candidates anywhere in
the world. The clinical development programs may not lead to commercial products for a number of reasons, including if we fail
to obtain necessary approvals from the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities because our clinical studies fail to demonstrate
to their satisfaction that this product candidate is safe and effective or a clinical program may be put on hold due to unexpected
safety issues. We may also fail to obtain the necessary approvals if we have inadequate financial or other resources to advance
our product candidates through the clinical study process. Any failure or delay in completing clinical studies or obtaining regulatory
approvals for our lead product candidates in a timely manner would have a material adverse impact on our business and our stock
price.
We
may not commence or advance clinical trials for COVID-related products if the COVID-19 disease outbreak subsides.
Disease
outbreaks are unpredictable. For example, the SARS virus disappeared just four months after it caused a global panic. In the event
that COVID-19 has a similar disease cycle, we may be forced to abandon or delay the development of our COVID-related products
due to a lack of patients or government funding.
Successful
development of our products is uncertain.
Our
development of current and future product candidates is subject to the risks of failure and delay inherent in the development
of new pharmaceutical products, including: delays in product development, clinical testing, or manufacturing; unplanned expenditures
in product development, clinical testing, or manufacturing; failure to receive regulatory approvals; emergence of superior or
equivalent products; inability to manufacture on its own, or through any others, product candidates on a commercial scale; and
failure to achieve market acceptance.
Because
of these risks, our research and development efforts may not result in any commercially viable products. If a significant portion
of these development efforts are not successfully completed, required regulatory approvals are not obtained or any approved products
are not commercially successfully, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially harmed.
Clinical
studies required for our product candidates are expensive and time-consuming, and their outcome is uncertain.
In
order to obtain FDA approval to market a new pharmaceutical product, we must demonstrate proof of safety and effectiveness in
humans. To meet these requirements, we must conduct “adequate and well controlled” clinical studies. Conducting clinical
studies is a lengthy, time-consuming, and expensive process. The length of time may vary substantially according to the type,
complexity, novelty, and intended use of the product candidate, and often can be several years or more per study. Delays associated
with products for which we are directly conducting clinical studies may cause us to incur additional operating expenses. The commencement
and rate of completion of clinical studies may be delayed by many factors, including, for example: inability to manufacture sufficient
quantities of stable and qualified materials under cGMP, for use in clinical studies; slower than expected rates of patient recruitment;
failure to recruit a sufficient number of patients; modification of clinical study protocols; changes in regulatory requirements
for clinical studies; the lack of effectiveness during clinical studies; the emergence of unforeseen safety issues; delays, suspension,
or termination of the clinical studies due to the ITB responsible for overseeing the study at a particular study site; and government
or regulatory delays or “clinical holds” requiring suspension or termination of the studies.
50
The
results from early clinical studies are not necessarily predictive of results obtained in later clinical studies. Accordingly,
even if we obtain positive results from early clinical studies, we may not be able to confirm the results in future clinical studies.
In addition, clinical studies may not demonstrate sufficient safety and effectiveness to obtain the requisite regulatory approvals
for product candidates.
Our
clinical studies may be conducted in patients with CNS conditions, and in some cases, our product candidates are expected to be
used in combination with approved therapies that themselves have significant adverse event profiles. During the course of treatment,
these patients could suffer adverse medical events or die for reasons that may or may not be related to our product candidates.
We cannot ensure that safety issues will not arise with respect to our product candidates in clinical development.
The
failure of clinical studies to demonstrate safety and effectiveness for the desired indications could harm the development of
that product candidate and other product candidates. This failure could cause us to abandon a product candidate and could delay
development of other product candidates. Any delay in, or termination of, our clinical studies would delay the filing of our NDAs
with the FDA and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate product revenues. Any change in,
or termination of, our clinical studies could materially harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We
are subject to extensive and costly government regulation.
Product
candidates employing our technology are subject to extensive and rigorous domestic government regulation including regulation
by the FDA, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, other divisions of the United States Department of Health and Human
Services, the United States Department of Justice, state and local governments, and their respective foreign equivalents. The
FDA regulates the research, development, preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies, manufacture, safety, effectiveness,
record-keeping, reporting, labeling, storage, approval, advertising, promotion, sale, distribution, import, and export of biopharmaceutical
products. The FDA regulates small molecule chemical entities as drugs, subject to an NDA under the FDCA. The FDA applies the same
standards for biologics, requiring an IND application, followed by a Biologic License Application, or BLA, prior to licensure.
Other products, such as vaccines, are also regulated under the Public Health Service Act. FDA has conflated the standards for
approval of NDAs and BLAs so that they require the same types of information on safety, effectiveness, and CMCs. If products employing
our technologies are marketed abroad, they will also be subject to extensive regulation by foreign governments, whether or not
they have obtained FDA approval for a given product and its uses. Such foreign regulation may be equally or more demanding than
corresponding United States regulation.
Government
regulation substantially increases the cost and risk of researching, developing, manufacturing, and selling our products. The
regulatory review and approval process, which includes preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies of each product
candidate, is lengthy, expensive, and uncertain. We or our collaborators must obtain and maintain regulatory authorization to
conduct clinical studies. We or our collaborators must obtain regulatory approval for each product we intend to market, and the
manufacturing facilities used for the products must be inspected and meet legal requirements. Securing regulatory approval requires
the submission of extensive preclinical, nonclinical and clinical data and other supporting information for each proposed therapeutic
indication in order to establish the product’s safety and efficacy, and in the case of biologics also potency and purity,
for each intended use. The development and approval process takes many years, requires substantial resources, and may never lead
to the approval of a product.
Even
if we are able to obtain regulatory approval for a particular product, the approval may limit the indicated medical uses for the
product, may otherwise limit our ability to promote, sell, and distribute the product, may require that we conduct costly post-marketing
surveillance, and/or may require that we conduct ongoing post-marketing studies. Material changes to an approved product, such
as, for example, manufacturing changes or revised labeling, may require further regulatory review and approval. Once obtained,
any approvals may be withdrawn, including, for example, if there is a later discovery of previously unknown problems with the
product, such as a previously unknown safety issue.
If
we, our collaborators, or our CMOs fail to comply with applicable regulatory requirements at any stage during the regulatory process,
such noncompliance could result in, among other things delays in the approval of applications or supplements to approved applications;
refusal of a regulatory authority, including the FDA, to review pending market approval applications or supplements to approved
applications; warning letters; fines; import and/or export restrictions; product recalls or seizures; injunctions; total or partial
suspension of production; civil penalties; withdrawals of previously approved marketing applications or licenses; recommendations
by the FDA or other regulatory authorities against governmental contracts; and/or criminal prosecutions.
51
We
do not have, and may never obtain, the regulatory approvals we need to market our product candidates.
Following
completion of clinical studies, the results are evaluated and, depending on the outcome, submitted to the FDA in the form of an
NDA or BLA in order to obtain FDA approval of the product and authorization to commence commercial marketing. In responding to
an NDA, the FDA may require additional testing or information, may require that the product labeling be modified, may impose post-approval
study and other commitments or reporting requirements or other restrictions on product distribution, or may deny the application.
The FDA has established performance goals for review of NDAs or BLAs: six months for priority applications and ten months for
standard applications. However, the FDA is not required to complete its review within these time periods. The timing of final
FDA review and action varies greatly but can take years in some cases and may involve the input of an FDA advisory committee of
outside experts. Product sales in the United States may commence only when an NDA or BLA is approved.
To
date, we have not applied for or received the regulatory approvals required for the commercial sale of any of our products in
the United States or in any foreign jurisdiction. None of our product candidates have been determined to be safe and effective,
and we have not submitted an NDA or BLA to the FDA or an equivalent application to any foreign regulatory authorities for any
of our product candidates.
It
is possible that none of our product candidates will be approved for marketing. Failure to obtain regulatory approvals, or delays
in obtaining regulatory approvals, may adversely affect the successful commercialization of any drugs or biologics that we or
our partners develop, may impose additional costs on us or our collaborators, may diminish any competitive advantages that we
or our partners may attain, and/or may adversely affect our receipt of revenues or royalties.
We
have never submitted an NDA before, and may be unable to do so for our product candidates we are developing.
The
conduct of pivotal clinical studies and the submission of a successful NDA is a complicated process. Although members of our management
team have extensive industry experience, including in the development and clinical testing of drug candidates and the commercialization
of drug, have limited experience in preparing, submitting and prosecuting regulatory filings, and have not submitted an NDA before.
Consequently, we may be unable to successfully and efficiently execute and complete this planned clinical study in a way that
leads to NDA submission and approval of our product candidates we are developing. We may require more time and incur greater costs
than our competitors and may not succeed in obtaining regulatory approvals of product candidates that we develop. Failure to commence
or complete, or delays in, our planned clinical studies would prevent or delay commercialization of TNX-102 SL and other product
candidates we are developing.
Our
product candidates may cause serious adverse events, or SAEs, or undesirable side effects which may delay or prevent marketing
approval, or, if approval is received, require them to be taken off the market, require them to include safety warnings or otherwise
limit their sales.
SAEs
or undesirable side effects from any of our other product candidates could arise either during clinical development or, if approved,
after the approved product has been marketed. The results of future clinical studies may show that our product candidates cause
SAEs or undesirable side effects, which could interrupt, delay or halt clinical studies, resulting in delay of, or failure to
obtain, marketing approval from the FDA and other regulatory authorities.
If
any of our other product candidates cause SAEs or undesirable side effects or suffer from quality control issues:
●
regulatory
authorities may impose a clinical hold or risk evaluation and mitigation strategies, or REMS, which could result in substantial
delays, significantly increase the cost of development, and/or adversely impact our ability to continue development of the
product;
●
regulatory
authorities may require the addition of statements, specific warnings, or contraindications to the product label, or restrict
the product’s indication to a smaller potential treatment population;
●
we
may be required to change the way the product is administered or conduct additional clinical studies;
●
we
may be required to implement a risk minimization action plan, which could result in substantial cost increases and have a
negative impact on our ability to commercialize the product;
●
we
may be required to limit the participants who can receive the product;
●
we
may be subject to limitations on how we promote the product;
●
we
may, voluntarily or involuntarily, initiate field alerts for product recall, which may result in shortages;
●
sales
of the product may decrease significantly;
52
●
regulatory
authorities may require us to take our approved product off the market;
●
we
may be subject to litigation or product liability claims; and
●
our
reputation may suffer.
Any
of these events could prevent us from achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product or could substantially
increase commercialization costs and expenses, which in turn could delay or prevent us from generating significant revenues from
the sale of our products.
If
we are unable to file for approval of TNX-102 SL under Section 505(b)(2) of the FDCA or if we are required to generate additional
data related to safety and efficacy in order to obtain approval under Section 505(b)(2), we may be unable to meet our anticipated
development and commercialization timelines.
Our
current plans for filing NDAs for our most advanced product candidate, TNX-102 SL, include efforts to minimize the data we will
be required to generate in order to obtain marketing approval and therefore reduce the development time. We intend to file Section
505(b)(2) NDAs for TNX-102 SL for FM, PTSD, and for other proposed indications, that might, if accepted by the FDA, save time
and expense in the development and testing of TNX-102 SL.
TNX-102
SL for FM and PTSD are our most advanced development programs which are in the Phase 3 and 2 stages, respectively. The timeline
for filing and review of our NDA for TNX-102 SL for FM and PTSD is based on our plan to submit this NDA under Section 505(b)(2)
of the FDCA, which would enable us to rely in part on data in the public domain or elsewhere. We have not yet filed an NDA under
Section 505(b)(2) for any of our product candidates. Depending on the data that may be required by the FDA for approval, some
of the data may be related to products already approved by the FDA. If the data relied upon is related to products already approved
by the FDA and covered by third-party patents, we would be required to certify that we do not infringe the listed patents or that
such patents are invalid or unenforceable. As a result of the certification, the third-party would have 45 days from notification
of our certification to initiate an action against us. In the event that an action is brought in response to such a certification,
the approval of our NDA could be subject to a stay of up to 30 months or more while we defend against such a suit. Approval of
our product candidates under Section 505(b)(2) may therefore be delayed until patent exclusivity expires or until we successfully
challenge the applicability of those patents to our product candidates. Alternatively, we may elect to generate sufficient Alternatively,
we may elect to generate sufficient additional clinical data so that we no longer rely on data which triggers a potential stay
of the approval of our product candidates. Even if no exclusivity periods apply to our applications under Section 505(b)(2), the
FDA has broad discretion to require us to generate additional data on the safety and efficacy of our product candidates to supplement
third-party data on which we may be permitted to rely. In either event, we could be required, before obtaining marketing approval
for any of our product candidates, to conduct substantial new research and development activities beyond those we currently plan
to engage in order to obtain approval of our product candidates. Such additional new research and development activities would
be costly and time consuming.
We
may not be able to realize a shortened development timeline for TNX-102 SL for FM or PTSD (or other proposed indications under
TNX-102 SL), and the FDA may not approve our NDA based on their review of the submitted data. If cyclobenzaprine-containing products
are withdrawn from the market by the FDA for any safety reason, we may not be able to reference such products to support a 505(b)(2)
NDA for TNX-102 SL, and we may need to fulfill the more extensive requirements of Section 505(b)(1). If we are required to generate
additional data to support approval, we may be unable to meet our anticipated development and commercialization timelines, may
be unable to generate the additional data at a reasonable cost, or at all, and may be unable to obtain marketing approval of our
lead product candidate.
Any
breakthrough, fast track or orphan drug designation or grant of priority review status by the FDA may not actually lead to a faster
development or regulatory review or approval process, nor will it assure FDA approval of our product candidates. Additionally,
our product candidates may treat indications that do not qualify for priority review vouchers.
If
a product candidate offers major advances in treatment, the FDA may designate it eligible for priority review. The FDA has broad
discretion whether or not to grant these designations, so even if we believe a particular product candidate is eligible for these
designations, we cannot assure you that the FDA would decide to grant them. Even if we do receive fast track designation or priority
review, we may not experience a faster development process, review or approval compared to conventional FDA procedures. The FDA
may withdraw fast track designation if it believes that the designation is no longer supported by data from our clinical development
program.
Even
if approved, our products will be subject to extensive post-approval regulation.
Once
a product is approved, numerous post-approval requirements apply. Among other things, the holder of an approved NDA is subject
to periodic and other FDA monitoring and reporting obligations, including obligations to monitor and report adverse events and
instances of the failure of a product to meet the specifications in the NDA. Application holders must submit new or supplemental
applications and obtain FDA approval for certain changes to the approved product, product labeling, or manufacturing process.
Application holders must also submit advertising and other promotional material to the FDA and report on ongoing clinical studies.
53
Depending
on the circumstances, failure to meet these post-approval requirements can result in criminal prosecution, fines, injunctions,
recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production, denial or withdrawal of pre-marketing product approvals,
or refusal to allow us to enter into supply contracts, including government contracts. In addition, even if we comply with FDA
and other requirements, new information regarding the safety or effectiveness of a product could lead the FDA to modify or withdraw
product approval.
Even
if we obtain regulatory approval to market our product candidates, our product candidates may not be accepted by the market.
Even
if the FDA approves one or more of our product candidates, physicians and patients may not accept it or use it. Even if physicians
and patients would like to use our products, our products may not gain market acceptance among healthcare payors such as managed
care formularies, insurance companies or government programs such as Medicare or Medicaid. Acceptance and use of our products
will depend upon a number of factors including: perceptions by members of the health care community, including physicians, about
the safety and effectiveness of our drug or device product; cost-effectiveness of our product relative to competing products;
availability of reimbursement for our product from government or other healthcare payors; and effectiveness of marketing and distribution
efforts by us and our licensees and distributors, if any.
The
degree of market acceptance of any pharmaceutical product that we develop will depend on a number of factors, including:
●
cost-effectiveness;
●
the
safety and effectiveness of our products, including any significant potential side effects (including drowsiness and dry mouth),
as compared to alternative products or treatment methods;
●
the
timing of market entry as compared to competitive products;
●
the
rate of adoption of our products by doctors and nurses;
●
product
labeling or product insert required by the FDA for each of our products;
●
reimbursement
policies of government and third-party payors;
●
effectiveness
of our sales, marketing and distribution capabilities and the effectiveness of such capabilities of our collaborative partners,
if any; and
●
unfavorable
publicity concerning our products or any similar products.
Because
we expect sales of our current product candidates, if approved, to generate substantially all of our product revenues for the
foreseeable future, the failure of these products to find market acceptance would harm our business and could require us to seek
additional financing.
We
may use our financial and human resources to pursue a particular research program or product candidate and fail to capitalize
on programs or product candidates that may be more profitable or for which there is a greater likelihood of success.
Because
we have limited financial and human resources, we are currently focusing on development of our lead product candidates. As a result,
we may forego or delay pursuit of opportunities with other product candidates or for other indications that later prove to have
greater commercial potential. Our resource allocation decisions may cause us to fail to capitalize on viable commercial products
or profitable market opportunities. Our spending on existing and future product candidates for specific indications may not yield
any commercially viable products. If we do not accurately evaluate the commercial potential or target market for a particular
product candidate, we may relinquish valuable rights to that product candidate through strategic alliance, licensing or other
royalty arrangements in cases in which it would have been more advantageous for us to retain sole development and commercialization
rights to such product candidate, or we may allocate internal resources to a product candidate in a therapeutic area in which
it would have been more advantageous to enter into a partnering arrangement.
54
RISKS
RELATED TO OUR FINANCIAL CONDITION AND CAPITAL REQUIREMENTS; COMPETITION
Our
independent registered public accounting firm has included an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going
concern in its report on our audited financial statements. We may be unable to continue to operate without the threat of liquidation
for the foreseeable future.
In
connection with our management’s assessment, our report from our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal
year ended December 31, 2021 includes an explanatory paragraph stating that our recurring losses from operations and net
capital deficiency raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to obtain sufficient
funding, our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected and
we may be unable to continue as a going concern. For example, we anticipate that our existing cash and cash equivalents will enable
us to maintain our current operations through the end of 2022, but not beyond. If we are unable to continue as a going concern,
we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our consolidated
financial statements, and investors will likely lose all or a part of their investment. Future reports from our independent registered
public accounting firm may also contain statements expressing substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
If we seek additional financing to fund our business activities in the future and there remains substantial doubt about our ability
to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding on commercially
reasonable terms or at all.
We
will need additional capital. If additional capital is not available or is available at unattractive terms, we may be forced to
delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate our research and development programs, reduce our commercialization efforts or curtail
our operations.
In
order to develop and bring our product candidates to market, we must commit substantial resources to costly and time-consuming
research, preclinical and nonclinical testing, clinical studies and marketing activities and the buildout of our research and
development and manufacturing facilities. We anticipate that our existing cash and cash equivalents will enable us to maintain
our current operations through the end of 2022, but not beyond. We anticipate using our cash and cash equivalents to fund further
research and development with respect to our lead product candidate. We will, however, need to raise additional funding sooner
if our business or operations change in a manner that consumes available resources more rapidly than we anticipate. Our requirements
for additional capital will depend on many factors, including:
●
successful
commercialization of our product candidates;
●
the
time and costs involved in obtaining regulatory approval for our product candidates;
●
costs
associated with protecting our intellectual property rights;
●
development
of marketing and sales capabilities;
●
payments
received under future collaborative agreements, if any; and
●
market
acceptance of our products.
To
the extent we raise additional capital through the sale of equity securities, the issuance of those securities could result in
dilution to our shareholders. In addition, if we obtain debt financing, a substantial portion of our operating cash flow may be
dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on such indebtedness, thus limiting funds available for our business activities.
If adequate funds are not available, we may be required to delay, reduce the scope of or eliminate our research and development
programs, reduce our commercialization efforts or curtail our operations. In addition, we may be required to obtain funds through
arrangements with collaborative partners or others that may require us to relinquish rights to technologies, product candidates
or products that we would otherwise seek to develop or commercialize ourselves or license rights to technologies, product candidates
or products on terms that are less favorable to us than might otherwise be available.
We
will require substantial additional funds to support our research and development activities, and the anticipated costs of preclinical
and nonclinical testing and clinical studies, regulatory approvals and eventual commercialization. Such additional sources of
financing may not be available on favorable terms, if at all. If we do not succeed in raising additional funds on acceptable terms,
we may be unable to commence or complete clinical studies or obtain approval of any product candidates from the FDA and other
regulatory authorities. In addition, we could be forced to discontinue product development, forego sales and marketing efforts
and forego attractive business opportunities. Any additional sources of financing will likely involve the issuance of our equity
securities, which will have a dilutive effect on our shareholders.
There
is no assurance that we will be successful in raising the additional funds needed to fund our business plan. If we are not able
to raise sufficient capital in the near future, our continued operations will be in jeopardy and we may be forced to cease operations
and sell or otherwise transfer all or substantially all of our remaining assets.
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Outbreaks
of communicable diseases may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We
may face risks related to health epidemics or outbreaks of communicable diseases. The outbreak of such communicable diseases,
such as COVID-19, has and may result in future widespread health crisis that adversely affect general commercial activity and
the economies and financial markets of many countries. An outbreak of communicable diseases, or the perception that such an outbreak
could occur, and the measures taken by the governments of countries affected could adversely affect our business, financial condition
or results of operations. For example, an outbreak could significantly disrupt our business by limiting our ability to travel
or ship materials within or outside of an affected country and forcing temporary closure of facilities or service providers that
we rely upon. An outbreak could also impact our ability to conduct our ongoing multicenter clinical trials if trial participant
attendance at requisite study visits is substantially reduced and if a significant percentage of study participants and study
staff are adversely affected by coronavirus or other infections and the resulting disease course. Moreover, government or community
shutdowns such as those caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may impair our ability to analyze and submit the results from our clinical
and preclinical trials, leading to further delays in the development and approval of our product candidates.
Competition
and technological change may make our product candidates and technologies less attractive or obsolete.
We
compete with established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that are pursuing other forms of treatment for the same or
similar indications we are pursuing and that have greater financial and other resources. Other companies may succeed in developing
products earlier than us, obtaining FDA approval for products more rapidly, or developing products that are more effective than
our product candidates. Research and development by others may render our technology or product candidates obsolete or noncompetitive,
or result in treatments or cures superior to any therapy we develop. We face competition from companies that internally develop
competing technology or acquire competing technology from universities and other research institutions. As these companies develop
their technologies, they may develop competitive positions that may prevent, make futile, or limit our product commercialization
efforts, which would result in a decrease in the revenue we would be able to derive from the sale of any products.
There
can be no assurance that any of our product candidates will be accepted by the marketplace as readily as these or other competing
treatments. Furthermore, if our competitors’ products are approved before ours, it could be more difficult for us to obtain
approval from the FDA. For example, at least three vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 have been approved to date, and we
expect that other vaccines will be approved prior to the approval of our CVOID-19 vaccine candidate, if it is approved at all.
Even if our products are successfully developed and approved for use by all governing regulatory bodies, there can be no assurance
that physicians and patients will accept our product(s) as a treatment of choice.
Additionally,
if a competitor receives FDA approval before we do for a drug that is similar to one of our product candidates, FDA approval for
our product candidate may be precluded or delayed due to periods of non-patent exclusivity and/or the listing with the FDA by
the competitor of patents covering its newly-approved drug product. Periods of non-patent exclusivity for new versions of existing
drugs such as our current drug product candidate, TNX-102 SL, can extend up to three and one-half years.
Furthermore,
the pharmaceutical research industry is diverse, complex, and rapidly changing. By its nature, the business risks associated therewith
are numerous and significant. The effects of competition, intellectual property disputes, market acceptance, and FDA regulations
preclude us from forecasting revenues or income with certainty or even confidence.
RISKS
RELATED TO OUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS AND REGULATORY EXCLUSIVITY
If
we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our ability to pursue the development of our technologies and products would
be negatively affected.
Our
success will depend in part on our ability to obtain patents and maintain adequate protection of our technologies and products.
If we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, competitors may be able to use our technologies to produce and market
drugs using our technologies and patents in direct competition with us and erode our competitive advantage. Some foreign countries
lack rules and methods for defending intellectual property rights and do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as
the United States. Many companies have had difficulty protecting their proprietary rights in these foreign countries. We may not
be able to prevent misappropriation of our proprietary rights and intellectual property rights in these and other countries.
We
have received, and are currently seeking, patent protection for numerous compounds and methods of treating diseases. However,
the patent process is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in
protecting our products by obtaining and defending patents related to them. These risks and uncertainties include the following:
patents that may be issued or licensed may be challenged, invalidated, or circumvented, or otherwise may not provide us any competitive
advantage; our competitors, many of which have substantially greater resources than we and many of which have made significant
investments in competing technologies, may seek, or may already have obtained, patents that will limit, interfere with, or eliminate
our ability to make, use, and sell our potential products either in the United States or in international markets; there may be
significant pressure on the United States government and other international governmental bodies to limit the scope of patent
protection both inside and outside the United States for treatments that prove successful as a matter of public policy regarding
worldwide health concerns; and countries other than the United States may have less robust patent laws than those upheld by United
States courts, allowing foreign competitors the ability to exploit these laws to create, develop, and market competing products
using our technologies and patents.
56
Moreover,
any patents issued to us may not provide us with meaningful protection, or others may challenge, circumvent or narrow our patents.
Third parties may also independently develop products similar to our products, duplicate our unpatented products or design around
any patents or propriety technologies on products we develop. Additionally, extensive time is required for development, testing
and regulatory review of a potential product. While extensions of patent term due to regulatory delays may be available, it is
possible that, before any of our product candidates can be commercialized, any related patent, even with an extension, may expire
or remain in force for only a short period following commercialization, thereby reducing any advantages to us of the patent.
In
addition, the PTO and patent offices in other jurisdictions have often required that patent applications concerning pharmaceutical
and/or biotechnology-related inventions be limited or narrowed substantially to cover only the innovations specifically exemplified
in the patent application, thereby limiting the scope of protection against competitive challenges. Thus, even if we or our licensors
are able to obtain patents, the patents may be substantially narrower than anticipated.
Our
success depends on our patents and patent applications that may be licensed exclusively to us and other patents and patent applications
to which we may obtain assignment or licenses. We may not be aware, however, of all patents, published applications or published
literature that may affect our business either by blocking our ability to commercialize our product candidates, by preventing
the patentability of our product candidates to us or our licensors, or by covering the same or similar technologies. These patents,
patent applications, and published literature may limit the scope of our future patent claims or adversely affect our ability
to market our product candidates.
In
addition to patents, we rely on a combination of trade secrets, confidentiality, nondisclosure and other contractual provisions,
and security measures to protect our confidential and proprietary information. These measures may not adequately protect our trade
secrets or other proprietary information. If they do not adequately protect our rights, third parties could use our technology,
and we could lose any competitive advantage we may have. In addition, others may independently develop similar proprietary information
or techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets, which could impair any competitive advantage we may have.
Patent
protection and other intellectual property protection is crucial to the success of our business and prospects, and there is a
substantial risk that such protections will prove inadequate.
We
may be involved in lawsuits to protect or enforce our patents, which could be expensive and time consuming.
The
pharmaceutical industry has been characterized by extensive litigation regarding patents and other intellectual property rights,
and companies have employed intellectual property litigation to gain a competitive advantage. We may become subject to infringement
claims or litigation arising out of present and future patents and other proceedings of our competitors. The defense and prosecution
of intellectual property suits are costly and time-consuming to pursue, and their outcome is uncertain. Litigation may be necessary
to determine the enforceability, scope, and validity of the proprietary rights of others. An adverse determination in litigation
to which we may become a party could subject us to significant liabilities, require us to obtain licenses from third parties,
or restrict or prevent us from selling our products in certain markets. Although patent and intellectual property disputes might
be settled through licensing or similar arrangements, the costs associated with such arrangements may be substantial and could
include our paying large fixed payments and ongoing royalties. Furthermore, the necessary licenses may not be available on satisfactory
terms or at all.
Competitors
may infringe our patents, and we may file infringement claims to counter infringement or unauthorized use. Third parties may assert
that our patents are invalid and/or unenforceable in these proceedings. Such litigation can be expensive, particularly for a company
of our size, and time-consuming. In addition, in an infringement proceeding, a court may decide that a patent of ours is not valid
or is unenforceable, or may refuse to stop the other party from using the technology at issue on the grounds that our patents
do not cover its technology. An adverse determination of any litigation or defense proceedings could put one or more of our patents
at risk of being invalidated or interpreted narrowly.
Third
parties may also assert that our patents are invalid in patent office administrative proceedings. These proceedings include oppositions
in the European Patent Office and inter partes review and post-grant review proceedings in the PTO. The success
rate of these administrative challenges to patent validity in the United States is higher than it is for validity challenges in
litigation.
Interference
or derivation proceedings brought before the PTO may be necessary to determine priority of invention with respect to innovations
disclosed in our patents or patent applications. During these proceedings, it may be determined that we do not have priority of
invention for one or more aspects in our patents or patent applications and could result in the invalidation in part or whole
of a patent or could put a patent application at risk of not issuing. Even if successful, an interference or derivation proceeding
may result in substantial costs and distraction to our management.
Furthermore,
because of the substantial amount of discovery required in connection with intellectual property litigation or interference or
derivation proceedings, there is a risk that some of our confidential information could be compromised by disclosure. In addition,
there could be public announcements of the results of hearings, motions or other interim proceedings or developments. If investors
perceive these results to be negative, the price of our common stock could be adversely affected.
57
Except for the oppositions to European Patents 2501234, 2968992, and 2683245
(the Opposition Division in each of those oppositions maintained our claims in unamended form; Opponent has appealed that decision in
the ‘234 Opposition and we expect the opponents to appeal the decisions in the ‘992 and ‘245 oppositions), there
are no unresolved communications, allegations, complaints or threats of litigation related to the possibility that our patents
are invalid or unenforceable. Any litigation or claims against us, whether or not merited, may result in substantial costs, place
a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management and harm our reputation. An adverse decision
in litigation or administrative proceedings could result in inadequate protection for our product candidates and/or reduce the
value of any license agreements we have with third parties.
If
we infringe the rights of third parties we could be prevented from selling products, forced to pay damages, and defend against
litigation.
If
our products, methods, processes and other technologies infringe the proprietary rights of other parties, we could incur substantial
costs and we may have to: obtain licenses, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all; abandon an
infringing product candidate; redesign our products or processes to avoid infringement; stop using the subject matter claimed
in the patents held by others; pay damages; and/or defend litigation or administrative proceedings which may be costly whether
we win or lose, and which could result in a substantial diversion of our financial and management resources.
There
are risks to our intellectual property based on our international business initiatives.
We
may face risks to our technology and intellectual property as a result of our conducting strategic business discussions outside
of the United States, and particularly in jurisdictions that do not have comparable levels of protection of corporate proprietary
information and assets such as intellectual property, trademarks, trade secrets, know-how and customer information and records.
While these risks are common to many companies, conducting business in certain foreign jurisdictions, housing technology, data
and intellectual property abroad, or licensing technology to joint ventures with foreign partners may have more significant exposure.
For example, we have shared intellectual properties with entities in China pursuant to confidentiality agreements in connection
with discussions on potential strategic collaborations, which may expose us to material risks of theft of our proprietary information
and other intellectual property, including technical data, manufacturing processes, data sets or other sensitive information.
For example, our technology may be reverse engineered by the parties or other parties, which could result in our patents being
infringed or our know-how or trade secrets stolen. The risk can be by direct intrusion wherein technology and intellectual property
is stolen or compromised through cyber intrusions or physical theft through corporate espionage, including with the assistance
of insiders, or via more indirect routes.
GENERAL
COMPANY-RELATED RISKS
If
preclinical and nonclinical testing or clinical studies for our product candidates are unsuccessful or delayed, we will be unable
to meet our anticipated development and commercialization timelines.
We
rely and expect to continue to rely on third parties, including contract research organizations, or CROs, and outside consultants,
to conduct, supervise or monitor some or all aspects of preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies involving our
product candidates. We have less control over the timing and other aspects of these preclinical and nonclinical testing activities
and clinical studies than if we performed the monitoring and supervision entirely on our own. Third parties may not perform their
responsibilities for our preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies on our anticipated schedule or, for clinical
studies, consistent with a clinical study protocol. Delays in preclinical and nonclinical testing, and clinical studies could
significantly increase our product development costs and delay product commercialization. In addition, many of the factors that
may cause, or lead to, a delay in the clinical studies may also ultimately lead to denial of regulatory approval of a product
candidate.
The
commencement of clinical studies can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays in:
●
demonstrating
sufficient safety and efficacy to obtain regulatory approval to commence a clinical study;
●
reaching
agreement on acceptable terms with prospective CROs and study sites;
●
developing
a stable formulation of a product candidate;
●
manufacturing
sufficient quantities of a product candidate; and
●
obtaining
institutional review board, or IRB, approval to conduct a clinical study at a prospective site.
58
Once
a clinical study has begun, it may be delayed, suspended or terminated by us or the FDA or other regulatory authorities due to
a number of factors, including:
●
ongoing
discussions with the FDA or other regulatory authorities regarding the scope or design of our clinical studies;
●
failure
to conduct clinical studies in accordance with regulatory requirements;
●
lower
than anticipated recruitment or retention rate of patients in clinical studies;
●
inspection
of the clinical study operations or study sites by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of
a clinical hold;
●
lack
of adequate funding to continue clinical studies;
●
negative
results of clinical studies;
●
investigational
drug product out-of-specification; or
●
nonclinical
or clinical safety observations, including adverse events and SAEs.
If
clinical studies are unsuccessful, and we are not able to obtain regulatory approvals for our product candidates under development,
we will not be able to commercialize these products, and therefore may not be able to generate sufficient revenues to support
our business.
We
rely on third parties to conduct, supervise and monitor our clinical studies, and if those third parties perform in an unsatisfactory
manner, it may harm our business.
We
rely on CROs and clinical study sites to ensure the proper and timely conduct of our clinical studies. While we have agreements
governing their activities, we will have limited influence over their actual performance. We will control only certain aspects
of our CROs’ activities. Nevertheless, we will be responsible for ensuring that our clinical studies are conducted in accordance
with the applicable protocol, legal, regulatory and scientific standards and our reliance on the CROs does not relieve us of our
regulatory responsibilities.
We
and our CROs are required to comply with the FDA’s cGCP for conducting, recording and reporting the results of clinical
studies to assure that data and reported results are credible and accurate and that the rights, integrity and confidentiality
of clinical study participants are protected. The FDA enforces these cGCPs through periodic inspections of study sponsors, principal
investigators and clinical study sites. If we or our CROs fail to comply with applicable cGCPs, the clinical data generated in
our clinical studies may be deemed unreliable and the FDA may require us to perform additional clinical studies before approving
any marketing applications. Upon inspection, the FDA may determine that our clinical studies did not comply with cGCPs. In addition,
our clinical studies, including our ongoing Phase 3 RALLY study, will require a sufficiently large number of fibromyalgia participants
to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of TNX-102 SL in FM. Accordingly, if our CROs fail to comply with these regulations or
fail to recruit a sufficient number of participants, our clinical studies may be delayed or we may be required to repeat such
clinical studies, which would delay the regulatory approval process.
Our
CROs are not our employees, and we are not able to control whether or not they devote sufficient time and resources to our clinical
studies. These CROs may also have relationships with other commercial entities, including our competitors, for whom they may also
be conducting clinical studies, or other drug development activities which could harm our competitive position.
If
our CROs do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations, fail to meet expected deadlines, or if the quality
or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or regulatory
requirements, or for any other reasons, our clinical studies may be extended, delayed or terminated, and we may not be able to
obtain regulatory approval for, or successfully commercialize our product candidates. As a result, our financial results and the
commercial prospects for such product candidates would be harmed, our costs could increase, and our ability to generate revenues
could be delayed.
We
also rely on other third parties to store and distribute drug products for our clinical studies. Any performance failure on the
part of our distributors could delay clinical development or marketing approval of our product candidates or commercialization
of our products, if approved, producing additional losses and depriving us of potential product revenue.
59
We
will need to expand our operations and increase the size of our company, and we may experience difficulties in managing growth.
As
we advance our product candidates through preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies, and develop new product candidates
and buildout of our research and development and manufacturing facilities, we will need to increase our product development, scientific,
regulatory and compliance and administrative headcount to manage these programs. In addition, to meet our obligations as a public
company, we will need to increase our general and administrative capabilities. Our management, personnel and systems currently
in place may not be adequate to support this future growth. Our need to effectively manage our operations, growth and various
projects requires that we:
●
successfully
attract and recruit new employees with the expertise and experience we will require;
●
manage
our clinical programs effectively, which we anticipate being conducted at numerous clinical sites;
●
develop
a marketing, distribution and sales infrastructure in addition to a post-marketing surveillance program if we seek to market
our products directly; and
●
continue
to improve our operational, manufacturing, quality assurance, financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures.
If
we are unable to successfully manage this growth and increased complexity of operations, our business may be adversely affected.
Our
executive officers and other key personnel are critical to our business, and our future success depends on our ability to retain
them.
Our
success depends to a significant extent upon the continued services of Dr. Seth Lederman, our President and Chief Executive Officer
and Dr. Gregory M. Sullivan, our Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Lederman has overseen Tonix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a wholly-owned
subsidiary, since inception and provides leadership for our growth and operations strategy as well as being an inventor on many
of our patents. Dr. Sullivan has served as our Chief Medical Officer since 2014 and directed the Phase 2 AtEase study, Phase 3
HONOR study, the Phase 3 RECOVERY study, Phase 3 RELIEF study and the Phase 3 RALLY study. Loss of the services of Drs. Lederman
or Sullivan would have a material adverse effect on our growth, revenues, and prospective business. The loss of any of our key
personnel, or the inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our
research, development or business objectives and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results
of operations.
Any
employment agreement we enter into will not ensure the retention of the employee who is a party to the agreement. In addition,
we have only limited ability to prevent former employees from competing with us. Furthermore, our future success will also depend
in part on the continued service of our key scientific and management personnel and our ability to identify, hire, and retain
additional personnel. We experience intense competition for qualified personnel and may be unable to attract and retain the personnel
necessary for the development of our business. Moreover, competition for personnel with the scientific and technical skills that
we seek is extremely high and is likely to remain high. Because of this competition, our compensation costs may increase significantly.
If
we are unable to hire additional qualified personnel, our ability to grow our business may be harmed.
Over
time we will need to hire additional qualified personnel with expertise in drug development, product registration, clinical, preclinical
and nonclinical research, quality compliance, government regulation, formulation and manufacturing, financial matters and sales
and marketing. We compete for qualified individuals with numerous biopharmaceutical companies, universities and other research
institutions. Competition for such individuals is intense, and we cannot be certain that our search for such personnel will be
successful. Attracting and retaining qualified personnel will be critical to our success.
We
rely on third parties to manufacture the compounds used in our studies, and we intend to rely on them for the manufacture of any
approved products for commercial sale. If these third parties do not manufacture our product candidates in sufficient quantities
and at an acceptable cost, clinical development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed, prevented or
impaired.
We
have no experience in the clinical or commercial-scale manufacture of drugs or in designing drug manufacturing processes. We intend
to rely on CMOs to manufacture some or all of our product candidates in clinical studies and our products that reach commercialization.
Completion of our clinical studies and commercialization of our product candidates requires the manufacture of a sufficient supply
of our product candidates. We have contracted with outside sources to manufacture our development compounds. If, for any reason,
we become unable to rely on our current sources for the manufacture of our product candidates, either for clinical studies or,
at some future date, for commercial quantities, then we would need to identify and contract with additional or replacement third-party
manufacturers to manufacture compounds for nonclinical, preclinical, clinical, and commercial purposes. Although we are in discussions
with other manufacturers we have identified as potential alternative CMOs of TNX-102 SL, we may not be successful in negotiating
acceptable terms with any of them.
We
believe that there are a variety of manufacturers that we may be able to retain to produce these products. However, once we retain
a manufacturing source, if our manufacturers do not perform in a satisfactory manner, we may not be able to develop or commercialize
potential products as planned. Certain specialized manufacturers are expected to provide us with modified and unmodified pharmaceutical
compounds, including finished products, for use in our preclinical and nonclinical testing and clinical studies. Some of these
materials are available from only one supplier or vendor. Any interruption in or termination of service by such sole source suppliers
could result in a delay or interruption in manufacturing until we locate an alternative source of supply. Any delay or interruption
in manufacturing operations (or failure to locate a suitable replacement for such suppliers) could materially adversely affect
our business, prospects, or results of operations. We do not have any short-term or long-term manufacturing agreements with many
of these manufacturers. If we fail to contract for manufacturing on acceptable terms or if third-party manufacturers do not perform
as we expect, our development programs could be materially adversely affected. This may result in delays in filing for and receiving
FDA approval for one or more of our products. Any such delays could cause our prospects to suffer significantly.
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Failure
by our third-party manufacturers to comply with the regulatory guidelines set forth by the FDA with respect to our product candidates
could delay or prevent the completion of clinical studies, the approval of any product candidates or the commercialization of
our products.
Such
third-party manufacturers must be inspected by FDA for cGMP compliance before they can produce commercial product. We may be in
competition with other companies for access to these manufacturers’ facilities and may be subject to delays in manufacture
if the manufacturers give other clients higher priority than they give to us. If we are unable to secure and maintain third-party
manufacturing capacity, the development and sales of our products and our financial performance may be materially affected.
Manufacturers
are obligated to operate in accordance with FDA-mandated requirements. A failure of any of our third-party manufacturers to establish
and follow cGMP requirements and to document their adherence to such practices may lead to significant delays in the availability
of material for clinical studies, may delay or prevent filing or approval of marketing applications for our products, and may
cause delays or interruptions in the availability of our products for commercial distribution following FDA approval. This could
result in higher costs to us or deprive us of potential product revenues.
Drug
manufacturers are subject to ongoing periodic unannounced inspections by the FDA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA,
and corresponding state and foreign agencies to ensure strict compliance with cGMP requirements and other requirements under Federal
drug laws, other government regulations and corresponding foreign standards. If we or our third-party manufacturers fail to comply
with applicable regulations, sanctions could be imposed on us, including fines, injunctions, civil penalties, failure by the government
to grant marketing approval of drugs, delays, suspension or withdrawal of approvals, seizures or recalls of product, operating
restrictions and criminal prosecutions.
Adverse
global conditions, including economic uncertainty, may negatively impact our financial results.
Global
conditions, dislocations in the financial markets, or inflation could adversely impact our business. In addition, the global macroeconomic
environment has been and may continue to be negatively affected by, among other things, instability in global economic markets,
increased U.S. trade tariffs and trade disputes with other countries, instability in the global credit markets, supply chain weaknesses,
instability in the geopolitical environment as a result of the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom
from the European Union, and other political tensions, and foreign governmental debt concerns. Such challenges have caused, and
may continue to cause, uncertainty and instability in local economies and in global financial markets, which may adversely affect
our business.
Our
internal computer systems, or those of our CROs or other contractors or consultants, may fail or suffer security breaches, which
could result in a material disruption of our product development programs.
Despite
the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of our CROs and other contractors and consultants
are vulnerable to damage or disruption from computer viruses, software bugs, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism,
war, and telecommunication, equipment and electrical failures. While we have not, to our knowledge, experienced any significant
system failure, accident or security breach to date, if such an event were to occur and cause interruptions in our operations,
it could result in a material disruption of our programs. For example, the loss of clinical trial data from completed or ongoing
clinical trials for any of our product candidates could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly
increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. Moreover, our information security systems and those of our CROs are also
subject to laws and regulations requiring that we take measures to protect the privacy and security of certain information gathered
and used in our business. For example, HIPAA and its implementing regulations impose, among other requirements, certain regulatory
and contractual requirements regarding the privacy and security of personal health information. In the European Union the General
Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, is even more restrictive with respect to all personal information, including information
masked by a coding system. In addition to HIPAA and GDPR, numerous other federal and state laws, including, without limitation,
state security breach notification laws, state health information privacy laws and federal and state consumer protection laws,
govern the collection, use, disclosure and storage of personal information. To the extent that any disruption or security breach
results in a loss of or damage to our data or applications, or inappropriate disclosure or theft of confidential or proprietary
information, we could incur liability, the further development of our product candidates could be delayed, our competitive position
could be compromised, or our business reputation could be harmed.
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Corporate
and academic collaborators may take actions to delay, prevent, or undermine the success of our products.
Our
operating and financial strategy for the development, clinical testing, manufacture, and commercialization of drug candidates
is heavily dependent on our entering into collaborations with corporations, academic institutions, licensors, licensees, and other
parties. Our current strategy assumes that we will successfully establish these collaborations, or similar relationships; however,
there can be no assurance that we will be successful establishing such collaborations. Some of our existing collaborations are,
and future collaborations may be, terminable at the sole discretion of the collaborator. Replacement collaborators might not be
available on attractive terms, or at all. The activities of any collaborator will not be within our control and may not be within
our power to influence. There can be no assurance that any collaborator will perform its obligations to our satisfaction or at
all, that we will derive any revenue or profits from such collaborations, or that any collaborator will not compete with us. If
any collaboration is not pursued, we may require substantially greater capital to undertake development and marketing of our proposed
products and may not be able to develop and market such products effectively, if at all. In addition, a lack of development and
marketing collaborations may lead to significant delays in introducing proposed products into certain markets and/or reduced sales
of proposed products in such markets.
Data
provided by collaborators and others upon which we rely that has not been independently verified could turn out to be false, misleading,
or incomplete.
We
rely on third-party vendors, scientists, and collaborators to provide us with significant data and other information related to
our projects, clinical studies, and our business. If such third parties provide inaccurate, misleading, or incomplete data, our
business, prospects, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our
product candidates may face competition sooner than expected.
We
intend to seek data exclusivity or market exclusivity for our product candidates provided under the FDCA and similar laws in other
countries. We believe that TNX-801 could qualify for 12 years of data exclusivity under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation
Act of 2009, or BPCIA, which was enacted as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Under the BPCIA, an application
for a biosimilar product or BLA cannot be submitted to the FDA until four years, or if approved by the FDA, until 12 years, after
the original brand product identified as the reference product is approved under a BLA. The BPCIA provides an abbreviated pathway
for the approval of biosimilar and interchangeable biological products. The new abbreviated regulatory pathway establishes legal
authority for the FDA to review and approve biosimilar biologics, including the possible designation of a biosimilar as “interchangeable”
based on its similarity to an existing brand product. The new law is complex and is only beginning to be interpreted and implemented
by the FDA. While it is uncertain when any such processes may be fully adopted by the FDA, any such processes could have a material
adverse effect on the future commercial prospects for any of our product candidates that are biologics. There is also a risk that
BPCIA could be repealed or amended to shorten this exclusivity period, potentially creating the opportunity for biosimilar competition
sooner than anticipated after the expiration of our patent protection. Although there is no current discussion of repeal or modification
of the BPCIA, the future remains uncertain. Moreover, the extent to which a biosimilar, once approved, will be substituted for
any reference product in a way that is similar to traditional generic substitution for non-biological products is not yet clear,
and will depend on a number of marketplace and regulatory factors that are still developing.
Our
product candidates that are not, or are not considered, biologics that would qualify for exclusivity under the BPCIA may be eligible
for market exclusivity as drugs under the FDCA. The FDCA provides a five-year period of non-patent marketing exclusivity within
the U.S. to the first applicant to gain approval of an NDA for an NCE. A drug is an NCE if the FDA has not previously approved
any other new drug containing the same active moiety, which is the molecule or ion responsible for the action of the drug substance.
During the exclusivity period, the FDA may not accept for review an abbreviated new drug application, or ANDA, or a 505(b)(2)
NDA, submitted by another company for another version of such drug where the applicant does not own or have a legal right of reference
to all the data required for approval. However, an application may be submitted after four years if it contains a certification
of patent invalidity or non-infringement. The FDCA also provides three years of marketing exclusivity for an NDA, 505(b)(2) NDA
or supplement to an existing NDA if new clinical investigations, other than bioavailability studies, that were conducted or sponsored
by the applicant are deemed by the FDA to be essential to the approval of the application, for example, for new indications, dosages,
or strengths of an existing drug. This three-year exclusivity covers only the conditions associated with the new clinical investigations
and does not prohibit the FDA from approving ANDAs for drugs containing the original active agent.
Even
if, as we expect, our product candidates are considered to be reference products eligible for 12 years of exclusivity under the
BPCIA or five years of exclusivity under the FDCA, another company could market competing products if the FDA approves a full
BLA or full NDA for such product containing the sponsor’s own preclinical data and data from adequate and well-controlled
clinical trials to demonstrate the safety, purity and potency of the products. Moreover, an amendment or repeal of the BPCIA could
result in a shorter exclusivity period for our product candidates, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
62
If
we fail to establish marketing, sales and distribution capabilities, or fail to enter into arrangements with third parties, we
will not be able to create a market for our product candidates.
Our
strategy with our product candidates is to control, directly or through contracted third parties, all or most aspects of the product
development process, including marketing, sales and distribution. Currently, we do not have any sales, marketing or distribution
capabilities. In order to generate sales of any product candidates that receive regulatory approval, we must either acquire or
develop an internal marketing and sales force with technical expertise and with supporting distribution capabilities or make arrangements
with third parties to perform these services for us. The acquisition or development of a sales and distribution infrastructure
would require substantial resources, which may divert the attention of our management and key personnel and defer our product
development efforts.
To
the extent that we enter into marketing and sales arrangements with other companies, our revenues will depend on the efforts of
others. These efforts may not be successful. If we fail to develop sales, marketing and distribution channels, or enter into arrangements
with third parties, we will experience delays in product sales and incur increased costs.
Sales
of pharmaceutical products largely depend on the reimbursement of patients’ medical expenses by government health care programs
and private health insurers. Without the financial support of the government or third-party payors, the market for our products
will be limited. These third-party payors are increasingly challenging the price and examining the cost effectiveness of medical
products and services. Recent proposals to change the health care system in the United States have included measures that would
limit or eliminate payments for medical products and services or subject the pricing of medical treatment products to government
control. Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved health care products. Third-party payors
may not reimburse sales of our products or enable our collaborators to sell them at profitable prices.
Our
business strategy might involve out-licensing product candidates to or collaborating with larger firms with experience in marketing
and selling pharmaceutical products. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully establish marketing, sales,
or distribution relationships; that such relationships, if established, will be successful; or that we will be successful in gaining
market acceptance for our products. To the extent that we enter into any marketing, sales, or distribution arrangements with third
parties, our product revenues will be lower than if we marketed and sold our products directly, and any revenues we receive will
depend upon the efforts of such third-parties. If we are unable to establish such third-party sales and marketing relationships,
or choose not to do so, we will have to establish and rely on our own in-house capabilities.
We,
as a company, have no experience in marketing or selling pharmaceutical products and currently have no sales, marketing, or distribution
infrastructure. To market any of our products directly, we would need to develop a marketing, sales, and distribution force that
both has technical expertise and the ability to support a distribution capability. The establishment of a marketing, sales, and
distribution capability would significantly increase our costs, possibly requiring substantial additional capital. In addition,
there is intense competition for proficient sales and marketing personnel, and we may not be able to attract individuals who have
the qualifications necessary to market, sell, and distribute our products. There can be no assurance that we will be able to establish
internal marketing, sales, or distribution capabilities. If we are unable to, or choose not to establish these capabilities, or
if the capabilities we establish are not sufficient to meet our needs, we will be required to establish collaborative marketing,
sales, or distribution relationships with third parties.
Our
relationships with customers, physicians, and third-party payors will be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state
healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, and other healthcare laws and
regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.
Healthcare
providers, physicians and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation
and prescription of any drug candidates for which we obtain marketing approval. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare
professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors may subject us to various federal and state
fraud and abuse laws and other health care laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal
civil and criminal false claims laws and the law commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations.
These laws will impact, among other things, our clinical research, proposed sales, marketing and educational programs. In addition,
we may be subject to patient privacy laws by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct or may conduct our
business. The laws that will affect our operations include, but are not limited to:
●
the
federal Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits, among other things, persons or entities from knowingly and willfully soliciting,
receiving, offering or paying any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly
or covertly, in cash or in kind, in return for the purchase, recommendation, leasing or furnishing of an item or service reimbursable
under a federal healthcare program, such as the Medicare and Medicaid programs;
●
federal
civil and criminal false claims laws, including, without limitation, the False Claims Act, and civil monetary penalty laws
which prohibit, among other things, individuals or entities from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, claims
for payment or approval from Medicare, Medicaid or other government payors that are false or fraudulent or making a false
statement to avoid, decrease or conceal an obligation to pay money to the federal government;
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●
the
federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, which created new federal criminal statutes
that prohibit a person from knowingly and willfully executing a scheme or making false or fraudulent statements to defraud
any healthcare benefit program, regardless of the payor (e.g., public or private);
●
HIPAA,
as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH, and its implementing regulations,
and as amended again by the final HIPAA omnibus rule, Modifications to the HIPAA Privacy, Security, Enforcement, and Breach
Notification Rules Under HITECH and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act; Other Modifications to HIPAA, published
in January 2013, which imposes certain requirements relating to the privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable
health information without appropriate authorization by entities subject to the rule, such as health plans, health care clearinghouses
and health care providers, and their respective business associates;
●
federal
transparency laws, including the federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which is part of PPACA, that require certain manufacturers
of drugs, devices, biologics and medical supplies for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s
Health Insurance Program, with specific exceptions, to report annually to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
or CMS, information related to: (i) payments or other “transfers of value’’ made to physicians and
teaching hospitals; and (ii) ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members;
●
state
and foreign law equivalents of each of the above federal laws, state laws that require manufacturers to report information
related to payments and other transfers of value to physicians and other healthcare providers or marketing expenditures, and
state laws that require pharmaceutical companies to comply with the pharmaceutical industry’s voluntary compliance guidelines
and the relevant compliance guidance promulgated by the federal government or to adopt compliance programs as prescribed by
state laws and regulations, or that otherwise restrict payments that may be made to healthcare providers; and
●
state
and foreign laws that govern the privacy and security of health information in some circumstances, many of which differ from
each other in significant ways and often are not preempted by HIPAA, thus complicating compliance efforts.
Because
of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some
of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws.
It
is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes,
regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found
to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant
civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion of drugs from government funded
healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a
corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and the
curtailment or restructuring of our operations.
The
risk of our being found in violation of these laws is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted
by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations. Efforts to ensure
that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial
costs. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant
legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. The shifting compliance environment
and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance
and/or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a healthcare company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements.
Coverage
and adequate reimbursement may not be available for our current or any future drug candidates, which could make it difficult for
us to sell profitably, if approved.
Market
acceptance and sales of any drug candidates that we commercialize, if approved, will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement
for these drugs and related treatments will be available from third-party payors, including government health administration authorities,
managed care organizations and other private health insurers. Third-party payors decide which therapies they will pay for and
establish reimbursement levels. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting
their own coverage and reimbursement policies. However, decisions regarding the extent of coverage and amount of reimbursement
to be provided for any drug candidates that we develop will be made on a payor-by-payor basis. One payor’s determination
to provide coverage for a drug does not assure that other payors will also provide coverage, and adequate reimbursement, for the
drug. Additionally, a third-party payor’s decision to provide coverage for a therapy does not imply that an adequate reimbursement
rate will be approved. Each payor determines whether or not it will provide coverage for a therapy, what amount it will pay the
manufacturer for the therapy, and on what tier of its formulary it will be placed. The position on a payor’s list of covered
drugs, or formulary, generally determines the co-payment that a patient will need to make to obtain the therapy and
can strongly influence the adoption of such therapy by patients and physicians. Patients who are prescribed treatments for their
conditions and providers prescribing such services generally rely on third-party payors to reimburse all or part of the associated
healthcare costs. Patients are unlikely to use our drugs unless coverage is provided and reimbursement is adequate to cover a
significant portion of the cost of our drugs.
64
A
primary trend in the U.S. healthcare industry and elsewhere is cost containment. Third-party payors have attempted to control
costs by limiting coverage and the amount of reimbursement for particular medications. We cannot be sure that coverage and reimbursement
will be available for any drug that we commercialize and, if reimbursement is available, what the level of reimbursement will
be. Inadequate coverage and reimbursement may impact the demand for, or the price of, any drug for which we obtain marketing approval.
If coverage and adequate reimbursement are not available, or are available only to limited levels, we may not be able to successfully
commercialize our current and any future drug candidates that we develop.
Healthcare
legislative or regulatory reform measures, including government restrictions on pricing and reimbursement, may have a negative
impact on our business and results of operations.
In
the United States and some foreign jurisdictions, there have been, and continue to be, several legislative and regulatory changes
and proposed changes regarding the healthcare system that could prevent or delay marketing approval of product candidates, restrict
or regulate post-approval activities, and affect our ability to profitably sell any product candidates for which we obtain marketing
approval.
Among
policy makers and payors in the United States and elsewhere, there is significant interest in promoting changes in healthcare
systems with the stated goals of containing healthcare costs, improving quality and/or expanding access. In the United States,
the pharmaceutical industry has been a particular focus of these efforts and has been significantly affected by major legislative
initiatives. For example, in the United States, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (“ACA”) substantially
changed the way healthcare is financed by both the government and private insurers ,
and significantly affects the pharmaceutical industry. Many provisions of the ACA impact the biopharmaceutical
industry, including that in order for a biopharmaceutical product to receive federal reimbursement under the Medicare Part B and
Medicaid programs or to be sold directly to U.S. government agencies, the manufacturer must extend discounts to entities eligible
to participate in the drug pricing program under the Public Health Services Act, or PHS. Since its enactment, there have been
judicial and Congressional challenges and amendments to certain aspects of the ACA. There is continued uncertainty about the implementation
of the ACA, including the potential for further amendments to the ACA and legal challenges to or efforts to repeal the ACA.
Additionally,
there has been heightened governmental scrutiny in the United States of pharmaceutical pricing practices in light of the rising
cost of prescription drugs and biologics. Such scrutiny has resulted in several recent congressional inquiries and proposed and
enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to product pricing, review the
relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for
products. At the federal level, the now-departed Trump administration proposed numerous prescription drug cost control measures.
Similarly, the new Biden administration has made lowering prescription drug prices one of its priorities. The Biden administration
has not yet proposed any specific plans, but we expect that these will be forthcoming in the near term. At the state level, legislatures
are increasingly passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing,
including price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access and marketing cost disclosure
and transparency measures, and, in some cases, designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. Other
examples of proposed changes include, but are not limited to, expanding post-approval requirements, changing the Orphan Drug Act,
and restricting sales and promotional activities for pharmaceutical products.
We
cannot be sure whether additional legislative changes will be enacted, or whether government regulations, guidance or interpretations
will be changed, or what the impact of such changes would be on the marketing approvals, sales, pricing, or reimbursement of our
drug candidates or products, if any, may be. We expect that these and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in
the future, may result in more rigorous coverage criteria and in additional downward pressure on the price that we receive for
any approved drug. Any reduction in reimbursement from Medicare or other government programs may result in a similar reduction
in payments from private payors. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from
being able to generate revenue, attain profitability, or commercialize our drugs.
In
addition, FDA regulations and guidance may be revised or reinterpreted by the FDA in ways that may significantly affect our business
and our products. Any new regulations or guidance, or revisions or reinterpretations of existing regulations or guidance, may
impose additional costs or lengthen FDA review times for our product candidates. We cannot determine how changes in regulations,
statutes, policies, or interpretations when and if issued, enacted or adopted, may affect our business in the future. Such changes
could, among other things, require:
●
additional
clinical trials to be conducted prior to obtaining approval;
●
changes
to manufacturing methods;
65
●
recalls,
replacements, or discontinuance of one or more of our products; and
●
additional
recordkeeping.
Such
changes would likely require substantial time and impose significant costs, or could reduce the potential commercial value of
our product candidates. In addition, delays in receipt of or failure to receive regulatory clearances or approvals for any other
products would harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
If
we obtain approval to commercialize any approved products outside of the United States, a variety of risks associated with international
operations could materially adversely affect our business.
If
TNX-102 SL or any of our other product candidates are approved for commercialization outside of the United States, we intend to
enter into agreements with third parties to market them on a worldwide basis or in more limited geographical regions. We expect
that we will be subject to additional risks related to entering into international business relationships, including:
●
different
regulatory requirements for drug approvals;
●
reduced
protection for intellectual property rights, including trade secret and patent rights;
●
unexpected
changes in tariffs, trade barriers and regulatory requirements;
●
economic
weakness, including inflation, or political instability in particular foreign economies and markets;
●
compliance
with tax, employment, immigration and labor laws for employees living or traveling abroad;
●
foreign
taxes, including withholding of payroll taxes;
●
foreign
currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses and reduced revenues, and other obligations incident
to doing business in another country;
●
workforce
uncertainty in countries where labor unrest is more common than in the United States;
●
production
shortages resulting from any events affecting raw material supply or manufacturing capabilities abroad;
●
business
interruptions resulting from geopolitical actions, including war and terrorism, or natural disasters including earthquakes,
hurricanes, floods and fires; and
●
difficulty
in importing and exporting clinical study materials and study samples.
We
face the risk of product liability claims and may not be able to obtain insurance.
Our
business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that are inherent in the development of drugs. If the use of one or
more of our or our collaborators’ drugs harms people, we may be subject to costly and damaging product liability claims
brought against us by clinical study participants, consumers, health care providers, pharmaceutical companies or others selling
our products. Our inability to obtain sufficient product liability insurance at an acceptable cost to protect against potential
product liability claims could prevent or inhibit the commercialization of pharmaceutical products we develop, alone or with collaborators.
While we currently carry clinical study insurance and product liability insurance, we cannot predict all of the possible harms
or side effects that may result and, therefore, the amount of insurance coverage we hold now or in the future may not be adequate
to cover all liabilities we might incur. We intend to expand our insurance coverage to include the sale of commercial products
if we obtain marketing approval for our drug candidates in development, but we may be unable to obtain commercially reasonable
product liability insurance for any products approved for marketing. If we are unable to obtain insurance at an acceptable cost
or otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, we will be exposed to significant liabilities, which may materially
and adversely affect our business and financial position. If we are sued for any injury allegedly caused by our or our collaborators’
products, our liability could exceed our total assets and our ability to pay the liability. A product liability claim or series
of claims brought against us would decrease our cash and could cause our stock price to fall.
We
use hazardous chemicals in our business. Potential claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these chemicals
could affect us and be time consuming and costly.
Our
research and development processes and/or those of our third party contractors may involve the controlled use of hazardous materials
and chemicals. These hazardous chemicals are reagents and solvents typically found in a chemistry laboratory. Our operations also
produce hazardous waste products. Federal, state and local laws and regulations govern the use, manufacture, storage, handling
and disposal of hazardous materials. While we attempt to comply with all environmental laws and regulations, including those relating
to the outsourcing of the disposal of all hazardous chemicals and waste products, we cannot eliminate the risk of contamination
from or discharge of hazardous materials and any resultant injury. In the event of such an accident, we could be held liable for
any resulting damages and any liability could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
66
Compliance
with environmental laws and regulations may be expensive. Current or future environmental regulations may impair our research,
development or production efforts. We might have to pay civil damages in the event of an improper or unauthorized release of,
or exposure of individuals to, hazardous materials. We are not insured against these environmental risks.
If
we enter into collaborations with third parties, they might also work with hazardous materials in connection with our collaborations.
We may agree to indemnify our collaborators in some circumstances against damages and other liabilities arising out of development
activities or products produced in connection with these collaborations.
In
addition, the federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of
hazardous or radioactive materials and waste products may require us to incur substantial compliance costs that could materially
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our
insurance policies are expensive and protect us only from some business risks, which will leave us exposed to significant uninsured
liabilities.
We
carry insurance for most categories of risk that our business may encounter, however, we may not have adequate levels of coverage.
We currently maintain general liability, clinical study, property, workers’ compensation, products liability and directors’
and officers’ insurance, along with an umbrella policy, which collectively costs approximately $1,700,000 per annum. We
cannot provide any assurances that we will be able to maintain existing insurance at current or adequate levels of coverage. Any
significant uninsured liability may require us to pay substantial amounts, which would adversely affect our cash position and
results of operations.
If
we retain collaborative partners and our partners do not satisfy their obligations, we will be unable to develop our partnered
product candidates.
In
the event we enter into any collaborative agreements, we may not have day-to-day control over the activities of our collaborative
partners with respect to any of these product candidates. Any collaborative partner may not fulfill its obligations under these
agreements. If a collaborative partner fails to fulfill its obligations under an agreement with us, we may be unable to assume
the development of the products covered by that agreement or enter into alternative arrangements with a third party. In addition,
we may encounter delays in the commercialization of the product candidate that is the subject of the agreement. Accordingly, our
ability to receive any revenue from the product candidates covered by these agreements will be dependent on the efforts of our
collaborative partner. We could also become involved in disputes with a collaborative partner, which could lead to delays in or
termination of our development and commercialization programs and time-consuming and expensive litigation or arbitration. In addition,
any such dispute could diminish our collaborators’ commitment to us and reduce the resources they devote to developing and
commercializing our products. Conflicts or disputes with our collaborators, and competition from them, could harm our relationships
with our other collaborators, restrict our ability to enter future collaboration agreements and delay the research, development
or commercialization of our product candidates. If any collaborative partner terminates or breaches its agreement, or otherwise
fails to complete its obligations in a timely manner, our chances of successfully developing or commercializing these product
candidates would be materially and adversely affected. We may not be able to enter into collaborative agreements with partners
on terms favorable to us, or at all. Our inability to enter into collaborative arrangements with collaborative partners, or our
failure to maintain such arrangements, would limit the number of product candidates that we could develop and ultimately, decrease
our sources of any future revenues.
We
may be unsuccessful in obtaining a priority review voucher for material threat medical countermeasures.
In
2016, the 21st Century Cures Act, or the Act, was signed into law to support ongoing biomedical innovation. One part of the Act,
Section 3086, is aimed at “Encouraging Treatments for Agents that Present a National Security Threat.” The Act created
a new priority review voucher program for approved “material threat medical countermeasures.” The Act defines such
countermeasures as drug or biologic products, including vaccines, intended to treat biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear
agents that present a national security threat or to treat harm from a condition that may be caused by administering a drug or
biological product against such an agent. The Department of Homeland Security has identified 13 such threats, including anthrax,
smallpox, Ebola/Marburg, tularemia, botulinum toxin, and pandemic influenza, which includes the SARS coronavirus 2 known as SARS-CoV-2.
A priority review voucher can be applied to any other product; it shortens the FDA review timeline for a new application from
10 to 12 months to 6 months. The recipient of a priority review voucher may transfer it.
We
intend to seek a priority review voucher if and when a TNX-801 Biologics License Application is approved as a material threat
medical countermeasure. However, the structure of voucher programs limits the number of medical countermeasures eligible for a
priority review voucher. Further, the medical countermeasure must qualify for priority review in order to be eligible and may
not include any commercially approved indication. Moreover, the Priority Review Voucher program provision of the 21st Century
Cures Act is set to expire in 2023. If TNX-801 does not receive FDA approval by 2023, we may not be able to capitalize on the
incentives contained in the 21st Century Cures Act unless the provision allowing for the Priority Review Voucher Program is extended
until such time as TNX-801 is approved.
67
There
may not be market interest in TNX-801.
The
government is the only market for most medical countermeasures. This is because unlike other drugs and vaccines, these products
are not sold to doctors, hospitals, or pharmacies. The BioShield Special Reserve Fund, or SRF, has been the sole medical countermeasures
market for the last decade. The SRF is now appropriated annually and has not kept pace with the need for purchasing products ready
for stockpiling. During 2020, $735 million was appropriated to SRF. As such, even if TNX-801 were to receive FDA licensure, the
commercial success of TNX-801 remains uncertain.
Government
entities may take actions that directly or indirectly have the effect of limiting opportunities for our vaccine candidates for
COVID-19.
Various
government entities, including the U.S. government, are offering incentives, grants and contracts to encourage additional investment
by commercial organizations into preventative and therapeutic agents against COVID-19, which may have the effect of increasing
the number of competitors and/or providing advantages to competitors. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will be able
to successfully establish a competitive market share if we ultimately receive regulatory approval for our vaccines as a vaccine
for COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines may also be subject to government pricing controls, which could adversely affect the profitability
of any COVID-19 vaccine we are able to develop and commercialize.
If
technology developed for the purposes of developing new medicines or vaccines can be applied to the creation or development of
biological weapons, then our technology may be considered “dual use” technology and be subject to limitations on public
disclosure or export.
Our
research and development of synthetic poxviruses is dedicated not only to creating tools that better protect public health but
also to safeguarding any information with broad, dual-use potential that could be inappropriately applied. “Dual use research”
is research conducted for legitimate purposes that generates knowledge, information, technologies, and/or products that can be
reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, information, products, or technologies that could be directly misapplied to pose
a significant threat to public health, agricultural crops, or national security. Because variola, the agent that causes smallpox,
is a pox virus, the technology we created could be considered dual use and could be subject to export control, for example under
the Wassenaar Arrangement. Further, if federal authorities determine that our research is subject to institutional oversight,
we will need to implement a risk-management plan developed in collaboration with the institutional review entity. Failure to comply
with the plan may result in suspension, limitation, or termination of federal funding or loss of future federal funding opportunities
for any of our research.
We
face risks in connection with existing and future collaborations with respect to the development, manufacture, and commercialization
of our product candidates.
We
face a number of risks in connection with our current collaborations. Our collaboration agreements are subject to termination
under various circumstances. Our collaborators may change the focus of their development and commercialization efforts or may
have insufficient resources to effectively assist in the development of our products. Any future collaboration agreements may
have the effect of limiting the areas of research and development that we may pursue, either alone or in collaboration with third
parties. Further, disagreements with collaborators, including disagreements over proprietary rights, contract interpretation,
or the preferred course of development, might cause delays, might result in litigation or arbitration, or might result in termination
of the research, development or commercialization of our products. Any such disagreements would divert management attention and
resources and be time-consuming and costly.
We
face risks in connection with the testing, production and storage of our vaccine product candidates.
Developing
our TNX-1800 and TNX-801 vaccine candidates each require testing of challenges with monkeypox or SARS-CoV-2 viruses under controlled
experimental conditions. The testing of TNX-1800 and TNX-801 may carry risk of infection and harm to individuals.
In
addition, our TNX-1800 and TNX-801 vaccine candidates are both live forms of the horsepox. We have initiated vaccine-manufacturing
activities to support further nonclinical testing of TNX-801. The production and storage of the synthesized horsepox virus stock
and, once initiated, TNX-1800 virus stock, may carry risk of infection and harm to individuals. Any such infection could expose
us to product and general liability claims, and may carry risk of infection and harm to individuals.
68
RISKS
RELATED TO OUR STOCK
Sales
of additional shares of our common stock could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
Sales
of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the availability of such shares for sale, by us or others,
including the issuance of common stock upon exercise of outstanding options and warrants, could adversely affect the price of
our common stock. We and our directors and officers may sell shares into the market, which could adversely affect the market price
of shares of our common stock.
An
active trading market for our common stock may not be sustained.
Although
our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, the market for our shares has demonstrated varying levels of trading
activity. Furthermore, the current level of trading may not be sustained in the future. The lack of an active market for our common
stock may impair investors’ ability to sell their shares at the time they wish to sell them or at a price that they consider
reasonable, may reduce the fair market value of their shares and may impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations
by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire additional intellectual property assets by using our shares as consideration.
The
market price of our common stock has been extremely volatile and may continue to be volatile due to numerous circumstances beyond
our control.
The
market price of our common stock has fluctuated, and may continue to fluctuate, widely, due to many factors, some of which may
be beyond our control. These factors include, without limitation:
69
●
“short
squeezes”;
●
comments
by securities analysts or other third parties, including blogs, articles, message boards and social and other media;
●
large
stockholders exiting their position in our common stock or an increase or decrease in the short interest in our common stock;
●
actual
or anticipated fluctuations in our financial and operating results;
●
risks
and uncertainties associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic;
●
the
timing and allocations of new product candidates;
●
public
perception of our product candidates and competitive products;
●
changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;
●
changes in the reimbursement policies of third party insurance companies or government agencies; and
●
overall
general market fluctuations.
Stock
markets in general and our stock price in particular have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been
unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies and our company. Broad market fluctuations may adversely
affect the trading price of our common stock. In particular, a proportion of our common stock has been and may continue to be
traded by short sellers which may put pressure on the supply and demand for our common stock, further influencing volatility in
its market price. Additionally, these and other external factors have caused and may continue to cause the market price and demand
for our common stock to fluctuate, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and
may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock.
A
“short squeeze” due to a sudden increase in demand for shares of our common stock that largely could lead to extreme
price volatility in shares of our common stock.
Investors
may purchase shares of our common stock to hedge existing exposure or to speculate on the price of our common stock. Speculation
on the price of our common stock may involve long and short exposures. To the extent aggregate short exposure exceeds the number
of shares of our common stock available for purchase on the open market, investors with short exposure may have to pay a premium
to repurchase shares of our common stock for delivery to lenders of our common stock. Those repurchases may in turn, dramatically
increase the price of our common stock until additional shares of our common stock are available for trading or borrowing. This
is often referred to as a “short squeeze.” A proportion of our common stock has been and may continue to be traded
by short sellers which may increase the likelihood that our common stock will be the target of a short squeeze. A short squeeze
could lead to volatile price movements in shares of our common stock that are unrelated or disproportionate to our operating performance
or prospectus and, once investors purchase the shares of our common stock necessary to cover their short positions, the price
of our common stock may rapidly decline. Investors that purchase shares of our common stock during a short squeeze may lose a
significant portion of their investment.
We
could be delisted from Nasdaq, which could seriously harm the liquidity of our stock and our ability to raise capital.
We
have had in the past, and may in the future, have difficulty satisfying Nasdaq listing requirements for our common stock. We are
currently not in compliance with Nasdaq listing requirements, specifically the minimum bid price requirement, and must regain
compliance prior to August 29, 2022. If we are unable to regain such compliance, we will cease to be eligible to trade on Nasdaq.
In such event:
●
We
may have to pursue trading on a less recognized or accepted market, such as the OTC Bulletin Board or the “pink sheets.”
●
Shares
of our common stock could be less liquid and marketable, thereby reducing the ability of stockholders to purchase or sell
our shares as quickly and as inexpensively as they have done historically. If our stock is traded as a “penny stock,”
transactions in our stock would be more difficult and cumbersome.
●
We
may be unable to access capital on favorable terms or at all, as companies trading on alternative markets may be viewed as
less attractive investments with higher associated risks, such that existing or prospective institutional investors may be
less interested in, or prohibited from, investing in our common stock. This may also cause the market price of our common
stock to decline.
We
do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock and, accordingly, shareholders must rely on stock appreciation for any
return on their investment.
We
have never declared or paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future. The declaration
of dividends is subject to the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on various factors, including our operating
results, financial condition, future prospects and any other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. You should not
rely on an investment in our company if you require dividend income from your investment in our company. The success of your investment
will likely depend entirely upon any future appreciation of the market price of our common stock, which is uncertain and unpredictable.
There is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value.
70
We
expect that our quarterly results of operations will fluctuate, and this fluctuation could cause our stock price to decline.
Our
quarterly operating results are likely to fluctuate in the future. These fluctuations could cause our stock price to decline.
The nature of our business involves variable factors, such as the timing of the research, development and regulatory pathways
of our product candidates, which could cause our operating results to fluctuate.
Due
to the possibility of fluctuations in our revenues and expenses, we believe that quarter-to-quarter comparisons of our operating
results are not a good indication of our future performance.
The
rights of the holders of common stock may be impaired by the potential issuance of preferred stock.
Our
articles of incorporation give our board of directors the right to create new series of preferred stock. As a result, the board
of directors may, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting, dividend, conversion, liquidation or other
rights which could adversely affect the voting power and equity interest of the holders of common stock. Preferred stock, which
could be issued with the right to more than one vote per share, could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing
a change of control. The possible impact on takeover attempts could adversely affect the price of our common stock. Although we
have no present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock or to create a series of preferred stock, we may issue such shares
in the future.
If
we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to accounting controls and procedures, or if we
discover material weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline
significantly and raising capital could be more difficult.
If
we fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to disclosure controls and procedures, or, if we
discover material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal control and accounting procedures, our stock price could decline
significantly and raising capital could be more difficult. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires annual management assessments
of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. If material weaknesses or significant deficiencies are
discovered or if we otherwise fail to achieve and maintain the adequacy of our internal control, we may not be able to ensure
that we can conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal controls over financial reporting in accordance with
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Moreover, effective internal controls are necessary for us to produce reliable financial
reports and are important to helping prevent financial fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud,
our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and
the trading price of our common stock could drop significantly.
If
securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they change their recommendations
regarding our stock adversely, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The
trading market for our common stock will be influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish
about us or our business. Our research coverage by industry and financial analysts is currently limited. Even if our analyst coverage
increases, if one or more of the analysts who cover us downgrade our stock, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more
of these analysts cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial
markets, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Other
companies may have difficulty acquiring us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders, due to provisions under our corporate
charter and bylaws, as well as Nevada law.
Provisions
in our articles of incorporation, our bylaws, and under Nevada law could make it more difficult for other companies to acquire
us, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain the following provisions,
among others, which may inhibit an acquisition of our company by a third party:
●
advance
notification procedures for matters to be brought before stockholder meetings
●
a
limitation on who may call stockholder meetings
●
a
limitation on the removal of directors
●
the
ability of our board of directors to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock without a stockholder vote
We
are also subject to provisions of Nevada law that prohibit us from engaging in any business combination with any “interested
stockholder,” meaning generally that a stockholder who beneficially owns 10 percent or more of our stock cannot acquire
us for a period of time after the date this person became an interested stockholder, unless various conditions are met, such as
approval of the transaction by our board of directors and stockholders.
71
Our
bylaws designate the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types
of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain
a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or agents.
Our
bylaws require that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an
alternative forum, the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be
the sole and exclusive forum for each of the following:
●
any
derivative action or proceeding brought in the name or right of the Company or on its behalf,
●
any
action asserting a claim for breach of any fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company
to the Company or the Company’s stockholders,
●
any
action arising or asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of NRS Chapters 78 or 92A or any provision of our articles
of incorporation or bylaws, or
●
any
action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, including, without limitation, any action to interpret,
apply, enforce or determine the validity of our articles of incorporation or bylaws.
Because
the applicability of the exclusive forum provision is limited to the extent permitted by law, we believe that the exclusive forum
provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (Exchange Act), or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction, and that federal courts have
concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(Securities Act). We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce the provision and that investors cannot
waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Although we believe this provision
benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Nevada law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies,
the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
ITEM
1B – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
There
are no unresolved staff comments at December 31, 2021.
ITEM
2 – PROPERTIES
We maintain our principal office at 26 Main Street, Suite 101, Chatham,
New Jersey 07928. Our telephone number at that office is (862) 799-8599 and our fax number is (212) 923-5700. On August 28, 2020, we entered
into a lease, whereby we agreed to lease new office space, commencing September 2020 and expiring December 2025. In connection therewith,
we maintain a letter of credit, which has a remaining balance of $139,729 as of December 31, 2021, and such amount is deposited into the
restricted cash account maintained at the bank that issued the letter of credit. The total square footage of our principal office space
is approximately 4,269.
On
December 6, 2018, we entered into a lease amendment, whereby we agreed to lease new office space in New York, New York, commencing
January 15, 2019, and expiring on November 30, 2020. In August 2020, we signed a one-year extension, expiring in November 2021.
In September 2021, we signed a one-year extension, expiring in November 2022. In connection therewith, we maintain a letter of
credit, which has a remaining balance of $100,314 as of December 31, 2021, and such amount is deposited into the restricted cash
account maintained at the bank that issued the letter of credit. The total square footage of our office space is approximately
2,658.
On October 1, 2021, we completed the purchase of a research and development
facility in Maryland totaling $17.5 million, to process development activities. As of December 31, 2021, the asset was operational but
the asset was not ready for its intended use. It is our intention to have the facility ready for use in the first half of 2022.
On
March 5, 2021, we announced that we had entered into a $2.9 million non-binding Purchase and Sales Agreement in connection with
a property in Massachusetts that is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022. The Property is intended for process development
activities.
On December 23, 2020, we completed
the purchase of our approximately 44-acre site in Hamilton, Montana for $4.5 million, for the construction of a vaccine development and
commercial scale manufacturing facility. As of December 31, 2021, the facility was not ready for its intended use.
On September 28, 2020, we completed
the purchase of our 40,000 square foot facility in Massachusetts for $4.0 million, to house our new Advanced Development Center for accelerated
development and manufacturing of vaccines. As of December 31, 2021, the facility was not ready for its intended use.
Future
minimum lease payments are as follows (in thousands):
72
Year Ending December 31,
2022
$
511
2023
169
2024
145
2025
150
975
Included
interest
(19
)
$
956
We
believe that our existing facilities are suitable and adequate to meet our current business requirements.
ITEM
3 - LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From
time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business.
However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time
to time that may harm our business. We are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that we believe will have,
individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or cash flows.
ITEM
4 – MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not
applicable.
PART
II
ITEM
5 - MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
On
March 11, 2022, the closing sale price of our common stock, as reported by The NASDAQ Stock Market, was $0.22
per share. On March 11, 2022, there were 233 holders of record of our common
stock. Because many of our shares of common stock are held by brokers and other institutions on behalf of stockholders, we are
unable to estimate the total number of stockholders represented by these record holders.
Dividend
Policy
We
have never paid any cash dividends on our capital stock and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our common stock in
the foreseeable future. We intend to retain future earnings to fund ongoing operations and future capital requirements of
our business. Any future determination to pay cash dividends will be at the discretion of the Board and will be dependent upon
our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and such other factors as the Board deems relevant.
Recent
Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Repurchases
of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
We
did not purchase any of our registered securities during the period covered by this Annual Report.
ITEM
6 – RESERVED
ITEM
7 - MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations includes a number of forward-looking
statements that reflect Management’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. You can identify
these statements by forward-looking words such as “may” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,”
“believe,” “estimate” and “continue,” or similar words. Those statements include statements
regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of us and members of its management team as well as the assumptions on which
such statements are based and should be read together with the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K
for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied
by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis. Our actual results could differ materially
from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those discussed below and
elsewhere in this Annual Report and in other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those under
“Risk Factors.”.
73
Business Overview
We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on discovering, licensing, acquiring and developing therapeutics and diagnostics to treat and prevent human disease and
alleviate suffering. We are building capabilities in synthetic biology, precision medicine, protein engineering and vaccine manufacturing
through internal efforts as well as through collaborations with academic institutions and contract research organizations. Our therapeutics
under development include both small molecules and biologics. All of our drug, biologic and diagnostic candidates are still in development.
Tonix’s portfolio is primarily
composed of immunology, central nervous system, or CNS, and infectious disease product candidates. Tonix’s immunology portfolio
includes biologics to address organ transplant rejection, autoimmune diseases and cancer. The CNS portfolio includes small molecules and
biologics to treat pain, neurologic, psychiatric and addiction conditions. Tonix’s infectious disease portfolio of product candidates
includes next-generation vaccines to prevent COVID-19, an antiviral to treat COVID-19, and a potential treatment for Long COVID. The infectious
disease portfolio also includes a vaccine in development to prevent smallpox and monkeypox.
Tonix’s lead candidate within
its immunology pipeline is TNX-1500*, a humanized monoclonal antibody, or mAb, directed against CD40-ligand, or CD40L, engineered to modulate
binding to Fc receptors, that is being developed to prevent and treat organ transplant rejection as well as to treat autoimmune conditions.
In experiments at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, TNX-1500 is being studied as monotherapy
or in combination with other immunosuppressive agents in heart and kidney organ transplants in non-human primates. Preliminary results
from an ongoing experiment in heart transplants indicate that TNX-1500 appears to have comparable efficacy to historical experiments using
the chimeric mouse/human IgG1 version (5c8H1) of the anti-CD40L mAb 5c8. First generation anti-CD40L mAbs were associated with an increased
risk of blood clotting or thrombosis. In the non-human primate studies with TNX-1500, no evidence of thrombosis has been observed so far.
We expect to start a Phase 1 study of TNX-1500 in the second half of 2022.
Among the CNS candidates
in development is TNX-1300* (double-mutant cocaine esterase) which is in Phase 2 for the treatment of life-threatening cocaine intoxication.
TNX-1300 has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation, or BTD, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. TNX-1300 was licensed
from Columbia University in 2019 after a Phase 2 study showed that it rapidly and efficiently disintegrates cocaine in the blood of volunteers
who received intravenous, or i.v., cocaine. We expect to initiate a Phase 2 open-label safety study of TNX-1300 in an emergency room setting
in the first half of 2022.
Our latest
stage CNS product candidate is TNX-102 SL*, a proprietary sublingual tablet formulation of CBP, designed for bedtime administration. TNX-102
SL has active INDs for fibromyalgia, or FM, posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, or AAD, and
alcohol use disorder, or AUD. We also intend to develop TNX-102 SL as a treatment for Long COVID, which is also known as post-acute sequelae
of COVID-19, or PASC.
TNX-102
SL is in mid-Phase 3 development for the management of FM, a pain disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain, non-restorative sleep,
fatigue and impaired cognition. In December 2020, we reported positive results from the Phase 3 RELIEF study of TNX-102 SL 5.6 mg for
the management of FM. In July 2021, we reported pre-planned interim analysis results from a second Phase 3 study, RALLY. Based on the
recommendation from the independent data monitoring committee that the RALLY trial was unlikely to demonstrate a statistically significant
improvement in the primary endpoint, we stopped enrollment of new participants but allowed those participants who were already enrolled
to complete the study. We expect to report topline data from the completed study in the first quarter of 2022. We expect to analyze the
RALLY results to improve the design of subsequent Phase 3 studies. In addition, we plan to employ pharmacogenomic techniques to compare
the RALLY and RELIEF study populations, which may provide a path to precision medicine-based companion diagnostics for TNX-102 SL in FM.
We intend to start a new Phase 3 study of TNX-102 SL in FM in the first half of 2022.
TNX-102
SL is also being developed as a potential treatment for Long COVID. We met with the FDA in the third quarter of 2021 to seek agreement
on the design of a Phase 2 potential pivotal study and the overall clinical development plan to qualify TNX-102 SL as an indicated treatment
for Long COVID. We intend to focus our clinical development on the subgroup of Long COVID patients whose symptoms overlap with FM, particularly
with respect to widespread pain. We received the official minutes from this meeting in the third quarter of 2021 and intend to initiate
a Phase 2 study in the first half of 2022.
For TNX-102 SL in PTSD, we completed the Phase 3 RECOVERY trial and reported
topline results in the fourth quarter of 2020 in which TNX-102 SL did not meet the primary efficacy endpoint. PTSD is a serious psychiatric
condition that develops in response to experiencing a traumatic event. We subsequently completed a meeting with the FDA to discuss potential
new endpoints for the indication of treatment of PTSD, and we expect to begin enrolling a Phase 2 study of TNX-102 SL in police in Kenya
in the first half of 2022. The AAD program is Phase 2 ready with an active IND and FDA Fast Track designation. AAD, which includes emotional
lability, restlessness, irritability, and aggression, is one of the most distressing and debilitating of the behavioral complications
of Alzheimer’s disease. Tonix does not have any near-term plans to start a Phase 2 study in AAD. The AUD program is also Phase 2
ready with an active IND. AUD is a chronic relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive alcohol use, loss of control over alcohol
intake, and a negative emotional state when not using alcohol. Tonix does not have any near-term plans to start a Phase 2 study in AUD.
74
TNX-1900*
(intranasal potentiated oxytocin) is in development for prophylaxis of chronic migraine and for the treatment of craniofacial pain,
insulin resistance and related conditions as well as binge eating disorder, or BED. TNX-1900 was acquired from Trigemina, Inc. and
licensed from Stanford University in 2020. The potentiated formulation includes magnesium, which has been shown in animals to
potentiate binding of oxytocin to the oxytocin receptor in the trigeminal ganglion. We received IND clearance from the FDA in the
fourth quarter of 2021 and intend to initiate a Phase 2 study in migraine in the second half of 2022. Tonix also licensed technology
to use TNX-1900 for the treatment of insulin resistance from the University of Geneva. TNX-1900 will be studied as a potential
treatment for BED in an investigator-initiated Phase 2 clinical trial. The Phase 2 clinical trial is expected to start in the second
half of 2022. In March 2022, we announced an agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical
School, to conduct this study. Tonix does not own an IND for BED.
TNX-2900*
is another intranasal oxytocin-based therapeutic in development for the treatment of Prader-Willi syndrome, or PWS. The technology
for TNX-2900 was licensed from Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. PWS, an orphan condition,
is a rare genetic disorder of failure to thrive in infancy, associated with uncontrolled appetite beginning in childhood with
complications of obesity and diabetes. We have sponsored a research program at the Inserm to study oxytocin on suckling behavior
in mice that have been engineered to express one of the Prader-Willi genes. TNX-2900 has been granted Orphan-Drug Designation
for the treatment of PWS.
TNX-601
CR* (tianeptine oxalate and naloxone controlled-release tablets) is a CNS product candidate in development as a treatment for major depressive
disorder, or depression, for PTSD, and for neurocognitive dysfunction associated with corticosteroid use. We completed a Phase 1 trial
for formulation development outside of the U.S. Based on official minutes from a pre-IND meeting with the FDA, we expect to initiate a
pharmacokinetic study, in the third quarter of 2022, and a Phase 2 study in the first quarter of 2023.
Tonix’s
infectious disease portfolio includes vaccines based on Tonix’s recombinant pox vaccine, or “RPV” technology platform.
RPV vaccines are believed to protect against negative outcomes of infectious diseases by eliciting T cell responses in addition to antibody
responses. TNX-801* is an RPV live horsepox virus vaccine for percutaneous administration in the pre-IND stage of development to protect
against smallpox and monkeypox. TNX-801 vaccinated non-human primates were protected from monkeypox in studies reported in the first quarter
of 2020.
TNX-1800*
is a live virus vaccine that expresses the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from the ancestral Wuhan strain, which has shown encouraging results
in non-human primates. Because the subsequent omicron variant has out-competed the ancestral Wuhan strain, we are now planning new vaccine
versions, TNX-1840* and TNX-1850*, that are designed to express spike protein from the omicron variant and from the BA.2 variant, respectively.
The COVID-19 vaccines that are approved for use, or have emergency use authorization, or EUA, in the U.S. have provided significant health
benefits to the vaccinated population; however, they are showing limitations in the durability of protection conferred and, in their ability,
to block forward transmission. Live virus vaccines that protect against other viral diseases by eliciting T cell responses have shown
durability of protection that lasts years to decades and some live virus vaccines have significantly inhibited forward transmission. With
respect to TNX-1800 vaccination, we reported positive efficacy data from animal challenge studies using live SARS-CoV-2 in the first quarter
of 2021. In this study, TNX-1800 vaccinated, SARS-CoV-2 challenged animals had undetectable SARS-CoV-2 in the upper airways, which we
believe relates to potential inhibition of forward transmission of this respiratory pathogen.
TNX-3500*
(sangivamycin) is an antiviral inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 which has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity in laboratory-based assays
against the coronaviruses SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV. Tonix licensed this technology from OyaGen, Inc. and intends to develop it as a
treatment for COVID-19 and potentially other viral diseases. The active ingredient of TNX-3500 has been studied for safety in humans
in prior studies with cancer patients at the U.S. National Cancer Institute but has not been approved for marketing in any
jurisdiction. Tonix intends to conduct further animal studies in preparation for filing an IND.
TNX-3600*
refers to a series of fully human mAbs generated by a human-human hybridomas from COVID-19 convalescent volunteers. Tonix is collaborating
with Columbia University to produce these fully human mAbs to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins from variants such as delta and omicron and to
other viral targets. The initial focus is to develop COVID-19 therapeutic mAbs. Tonix plans to seek indications similar to current EUA
therapeutic mAbs for treating individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for progression to severe disease. TNX-3600
mAbs may also be used in combination therapy with other COVID-19 therapeutic mAbs. Combination therapies with other anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs
may reduce the emergence of resistant viral strains. Given the unpredictable trajectory of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and new variants, we
seek to contribute to a broad set of mAbs from a variety of patients, that can be scaled up quickly and potentially combined with other
mAbs. We envision the future of mAb therapy for COVID-19 to be cocktails of mAbs with specificity to variants of concern. TNX-3600
is in the preclinical stage of development. Tonix intends to study inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 variants in tissue culture and initiate animal
studies in the first half of 2022.
75
Tonix also is collaborating with
Columbia University to better understand immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in healthy individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, which
is expected to provide a foundation for tailoring therapeutics to appropriate individuals using precision medicine.
TNX-3700*
is a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine candidate employing a zinc nanoparticle (ZNP) formulation. In collaboration with Kansas State University, Tonix
is developing this ZNP technology as a potential replacement for the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology used in current mRNA vaccines.
ZNP technology potentially allows for improved stability which facilitates shipping and storage and addresses the limitations in current
mRNA vaccines which require ultra-cold storage and shipping. This current requirement limits the use of mRNA vaccines in less developed
countries. We plan to seek initial indications as a booster, similar to the current FDA approved mRNA vaccines. Tonix intends to conduct
research with Kansas State University on ZNP SARS-CoV-2 spike based vaccines in tissue culture and animals in the first half of 2022.
TNX-2100*
is an in vivo diagnostic skin test we are developing to measure SARS-CoV-2 exposure and T cell immunity. T cell immunity is more
durable than antibody immunity, since serum antibodies wane between six months and one year after vaccination. TNX-2100 is a potential
test to measure delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to SARS-CoV-2. The DTH response for other pathogens, notably tuberculosis,
can serve as an in vivo measure of functional T cell immunity. TNX-2100 is comprised of GMP peptides designed to mimic SARS-CoV-2
proteins and stimulate SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells. We initiated a first-in-human, dose-finding clinical study in the first quarter of
2022 and expect study results in the first half of 2022.
Our immunology pipeline also includes
TNX-1700*. TNX-1700 is a recombinant modified form of Trefoil Family Factor 2, or rTFF2, that was licensed from Columbia University in
2019. TNX-1700 is a biologic being developed to treat gastric and colorectal cancers by an immune-oncology mechanism and is in the preclinical
stage of development.
Our biodefense pipeline includes
TNX-701*, an undisclosed small molecule technology being developed to prevent deleterious effects of radiation exposure which has the
potential to be used as a medical countermeasure to improve biodefense. TNX-701 is in the preclinical stage of development.
Finally,
our CNS pipeline includes TNX-1600*, an inhibitor of the reuptake of neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, or a triple
reuptake inhibitor. TNX-1600 was licensed from Wayne State University in 2019 and is being developed as a treatment for PTSD, depression
and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. TNX-1600 is in the preclinical stage of development.
Relating
to our COVID-19 and other infectious disease development programs, we are developing the resources necessary to enable internal research,
development and manufacturing capabilities necessary to meet the goal of producing new vaccine candidates within 100 days of recognition
and new diagnostics within weeks of obtaining sequence information. As articulated in the American Pandemic Preparedness Plan, or AP3,
released by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, this 100-day goal for vaccines is a key component of preparedness for future
pandemics. We intend to establish the infrastructure necessary to support the pandemic preparedness goals established in the AP3, specifically
with respect to our RPV vaccine and skin test platforms and potentially to other vaccine, diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. This infrastructure
consists of (i) our infectious disease R&D Center, or “RDC”, (ii) our Advanced Development Center, or ADC, and (iii) our
Commercial Manufacturing Center, or CMC. We acquired the infectious disease RDC in Frederick, Maryland consisting of two buildings totaling
approximately 48,000 square feet. The acquisition closed in October 2021 and was operational at closing, but as of December 31, 2021,
the facility was not ready for its intended use. It is our intention to have the facility ready for use in the first half of 2022. The
RDC facility will focus on our development of vaccines and antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2, its variants, and other infectious diseases.
The RDC facility is currently biosafety level 2 (BSL-2), but we intend to upgrade components to BSL-3. We are in the process of a substantial
renovation of the ADC located in the New Bedford business park in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. This facility is intended to accelerate development
and clinical scale manufacturing of live-virus vaccines to support Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. It is currently under construction
and will be an approximately 45,000 square foot BSL-2 facility once completed. It is expected to be partially operational in the first
half of 2022. We also plan to build the CMC in Hamilton, Montana, where we purchased approximately 44 acres of land. The CMC will focus
on developing and manufacturing commercial scale live-virus vaccines and is also intended to be BSL-2. Site enabling work is expected
to be initiated for the CMC in 2022. Together, we expect these facilities may qualify the RPV vaccine and skin test platforms for
programs that are designed to carry out the goals of AP3.
*All
of Tonix’s product candidates are investigational new drugs or biologics and have not been approved for any indication.
76
Results
of Operations
We anticipate that our results
of operations will fluctuate for the foreseeable future due to several factors, such as the progress of our research and development efforts
and the timing and outcome of regulatory submissions. Due to these uncertainties, accurate predictions of future operations are difficult
or impossible to make.
Fiscal year Ended December 31, 2021 Compared
to Fiscal year Ended December 31, 2020
The following table sets forth our operating expenses
for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 (in thousands):
Year ended December 31,
2021
2020
COSTS AND EXPENSES:
Research and development
$ 68,838
$ 36,157
General and administrative
23,474
14,354
Total operating expenses
92,312
50,511
Operating loss
(92,312 )
(50,511 )
Interest income, net
25
48
Net loss
$ (92,287 )
$ (50,463 )
Research
and Development Expenses . Research and development expenses for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 were $68.8
million, an increase of $32.6 million, or 90%, from $36.2 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. This increase is
predominately due to increased non-clinical expenses of $14.0 million, manufacturing expenses of $10.9 million, employee-related
expenses of $5.3 million and regulatory/legal expenses of $1.9 million, offset by a decrease in clinical expenses of $0.7 million.
We expect research and development expenses to increase during 2022 as we move our clinical development programs forward and continue
to invest in our development pipeline.
The
table below summarizes our direct research and development expenses for our product candidates and development platform for the
years ended December 31, 2021, and 2020.
December
31,
(in
thousands)
2021
2020
Change
Research
and development expenses:
Direct
expenses – TNX - 102 SL
$
13,974
$
14,889
$
(915
)
Direct
expenses – TNX - 1800
8,049
3,682
4,367
Direct
expenses – TNX – 601 CR
4,602
776
3,826
Direct
expenses – TNX - 1300
5,882
1,678
4,204
Direct
expenses – TNX - 1500
5,334
1,044
4,290
Direct
expenses – TNX - 1900
2,429
2,853
(424)
Direct
expenses – TNX - 2100
3,410
1,015
2,395
Direct
expenses – TNX - 3500
5,368
137
5,231
Direct
expenses – Other programs
4,942
3,728
1,214
Internal
staffing, overhead and other
14,848
6,355
8,493
Total
research & development
$
68,838
$
36,157
$
32,681
Our
direct research and development expenses consist principally of external costs for clinical, nonclinical and manufacturing, such
as fees paid to contractors, consultants and CROs in connection with our development work. Included in “Internal Staffing,
Overhead and Other” is overhead, supplies, research and development employee costs (including stock option expenses), travel,
regulatory and legal.
General
and Administrative Expenses . General and administrative expenses for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 were
$23.5 million, an increase of $9.1 million, or 63%, from $14.4 million incurred in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. The
increase is primarily due to employee-related expenses of $4.9 million, an increase in legal fees of $0.7 million due to increased
patent prosecution costs, an increase in investor relations/public relations expenses of $0.6 million, an increase in financial
reporting expenses of $1.2 million, and an increase in insurance premiums of $0.4 million.
Net
Loss . As a result of the foregoing, the net loss for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $92.3 million, compared to a
net loss of $50.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.
License
Agreements
On
April 14, 2021, we entered into an exclusive License Agreement (the “OyaGen License Agreement”) with OyaGen, Inc.
(“OyaGen”), pursuant to which OyaGen granted to us an exclusive license to certain patents and technical information
related to an antiviral inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2, sangivamycin, and to develop and commercialize products thereunder, and to acquire
rights to any technology based thereon for the prevention or treatment of Covid-19 developed by OyaGen during the term of the
License Agreement.
As
consideration for entering into the License Agreement, we paid a low-seven digit license fee to OyaGen, and issued to OyaGen and
an affiliated entity an aggregate of 2,752,294 shares of our common stock, which are unregistered and subject to a six-month lock-up
and a voting agreement, pursuant to which OyaGen and the affiliated entity have agreed to vote the common stock on any matter
put to a vote of the our shareholders in accordance with management’s recommendations. The shares were valued at $3.0 million,
which was recorded as research and development expense. The OyaGen License also provides for single-digit royalties and contingent
milestone payments.
77
As
of December 31, 2021, no milestone payments have been accrued or paid in relation to this agreement
On
February 11, 2021, we announced that we have licensed technology using oxytocin-based therapeutics for the treatment of Prader-Willi
syndrome and non-organic failure to thrive disease from Inserm (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research),
Aix-Marseille Université and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire of Toulouse. The licensing agreement has been negotiated
and signed by Inserm Transfert, the private subsidiary of Inserm, on behalf of Inserm.
The
co-exclusive license allows us to expand our intranasal potentiated oxytocin development program to a new indication. The patents
covering the technology are expected to provide market exclusivity for the co-licensees in the U.S. and Europe through 2031, which
exclusivity could be extended after marketing authorization by a Supplemental Protection Certificate in Europe or a Patent Term
Extension in the U.S., independent of other Tonix-held patents covering the formulation and oxytocin potentiation technologies
for intranasal administration.
As
of December 31, 2021, no milestone payments have been accrued or paid in relation to this agreement.
On
September 16, 2019, we entered into an exclusive License Agreement (the “Columbia License Agreement”) with the Trustees
of Columbia University in the City of New York (“Columbia”) pursuant to which Columbia granted to us an exclusive
license, with the right to sublicense, certain patents and technical information (collectively, the “TFF2 Technology”)
related to a recombinant Trefoil Family Factor 2 (TFF2), and to develop and commercialize products thereunder (each, a “TFF2
Product”). Pursuant to the terms of the Columbia License Agreement, Columbia has reserved for itself the right to practice
the TFF2 Technology for academic research and educational purposes.
We
paid a five-digit license fee to Columbia as consideration for entering into the Columbia License Agreement, which was previously
recorded to research and development expenses in the statement of operations. We are obligated to use Commercially Reasonable
Efforts, as defined in the Columbia License Agreement, to develop and commercialize the TFF2 Product, and to achieve specified
developmental milestones.
We
have agreed to pay Columbia single-digit royalties on net sales of (i) TFF2 Products sold by us or a sublicensee and (ii) any
other products that involve material or technical information related to the TFF2 Product and transferred to us pursuant to the
License Agreement (“Other Products”) sold by us or a sublicensee. Royalties on each particular TFF2 Product are payable
on a country-by-country and Product-by-Product basis until the latest of (i) the date of expiration of the last valid claim in
the last to expire of the issued patents covered by the Columbia License Agreement, and (ii) a specified period of time after
the first commercial sale of a TFF2 Product in the country in question. Royalties on each particular Other Product are payable
on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis until a specified period of time after the first commercial sale of such
particular Other Product in such country. Royalties payable on net sales of the TFF2 Product and Other Products may be reduced
by 50% of the royalties payable by us to any third party for intellectual property rights which are necessary for the practice
of the rights licensed to us under the Columbia License Agreement, provided that the royalty payable on a TFF2 Product or Other
Product may not be reduced by more than 50%.
We
are also obligated to make contingent milestone payments to Columbia totaling $4.1 million on a Product-by-Product basis upon
the achievement of certain development, approval and sales milestones related to a TFF2 Product. In addition, we shall pay Columbia
5% of consideration, other than royalty payments and certain other categories of consideration, payable to us by a sublicensee.
As of December 31, 2021, no milestone payments have been accrued or paid in relation to this agreement.
On
May 20, 2019, we entered into an exclusive License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) with Columbia pursuant to which
Columbia, for itself and on behalf of the University of Kentucky and the University of Michigan (collectively, the “Institutions”)
granted to us an exclusive license, with the right to sublicense, certain patents, technical information and material (collectively,
the “Technology”) related to a double-mutant cocaine esterase, and to develop and commercialize products thereunder
(each, a “Product”). Pursuant to the terms of the License Agreement, Columbia has reserved for itself and the Institutions
the right to practice the Technology for academic research and educational purposes.
We
paid a six-digit license fee to Columbia as consideration
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