Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2025
Filed with the SEC on May 14, 2025 and accepted by EDGAR at May 14, 2025, 21:29 ET.
Management's discussion and analysis
As filed, 36,080 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (this “Quarterly Report”) and our audited financial statements and related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2024 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 27, 2025 (the “Annual Report”). Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Factors that might cause future results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those set forth in our Annual Report and in other filings with the SEC.
Overview
We are a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics to modify the course of cardiopulmonary diseases namely, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (“PAH”), that arise from aberrant signaling through the Abelson Tyrosine Kinase, and type III receptor tyrosine kinases including platelet derived growth factor receptors and c-KIT. Our lead product candidate is IKT-001, a prodrug of imatinib mesylate, for PAH which is an orphan indication. We have completed non-human primate safety studies and a bioequivalence clinical trial in healthy volunteers to determine the doses of IKT-001 that are equivalent to imatinib mesylate and the results are being utilized to set the doses for a forthcoming Phase 2b study for PAH that we expect to initiate in the second half of 2025.
We were previously pursuing risvodetinib (also known as IkT-148009), a selective inhibitor of the non-receptor Abelson Tyrosine Kinases that targets the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, but we have discontinued this program and subsequent to March 31, 2025 have outlicensed risvodetinib.
IKT-001 and PAH
IKT-001 emerged from our medicinal chemistry program that aimed to develop improvements to drugs that inhibit Abelson Tyrosine Kinase and type III receptor tyrosine kinases. IKT-001, a prodrug of imatinib mesylate, was designed to improve areas of the molecule that might play a role in the gastrointestinal (“GI”) side effects commonly observed with oral imatinib mesylate, the current standard of care. A three-part dose finding/dose equivalence study in 66 healthy volunteers (known as ‘the 501 trial’) was completed with IKT-001 in 2023. The study was designed to evaluate the 96-hour single-dose pharmacokinetics of imatinib delivered as IKT-001 and determine the dose relationship between IKT-001 and imatinib mesylate. Based on this study it was determined that bioequivalence was established with a 300 mg dose of IKT-001 to a dose of 230 mg of imatinib mesylate while a 500 mg dose of IKT-001 was established as bioequivalent to a dose of 383 mg of imatinib mesylate. These doses are adequate to cover the target systemically and were similar to the doses of imatinib mesylate used in the Phase 3 IMPRES trial in PAH.
On January 19, 2024, we met with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) Hematological Malignancy Review Team (“Review Team”) in a Pre-New Drug Application (“pre-NDA”), meeting to discuss our bioequivalence studies of IKT-001 and its path to approval. All questions were addressed and summarized in official meeting minutes the issued by the FDA on February 12, 2024. During the meeting, we inquired whether additional clinical studies would be needed to seek approval and discussed manufacturing and quality control requirements for approval. The Review Team acknowledged that the 505(b)(2) pathway appeared to be the appropriate pathway for approval of IKT-001. The Review Team also discussed the possible difference between IKT-001 and imatinib mesylate absorption in the gut and recommended that we evaluate whether IKT-001 and imatinib mesylate behave differently with respect to certain gut transporters that regulate absorption. This evaluation was completed and determined that IKT-001 and imatinib mesylate have similar behavior toward the transporters P-glycoprotein (“PGP”) and the Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (“BCRP”). Finally, a number of recommendations were discussed to prevent the potential mix-up between IKT-001 and imatinib mesylate either at the pharmacy or by patients for two drugs delivering the same active ingredient. The Company discussed alternate dosage forms for IKT-001 relative to imatinib mesylate as the primary mitigation strategy and will provide a justification of the dosage forms chosen and why they are unlikely to cause medication errors if/when the Company submits a New Drug Application (“NDA”) for approval of IKT-001 in these cancer indications.
PAH is a rare disease of the pulmonary microvasculature found in 15 to 50 persons per million within the United States and Europe. The global PAH market size was valued at $7.66 billion in 2023 and is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.4% between 2024 to 2030. Most of the treatments that constitute the standard of care (e.g. ERAs, PDE5s, prostacyclins) primarily act as vasodilators. In 2024, sotatercept was approved for the treatment of PAH on top of standard-of-care (“SOC”). Sotatercept is recombinant fusion protein that acts as a trap for transforming growth factor-beta superfamily ligands, including activin A and bone morphogenetic protein 9. These ligands may play a role in the development and progression of PAH by promoting cell proliferation and fibrosis.
The success of sotatercept has created renewed enthusiasm around the anti-proliferative pathways in PAH. As previously mentioned, imatinib inhibits Abelson Tyrosine Kinase and type III receptor tyrosine kinases and through these pathways inhibits platelet-derived growth factor receptor which is involved in cell proliferation and angiogenesis as well as stem cell factor receptor which targets mast cells and other hematopoietic progenitors. Through these targets imatinib may inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and fibrosis. This pathway may provide an alternate pathway for disease modification in PAH.
The first reports of the use of imatinib in PAH were published in 2005 and 2006. A Phase 2, randomized control trial, was subsequently conducted showing clinical benefit of imatinib in PAH. In 2013, the outcome of a Phase 3 trial (IMPRES) evaluating imatinib mesylate as a treatment for PAH was reported, demonstrating that imatinib may improve key parameters associated with PAH. In this study, imatinib improved exercise capacity and hemodynamics in patients with advanced PAH but approval was precluded because of the bleeding risk associated with concomitant anti-coagulant therapy and the high discontinuation rate in the imatinib group.
As we considered revisiting the use of imatinib in PAH, we recognized that changes in SOC for these patients may have alleviated much of the safety risk previously observed for imatinib in PAH patients. This analysis prompted us to file a pre-IND (“PIND”) meeting request to discuss the application of IKT-001 as a potential disease-modifying treatment for PAH. To evaluate this further, members of the Company met with the FDA Division of Cardiology and Nephrology in a PIND meeting to discuss our plan to utilize IKT-001 in a Phase 2b efficacy, safety and tolerability study in PAH. At the meeting, the FDA confirmed that IKT-001 would be viewed as a New Molecular Entity (“NME”) and that the appropriate path for approval remained to be the 505(b)(2) statute. This opens up the possibility of IKT-001 being granted NME status and market exclusivity on approval. The FDA requested at the PIND meeting that we conduct a comparative cell-culture based study of the human Ether-a-go-go-related Gene (“hERG”) ion channel, a standard cardiovascular safety test performed for any NME for which a new Investigative New Drug Application (“IND”) is to be opened. Neither IKT-001 nor imatinib mesylate were found to be inhibitors of hERG. Following completion of this study, the IND was filed with the FDA on August 9, 2024 and we were cleared to initiate a Phase 2b trial on September 9, 2024. On October 21, 2024, we closed a private placement with gross proceeds of approximately $110 million, before deducting placement fees and offering expenses, to support this program. If the warrants issued in such offering are exercised for cash, the total gross proceeds from the financing may be up to $275 million. We intend to use the net proceeds from the private placement to finance the initiation of a Phase 2b trial in PAH and for general corporate purposes. We have had discussions with the FDA regarding Orphan Drug Designation (“ODD”) for delivery of imatinib by IKT-001 for PAH and plan to apply for ODD once the required pre-clinical studies are complete.
More recently, a contemporary study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in an open label, single arm, four (4) center study with seventeen (17) patients confirmed that imatinib 100-400mg was well tolerated (with zero discontinuations for tolerance or side effects) in WHO Group 1 PAH population, and demonstrated a treatment effect on total pulmonary resistance (“TPR”) that compares favorably with other novel therapies for PAH, including sotatercept and seralutinib. Acknowledging the limitations of cross study comparisons and the small size of the study, we believe this recent study supports our thesis that systemic exposure of imatinib can be well tolerated and provide strong efficacy to patients suffering from PAH.
We currently have commercialization rights to IKT-001 and patent protection in the United States until 2033 for IKT-001 with upcoming patent application filings potentially extending patent protection for certain methods of treatment using IKT-001 until 2045.
Components of Operating Results
Operating Expenses
Research and Development
Research and development activities account for a significant portion of our operating expenses. We record research and development expenses as incurred. Research and development expenses incurred by us for the discovery and development of our product candidates and prodrug technologies include:
- external research and development expenses, including expenses incurred under arrangements with third parties, such as contract research organizations (“CROs”), preclinical testing organizations, clinical testing organizations, contract manufacturing organizations (“CMOs”), academic and non-profit institutions and consultants;
- fees related to our license and collaboration agreements;
- personnel related expenses, including salaries, benefits and non-cash stock-based compensation expense; and
- other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for laboratory, facilities and other costs.
A portion of our research and development expenses are direct external expenses, which we track on a program-specific basis from inception of the program.
Program expenses include expenses associated with our most advanced product candidates and the discovery and development of compounds that are potential future candidates. We also track external expenses associated with our third-party research and development efforts. All external costs are tracked by therapeutic indication. We do not track personnel or other operating expenses incurred for our research and development programs on a program-specific basis. These expenses primarily relate to salaries and benefits and stock-based compensation and office consumables.
At this time, we can only estimate the nature, timing and costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of, and obtain regulatory approval for, any of our product candidates. We are also unable to predict when, if ever, material net cash inflows will commence from sales or licensing of our product candidates. This is due to the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with drug development, including the uncertainty of:
- our ability to add and retain key research and development personnel and other key employees;
- our ability to successfully file IND and NDA applications with the FDA;
- our ability to conduct and commence trials;
- our ability to establish an appropriate safety profile with IND-enabling toxicology studies;
- our ability to successfully develop, obtain regulatory approval for, and then successfully commercialize, our product candidates;
- our successful enrollment in and completion of our current and future clinical trials;
- the costs associated with the development of any additional product candidates we identify in-house or acquire through collaborations;
- our ability to discover, develop and utilize biomarkers to demonstrate target engagement, pathway engagement and the impact on disease progression of our molecules;
- our ability to establish agreements with third party manufacturers for clinical supply for any future clinical trials and commercial manufacturing, if our product candidates are approved;
- the terms and timing of any collaboration, license or other arrangement, including the terms and timing of any milestone payments thereunder;
- our ability to obtain and maintain patent, trade secret and other intellectual property protection and regulatory exclusivity for our product candidates if and when approved;
- our receipt of marketing approvals from applicable regulatory authorities;
- the impact of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic or other future pandemics;
- our ability to commercialize products, if and when approved, whether alone or in collaboration with others; and
- the continued acceptable safety profiles of the product candidates following approval.
A change in any of these variables with respect to the development of any of our product candidates would significantly change the costs, timing and viability associated with the development of that product candidate. We expect our research and development expenses to increase for the next several years as we continue to implement our business strategy, advance our current programs, expand our research and development efforts, seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, access and develop additional product candidates and incur expenses associated with hiring additional personnel to support our research and development efforts. In addition, product candidates in later stages of clinical development generally incur higher development costs than those in earlier stages of clinical development, primarily due to the increased size and duration of later-stage clinical trials.
Our direct research and development expenses consist principally of external costs, such as fees paid to investigators, consultants, central laboratories and CROs in connection with our clinical studies, and costs related to acquiring and manufacturing clinical study materials. We allocate salary and benefit costs directly related to specific programs. We do not allocate personnel-related discretionary bonus or stock-based compensation costs, laboratory and related expenses, depreciation or other indirect costs that are deployed across multiple projects under development and, as such, the costs are separately classified as other research and development expenses in the table below:
| Three months ended March 31, 2025 | 2024 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkinson's disease | $142,420 | $2,343,896 | $(2,201,476) |
| PAH | 9,330,844 | — | 9,330,844 |
| Other research and development expenses | 1,040,315 | 407,383 | 632,932 |
| Total research and development expenses | $10,513,579 | $2,751,279 | $7,762,300 |
Selling, General and Administrative
Selling, general and administrative expenses include personnel related expenses, such as salaries, benefits, travel and non-cash stock-based compensation expense, expenses for outside professional services and allocated expenses. Outside professional services consist of legal, accounting and audit services, investor relations services and other consulting fees. Allocated expenses consist of rent expenses related to our offices in Lexington, Massachusetts and Atlanta, Georgia not otherwise included in research and development expenses.
We are incurring additional expenses as compared to when we were a private company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and those of Nasdaq, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities and other administrative and professional services. We also are increasing our administrative headcount as a public company and as we advance our product candidates through clinical development, which will also likely require us to increase our selling, general and administrative expenses.
Results of Operations
Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024
The following table sets forth the significant components of our results of operations:
| For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 | 2024 | Change ($) | (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and development | $(10,513,579) | $(2,751,279) | $(7,762,300) | 282.1 |
| Selling, general and administrative | (5,249,291) | (2,031,081) | (3,218,210) | 158.4 |
| Change in fair value contingent consideration | 1,164,864 | — | 1,164,864 | 100.0 |
| Loss from operations | (14,598,006) | (4,782,360) | (9,815,646) | 205.2 |
| Interest income | 919,271 | 132,725 | 786,546 | 592.6 |
| Net loss | $(13,678,735) | $(4,649,635) | $(9,029,100) | 194.2 |
Research and Development
Research and development expenses increased by $7,762,300 or 282.1% to $10,513,579 from $2,751,279 in the prior comparable period. The $7.7 million increase in research and development expenses was due to an increase of $9.3 million in PAH expenses which included a one-time (non-cash) expense charge for the acquired IPR&D related to the CorHepta acquisition cost of $7.4 million as at the acquisition date of February 21, 2025, a decrease of $2.2 million in the discontinued risvodetinib (IkT-148009) program and a net increase of $0.6 million in other research and development expenses.
Selling, General and Administrative
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $3,218,210 or 158.4% to $5,249,291 from $2,031,081 in the prior comparable period. The $3.2 million increase was primarily driven by an increase of $1.0 million in legal, consulting and compliance related fees, an increase of $1.5 million in stock-based compensation and an increase of $0.7 million in personnel related costs including severance costs for the Company's former Chief Executive Officer.
Change in Fair Value Contingent Consideration
Change in fair value contingent consideration increased by $1,164,864 or 100% from $0 in the prior comparable period. The increase is a result of the change in fair value of the contingent consideration related to the CorHepta transaction from the transaction date on February 21, 2025 to March 31, 2025.
Interest Income
Interest income increased by $786,546 or 592.6% to $919,271 from $132,725 in the prior comparable period. The increase was driven by interest earned on our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Liquidity
From our inception up until our December 2020 initial public offering, we funded our operations primarily through private, state and federal contracts and grants. In October 2024, we raised approximately $99.6 million in net proceeds from its October 2024 Offering.
At March 31, 2025, we had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $93,180,291.
We have incurred recurring losses and at March 31, 2025 had an accumulated deficit of $108,099,346.
Future Funding Requirements
To date, we have not generated any revenue from the sale of commercial products. We do not expect to generate any significant revenue from product sales unless and until we obtain regulatory approval of and successfully commercialize any of our product candidates and we do not know when, or if, this will occur. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we expect the losses to increase as we continue the development of, and seek regulatory approvals for, our product candidates, and begin to commercialize any future approved products. We are subject to all of the risks typically related to the development of new product candidates, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business. We anticipate that we will need substantial additional funding in connection with our continuing operations.
Until we can generate a sufficient amount of revenue from the commercialization of our product candidates, if ever, we expect to finance our incremental cash needs through a combination of equity offerings, debt financings, working capital lines of credit, grant funding and potential licenses and collaboration agreements. Additional working capital may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may have to significantly delay, reduce or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates. If we raise additional funds through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, it could result in dilution to our existing stockholders, increased fixed payment obligations and the existence of securities with rights that may be senior to those of our common stock. If we incur indebtedness, we could become subject to covenants that would restrict our operations and potentially impair our competitiveness, such as limitations on our ability to incur additional debt, limitations on our ability to acquire, sell or license intellectual property rights and other operating restrictions that could adversely impact our ability to conduct our business. Additionally, any future collaborations we enter into with third parties may provide capital in the near term but limit our potential cash flow and revenue in the future. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Since our inception, we have incurred significant losses and negative cash flows from operations. We have an accumulated deficit of $108,099,346 at March 31, 2025. We expect to incur substantial additional losses in the future as we conduct and expand our research and development activities.
We may seek to fund our operations through public equity or private equity or debt financings, as well as other sources. However, we may be unable to raise additional working capital, or if we are able to raise additional working capital, we may be unable to do so on commercially favorable terms. Our failure to raise capital or enter into such other arrangements if and when needed would have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to continue to develop our product candidates.
We believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2025, will enable us to fund our operating requirements for at least the next twelve months following the date of this Quarterly Report. However, we have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could deplete our working capital sooner than planned.
The timing and amount of our operating expenditures will depend largely on:
- the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical development activities;
- the number and scope of preclinical and clinical programs we decide to pursue;
- the progress of the development efforts of third parties with whom we have entered into license and collaboration agreements;
- our ability to maintain our current research and development programs and to establish new research and development, license or collaboration arrangements;
- our ability and success in securing manufacturing relationships with third parties or, in the future, in establishing and operating a manufacturing facility;
- the costs involved in prosecuting, defending and enforcing patent claims and other intellectual property claims;
- the cost and timing of regulatory approvals;
- our efforts to enhance operational, financial and information management systems and hire additional personnel, including personnel to support development of our product candidates;
- the costs and ongoing investments to in-license and/or acquire additional technologies; and
- possible delays or interruptions to preclinical studies, clinical trials, our receipt of services from our third-party service providers on whom we rely, or our supply chain due to epidemics or pandemics.
A change in the outcome of any of these or other variables with respect to the development of any of our product candidates could significantly change the costs and timing associated with the development of that product candidate. Furthermore, our operating plans may change in the future, and we may need additional funds to meet operational needs and capital requirements associated with such operating plans.
Cash Flows
The following table sets forth a summary of the primary sources and uses of cash for each of the periods presented below:
| Three months ended March 31, 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Net cash used in operating activities | $(4,103,530) | $(3,867,018) |
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 21,054,342 | (3,311,814) |
| Net cash provided by financing activities | — | 366,999 |
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $16,950,812 | $(6,811,833) |
Net Cash Flows Used in Operating Activities
Net cash flows used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2025, totaled $4,103,530, and consisted primarily of a net loss of $13.7 million adjusted for non-cash stock compensation of $2.0 million, a write-off of in-process research and development of $7.4 million, a decrease in the fair value of contingent consideration of $1.2 million, an increase in accounts payable of $0.7 million, and an increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $0.8 million.
Net cash flows used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024, totaled $3,867,018, and consisted primarily of a net loss of $4.6 million adjusted for non-cash stock compensation of $0.1 million, an increase in accounts payable of $0.5 million, and an increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $0.2 million.
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
Net cash flows provided by investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2025, totaled $21,054,342, of which $21.5 million was provided by maturity of marketable securities and $0.4 million related to acquired in-process research and development associated with the CorHepta acquisition discussed above.
Net cash flows provided by investing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024, totaled $3,311,814, of which $8.4 million was used for the purchase of marketable securities investments and $5.1 million was provided by maturity of marketable securities.
Cash Provided by Financing Activities
Net cash flows provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2025, totaled $0.
Net cash flows provided by financing activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024, totaled $366,999, which consisted of primarily of net proceeds from issuance of common stock in connection with our ATM offering.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
On April 18, 2022, we entered into an operating lease agreement through September 30, 2025 for our office space in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Lexington lease contains escalating payments during the lease period. Upon execution of this lease agreement, we prepaid one month of rent, applied to the first month's rent, and a security deposit, which will be held in escrow and credited at the termination of the lease. Our total lease obligation is $76,644, consisting of minimum annual rental obligations for fiscal year 2025.
Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgments and Estimates
This discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. The preparation of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, as well as the reported expenses incurred during the reporting periods. Our estimates are based on our historical experience and on various other factors that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. While our significant accounting policies are described in more detail in the notes to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, we believe that the following accounting policies are critical to understanding our historical and future performance, as these policies relate to the more significant areas involving management’s judgments and estimates.
Research and Development Expenses
We record research and development expenses to operations as incurred. Research and development expenses represent costs incurred by us for the discovery and development of our product candidates and the development of our RAMP™ drug discovery program and prodrug technologies and include: employee-related expenses, such as salaries, benefits, travel and non-cash stock-based compensation expense; external research and development expenses incurred under arrangements with third parties, such as CROs, preclinical testing organizations, clinical testing organizations, CMOs, academic and non-profit institutions and consultants; costs to acquire technologies to be used in research and development that have not reached technological feasibility and have no alternative future use; license fees; and other expenses, which include direct and allocated expenses for laboratory, facilities and other costs.
As part of the process of preparing financial statements, we are required to estimate and accrue expenses. A portion of our research and development expenses is comprised of external costs, which we track on a program-specific basis. We record the estimated expenses of research and development activities conducted by third-party service providers as they are incurred and provided within research and development expense in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss. These services include the conduct of clinical studies, preclinical studies and consulting services. These costs are a significant component of our research and development expenses. Typically, upfront payments and milestone payments made for the licensing of technology are expensed as research and development in the period in which they are incurred, except for payments relating to intellectual property rights with future alternative use which will be expensed when the intellectual property is in use. Non-refundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in the future for use in research and development activities are recorded as prepaid expenses. The prepaid amounts are expensed as the related goods are delivered or the services are performed.
Costs for research and development activities are recognized based on costs incurred. We make significant judgments and estimates in determining the accrued balance in each reporting period. As actual costs become known, we adjust our accrued estimates. Although we do not expect our estimates to be materially different from amounts actually incurred, our understanding of the status and timing of services performed may vary from our estimates and could result in us reporting amounts that are too high or too low in any particular period. Our accrued expenses are dependent, in part, upon the receipt of timely and accurate reporting from external clinical research organizations and other third-party service providers. Due to the nature of estimates, we cannot assure you that we will not make changes to our estimates in the future as we become aware of additional information about the status or conduct of our clinical trials and other research activities.
Contingent Consideration Liabilities
We evaluate acquisitions of assets and other similar transactions to assess whether or not the transaction should be accounted for as a business combination or asset acquisition by first applying a screen test to determine if substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or group of similar identifiable assets. If the screen is met, the transaction is accounted for as an asset acquisition. Significant judgment is required in the application of the screen test to determine whether an acquisition is a business combination or an acquisition of assets.
On February 21, 2025, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization (“Merger Agreement”) with Project IKT Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiary (“Merger Sub”) and CorHepta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a Delaware corporation (“CorHepta”). We determined that the transaction represented an asset acquisition as defined by ASC 805 as substantially all of the value was attributed to a single intangible asset, in-process research and development (“IPR&D”).
The fair value was determined based on our share price at closing. We agreed to issue 4,979,101 shares of our common stock to the shareholders of CorHepta, of which (i) 829,849 shares were fully vested on the acquisition date, (ii) 2,489,030 shares represented contingent consideration and will vest no later than February 21, 2026, subject to the achievement of certain milestones, and (iii) 1,660,222 shares represented post-merger compensation expense, subject to both service- and performance-based vesting conditions.
As of the acquisition date, the achievement of one of the contingent consideration milestones was deemed probable, and the fair value of the related shares was included in the purchase price of the acquisition. We remeasure the initial contingent consideration recognized at acquisition to fair value at each reporting date and recorded a change in fair value of $1,164,864 for the period ended March 31, 2025, which is included within operating expenses. We will recognize a contingent consideration liability and corresponding expense for the remaining contingent consideration shares in future periods when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of that liability can be reasonably estimated.
The IPR&D had not reached technological feasibility and had no alternative future use at the acquisition date, and therefore, the acquired IPR&D asset of $7,357,294 was written-off as research and development expense in our condensed consolidated statement of operations and comprehensive loss immediately following the acquisition in accordance with ASC 730.
Market risk
As filed, 125 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to provide disclosure regarding quantitative and qualitative market risk.
Controls and procedures
As filed, 1,679 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our principal executive officer and principal financial officer evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) and 15d-15(b) under the Exchange Act as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objective and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at a reasonable assurance level as of March 31, 2025.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the three months ended March 31, 2025, that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Risk factors
As filed, 4,962 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.
Other than the risks included below that have been amended and restated, there have been no material changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on March 27, 2025.
We are dependent on third-party manufacturers which are located in China, and any inability to obtain products from any such manufacturers could harm our business.
Our current and future product candidates are expected to be manufactured in whole or in part by companies that are located in China. This concentration exposes us to risks associated with doing business globally. The political, legal and cultural environment in China is rapidly evolving, and any change that impairs our ability to obtain products from manufacturers in that region could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
Political uncertainty in the United States may result in significant changes to U.S. trade policies, treaties and tariffs, potentially involving trade policies and tariffs regarding China, including the potential disallowance of tax deductions for imported merchandise or the imposition of unilateral tariffs on imported products. For example, in 2025, the United States imposed significant tariffs on imports from other countries, including a baseline tariff of 10% on imports into the United States and higher tariffs on multiple designated countries (including the EU Member States, China, Canada, and Mexico), such as “reciprocal” tariffs at varying rates. Such tariffs have prompted retaliatory measures from several countries, which may further escalate. On April 9, 2025, the United States announced that the imposition of most “reciprocal” tariffs would be paused for 90 days pending negotiations with the relevant countries. While pharmaceutical products are currently excluded from the baseline and “reciprocal” tariffs imposed by the United States, such tariffs still apply to the raw materials and other products necessary for the manufacture and formulation of our marketed products and product candidates. In addition, the current U.S. administration has expressed an intent to impose tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, with the stated policy objective of reshoring pharmaceutical manufacturing to the United States. Among other means, such tariffs may be imposed by the United States under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended, pursuant to which the U.S. Department of Commerce recently initiated an investigation to determine the effects of importing pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients on national security. Political tensions as a result of trade policies could reduce trade volume, investment, technological exchange and other economic activities between major international economies, resulting in a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any changes in political, trade, regulatory, and economic conditions, including U.S. trade policies, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.
Regulators and legislators in the U.S. are increasingly scrutinizing and restricting certain personal data transfers and transactions involving foreign countries. For example, the Biden Administration’s executive order Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern as implemented by Department of Justice regulations issued in December 2024, prohibits data brokerage transactions involving certain sensitive personal data categories, including health data, genetic data, and biospecimens, to countries of concern, including China. The regulations also restrict certain investment agreements, employment agreements and vendor agreements involving such data and countries of concern, absent specified cybersecurity controls. Actual or alleged violations of these regulations may be punishable by criminal and/or civil sanctions, and may result in exclusion from participation in federal and state programs.
These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between China and the United States. Any of these factors could depress economic activity, restrict our sourcing from suppliers and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and affect our strategy. We cannot predict whether any of the countries in which our product candidates or raw materials are currently manufactured or may be manufactured in the future will be subject to additional trade restrictions imposed by the United States and foreign governments, nor can we predict the likelihood, type or effect of any such restrictions.
Figures reported in this filing
Standardized line items from the XBRL in this filing, for the period ended 2025-03-31. Comparative periods it repeats are left out.
| Line item | Period | Value | XBRL concept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | $0 | us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax |
| Research and development | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | $10.5m | us-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense |
| Selling, general and administrative | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | $5.2m | us-gaap:SellingGeneralAndAdministrativeExpense |
| Operating income | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | −$14.6m | us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss |
| Income tax | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | $0 | us-gaap:IncomeTaxExpenseBenefit |
| Net income | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | −$13.7m | us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss |
| Diluted EPS | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | −$0.15 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted |
| Basic EPS | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | −$0.15 | us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic |
| Diluted shares (weighted) | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | 89,537,171 shares | us-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding |
| Operating cash flow | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | −$4.1m | us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities |
| Capital expenditure | 3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31 | $13.4k | us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment |
| Cash and equivalents | At period end2025-03-31 | $73.4m | us-gaap:Cash |
| Current assets | At period end2025-03-31 | $94.2m | us-gaap:AssetsCurrent |
| Total assets | At period end2025-03-31 | $94.3m | us-gaap:Assets |
| Current liabilities | At period end2025-03-31 | $8.6m | us-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent |
| Total liabilities | At period end2025-03-31 | $8.6m | us-gaap:Liabilities |
| Shareholders' equity | At period end2025-03-31 | $85.7m | us-gaap:StockholdersEquity |
Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0000950170-25-071635. Last ingested by Listed: Oct 24, 2026, 15:07 ET. Listed shows no prices and gives no investment advice.