Allarity Therapeutics, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 30, 2024

Forward-Looking Statements

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included under Item 1 of this Quarterly Report as well as our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as amended, including Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors.”

The forward-looking statements contained in this report reflect our views and assumptions as of the effective date of this report. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us. Except as required by law, we assume no responsibility for updating any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this report, except as required by applicable law.

We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. In addition, with respect to all of our forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Overview

We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and currently developing a highly targeted anti-cancer drug candidate. Through the use of our Drug Response Predictor (DRP®) platform, we identify the value in drug assets that have otherwise been discontinued by identifying patient populations where these drugs are active. Our lead drug candidate, stenoparib, is a small molecule dual inhibitor of the poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP 1/2) as well as tankyrase 1/2.

Recent Developments

Nasdaq Delisting Notifications

On June 18, 2024, we received a letter from the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff (the “Staff”) of Nasdaq indicating that the we have not complied with the Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Bid Price Rule”) which is the requirement that for 30 consecutive business days the bid price for our common stock close above the $1 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Capital Market ("Nasdaq"). On June 27, 2024, we were granted a hearing before a Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the "Panel"). On July 30, 2024, we attended a hearing before the Panel, and by decision date August 15, 2024, the Panel granted our request for an extension through September 6, 2024 to obtain shareholder approval for a reverse split at a ratio that will allow us to demonstrate compliance with the Bid Price Rule. This approval was granted by our shareholders at our Annual Meeting of Stockholders on September 3, 2024. On October 9, 2024, we were formally notified by Nasdaq that we have evidenced compliance with the Bid Price Requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq, as set forth in Nasdaq Listing Rules 5550(a)(2).

Reverse Stock Splits

On April 4, 2024, we effected a 1-for-20 reverse stock split (the "April Reverse Stock Split") of the shares of common stock effective as of April 9, 2024. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the April Reverse Stock Split. If, as a result of the April Reverse Stock Split, a stockholder would otherwise have been entitled to a fractional share, each fractional share was rounded up to the next whole number. The April Reverse Stock Split resulted in a reduction of our outstanding shares of common stock as of March 31, 2024, from 228,487 to 11,426. The par value of our authorized stock remained unchanged at $0.0001.

On September 9, 2024, we effected a 1-for-30 reverse stock split (the "September Reverse Stock Split") of the shares of common stock, effective September 11, 2024. As a result of the September Reverse Stock Split, every 30 shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to effectiveness of the September Reverse Stock Split were combined and converted into one share of common stock without any change in the par value per share. The September Reverse Stock Split became effective on September 11, 2024, and the common stock was quoted on the Nasdaq Stock Market on a post-split basis at the open of business on September 11, 2024. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the September Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders who would have otherwise been entitled to a fraction of one share of common stock as a result of the September Reverse Stock Split instead received one whole share of common stock. We issued 97,190 shares of common stock to shareholders who had been entitled to a fraction of one share.

All share and per share information has been retroactively adjusted to give effect to the April Reverse Stock Split and September Reverse Stock Split for all periods presented, unless otherwise indicated.

ATM Facility

On March 19, 2024, we entered into an At-The-Market Issuance Sales Agreement, as amended (the "Sales Agreement") with Ascendiant Capital Markets, LLC ("Ascendiant") under which we may offer and sell, from time to time at our sole discretion, shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $50 million, to or through the Ascendiant. The offer and sales of the shares are made pursuant to a previously filed shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-275282), originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on November 2, 2023 and declared effective on November 29, 2023, and the related prospectus supplement dated September 9, 2024 and filed with the SEC on such date. We will pay the Ascendiant a commission of 3.0% of the gross proceeds from the sales of shares sold through Ascendiant under the Sales Agreement. We will also reimburse the Ascendiant for certain expenses incurred in connection with the Sales Agreement. Both we and Ascendiant may each terminate the Sales Agreement at any time upon specified prior written notice. For the three months ended September 30, 2024, we sold an aggregate of 1,493,878 shares of our common stock pursuant to the Sales Agreement, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $5.4 million after deducting underwriting discounts.

August 2024 Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock

On August 19, 2024 (the "Closing Date") we entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “August 2024 SPA”) with certain purchasers (the “August 2024 Purchasers”), pursuant to which we issued and sold, in a private placement (the “August 2024 Offering”), 35,000 shares of our Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “August 2024 Preferred Stock”), for net proceeds of approximately $2.9 million in the aggregate for the August 2024 Offering, after the deduction of discounts, fees and offering expenses.

On the Closing Date, we filed a certificate of designation (the “August 2024 COD”) with the Secretary of the State of Delaware designating the rights, preferences and limitations of the August 2024 Preferred Stock. Under the August 2024 COD, for purposes of determining the presence of a quorum at any meeting of the stockholders of Allarity at which the August 2024 Preferred Stock are entitled to vote and the voting power of the August 2024 Preferred Stock, each holder of the August 2024 Preferred Stock shall be entitled to a number of votes equal to shares of our common stock into which such August 2024 Preferred Stock are then convertible, disregarding, for such purposes, any limitations on conversion. The August 2024 Preferred Stock shall be entitled to vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the stockholders generally and shall vote together with the common stock and any other class or series of capital stock entitled to vote thereon as a single class and on an as converted to the common stock basis.

The holders of the August 2024 Preferred Stock are entitled to dividends, on an as-if converted basis, equal to dividends actually paid, if any, on the common stock. The August 2024 Preferred Stock is convertible, at the option of the holders and, in certain circumstances, by us, into common stock, as determined by dividing the net purchase price of $90 per share by the conversion price of $5.10, at the option of the holders.

On the Closing Date, we entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (the “August 2024 RRA”) with the August 2024 Purchasers, pursuant to which we agreed to file a registration statement with the SEC, to register for resale the common stock issuable upon the conversion of the August 2024 Preferred Stock. The registration statement was filed with the SEC on August 30, 2024.

In connection with the August 2024 Offering, we paid $0.2 million to Ascendiant Capital Markets, LLC, our placement agent.

SEC Investigation

On July 19, 2024, we received a “Wells Notice” from the Staff of the SEC relating to our previously disclosed SEC investigation. The Wells Notice relates to our disclosures regarding meetings with the United States Food and Drug Administration (the “FDA”) regarding our NDA for Dovitinib or Dovitinib-DRP, which was submitted to the FDA in 2021. We understand that all conduct relating to the SEC Wells Notice occurred during or prior to fiscal year 2022. We also understand that three of our former officers received Wells Notices from the SEC relating to the same conduct. A Wells Notice is neither a formal charge of wrongdoing nor a final determination that the recipient has violated any law. The Wells Notice informed us that the SEC Staff has made a preliminary determination to recommend that the SEC file an enforcement action against us that would allege certain violations of the federal securities laws. We are continuing to cooperate with the SEC and maintains that our actions were appropriate, and pursuing the Wells Notice process.

Class Action

On September 13, 2024, a purported class action captioned Osman Mukeljic v. Allarity Therapeutics, Inc., et al, 1:24-cv-06952, was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against us and certain of our current and former officers. The complaint alleges, among other things, that defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information related to Dovitinib NDA’s continued regulatory prospects and purported misconduct in connection with the Dovitinib NDA and/or the Dovitinib-DRP PMA. The complaint asserts violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder against all defendants as well as violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act of 1934 against the individual defendants. We believe that the class action is without merit and plan to vigorously defend ourselves against these claims. At this time, there can be no assurance that we will prevail in the lawsuits and we cannot currently estimate the possible loss or range of losses, if any, that it may experience in connection with this litigation.

Risks and Uncertainties

We are subject to risks common to companies in the biotechnology industry, including but not limited to, risks of failure of preclinical studies and clinical trials, the need to obtain marketing approval for any drug product candidate that we may identify and develop, the need to successfully commercialize and gain market acceptance of our product candidate, dependence on key personnel and collaboration partners, protection of proprietary technology, compliance with government regulations, development by competitors of technological innovations, and the ability to secure additional capital to fund operations. Our product candidate currently under development will require significant additional research and development efforts, including preclinical and clinical testing and regulatory approval prior to commercialization. Even if our research and development efforts are successful, it is uncertain when, if ever, we will realize significant revenue from product sales.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

See Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”, to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements contained in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for a discussion of recent accounting pronouncements.

Financial Operations Overview

Since our inception in September of 2004, we have focused substantially all our resources on conducting research and development activities, including drug discovery and preclinical studies, establishing, and maintaining our intellectual property portfolio, the manufacturing of clinical and research material, hiring personnel, raising capital and providing general and administrative support for these operations. In recent years, we have recorded very limited revenue from collaboration activities, or any other sources. We have funded our operations to date primarily from convertible notes and the issuance and sale of our ordinary shares.

We have incurred net losses in each year since inception. Our net losses were $17.1 million and $10.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As of September 30, 2024, we had an accumulated deficit of $111.5 million and cash and cash equivalents of $18.5 million. Substantially all our net losses have resulted from costs incurred in connection with our research and development programs and from general and administrative costs associated with our operations. We expect to continue to incur significant expenses and increasing operating losses over at least the next several years. We expect our expenses will increase substantially in connection with our ongoing activities, as we:

• advance our drug candidate through clinical trials;
• pursue regulatory approval of our drug candidate;
• operate as a public company;
• continue our preclinical programs and clinical development efforts;
• continue research activities for the discovery of new drug candidates; and
• manufacture supplies for our preclinical studies and clinical trials.

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Components of Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses include:

• expenses incurred under agreements with third-party contract organizations, and consultants;
• costs related to production of drug substance, including fees paid to contract manufacturers;
• laboratory and vendor expenses related to the execution of preclinical trials; and
• employee-related expenses, which include salaries, benefits, and stock-based compensation.

We expense all research and development costs in the periods in which they are incurred. Costs for certain development activities are recognized based on an evaluation of the progress to completion of specific tasks and estimates of services performed using information and data provided to us by our vendors and third-party service providers. Non-refundable advance payments for goods or services to be received in future periods for use in research and development activities are deferred and accounted for as prepaid expenses. The prepayments are then expensed as the related goods are delivered and as services are performed. To date, most of these expenses have been incurred to advance our lead drug candidate stenoparib.

We expect our research and development expenses on stenoparib to increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest to accelerate stenoparib in clinical trials designed to attain regulatory approval. Costs related to dovitinib and IXEMPRA will decrease precipitously as these have been deprioritized/terminated. We expect additional costs in research and development activities as we continue to conduct clinical trials. The process of conducting the necessary clinical research to obtain regulatory approval is costly and time-consuming, and the successful development of our drug candidate is highly uncertain. As a result, we are unable to determine the duration and completion costs of our research and development projects or when and to what extent we will generate revenue from the commercialization and sale of any of our drug candidate.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, facilities costs, depreciation and amortization expenses and professional services expenses, including legal, human resources, audit, and accounting services. Personnel-related costs consist of salaries, benefits, travel, insurance and stock-based compensation. Facilities costs consist of rent and maintenance of facilities. We expect our general and administrative expenses to increase for the foreseeable future due to anticipated increases in headcount to advance our drug candidate and as a result of operating as a public company, including expenses related to compliance with the rules and regulations of the SEC, Nasdaq, additional insurance expenses, investor relations activities and other administrative and professional services.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 (unaudited)

($ in thousands)

Research and Development Expenses

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023

The decrease of $0.9 million in research and development expenses was primarily related to a reduction of $0.8 million in manufacturing and supplies and $0.1 million in milestone payments.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023

The decrease of $0.2 million in research and development expenses was primarily related to a reduction of $0.3 million in manufacturing and supplies, $0.1 million in personnel-related costs, including salaries and stock-based compensation, and $0.1 million in contractor and consultant expenses, partially offset by a $0.3 million increase in research study costs.

Impairment of intangible assets

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023

We halted enrollment in the ongoing Phase 2 trial of stenoparib and are focused on the development of a follow-on trial with FDA regulatory intent. These developments prompted an updated impairment assessment of our intangible assets utilizing a discounted cash flow model with a weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”) of 26%. As a result of the updated impairment assessment, we recognized an impairment charge of $9.7 million and foreign exchange loss of $0.1 million during the three months ended September 30, 2024, with no comparable expense in 2023.

General and Administrative Expenses

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023

General and administrative expenses decreased by $0.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to decreases of $0.7 million in financing costs, $0.1 million in professional services, and $0.3 million in insurance costs, partially offset by an increase of $0.1 million in personnel-related costs and $0.1 million in public reporting company costs.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023

General and administrative expenses decreased by $1.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to decreases of $1.1 million in financing costs, $0.8 million in insurance expense, and $0.2 million in professional fees, partially offset by an increase of $0.3 million in public reporting company costs.

Other income (expense)

For the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to September 30, 2023

Other income of $0.3 million recognized during the three months ended September 30, 2024, consisted primarily of $0.3 million in interest income and $0.1 million in foreign exchange gains, partially offset by $0.1 million in interest expenses

Other expense of $21,000 recognized during the three months ended September 30, 2023, consisted primarily of loss of $4.2 million in fair value of New September Warrants, $0.6 million in fair value of the modification to April and July 2023 warrants, $0.2 million in foreign exchange losses, and $34,000 in interest expenses, partially offset by a $4.9 million change in fair value adjustment to derivative and warrant liabilities and $12,000 in interest income.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, and September 30, 2023

Other income of $2.5 million recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, consisted primarily of a gain of $2.7 million in change in fair value of derivative and warrant liabilities, $0.3 million in interest income, and $0.1 million in foreign exchange gains, partially offset by $0.6 million in interest expense.

Other income of $2.1 million recognized during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, consisted primarily of a gain of $7.2 million in change in fair value of derivative and warrant liabilities and $19,000 in interest income, partially offset by losses of $4.2 million in fair value of New September Warrants, $0.6 million in fair value of the modification to April and July 2023 warrants, $0.3 million in interest expense, $0.1 million in foreign exchange losses.

Liquidity, Capital Resources and Plan of Operations

Since our inception through September 30, 2024, our operations have been financed primarily by the sale of convertible promissory notes and the sale and issuance of our securities. As of September 30, 2024, we had $18.5 million in cash and cash equivalents, and an accumulated deficit of $111.5 million.

Our primary use of cash is to fund operating expenses, which consist of research and development as well as regulatory expenses related to our lead drug candidate and clinical programs for stenoparib, and to a lesser extent, general and administrative expenses. Cash used to fund operating expenses is impacted by the timing of when we pay these expenses, as reflected in the change in our outstanding accounts payable and accrued expenses.

On March 21, 2024, we commenced an at the market offering of shares of our common stock and as of September 30, 2024, had sold 2,556,927 shares of our common stock for net proceeds of $33.1 million. In light of our cash position as of the date of this Quarterly Report, we have sufficient funds for our current operations and planned capital expenditures. As discussed above we intend to seek capital through the sale of our securities or other sources. There are no assurances, however, that we will be successful in raising 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 other such arrangements if and when needed would have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to develop our product candidate.

Management’s plans to mitigate the conditions or events that raise substantial doubt include additional funding through public equity, private equity, debt financing, collaboration partnerships, or other sources. We currently plan on completing an additional public offering in the near future, however there are no assurances that we will be successful in raising additional working capital, or if it is able to raise additional working capital, it may be unable to do so on commercially favorable terms. Our failure to raise capital or enter into other such arrangements when needed would have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition and our ability to continue our plan of operations.

We expect to incur substantial expenses in the foreseeable future for the development and potential commercialization of our drug candidate and ongoing internal research and development programs. At this time, we cannot reasonably estimate the nature, timing, or aggregate amount of costs for our development, potential commercialization, and internal research and development programs. However, to complete our current and future preclinical studies and clinical trials, and to complete the process of obtaining regulatory approval for our drug candidate, as well as to build the sales, marketing, and distribution infrastructure that we believe will be necessary to commercialize our drug candidate, if approved, we may require substantial additional funding in the future.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

We enter into agreements in the normal course of business with vendors for preclinical studies, clinical trials, and other service providers for operating purposes. We have not included these payments in a table of contractual obligations since these contracts are generally cancellable at any time by us following a certain period after notice and therefore, we believe that our non-cancellable obligations under these agreements are not material.

Cash Flows

($ in thousands)

Operating Activities

Net cash and cash equivalents used in operating activities was $14.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, primarily comprised of our $17.1 million net loss, $3.8 million increase in operating assets and liabilities, $2.7 million change in fair value of warrant liability and $0.4 million in deferred income taxes, partially offset by a $9.7 million impairment of intangible assets and $0.2 million in non-cash interest expense.

Net cash and cash equivalents used in operating activities was $11.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, primarily comprised of our $10.2 million net loss, $7.2 million change in fair value of warrant liability and $0.1 million increase in operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by $4.2 million in fair value of New September Warrants, $1.1 million in on-cash finance expense, $0.6 million in fair value modifications to April and July 2023 warrants, $0.2 million in stock-based compensation, $0.2 million in non-cash interest and $0.1 million in unrealized foreign exchange loss.

Financing Activities

Net cash and cash equivalents provided by financing activities was $32.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, primarily due to $33.1 million in net proceeds from the sale of common stock pursuant to the Sales Agreement, $2.9 million in net proceeds from the issuance of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock, and $1.3 million in proceeds from 3i debt promissory notes, partially offset by the $3.5 million redemption of Series A Convertible Redeemable Preferred Stock and repayment of $1.3 million of 3i debt promissory notes.

Operating Capital and Capital Expenditure Requirements

We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our anticipated expenditures and commitments for the next twelve months. Our estimate as to how long we expect our cash to be able to continue to fund our operations is based on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could use our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Further, changing circumstances, some of which may be beyond our control, could cause us to consume capital significantly faster than we currently anticipate, and we may need to seek additional funds sooner than planned.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

Our management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, and our audited consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and expenses. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our critical accounting policies and estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable in the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions and conditions.

Our significant accounting policies are described in the notes to our consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023 included in the Form 10-K, and there have been no significant changes to our significant accounting policies during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. These unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and accompanying notes.

For information regarding defaults upon senior securities, see “Note 5, Convertible promissory note due to Novartis” in the accompanying “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements” in this Quarterly Report, which information is incorporated herein by reference.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain “disclosure controls and procedures,” as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in Securities and Exchange Commission rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

The design of any disclosure controls and procedures also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving our stated goals under all potential future conditions.

With respect to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operations of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Management does not expect that our internal control over financial reporting will prevent or detect all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control systems are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, no evaluation of internal control over financial reporting can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been or will be detected.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2024, which have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

There are no material changes to the risk factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, except as set forth below.

The risk factor titled “Unstable global market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and stock price” is amended and restated as follows:

Unstable global market and economic conditions may have serious adverse consequences on our business, financial condition and stock price.

The global credit and financial markets have from time-to-time experienced extreme volatility and disruptions, including severely diminished liquidity and credit availability, declines in consumer confidence, declines in economic growth, increases in unemployment rates and uncertainty about economic stability. The financial markets and the global economy may also be adversely affected by the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the conflicts in Israel and the Gaza Strip and the broader Middle East, terrorism or other geopolitical events. Sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries in response to such conflicts, including the one in Ukraine, may also adversely impact the financial markets and the global economy, and any economic countermeasures by the affected countries or others could exacerbate market and economic instability. There can be no assurance that further deterioration in credit and financial markets and confidence in economic conditions will not occur. Our general business strategy may be adversely affected by any such economic downturn, volatile business environment or continued unpredictable and unstable market conditions. If the current equity and credit markets deteriorate, it may make any necessary debt or equity financing more difficult, more costly and more dilutive. Failure to secure any necessary financing in a timely manner and on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our growth strategy, financial performance and stock price and could require us to delay or abandon clinical development plans. In addition, there is a risk that one or more of our current service providers, manufacturers and other partners may not survive an economic downturn, which could directly affect our ability to attain our operating goals on schedule and on budget.

The development and use of artificial intelligence, or AI, presents risks and challenges that can impact our business including by posing security risks to our confidential information, proprietary information, and personal data and could give rise to legal and/or regulatory actions, damage our reputation or otherwise materially harm our business.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is increasingly being used in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, technology, and consumer health industries. We may develop and incorporate AI technology in certain of our products and services. Issues relating to the use of new and evolving technologies such as AI, machine learning, generative AI, and large language models, may cause us to experience perceived or actual brand or reputational harm, technical harm, competitive harm, legal liability, cybersecurity risks, privacy risks, compliance risks, security risks, ethical issues, and new or enhanced governmental or regulatory scrutiny, and we may incur additional costs to resolve such issues. Litigation or government regulation related to the use of AI may also adversely impact our ability to develop and offer products that use AI, as well as increase the cost and complexity of doing so. In addition, uncertainties regarding developing legal and regulatory requirements and standards may require significant resources to modify and maintain business practices to comply with U.S. and non-U.S. laws concerning the use of AI, the nature of which cannot be determined at this time. In addition, the European Union recently passed the Artificial Intelligence Act, whose regulations will be developed over the coming year and, in the U.S., the recent Executive Order concerning artificial intelligence may result in extensive new federal rule-making. Further, market demand and acceptance of AI technologies are uncertain, and we may be unsuccessful in our product development efforts.

We plan to develop policies governing the use of AI to help reasonably ensure that such AI is used in a trustworthy manner by our employees, contractors, and authorized agents and that our assets, including intellectual property, competitive information, personal information we may collect or process, and customer information, are protected. Any failure by our personnel, contractors, or other agents to adhere to our established policies could violate confidentiality obligations or applicable laws and regulations, jeopardize our intellectual property rights, cause or contribute to unlawful discrimination, or result in the misuse of personally identifiable information or the injection of malware into our systems, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.