Listed

Volitionrx Ltd: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2024

Filed with the SEC on May 13, 2024 and accepted by EDGAR at May 13, 2024, 16:24 ET.

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Management's discussion and analysis

As filed, 20,491 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this Report and in our Annual Report. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that are based on our current expectations and reflect our plans, estimates and anticipated future financial performance. These statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this Report and in our Annual Report, as well as our other public filings with the SEC. Please refer to the section of this Report entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for additional information.

Overview

Volition is a multi-national epigenetics company. It has patented technologies that use chromosomal structures, such as nucleosomes, and transcription factors as biomarkers in cancer and other diseases. The tests in the Company’s product portfolio detect certain characteristic changes that occur from the earliest stages of disease, enabling early detection and offering a better way to monitor disease progression and a patient’s response to treatment.

The tests offered by Volition and its subsidiaries are designed to diagnose and monitor a range of life-altering diseases, including certain cancers and diseases associated with NETosis, such as sepsis and COVID-19. Early diagnosis and monitoring have the potential to not only prolong the life of patients but also improve their quality of life.

Our key pillars of focus are:

  • Nu.Q® Vet - cost-effective, easy-to-use blood tests for dogs and other companion animals. The Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Test is commercially available as a cancer screening test in dogs.
  • Nu.Q® NETs - monitoring the immune system to save lives.
  • Nu.Q® Discover - a complete solution to profiling nucleosomes.
  • Nu.Q® Cancer - monitoring disease progression, response to treatment and Minimal Residual Disease.
  • Capture-PCRTM - isolating and capturing circulating tumor derived DNA from plasma samples for early cancer detection.

Commercialization Strategy

We are guided by three underlying principles to our commercialization strategy – ensuring our products:

  • Result in low capital expenditures for licensors and end users and low operating expenses for Volition,
  • Are affordable, and
  • Are accessible worldwide.

The principles above inform our overall commercialization strategy for our products, which is driven by the following:

  • Conducting R&D in-house and through our research partners;
  • Monetizing our IP with upfront payments, milestone payments, royalties, and sales of kits and key components; and
  • Commercializing our products via global players and in fragmented markets through regional companies.

We aim to partner with established diagnostic companies to market, sell, and process our tests, leveraging their networks and expertise.

We believe, given the global prevalence of cancer and diseases associated with NETosis, and the low-cost, accessible and routine nature of our tests, they could potentially be used throughout the world.

We aim to remain an IP powerhouse in the epigenetic space and expect to monetize our IP and technologies through licensing and distribution contracts with companies that have established distribution networks and expertise on a worldwide or regional basis, in both human and animal care across platforms (centralized labs and point-of-care / in-house diagnostics).

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To this end, on March 28, 2022, Volition entered into a master license and product supply agreement with Heska Corporation (“Heska”). In exchange for granting Heska exclusive worldwide rights to sell our Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Test at the point of care for companion animals, Volition received a $10.0 million upfront payment upon signing, received $13.0 million based upon the achievement of two milestones and is eligible to receive up to an additional $5.0 million based upon the achievement of a final milestone upon the earlier of the first commercial sale by or on behalf of Heska of a screening or monitoring test for lymphoma in felines, or the nine-month anniversary of the first peer reviewed paper evidencing clinical utility for the screening or monitoring of lymphoma in felines being published in any one of a number of periodicals identified by the parties. In addition, Volition has granted Heska non-exclusive rights to sell the Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Test in kit format for companion animals through Heska’s network of central reference laboratories. In June 2023 Heska was acquired by Mars Petcare and became part of it’s Antech Diagnostics division. In April 2024, Antech announced the launch of the in-clinic version of the Nu.Q® Canine Cancer test in the US and Europe.

We also entered into a licensing and supply agreement with IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (“IDEXX”), a global leader in pet healthcare innovation in October 2022. This contract provides worldwide customer reach through IDEXX’s global reference laboratory network as we continue to commercialize our transformational Nu.Q® technology within the companion animal healthcare sector and capitalize on the significant opportunities available. IDEXX launched the IDEXX Nu.Q® Canine Cancer Test in January 2023.

In November 2023, we launched the Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Test in the UK and Ireland through our distributor, the Veterinary Pathology Group, and in the UK through Nationwide Laboratories. In March 2024, Fujifilm Vet Systems announced the launch of the Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Test in Japan.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

We have financed our operations since inception primarily through private placements and public offerings of our common stock. As of March 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $11.8 million.

Net cash used in operating activities was $8.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and $8.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, respectively. The decrease in cash used in operating activities for the period ended March 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023 can be attributed to less expenditure on clinical trials.

Net cash used in investing activities was $0.1 million and $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023, respectively. The decrease was due to a reduction in purchases of laboratory equipment.

Net cash used in financing activities was $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 and net cash provided by financing activities was $8.1 million for the comparable period ended March 31, 2023. The decrease in cash provided by financing activities for the period ended March 31, 2024 when compared to same period in 2023 was primarily due to $8.0 million in net cash received from the issuance of shares of common stock in a registered public offering in February 2023 and $0.7 million in net cash received from the issuance of shares of common stock under our “at-the-market” facility during the period ended March 31, 2023.

For additional information on our “at the market facility,” refer to Note 6, Common Stock – Equity Distribution Agreement, of the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements included within this Report.

The following table summarizes our approximate contractual payments due by year as of March 31, 2024.

Approximate Payments (Including Interest) Due by Year

Description Total $$ 2024 - Remaining 2025 - 2028 $$ 2029 +
Financing lease liabilities 472,433 43,610 232,590 196,233
Operating lease liabilities and short-term lease 722,701 255,179 467,522 -
Grants repayable 468,668 54,700 182,365 231,603
Long-term debt 5,434,048 1,212,648 3,904,293 317,107
Collaborative agreements obligations 1,344,784 1,181,238 163,546 -
Total 8,442,634 2,747,375 4,950,316 744,943

We intend to use our cash reserves to predominantly fund further research and development, and commercialization activities. We do not have any substantial source of revenues and expect to rely on additional future financing, through the sale of licensing or distribution rights, grant funding and the sale of equity or debt securities to provide sufficient funding to execute our strategic plan. There is no assurance that we will be successful in raising further funds.

In the event additional financing is delayed, we will prioritize the completion of clinical validation studies for the purpose of the sale of licensing or distribution rights, and the maintenance of our patent rights. In the event of an ongoing lack of financing, it may be necessary to discontinue operations, which will adversely affect the value of our common stock.

We have not attained profitable operations and are dependent upon obtaining financing to pursue any extensive activities. For these reasons, our auditors included in their report on our audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023, an explanatory paragraph regarding factors that raise substantial doubt that we will be able to continue as a going concern.

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Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three-Months Ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023

The following table sets forth our results of operations for the three months ended on March 31, 2024, and March 31, 2023, respectively.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 $$ 2023 Increase (Decrease) $% Increase (Decrease)
Service 39,776 5,356 34,420 >100%
Product 131,759 144,452 (12,693) (9%)
Total Revenues 171,535 149,808 21,727 15%
Research and development 4,629,527 4,905,678 (276,151) (6%)
General and administrative 2,253,743 2,581,703 (327,960) (13%)
Sales and marketing 1,672,769 1,707,457 (34,688) (2%)
Total Operating Expenses 8,556,039 9,194,838 (638,799) (7%)
Grant income - 165,795 (165,795) (100%)
Interest income 8,654 57,648 (48,994) (85%)
Interest expense (77,233) (51,322) (25,911) 50%
Loss on change in fair value of warrant liability (18,922) - (18,922) >100%
Total Other Income (87,501) 172,121 (259,622) >(100%)
Net Loss (8,472,005) (8,872,909) (400,904) (5%)

Revenues

Our operations are transitioning from a research and development focused stage to a commercialization stage. Revenues during the three-months ended March 31, 2024 were $171,535, compared with $149,808 for the three-months ended March 31, 2023. Our main source of revenue during the three months ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2023 was product revenues from sales of the Nu.Q® Vet Cancer Test.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses decreased to $8.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $9.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023, as a result of the factors described below.

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Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses decreased to $4.6 million from $4.9 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2024, and March 31, 2023, respectively. This decrease was primarily related to decreased direct research and development expenses as a result of reduced clinical trials with DXOCRO, partially offset by higher personnel expenses. The number of full-time equivalent (“FTE”) personnel we employed in this division decreased by 2 to 66 compared to the prior year period.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 $$ 2023 Change $
Personnel expenses 2,213,209 2,044,133 169,076
Stock-based compensation 118,118 143,054 (24,936)
Direct research and development expenses 1,715,842 2,174,812 (458,970)
Other research and development 318,301 281,072 37,229
Depreciation and amortization 264,057 262,607 1,450
Total research and development expenses 4,629,527 4,905,678 (276,151)

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses decreased to $2.3 million from $2.6 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2024, and March 31, 2023, respectively. The reduction is due to lower personnel expenses, legal expenses and stock-based compensation during the period. The FTE personnel number within this division decreased by 1 to 20 compared to the prior year period.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 $$ 2023 Change $
Personnel expenses 1,140,824 1,260,635 (119,811)
Stock-based compensation 176,688 303,525 (126,837)
Legal and professional fees 499,947 631,019 (131,072)
Other general and administrative 390,316 327,684 62,632
Depreciation and amortization 45,968 58,840 (12,872)
Total general and administrative expenses 2,253,743 2,581,703 (327,960)

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Sales and marketing expenses remained flat at $1.7 million from $1.7 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2024, and March 31, 2023, respectively. The higher personnel expenses and direct marketing and professional fees were more than offset by a reduction in stock-based compensation during the period. The FTE personnel number within this division increased by 4 to 22 compared to the prior year period.

Three Months Ended March 31, 2024 $$ 2023 Change $
Personnel expenses 1,293,243 1,219,265 73,978
Stock-based compensation 116,414 247,077 (130,663)
Direct marketing and professional fees 251,064 227,985 23,079
Depreciation and amortization 12,048 13,130 (1,082)
Total sales and marketing expenses 1,672,769 1,707,457 (34,688)

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Other Income (Expenses)

For the three-months ended March 31, 2024, the Company’s other expenses were $87,501 compared to other income of $172,121 for the three-months ended March 31, 2023. This decrease in other income was due to no grant income earned during the current period.

Net Loss

For the three-months ended March 31, 2024, the Company’s net loss was $8.5 million, a decrease of approximately $0.4 million in comparison to a net loss of $8.9 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2023. The change was a result of the factors described above.

Going Concern

We have not attained profitable operations on an ongoing basis and are dependent upon obtaining external financing to continue to pursue our operational and strategic plans. For these reasons, management has determined that there is substantial doubt that the business will be able to continue as a going concern without further financing.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

There have been no material changes to our off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to stockholders.

Future Financings

We may seek to obtain additional capital through the sale of debt or equity securities if we deem it desirable or necessary. These sales may include the sale of equity securities from time to time through an “at the market offering program” under our Equity Distribution Agreement. see Note 6, Common Stock – Equity Distribution Agreement, of the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements). However, we may be unable to obtain such additional capital when needed, or on terms favorable to us or our stockholders, if at all. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, the percentage ownership of our stockholders will be reduced, stockholders may experience additional dilution, or such equity securities may provide for rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of the holders of our common stock. If additional funds are raised through the issuance of debt securities, the terms of such securities may place restrictions on our ability to operate our business.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our interim condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, applied on a consistent basis. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods.

We also regularly evaluate estimates and assumptions related to deferred income tax asset valuation allowances, useful lives of property and equipment and intangible assets, borrowing rate used in operating lease right-of-use asset and liability valuations, impairment analysis of intangible assets and valuations of stock-based compensation.

We base our estimates and assumptions on current facts, historical experiences, information from third party professionals and various other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities and the accrual of costs and expenses that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ materially and adversely from our estimates. To the extent there are material differences between the estimates and the actual results, future results of operations could be affected.

We regularly evaluate the accounting policies and estimates that we use to prepare our financial statements. A summary of these policies is included in the notes to our financial statements. There have been no material changes to the critical accounting policies and key estimates and assumptions disclosed in the section titled “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in Part II, Item 7 within our Annual Report.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

The Company has implemented all applicable new accounting pronouncements that are in effect. The Company does not believe that there are any other applicable new accounting pronouncements that have been issued that might have a material impact on its financial position or results of operations.

In November 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-07, “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures,” which requires a public entity to disclose significant segment expenses and other segment items on an annual and interim basis and to provide in interim periods all disclosures about reportable segment’s profit or loss and assets that are currently required annually. ASU 2023-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. These amendments are to be applied retrospectively. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this standard will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures,” which enhances the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures by requiring; (1) consistent categories and greater disaggregation of information in the rate reconciliation and (2) income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. It also includes certain other amendments to improve the effectiveness of income tax disclosures. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2025, with early adoption permitted. These amendments are to be applied prospectively, with retrospective application permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this standard will have on its condensed consolidated financial statements.

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Controls and procedures

As filed, 7,008 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by our company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Principal Executive and Principal Financial Officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Our management carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based upon that evaluation, our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have concluded, as they previously concluded as of December 31, 2023, that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of March 31, 2024, because of material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, as referenced below and described in detail in our Annual Report.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

We identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting. A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weaknesses identified include:

  • we do not have sufficient written documentation of our internal control policies and procedures, including written policies and procedures to ensure the correct application of accounting and financial reporting with respect to the current requirements of GAAP and SEC disclosure requirements.

Notwithstanding the material weakness, we believe that our financial statements contained in this Report fairly present our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods covered by this Report in all material respects.

Our management, with the oversight of our audit committee, has initiated steps and plans to take additional measures to remediate the underlying causes of the material weakness, which we currently believe will be primarily through revising precision level management review controls and gaining additional assurance regarding our outside service providers’ quality control procedures. It is possible that we may determine that additional remediation steps will be necessary in the future.

Planned Remediation of Material Weaknesses

Our management has been actively engaged in developing and implementing remediation plans to address material weaknesses described above. These remediation efforts are ongoing and include or are expected to include:

  • engaging internal control consultants to assist us in performing a financial reporting risk assessment as well as identifying and designing our system of internal controls necessary to mitigate the risks identified;
  • preparation of written documentation of our internal control policies and procedures;
  • increasing personnel resources and technical accounting expertise within the accounting function to replace our outside service providers; and
  • until we have sufficient technical accounting resources, we have engaged external consultants to provide support and to assist us in our evaluation of more complex applications of GAAP.

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Planned Remediation of Material Weaknesses (continued)

We continue to enhance corporate oversight over process-level controls and structures to ensure that there is appropriate assignment of authority, responsibility, and accountability to enable remediation of our material weaknesses. We believe that our remediation plan will be sufficient to remediate the identified material weaknesses and strengthen our internal control over financial reporting. As we continue to evaluate, and work to improve, our internal control over financial reporting, management may determine that additional measures to address control deficiencies or modifications to the remediation plan are necessary.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Except for the ongoing remediation of the material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting noted above, no changes in our internal control over financial reporting were made during the three months ended March 31, 2024, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Limitations of the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Internal Controls

Our management, including our Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and internal controls will prevent all error 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 system 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 inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control.

The design of any system of controls is also 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; over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

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Risk factors

As filed, 155 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

There have been no material changes in our assessment of risk factors affecting our business since those presented in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report.

Figures reported in this filing

Standardized line items from the XBRL in this filing, for the period ended 2024-03-31. Comparative periods it repeats are left out.

Figures reported in this filing
Line itemPeriodValueXBRL concept
Revenue3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31$171.5kus-gaap:Revenues
Research and development3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31$4.6mus-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense
Operating income3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31−$8.4mus-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss
Net income3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31−$8.5mus-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Operating cash flow3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31−$8.3mus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities
Capital expenditure3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31$28.8kus-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Share repurchases3 months2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31$0us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock
Cash and equivalentsAt period end2024-03-31$11.8mus-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue
Current assetsAt period end2024-03-31$13.5mus-gaap:AssetsCurrent
Total assetsAt period end2024-03-31$19.4mus-gaap:Assets
Current liabilitiesAt period end2024-03-31$31.5mus-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent
Total liabilitiesAt period end2024-03-31$36.1mus-gaap:Liabilities
Long-term debtAt period end2024-03-31$3.4mus-gaap:LongTermDebtNoncurrent
Current portion of debtAt period end2024-03-31$1.1mus-gaap:LongTermDebtCurrent
Shareholders' equityAt period end2024-03-31−$15.6mus-gaap:StockholdersEquity

Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0001477932-24-002775. Last ingested by Listed: Oct 27, 2026, 17:01 ET. Listed shows no prices and gives no investment advice.