Nexgel, Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

Our Company

We were incorporated in Delaware on January 13, 2009. We manufacture high water content, electron beam cross-linked, aqueous polymer hydrogels, or gels, used for wound care, medical diagnostics, transdermal drug delivery and cosmetics. We specialize in custom gels by capitalizing on proprietary manufacturing technologies. We have historically served as a contract manufacturer, supplying our gels to third parties who incorporate them into their own products. Beginning in 2020, we created two new lines of business for the company. First, our own line of branded consumer products sold direct to consumers. Second, we expanded into custom and white label opportunities, which focuses on combining our gels with proprietary branded products and white label opportunities. All of our gel products are manufactured using proprietary and non-proprietary mixing, coating and cross-linking technologies. Together, these technologies enable us to produce gels that can satisfy rigid tolerance specifications with respect to a wide range of physical characteristics (e.g., thickness, water content, adherence, absorption, moisture vapor transmission rate [a measure of the passage of water vapor through a substance] and release rate) while maintaining product integrity. Additionally, we have the manufacturing ability to offer broad choices in the selection of liners onto which the gels are coated. Consequently, we and our customers are able to determine tolerances in moisture vapor transmission rate and active ingredient release rates while personalizing color and texture.

Contract Manufacturing Business

As described above, we have historically served as a contract manufacturer, supplying our gels to third parties who incorporate them into their own products. Our hydrogels are currently being marketed in the U.S. and abroad by our customers for the following applications:

• Drug Delivery. We believe delivering medication through hydrogel patches has important advantages over traditional methods of drug delivery. Hydrogel patches are less intrusive, painless, allow for pre-planned medication time periods, can potentially release medication in a manner consistent with the body’s own glandular activity (by avoiding dosage spikes and/or digestive alteration), and minimize side effects related to the medication via injection or ingestion.
• Other Medical Applications. Hydrogel patches are being used for transdermal applications such as hormone replacement therapy and contraception, treatment of acne, shingles, diabetes, motion sickness, treatment of angina with nitroglycerin and treatment of smoking addiction using nicotine and palliatives (i.e., pain relievers).
• Non-Prescription Therapeutic Applications. Hydrogel patches are also used in the medical community and are also directly marketed to consumers for topical application of over the counter (“OTC”) drugs such as non-prescription acne treatments, pain relievers, diet preparations, cough suppressants, treatment of warts, calluses and corns, and pain relief.
• Moist Wound and Burn Dressings. Hydrogel dressings have long been used for treating wounds and burns. Clinical trials have demonstrated the benefits of moist wound healing versus traditional dressings. Some of these benefits include immediate anti-inflammatory effects, allowing for freer cell flow and less scarring, increased absorption of exudate, and accelerated healing.
• Components of Medical Devices. Several medical devices utilize hydrogels as components. These devices include active drug delivery systems such as iontophoresis, warming and cooling devices, medical electrodes and various medical products for sensitive skin.
• Cosmetic Applications. Hydrogel patches and applications allow for delivery systems of cosmetic skin care products to consumers and skin care providers for uses that include moisturizers, face masks, cooling masks and applicators.

We believe our competitive advantage in each of the general hydrogel patch applications described above is that our hydrogel patches are gentler to the skin because we do not use chemical cross-linking agents which are incorporated into other hydrogel patches. Once the gels are manufactured according to a customer’s specifications, the gels are generally shipped to the customer via a contract carrier (e.g., United Parcel Service, Inc.).

Our Facilities

We manufacture our hydrogels at what we believe to be one of only two facilities that can produce state-of-the–art hydrogel transdermal products and we have successfully used over two hundred active ingredients combinations in our hydrogels to date. Our facility consists of 13,500 square feet of manufacturing space, which we currently operate at approximately 10% capacity. Given the significant unused capacity, we can expand rapidly to meet increased demand, including for our healthcare and consumer product lines as described in more detail below. At full capacity, we estimate our existing facility would produce approximately 1.4 billion square inches of product annually. In addition, we sublease approximately 6,200 square feet of a 12,000 square foot combined office and manufacturing facility in Granbury, Texas, for our joint venture CG Converting and Packaging, LLC (“JV”). Our facilities are subject to stringent FDA compliance requirements. We also believe our hydrogel facility creates a high barrier to entry into our hydrogel and consumer product business.

Consumer Products

Beginning in the third quarter of 2020, we began selling our own branded products using our hydrogel technology on the Amazon marketplace. In 2022 we expanded access to our products by launching our own direct to consumer website, Medagel.com. Our hydrogel consumer products are marketed under the brand names MedaGel and LumaGel Beauty. The products we sell under our MedaGel brand primarily relate to over-the-counter (“OTC”) remedy solutions, such as blister and pain applications; while the products we sell under our LumaGel Beauty brand primarily relate to beauty and cosmetic solutions, such as wrinkle and skin cream applications. In December 2023 we added a third consumer product brand when we completed the purchase of the Kenkoderm brand. The Kenkoderm skincare line was originally developed by a dermatologist to provide alternative treatments for psoriasis that did not use steroids or biologics that often have side effects.

Additionally, we have several more products in our development pipeline. We intend for these products to address various market opportunities including the OTC pharmaceutical drug delivery market, pain management, beauty and cosmetics, sports related applications, cannabinoids (“CBD” and/or “THC”) and general podiatry.

Custom and White Label Opportunities

We are leveraging our hydrogel products and technologies by allowing other OTC brands to incorporate them into their products. We believe our hydrogels, which do not use chemical cross-linking agents and can be made in paraben free formulations, will be attractive to other OTC brands, especially in the beauty and cosmetics industry, and their customers. We believe these white labeling opportunities will increase the markets’ awareness of us as a consumer-friendly and reliable supplier of customizable patches. Additionally, we created a process where customers have the ability to create their own custom hydrogel products. Customers pay a development fee, eliminating our financial risk in the success or failure of the custom product. As opposed to our contract manufacturing business, where we provide bulk sale of roll stock hydrogel to our customers who then use it as one component in their products which they themselves then manufacture, test, market and sell, our custom and white label business will provide customers with a finished product which they will then brand and re-sell.

Medical Devices

We entered into the medical device development sector which a focus on analyzing, creating and developing devices and solutions that reduce skin pain and irritation, improve and maintain skin integrity and provide greater comfort and safety for patients at the site of which a medical device interfaces with the human body.

We conducted proof of concept studies for the development of our first medical device, which we call NEXDrape and have filed for a patent on this device under the Patent Cooperation Treaty which provides patent protection in the nations who are members of the treaty. The NEXDrape device is an incise surgical drape designed for patients with impaired skin. The elderly, diabetics, trauma patients and those with an adhesive sensitivity can have adverse events from the removal of adhesive drapes. Additionally, patients taking certain medications, such as ELIQUIS® and steroids, may experience impaired skin as well. These groups represent a sizable percentage of the incise surgical drape market, a market we believe to be significant and growing. The incise surgical drape market is currently fragmented with 3M Healthcare being the market leader. Skin tears, infections, rashes, and post-surgical site pain are some of the problems that can occur as a result of the removal of adhesive drapes, and have been reported with other currently available surgical drapes.

We have conducted one animal and two human cadaver proof of concept studies with respect to NEXDrape. As a result of these studies, we believe NEXDrape will represent a gentle to the skin alternative to the current adhesive based standard of care and will provide a unique solution for patients with fragile or compromised skin. Additionally, we believe NEXDrape offers the following benefits over the current incise surgical drape products: (i) no skin irritation; (ii) able to deliver a wide range of antiseptic and antibiotic agents; (iii) eliminates air bubbles; and (iv) prevents dermis removal post-surgery, which reduces the risk of patient infection and discomfort. We intend to file a 510(k) premarket submission with the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), which is an application to demonstrate that NEXDrape is as safe and effective (or substantially equivalent to) a legally marketed surgical drape device. There can be no guarantee that the FDA approves our application, if submitted.

We are also in the process of developing a product we call NEXDerm which will be an adhesive tape designed to secure central lines and intravenous tubes and devices to patients before, during and after medical treatment. We believe NEXDerm will be an attractive alternative to Tegaderm™, a 3M Healthcare product. Based on our discussion with medical professionals, Tegaderm™ is often difficult and painful to remove after adhesion, particularly for comprised skin patients. NEXDerm, which will incorporate exclusively licensed technology owned by Noble Fiber, is designed to create a gentle to skin surgical tape impregnated with antimicrobial X-Static® silver fiber. We believe NEXDerm, if successfully developed, will offer the following advantages over Tegaderm™: (i) ability to easily reposition the adhesive tape; (ii) pain-free removal; (iii) gentle to the skin; and (iv) increased infection prevention. As with NEXDrape, we intend to file a 510(k) premarket submission with the FDA to demonstrate that NEXDrape is as safe and effective (or substantially equivalent to) a legally marketed surgical drape device. There can be no guarantee that the FDA approves our application, if submitted.

Our current intent with any medical devices will not be to commercialize due to the expense required but to potentially prepare them to go to market and to identify and pursue licensing and partnering arrangements with third parties possessing the necessary resources and capabilities to bring the devices to market.

Sales and Marketing

Contract Manufacturing, Consumer Products and Customer and White Label Offerings. We continue to focus on sales and marketing efforts in the United States. We use commission-based, fractional sales personnel to supplement our in-house efforts.

Medical Devices. We do not intend to spend efforts or resources on selling or marketing our medical device business. Our current intent with any medical devices will not be to commercialize due to the expense required but to identify and pursue licensing arrangements with third parties possessing the necessary resources and capabilities to bring the devices to market.

Competition

Contract Manufacturing. To our knowledge, NexGel is one of two manufacturers using electron beam technology for high performance hydrogels for the wound care, cosmetic and drug delivery industries.

Consumer Products and Medical Devices. As we expand our consumer products and medical device business, we will face a number of competitors. Our competitors include numerous manufacturers; distributors; marketers; online, specialty, mass, and other retailers; and physicians that actively compete for the business of consumers both in the United States and abroad, including companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Procter & Gamble. Most of our competitors have longer operating histories, significantly greater resources, better developed and more innovative sales and distribution channels and platforms, greater name recognition, and larger established customer bases than we do. Therefore, a strategic partnership will be critical to our success in the medical device business. We also face similar challenges with our own consumer branded products and may pursue similar strategic partnerships, though direct to consumer marketing and selling is more feasible.

Custom and White Label Offerings. As our custom and white label offering business will provide customers with a finished product which they will then brand and re-sell, the competition will depend, to a great deal, on the type of product the customer request and will not result in direct competition to us.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials; Principal Suppliers

In general, raw materials essential to our business are readily available from multiple sources. For reasons of quality assurance, availability, or cost effectiveness, certain components and raw materials are available only from a sole supplier. The principal suppliers for our raw materials are Berry Global, Inc., DeWolf Chemical, Inc., and Univar, Inc. Our policy is to maintain sufficient inventory of components and raw materials so that our production will not be significantly disrupted even if a particular component or material is not available for a period of time.

Because we have no direct control over these suppliers, interruptions or delays in the products and services provided by these parties may be difficult to remedy in a timely fashion. In addition, if such suppliers are unable or unwilling to deliver the necessary components or raw materials, we may be unable to redesign or adapt our technology to work without such components or raw materials or find alternative suppliers or manufacturers. In such events, we could experience interruptions, delays, increased costs, quality control problems, and or be unable to sell the applicable products, all of which could have a significant adverse impact on our revenue.

Other than as discussed above, we believe that, due to the size and scale of production of our suppliers, there should be an adequate supply of components and raw materials from our other suppliers.

Customers

During the year ended December 31, 2023, one major customer accounted for approximately 20%. During the year ended December 31, 2022 one major customer accounted for approximately 29% of our revenue. We cannot be certain as to this customer’s intentions to use our services during and beyond the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 since we do not currently have a contract with this customer. However, we have been supplying this customer for more than 15 years and have no reason to anticipate any change. Our contract manufacturing business, including with respect to this customer, operates on a purchase order basis.

Patents, Proprietary Rights and Trademarks

We own or license trademarks covering our company and our products. We filed for a patent on NEXDrape under the Patent Cooperation Treaty which provides patent protection in the nations who are members of the treaty. We also rely upon trade secrets and continuing technological innovations to develop and maintain our competitive position. We also hold certain intellectual property that is not material to our current business and prospects, including patent rights to one patent in Europe, which covers the use of lignin for inhibiting restenosis and thrombosis formation, and coated medical devices where the coating includes lignin. This patent is set to expire in the near future, however we believe the expiration of these patents will not have an adverse impact on our overall business. We hold an exclusive license with right to sub-license from Specialty Pharmaceutical Products, L.L.C. (which was held by our former parent, Adynxx, Inc.) to two issued patents, one in the U.S. and one in Europe, which cover technology relating to a transdermal patch containing transcutol. The transdermal patch is effective to deliver lidocaine to a patient. Neither of these patent rights are material to our current business and prospects. These licensed patent rights are expected to expire in April 2032.

Government Regulation

Product Regulation. Under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, medical devices are classified by the FDA into one of three classes - Class I, Class II or Class III - depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of control needed to ensure safety and effectiveness. While some applications of hydrogels fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA, hydrogels are generally classified as Class I exempt devices and the majority of the hydrogel products that we manufacture are thereby exempt from the FDA filing of any regulatory submissions and/or pre-market notification requirements. To the extent that any FDA regulatory submissions are required, we will be required to file these submissions and maintain all appropriate documentation. With respect to registering the manufacturing facility with the FDA under the Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 820.1, Scope: Part A, it is stated that the regulation does not apply to manufacturers of component parts of finished devices. Currently, hydrogels are sold as component parts to various medical device/cosmetic manufacturers.

Quality Assurance Requirements. The FDA enforces regulations to ensure that the methods used in, and the facilities and controls used for, the manufacture, processing, packing and holding of drugs and medical devices conform with current good manufacturing practice (“cGMP”). The cGMP regulations enforced by the FDA are comprehensive and cover all aspects of manufacturing operations, from receipt of raw materials to finished product distribution, insofar as they bear upon whether drugs meet all the identity, strength, quality and purity characteristics required of them. The cGMP regulations for devices, called the Quality System Regulation, are also comprehensive and cover all aspects of device manufacture, from pre-production design validation to installation and servicing, insofar as they bear upon the safe and effective use of the device and whether the device otherwise meets the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. To assure compliance requires a continuous commitment of time, money and effort in all operational areas.

The FDA also conducts periodic inspections of drug and device registered facilities to assess their current cGMP status. If the FDA were to find serious non-compliant manufacturing or processing practices during such an inspection, it could take regulatory actions that could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. With respect to domestic establishments, the FDA could initiate product seizures or in some instances require product recalls and seek to enjoin a product’s manufacture and distribution. In certain circumstances, violations could support civil penalties and criminal prosecutions. In addition, if the FDA concludes that a company is not in compliance with cGMP requirements, sanctions may be imposed that include preventing that company from receiving the necessary licenses to export its products and classifying that company as an “unacceptable supplier”, thereby disqualifying that company from selling products to federal agencies.

We conduct audits of our outside manufacturers and believe that we and our suppliers and outside manufacturers are currently in compliance with cGMP requirements. We are currently registered as a device manufacturer and distributor with the FDA and we intend to register as a drug facility with the FDA when we are required to do so.

Environmental Regulation. We are subject to various laws and governmental regulations concerning environmental matters and employee safety and health in the U.S. and other countries. We have made, and continue to make, significant investments to comply with these laws and regulations. We cannot predict the future capital expenditures or operating costs required to comply with environmental laws and regulations. We believe that we are currently compliant with applicable environmental, health and safety requirements in all material respects. However, we cannot assure you that current or future regulatory, governmental, or private action will not have a material adverse effect on our performance, results or financial condition.

In the future, if a loss contingency related to environmental matters, employee safety, health or conditional asset retirement obligations is recognized, we would record a liability for the obligation and it may result in a material impact on net income for the annual or interim period during which the liability is recorded. The investigation and remediation of environmental obligations generally occur over an extended period of time, and therefore we do not know if these events would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity, or cash flow, nor can we assure you that such liabilities would not have a material adverse effect on our performance, results or financial condition.

Federal and State Anti-kickback, Self-referral, False Claims and Similar Laws. Our relationships with physicians, hospitals and the marketers of our products are subject to scrutiny under various federal anti-kickback, self-referral, false claims and similar laws, often referred to collectively as healthcare fraud and abuse laws. Healthcare fraud and abuse laws are complex, and even minor, inadvertent violations can give rise to claims that the relevant law has been violated. Certain states have similar fraud and abuse laws, imposing substantial penalties for violations. Any government investigation or a finding of a violation of these laws would likely result in a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations. We believe that we are currently compliant with applicable anti-kickback, self-referral, false claims in all material respects.

Research and Development Costs

For the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we incurred approximately $103 thousand and $367 thousand, respectively, in research and development costs. We expect to incur increased costs in the future for our medical device business. Research and development will be an important component in the growth of our business.

Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had 19 full-time employees. Of these employees, five are involved with finance, sales, marketing, and administration and 14 are involved with manufacturing and regulatory matters. Our employees are not represented by a labor union or other collective bargaining groups, and we consider relations with our employees to be good. We currently plan to retain and utilize the services of outside consultants for additional research, testing, regulatory, accounting and tax services, legal compliance, and other services on an as needed basis.

Properties

We maintain a combined corporate office and manufacturing facility in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, where we lease approximately 16,500 square feet of office and manufacturing space which expires on January 31, 2031. In addition, we sublease approximately 6,200 square feet of a 12,000 square foot combined office and manufacturing facility in Granbury, Texas, for our JV. The lease expires in March 2028.

We believe that our facilities are well maintained and are suitable and adequate for our current needs.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business. We are currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims.

There are no material proceedings in which any of our directors, officers or affiliates or any registered or beneficial shareholder of more than 5% of our common stock is an adverse party or has a material interest adverse to our interest.

Contractual Obligations

The Company is a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is not required to provide the information under this item.

You should carefully consider the risks described below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by any of these risks. Our common stock is considered speculative and the trading price of our common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment. The following risk factors are not the only risk factors facing the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business.

Risks Relating to Our Business

Our future success depends upon market acceptance of our existing and future products.

We believe that our success will depend in part upon the acceptance of our existing and future products by the medical community, hospitals and physicians and other health care providers, third-party payers, and end-users. Such acceptance may depend upon the extent to which the medical community and end-users perceive our products as safer, more effective or cost-competitive than other similar products. Ultimately, for our products to gain general market acceptance, it may also be necessary for us to develop marketing partners for the distribution of our products. There can be no assurance that our products will achieve significant market acceptance on a timely basis, or at all. Failure of some or all of our future products to achieve significant market acceptance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our suppliers may fail to deliver components and raw materials and parts according to schedules, prices, quality and volumes that are acceptable to us, or we may be unable to manage these components and raw materials effectively.

Our products contain materials and parts purchased globally from many suppliers, including single-source direct suppliers, which exposes us to potential component shortages or delays. Unexpected changes in business conditions, materials pricing, labor issues, wars such as the current conflict in Ukraine, trade policies, natural disasters, health epidemics, trade and shipping disruptions, port congestions and other factors beyond our or our suppliers’ control could also affect these suppliers’ ability to deliver components to us or to remain solvent and operational. Additionally, if our suppliers do not accurately forecast and effectively allocate production or if they are not willing to allocate sufficient production to us, it may reduce our access to components and raw materials, thus requiring us to search for new suppliers. The unavailability of any component or supplier could result in production delays, idle manufacturing facilities, product design changes and loss of access to important technology and tools for producing and supporting our products. Our suppliers may not be willing or able to sustainably meet our timelines or our cost, quality and volume needs, or to do so may cost us more, which may require us to replace them with other sources. While we believe that we will be able to secure additional or alternate sources for most of our components, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so quickly or at all.

As the scale of production of our products, we will also need to accurately forecast, purchase, warehouse and transport components at high volumes to our manufacturing facilities. If we are unable to accurately match the timing and quantities of component purchases to our actual needs or successfully implement automation, inventory management and other systems to accommodate the increased complexity in our supply chain and parts management, we may incur unexpected production disruption, storage, transportation and write-off costs, which may harm our business and operating results.

We are dependent on significant customers.

Our hydrogel manufacturing business is currently our primary source of revenue, and much of this revenue is generated from a limited number of clients, who account for a substantial percentage of our total revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2023, one major customer accounted for approximately 20% of our revenue. The loss of any of our significant customers would have a significantly negative effect on our overall operations.

We rely heavily on the Amazon marketplace for the sales and distribution of our consumer products, and if we are unable to maintain a good relationship with Amazon or if Amazon experiences disruptions, our business will suffer.

We rely heavily on the Amazon marketplace for the sales and distribution of our consumer products to our end consumers. We believe that we have good relationships with Amazon. However, if we or any of our partners, (or if Amazon believes we or any of our partners have violated) its terms of service, Amazon could limit or terminate its relationship with us. Any limitation or termination of our relationship with Amazon could materially adversely affect one of all of our business, financial condition and our results of operations. Additionally, any prolonged disruption of Amazon’s website or its delivery and distribution of our consumer products could materially adversely impact our business.

We have no contracts in place with our customers in either our contract manufacturing or consumer products business. The absence of such contracts could result in periods during which we must continue to pay costs without revenues.

Our sales are made on a purchase order basis, we do not have contracts with our customers in either our contract manufacturing or consumer products business. Accordingly, our customers are not required to purchase a minimum amount of our products, and we therefore could have periods during which we have no or limited orders for our products, which will make it difficult for us to operate as we will have to continue paying our expenses. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to timely locate new customers, if at all, when our existing customers are not placing orders. The periods in which we have no or limited purchase orders for our products would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We operate in a highly competitive industry.

Competition from other hydrogel manufacturers is intense. There can be no assurance that we can develop products that are more effective or achieve greater market acceptance than competitive products, or that our competitors will not succeed in developing or acquiring products and technologies that are more effective than those being developed by us, that would render our products and technologies less competitive or obsolete.

Our competitors enjoy several competitive advantages over us, including some or all of the following:

• large and established distribution networks in the U.S. and/or in international markets;
• greater financial, managerial and other resources for products, research and development, sales and marketing efforts and protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights;
• significantly greater name recognition;
• more expansive portfolios of intellectual property rights; and
• greater experience in obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals and/or clearances from the FDA and other regulatory agencies.

Our competitors’ products will compete directly with our products. In addition, our competitors, as well as new market entrants, may develop or acquire new products that will compete directly or indirectly with our products. The presence of this competition in our market may lead to pricing pressure which would make it more difficult to sell our products at a price that will make us profitable or prevent us from selling our products at all. Our failure to compete effectively would have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

As we enter the consumer product business sector to a larger extent, our failure to compete successfully could materially harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.

The business of developing and marketing consumer and personal care products is highly competitive and sensitive to the introduction of new, competitive products, which may rapidly capture a significant share of the applicable market. Our competitors include numerous manufacturers; distributors; marketers; online, specialty, mass, and other retailers; and physicians that actively compete for the business of consumers both in the United States and abroad. Most of our competitors have longer operating histories, significantly greater resources, better-developed and more innovative sales and distribution channels and platforms, greater name recognition, and larger established customer bases than we do. Our present and future competitors may be able to better withstand reductions in prices or other adverse economic or market conditions than we can; develop products that are comparable or superior to those we offer; adapt more quickly or effectively to new technologies, changing regulatory requirements, evolving industry trends and standards, and customer requirements than we can; and/or devote greater resources to the development, promotion, and sale of their products than we do. In addition, because the industry in which we operate is not particularly capital intensive or otherwise subject to high barriers to entry, it is relatively easy for new competitors to emerge that will compete with us. Accordingly, competition may intensify, and we may not be able to compete effectively in our markets. If we are not able to compete successfully in the consumer products sector, our business, financial condition, and operating results would be materially adversely affected.

Our failure to appropriately respond to changing consumer trends, preferences, and demand for new products and product enhancements could materially harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Our consumer products business is subject to rapidly changing consumer trends and preferences and product introductions. Our success will depend in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to these changes and introductions, and we may not respond or develop new products or product enhancements in a cost-effective, timely, or commercially appropriate manner. The success of our new product offerings and enhancements depends on a number of factors, including our ability to:

• accurately anticipate consumer needs;
• innovate and develop new products and product enhancements that meet these needs;
• successfully commercialize new products and product enhancements;
• price our products competitively;
• manufacture and deliver our products in sufficient volumes and in a cost-effective and timely manner; and
• differentiate our product offerings from those of our competitors and successfully respond to other competitive pressures, including technological advancements, evolving industry standards, and changing regulatory requirements.

Our failure to accurately predict changes in consumer demand and technological advancements could negatively impact consumer opinion of our products or our business. In addition, if we do not introduce new products or make enhancements to meet the changing needs of our customers in a cost-effective, timely, and commercially appropriate manner, or if our competitors release new products or product enhancements before we do, some of our product offerings could be rendered obsolete, which could cause our market share to decline and negatively impact our business, financial condition, and operating results.

If we fail to further penetrate existing markets, the sales of our consumer products, along with our operating results, could be negatively impacted.

The success of our consumer product business will be to a large extent contingent on our ability to penetrate existing markets, which is subject to numerous factors, many of which are out of our control. Moreover, our growth in existing markets will depend upon our ability to achieve brand awareness. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our general efforts to achieve market penetration in existing markets will be successful. If we are unable to further penetrate existing markets, our business, financial condition, and operating results could materially suffer.

We are subject to governmental regulations in all aspects of our business.

Like other companies in the healthcare industry, we are subject to extensive regulation, investigations and legal action, by national, state and local government agencies in the U.S. Regulatory issues regarding compliance with cGMP by manufacturers of medical devices and consumer products can lead to fines and penalties, product recalls, product shortages, interruptions in production, delays in new product approvals and litigation. In addition, the marketing, pricing and sale of our products are subject to regulation, investigations and legal actions including under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, federal and state false claims acts, state unfair trade practices acts and consumer protection laws. Scrutiny of health care industry business practices by government agencies and state attorneys general in the U.S., and any resulting investigations and prosecutions, carry risk of significant civil and criminal penalties.

As we continue to develop our medical devices, if we fail to protect our intellectual property in the future, our ability to compete could be negatively affected, which could materially harm our financial condition and operating results.

As we continue to develop our medical devices, such as NEXDrape, our future success and the market for our products will depend to a significant extent upon the goodwill associated with our trademark and tradenames and our ability to protect our proprietary rights in our innovative products and product enhancements. We own, or have licenses to use, the material trademark and trade name rights used in connection with the packaging, marketing, and distribution of our products in the markets where those products are sold. Therefore, trademark and trade name protection are important to our business. Although most of our trademarks are filed in the United States, we may not be successful in asserting trademark or trade name protection or obtaining new trademark registrations.

We will attempt to protect our innovative products and product enhancements under a combination of patents, trademarks, and trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures, and contractual provisions. However, monitoring infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property can be difficult and expensive, and we may not be able to detect every infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary rights or to prevent third parties from infringing upon or misappropriating our proprietary rights or from independently developing non-infringing products that are competitive with, equivalent to, or superior to our products. Even if we do detect infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary rights, litigation to enforce these rights could cause us to divert financial and other resources away from our business operations and may result in the impairment or loss of all or portions of our proprietary rights. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to adequately protect our intellectual property in any jurisdiction. The loss or infringement of our trademarks, tradenames, or other proprietary rights could impair the goodwill associated with our brands and harm our reputation, which could materially harm our business, financial condition, and operating results.

We have limited sales, marketing and distribution capabilities.

We currently have limited sales, marketing and distribution capabilities. We must either develop our own sales, marketing and distribution capabilities, which will be expensive and time-consuming, or make arrangements with third parties to perform these services for us. If we enter into third party arrangements, the third parties may not be capable of successfully selling any of our products. If we decide to market any of our products on our own, we will have to commit significant resources to developing a marketing and sales force and supporting distribution capabilities. If we decide to enter into arrangements with third parties for performance of these services, we may find that they are not available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. If we are not able to establish and maintain successful arrangements with third parties or build our own sales and marketing infrastructure, our business and financial condition will be adversely affected.

Our products risk exposure to product liability claims.

We are exposed to potential product liability risks, which are inherent in the testing, manufacturing and marketing of our products. We may incur significant expense investigating and defending any product liability claims, even if they do not result in liability. Moreover, even if no judgments, fines, damages or liabilities are imposed on us, our reputation could suffer, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are reliant upon two manufacturers for key ingredients used to manufacture of our hydrogels.

The Dow Chemical Company and the BASF Corporation are the principal manufacturers of the two polymers, polyethylene oxide and polyvinylpyrrolidone, respectively, that we primarily use in the manufacture of hydrogels. Although we have not experienced significant production delays attributable to supply changes, we believe that developing alternative sources of supply for the polymers used to make our current hydrogels would be difficult over a short period of time. Because we have no direct control over its third-party suppliers, interruptions or delays in the products and services provided by these third parties may be difficult to remedy in a timely fashion. In addition, if such suppliers are unable or unwilling to deliver the necessary raw materials or products, we may be unable to redesign or adapt our technology to work without such raw materials or products or find alternative suppliers or manufacturers. In such events, we could experience interruptions, delays, increased costs or quality control problems, which would have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

There can be no assurance that our internal controls over financial reporting will be able to detect fraud or other issues.

We will be required under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to include a report of management on our internal controls that contains an assessment by management of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Because and so long as we are an emerging growth company, our public accounting firm auditing our financial statements will not be required to report on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, and our stockholders will not have the benefit thereof. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud. However, 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. There can be no assurance that all control issues or fraud will be detected. In connection with the Merger, and as we continue to grow our business, our internal controls continue to become more complex and require more resources.

Our ability to provide customers with competitive services is dependent on our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, including our senior management team.

Our ability to grow and provide our customers with competitive services is partially dependent on our ability to attract and retain highly motivated people with the skills necessary to serve our customers. Personnel with the requisite skills or qualifications may be in short supply or generally unavailable. The loss of personnel could impair our ability to perform under certain contracts, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations, prospects and cash flows.

Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results or financial condition.

GAAP and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidelines and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters that are relevant to our business, including but not limited to revenue recognition, business combinations, impairment of goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible assets and long-lived assets, inventory and equity-based compensation, are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments. Changes in these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates or judgments could significantly change our reported or expected financial performance or financial condition.

Our ability to pursue strategic partnerships may impact our ability to compete in the markets we serve or desire to enter.

We have entered into, and expect to seek to enter into, additional strategic partnerships with other industry participants as part of an effort to expand our business. However, we may be unable to identify attractive strategic partnership candidates or complete such partnerships on terms favorable to us. In addition, if we are unable to successfully implement our partnership strategies or our strategic partners do not fulfill their obligations or otherwise do not prove advantageous to our business, our investments in such partnerships and our anticipated business expansion could be adversely affected.

Achieving our growth objectives may prove unsuccessful. We may be unable to identify future attractive strategic partnerships, which may adversely affect our growth. In addition, our ability to consummate or implement our strategic partnerships may be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Relating to our Common Stock and Capital Structure

An active trading market may not develop or be sustained, and our stock price may fluctuate significantly once we do trade.

Our common stock and certain of our warrants trade on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “NXGL” and “NXGLW,” respectively.

We cannot predict the prices at which our common stock may trade. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate widely, depending on many factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:

• actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results due to factors related to our business;
• success or failure of our business strategies;
• our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other companies in our industry;
• our ability to obtain financing as needed;
• announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions or dispositions;
• changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;
• the failure of securities analysts to cover our common stock after we commence trading;
• changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates;
• the operating and stock price performance of other comparable companies;
• overall market fluctuations;
• results from any material litigation or government investigation;
• changes in laws and regulations (including tax laws and regulations) affecting our business;

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• changes in capital gains taxes and taxes on dividends affecting stockholders; and
• general economic conditions and other external factors, including wars such as the current conflict in Ukraine and other geopolitical risks.

Furthermore, our business profile and market capitalization may not fit the investment objectives of some of our stockholders and, as a result, these stockholders may sell their shares of our common stock if we are able to list our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Substantial sales of our common stock may occur, which could cause our stock price to decline. Low trading volume for our stock, which may occur if an active trading market does not develop, among other reasons, would amplify the effect of the above factors on our stock price volatility.

Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market could result in a delisting of our common stock and warrants.

If we fail to continue to satisfy the continued listing requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC such as the corporate governance requirements, the stockholder’s equity requirement or the minimum closing bid price requirement, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock and warrants. Such a delisting or even notification of failure to comply with such requirements would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and warrants and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock and warrants when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we expect that we would take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock and warrants to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our common stock and warrants, prevent our common stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements.

We cannot assure you that we will pay dividends on our common stock, and our indebtedness may limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.

The timing, declaration, amount and payment of future dividends to stockholders will fall within the discretion of our Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors’ decisions regarding the payment of future dividends will depend on many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements of our business and covenants associated with debt obligations, as well as legal requirements, regulatory constraints, industry practice and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. There can be no assurance that we will pay a dividend in the future or continue to pay any dividend if we do commence paying dividends.

The interests of our principal stockholders, officers and directors, who collectively beneficially own approximately 27% of our stock, may not coincide with yours and such stockholders will have the ability to control decisions with which you may disagree.

As of April 10, 2024, our principal stockholders, officers and directors beneficially owned approximately 27% of our common stock. As a result, our principal stockholders, officers and directors will have the ability to substantially influence matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. In addition, this concentration of ownership may delay or prevent a change in control of our company and make some future transactions more difficult or impossible without the support of our controlling stockholders. The interests of such stockholders may not coincide with your interests or the interests of other stockholders.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud and our business may be harmed and our stock price may be adversely impacted.

Effective internal controls over financial reporting are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and to effectively prevent fraud. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or to prevent fraud could harm our business. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires management to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In order to continue to comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we are required to continuously evaluate and, where appropriate, enhance our policies, procedures and internal controls. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls over financial reporting, we could be subject to litigation or regulatory scrutiny and investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports. We cannot assure you that in the future we will be able to fully comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act or that management will conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is effective. If we fail to fully comply with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our business may be harmed and our stock price may decline.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research about our business, or publish negative reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock, to some extent, may at some point depend on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. If one or more of the analysts elect to cover us and downgrade our shares or lower their opinion of our shares, our share price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts elect to cover us and subsequently cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our share price or trading volume to decline.

Future sales or potential sales of our common stock in the public market could cause our share price to decline.

If the existing holders of our common stock, particularly our directors and officers, sell a large number of shares, they could adversely affect the market price for our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

We may issue additional securities in the future upon conversion or exercise of outstanding securities which would result in dilution to our stockholders.

As described elsewhere in this Form 10-K, we have previously issued warrants, restricted stock units, and stock options to fund our operations, pay for services rendered and incentivize our employees and directors. The conversion or exercise of these securities would result in substantial dilution to our stockholders. As of the date of the filing of this Form 10-K, we may be required to issue:

• 560,650 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options at a weighted average exercise price of $2.350742 per share;
• 3,442,904 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants at a weighted average exercise price of approximately $5.42034; and
• 50,812 shares of restricted common stock issuable upon vesting and another 13,750 shares of vested shares of restricted common stock.

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” and may elect to comply with reduced public company reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, and are subject to lesser public company reporting requirements applicable to smaller reporting companies, which could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” We will remain an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the fifth anniversary of the Distribution; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Exchange Act. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. In addition, we are a “smaller reporting company” and accordingly are required to provide less public disclosure than larger public companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

We will incur costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

As a public reporting company, and particularly after we are no longer an emerging growth company, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules subsequently implemented by the SEC, have imposed various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will entail significant legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it difficult and expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept low policy limits and coverage.

Provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and of Delaware law may prevent or delay an acquisition of our company, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.

Several provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that stockholders may consider favorable. These include provisions that:

• permit us to issue blank check preferred stock as more fully described under “Description of Our Capital Stock Anti-Takeover Effects of Various Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws”;
• require stockholders to follow certain advance notice and disclosure requirements in order to propose business or nominate directors at an annual or special meeting; and
• limit our ability to enter into business combination transactions with certain stockholders.

These and other provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent certain types of transactions involving an actual or a threatened acquisition or change in control of us, including unsolicited takeover attempts, even though the transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock at a price above the prevailing market price. See “Description of Our Capital Stock Anti-Takeover Effects of Various Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws” for more information.

Our Amended and Restated Bylaws include a forum selection clause, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.

Our Amended and Restated Bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any internal corporate claims within the meaning of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”), (ii) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (iii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, or employees to us or to our stockholders, or (iv) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, will be a state court located within the State of Delaware (or, if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal court for the District of Delaware). Specifically, the sole and exclusive forum for such legal actions shall be (i) first, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, (ii) second, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks jurisdiction, the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, or (iii) third, if the Superior Court of the State of Delaware lacks jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, in all cases subject to the court’s having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants. This exclusive forum provision will apply to state and federal law claims, including claims under the federal securities laws (including actions arising under the Exchange Act or the Securities Act), although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act, however, creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a forum selection provision as written in connection with claims arising under federal securities laws. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the foregoing provisions. This forum selection provision in our bylaws may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us. It is also possible that, notwithstanding the forum selection clause included in our bylaws, a court could rule that such a provision is inapplicable or unenforceable.

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

We have developed and implemented a cybersecurity risk management program intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our critical systems and information.

We have implemented a number of security measures designed to protect our systems and data, including firewalls, antivirus and malware detection tools, patches, log monitors, and routine back-ups,. In addition, we have continued our efforts to migrate our platforms to cloud-based computing, which is designed to further strengthen our security posture.

Our cybersecurity risk management program is integrated into our overall enterprise risk management program and shares common methodologies, reporting channels, and governance processes that apply across the enterprise risk management program to other legal, compliance, strategic, operational, and financial risk areas.

Our cybersecurity risk management program includes the following:

• the use of external service providers, where appropriate, to assess, test, or otherwise assist with aspects of our security controls;
• cybersecurity awareness training of our employees, incident response personnel, and senior management; and

There can be no assurance that our cybersecurity risk management program and processes, including our policies, controls or procedures, will be fully implemented, complied with or effective in protecting our systems and information.

Cybersecurity Governance

Our Board considers cybersecurity risks as part of its risk oversight.

The Board oversees management’s implementation of our cybersecurity risk management program and receives updates on the cybersecurity risk management program from management at least annually. In addition, management updates the Board regarding any material or significant cybersecurity incidents, as well as incidents with lesser impact potential as necessary.

Ongoing Risks

We have not experienced any material cybersecurity incidents. We have not identified risks from known cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any prior cybersecurity incidents, that have materially affected us, including our operations, business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.

Incident Response and Assessment Policies and Procedures

We align with industry-standard cybersecurity frameworks designed to protect the company and customer data from unintentional disclosure, cybersecurity events, and other threats of all severity levels. As part of our alignment with these frameworks we are in the process of implementing a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan that outlines actions to be taken after identifying a suspected information security breach and the people responsible for managing those actions. Additionally, this plan will outline communication responsibilities during incidents of all severity levels.

We maintain a combined corporate office and manufacturing facility in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, where we lease approximately 16,500 square feet of office and manufacturing space which expires on January 31, 2031. In addition, we sublease approximately 6,200 square feet of a 12,000 square foot combined office and manufacturing facility in Granbury, Texas for our JV. The lease expires in March 2028. We believe that our facilities are well maintained and are suitable and adequate for our current needs.

From time to time, we may become involved in lawsuits, investigations and claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. As of the date of this information statement, we are not a party to any litigation whereby the outcome of such litigation, if determined adversely to us, would materially affect our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The following discussion and analysis are intended to help prospective investors understand our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and capital resources. You should read this discussion in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this information statement.

The statements in this discussion regarding industry outlook, expectations regarding our future performance, liquidity and capital resources and other non-historical statements are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

The NexGel Financial Statements, discussed below, reflect the NexGel financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. The financial information discussed below and included in this information statement, however, may not necessarily reflect what the NexGel financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows would have been had NexGel been operated as a separate, independent entity during the years presented, or what the NexGel financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows may be in the future.

Overview

We manufacture high water content, electron beam cross-linked, aqueous polymer hydrogels, or gels, used for wound care, medical diagnostics, transdermal drug delivery and cosmetics. We specialize in custom gels by capitalizing on proprietary manufacturing technologies. We have historically served as a contract manufacturer, supplying our gels to third parties who incorporate them into their own products. Beginning in 2020, we created two new lines of business for the company. First, our own line of branded consumer products sold direct to consumers. Second, we expanded into custom and white label opportunities, which focuses on combining our gels with proprietary branded products and white label opportunities. All of our gel products are manufactured using proprietary and non-proprietary mixing, coating and cross-linking technologies. Together, these technologies enable us to produce gels that can satisfy rigid tolerance specifications with respect to a wide range of physical characteristics (e.g., thickness, water content, adherence, absorption, moisture vapor transmission rate [a measure of the passage of water vapor through a substance] and release rate) while maintaining product integrity. Additionally, we have the manufacturing ability to offer broad choices in the selection of liners onto which the gels are coated. Consequently, we and our customers are able to determine tolerances in moisture vapor transmission rate and active ingredient release rates while personalizing color and texture.

Joint Venture

On March 1, 2023, the Company acquired a 50% interest in its newly formed JV for its converting and packaging business. The JV agreement is effective March 1, 2023. As a result of this transaction, the Company owns 50% of the JV, with the remaining 50% held by CG Labs.

Acquisition

On December 1, 2023, we purchased substantially all of the assets Olympus Trading Company, LLC (the “Seller”) related to the Seller’s skincare line focused on reducing symptoms associated with psoriasis operating under the tradename “Kenkoderm” (“Kenkoderm acquisition”).

Under the terms of the Kenkoderm acquisition, the Company paid the Seller a cash payment of $546,500.

Additionally, the Company shall pay the Seller a cash earn-out of the same amount each quarter, payable in the subsequent month flowing quarter end, of $136,625. The cash earn-out can fluctuate higher or lower based on the quarterly results of the Kenkoderm business during 2024 according to the formula contained in the Asset Purchase Agreement relating to the Kenkoderm acquisition.

Results of Operations

The following sections discuss and analyze the changes in the significant line items in our statements of operations for the comparison years identified.

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2022 ($ in thousands)

Revenues, net

For the year ended December 31, 2023 revenues were $4,089 and increased by $2,041, or 99.7%, when compared to $2,048 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in our overall revenues was primarily due to sales growth in both our contract manufacturing and branded products, including revenue from the JV from March 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023 of $1,987.

The Company has four distinct lines of business; Contract Manufacturing, Custom & White Label, Consumer Branded Products, and Medical Devices/Other.

Contract Manufacturing

Customers order rolls of gel (“rollstock”). The rollstock is shipped to our customers, which they package into finished goods. Historically, this has been the Company’s primary source of revenue.

Custom & White Label

These products often infuse various ingredients into our base gel to develop unique product offerings to satisfy market demand (e.g. aloe infused into the gel for a beauty mask). The rollstock is converted and packaged into salable units. The finished goods are shipped to the customer, who is ultimately responsible for product distribution. Frequently these products started as development deals, in which the customer paid the company a small fee to develop a specific product. Once completed, the customer places a large order for newly developed product.

Consumer Branded Products

These products are finished goods marketed and sold directly to the customer by the Company through online and retail channels. The Company is responsible for sales, marketing, and distribution. These products carry the Company’s brand names.

Medical Devices/Other

Medical Devices are a hybrid business, combining elements of Custom & White Label and Consumer Branded Products. Medical Devices, which are not yet marketed, are expected to be distributed through strategic partnerships. The Company will manufacture and possibly convert/package the device while the strategic partner brings the product to market. Small market Medical Devices could be launched by the Company, but also be offered to a distributor to reach the full scale of the market.

Gross profit (loss) Our gross profit was $619 for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to a gross profit of $256 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in the profit recorded for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to December 31, 2022, directly correlates to our higher sales. Gross profit was approximately 15.1% for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to a gross profit of 12.5% for the year ended December 31, 2022.

The components of cost of revenues are as follows for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):

Cost of revenues increased by $1,678, or 93.6 %, to $3,470 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $1,792 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in cost of revenues pertains to an increase in materials and finished products and equipment, production, and other expenses. These increases primarily align with the increased revenues.

Selling, general and administrative expenses. The following table highlights selling, general and administrative expenses by type for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 ($ in thousands):

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $756, or 23.4%, to $3,993 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $3,237 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses is primarily attributable to an increase of compensation and benefits expense, advertising, marketing, and Amazon fees as well as the costs for professional and consulting fees.

Compensation and benefits increased by $214, or 40.7%, to $740 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $526 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The number of employees increased compared to the prior year with the inclusion of the JV.

Share-based compensation decreased by $79, or 28.0%, to $203 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $282 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease in share-based compensation year over year relates to the issuance of stock, restricted stock, and options to our CEO and options to board members in 2023 in comparison to companywide restricted stock awards issued to employees in 2022.

Advertising, marketing, and Amazon fees increased by $184, or 42.20%, to $620 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $436 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase corresponds to increased Amazon sales, partially offset by optimization of Amazon advertising spend in 2023.

Investor and shareholder services decreased by $141, or 24.9%, to $426 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $567 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease is due to the Company’s management of outsourced services.

Franchise taxes and corporate insurance decreased by $181, or 44.7%, to $224 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $405 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The vast majority of this decrease pertains to the Company’s reduction in authorized shares, which lowered its franchise tax expense.

Professional and consulting fees increased by $696, or 108.2%, to $1,339 for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to $643 for the year ended December 31, 2022. We incurred significant expenses related to our European Medical Device Regulation project in preparation for entering European markets.

Other expenses decreased by $47, or 13.0%, to $315 for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $362 for the year ended December 31, 2022. Other selling, general and administrative expenses generally consist of costs associated with our selling efforts and general management, including information technology, travel, training and recruiting.

Research and development expenses

Research and development expenses decreased by $264 to $103 for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $367 for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease is due to the completion of development efforts of two proof of concept studies for drug delivery candidates utilizing our hydrogel technology.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flow (in thousands)

As of December 31, 2023, we had $2,700 of cash and cash equivalents compared to $1,101 of cash and cash equivalents and $5,508 of marketable securities at December 31, 2022. Net cash used in operating activities was $3,236 and $2,992 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. See Notes 2 and 3 of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for a more detailed discussion of our marketable securities.

Net cash provided by investing activities was $4,456 million and net cash used in investing activities was $5,595 for the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, consisting of the sales of marketable securities of $5,699, offset by purchases of capital equipment of $696 and the Kenkoderm acquisition of $547 for the year ended December 31, 2023 and consisting of investments in marketable securities of $6,999, the sale of marketable securities for $1,500, and purchases of capital equipment of $96 for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Net cash provided by financing activities for year ended December 31, 2023 was $379 which is attributable to the proceeds of equipment notes payable of $315, proceeds from margin line of credit of $245, offset by principal payments of notes payments of $6 and payments of $175 made on the operating lease liability. Net cash used in financing activities for year ended December 31, 2022 was $3,662 which is attributable to the principal payments of convertible notes of $3,511 and payments of $151 made on the operating lease liability.

At December 31, 2023, current assets totaled $5,052 and current liabilities totaled $2,549, as compared to current assets totaling $7,505 and current liabilities totaling $859 at December 31, 2022. As a result, we had working capital of $2,503 at December 31, 2023, compared to a working capital of $6,646 at December 31, 2022. The decrease in the working capital as of December 31, 2023 is primarily attributable to the loss from operations of $3,477.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock. For the foreseeable future, we anticipate that all available funds and any earnings generated in our business will be used to finance the growth of our business and will not be paid out as dividends to our shareholders. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, business prospects and other factors our Board of Directors may deem relevant.

Management is exploring new product channel sales in consumer products, such as cosmetics, athletic products, and proprietary medical devices. The Company has increased its focus on sales and developing a sales pipeline for potential customers. This customer base expansion will enable us to provide financial stability for the foreseeable future, expand our current processes, and position us for long-term shareholder value creation.

We have sufficient capital to maintain as a going concern due to the recent capital raise on February 14, 2024 (discussed further within Note 20). We believe we have sufficient cash and marketable securities to operate our business plan into 2025. We intend to maintain and attempt to grow our existing contract manufacturing business. We also plan to continue building and developing our catalog of consumer products for sale to branding partners and to use our in-house capabilities to create and test market additional branded products. These products will be target marketed and sold online through social media, television and online marketplaces. Furthermore, the Company plans to develop its own proprietary medical devices and explore drug delivery programs for its technology. Additionally, the Company continues to evaluate strategic initiatives (e.g., acquisitions) and additional capital raises through debt or equity may be necessary to achieve these objectives.

We expect to continue incurring losses for the near-term future. Our ability to continue to operate as a going concern in the long term is dependent upon our ability to manage and grow our current products and to ultimately achieve profitable operations. Management may consider various options to raise capital to fund potential acquisitions through equity or debt offerings. There can be no assurances, however, that management will be able to obtain sufficient additional funds, if needed, or that such funds, if available, will be obtained on terms satisfactory to us. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded assets and liabilities that might be necessary should we be unable to continue as a going concern. Additionally, it is reasonably possible that estimates made in the financial statements have been, or will be, materially and adversely impacted in the near term as a result of these conditions, including the recoverability of long-lived assets.

Additionally, it is reasonably possible that estimates made in the financial statements have been, or will be, materially and adversely impacted in the near term as a result of these conditions, including the recoverability of long-lived assets.

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2023, we had no off-balance sheet arrangements in the nature of guarantee contracts, retained or contingent interests in assets transferred to entities (or similar arrangements serving as credit, liquidity or market risk support to entities for any such assets), or obligations (including contingent obligations) arising out of variable interests in entities providing financing, liquidity, market risk or credit risk support to us, or that engage in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of our accompanying consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles is based on the selection and application of accounting policies that require us to make significant estimates and assumptions about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain. We consider the accounting policies discussed below to be critical to the understanding of our Financial Statements. Actual results could differ from our estimates and assumptions, and any such differences could be material to our Financial Statements.

Share-based compensation – We utilize share-based compensation in the form of incentive stock options. The fair values of incentive stock option award grants are estimated as of the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option valuation model. Compensation expense is recognized in the statements of operations on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period required to obtain full vesting. The expected term of the awards granted is estimated using the simplified method which computes the expected term as the sum of the award’s vesting term plus the original contractual term divided by two.

Warrant Liability – Warrants to purchase common stock were issued in connection with equity financing raises which occurred during 2019 through 2021. The fair values of the warrants are estimated as of the date of issuance and again at each year end using a Black-Scholes option valuation model. At issuance, the fair value of the warrant is recognized as an equity issuance cost within additional paid-in-capital. Fair value adjustments to the warrant liability are recognized in other income (expense) in the statements of operations. The expected term of the awards granted are based on either the three-year or five-year contractual expiration date.

Black Scholes Inputs - The fair value of each stock option award and warrant issued was estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes option-valuation model, which requires management to make certain assumptions regarding: (i) fair value of the common stock that underlies the stock option; (ii) the expected volatility in the market price of our common stock; (iii) dividend yield; (iv) risk-free interest rates; and (iv) the period of time employees are expected to hold the award prior to exercise (referred to as the expected term). Under the Black-Scholes option-valuation model, entities typically estimate the expected volatility based on historical volatilities of the entity’s own common stock. Based on the lack of historical data of volatility for the Company’s common stock, the Company based its estimate of expected volatility on a weighted average of the historical volatility of comparable public companies that manufacture similar products and are similar in size, stage of life cycle, and financial leverage. The fair value of the common stock that underlies the stock option is estimated by the Company considering the price of the most recent issuance of the Company’s common stock. The dividend yield is based upon the assumption that the Company will not declare a dividend over the life of the options. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant for bonds with maturities consistent with the expected term of the related award.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As of December 31, 2023, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our “disclosure controls and procedures” (“Disclosure Controls”), as defined by Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Disclosure Controls evaluation was done under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures. Accordingly, even effective disclosure controls and procedures can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives. Based upon this evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer have concluded that our Disclosure Controls and Procedures were effective as of December 31, 2023 at a reasonable level of assurance.

Change in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and Attestation Report of the Registered Accounting Firm

This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies or an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm which is not required for non-accelerated filers.