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Cognition Therapeutics Inc: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2025

Filed with the SEC on May 7, 2025 and accepted by EDGAR at May 7, 2025, 07:45 ET.

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Management's discussion and analysis

As filed, 41,468 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 conditions and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Quarterly Report and our audited financial statements and notes thereto as of and for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and the related Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, included in our Annual Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), on March 20, 2025. In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those made, projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those discussed below. Please see “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” included in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report for factors that could cause or contribute to such differences.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of innovative, small molecule therapeutics targeting age-related degenerative diseases and disorders of the central nervous system (“CNS”) and retina. Currently available therapies for these diseases are limited, with few Alzheimer’s disease (“AD”) treatments, two approved treatments for geographic atrophy (“GA”) secondary to dry age-related macular degeneration (“dAMD”) and no approved treatments for dementia with Lewy bodies. Our goal is to develop disease-modifying treatments for participants with these degenerative disorders by initially leveraging our expertise in the σ-2 (sigma-2) receptor (“S2R”), which is expressed by multiple cell types, including neuronal synapses, and acts as a key regulator of cellular damage commonly associated with certain age-related degenerative diseases of the CNS and retina. Data indicates that zervimesine antagonizes the binding and toxicity of amyloid beta oligomers via targeting the S2R complex and represents a mechanism that is functionally distinct from other current approaches in clinical development for the treatment of degenerative diseases. Clinical results support this hypothesis, and our clinical trial findings provide evidence that the displacement of oligomers from synapses via zervimesine engagement with the S2R results in improved synapse function.

Top-line results from the Phase 2 COG0201 SHINE study were reported in July 2024 with additional data reported in October 2024. SHINE was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 153 adults with mild-to-moderate AD. Participants were divided into two zervimesine dose groups (100 mg or 300 mg) and one placebo group, who were dosed daily for six months. Endpoints included safety and biomarker evidence of disease modification as well as cognitive function, as measured by ADAS-Cog 11. SHINE met its primary endpoints of safety and tolerability.

A prespecified analysis conducted on SHINE results identified plasma p-tau217 as a biomarker that may predict an optimal therapeutic response in patients with mild-to-moderate AD. Participants treated with zervimesine (pooled 100 mg and 300 mg) who had baseline levels of plasma p-tau217 below the median of 1.0 pg/mL experienced a 95% reduction of cognitive decline at week 26 as measured by ADAS-Cog 11 relative to placebo-treated participants. P-tau217 is an important biomarker that has shown the ability to distinguish Alzheimer’s disease from other neurodegenerative disorders with a high degree of accuracy compared to other available biomarkers.

In the overall modified intent-to-treat, or mITT, population in SHINE, participants treated with once-daily oral zervimesine experienced less cognitive decline than those treated with placebo. As measured with ADAS-Cog 11, zervimesine-treated participants (pooled 100 mg and 300 mg) experienced a mean 38% slowing of decline at six months versus baseline compared to placebo-treated, but did not achieve statistical significance. There were consistent trends favoring zervimesine in other cognitive measures: ADAS-Cog 13, cognitive composite, MMSE; as well as in functional measures of activities of daily living (ADCS-ADL) and of clinical global impression of change (ADCS-CGIC). No discontinuations due to AEs occurred in the 100 mg zervimesine group. At the 300 mg dose, ten participants (nine at scheduled visits and one at an unscheduled visit) experienced treatment-emergent liver enzyme test (“LFT”) increases (greater than 3xULN) that subsided after cessation of drug without evidence of serious liver injury. There were no LFT elevations observed in the 100 mg dose.

In the overall study population, participants treated zervimesine for six months had reductions in plasma biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease processes compared to placebo participants. Further analysis showed that the individuals with below-median plasma p-Tau217 experienced a pronounced reduction in these key plasma biomarkers compared to placebo. Significant reductions were observed in the level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a protein associated with neuroinflammation. Neurofilament light (NfL), a protein associated with neurodegeneration was also reduced in participants treated with zervimesine compared to placebo. Similarly, amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau species (p-Tau217), which are proteins that build up in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, were lower in participants treated with zervimesine for six months compared to placebo-treated individuals. These findings were presented at the AD/PD™ 2025 Alzheimer's & Parkinson's Diseases Conference in April 2025.

Top-line results from the Phase 2 COG1201 SHIMMER study were presented at the International Lewy Body Dementia Conference (ILBDC) in January 2025. The study enrolled 130 participants who were randomized evenly to one of three dose groups: two treated with once-daily oral zervimesine (100 mg or 300 mg) and one treated with placebo. To be eligible, participants were between 50 and 80 years of age, received a diagnosis of probable DLB, and had a mini-mental state exam, or MMSE, score of between 18 and 27. The study met its primary endpoints of safety and tolerability.

Zervimesine-treated DLB patients scored an average of 86% better than placebo-treated patients on the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI) A-L at the end of the study. This tool describes the frequency and severity of 12 behavioral symptoms including hallucinations, delusions and anxiety. Compared to placebo-treated participants, those treated with zervimesine performed an average of 52% better on the ADCS-ADL scale, a measure of activities of daily living; an average of 91% better on the CAF, a measure of cognitive fluctuations; an average of 62% better on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) Part III, a measure of motor function such as gait, balance, and tremor.

In 2023 we initiated the Phase 2 COG2201 MAGNIFY study of zervimesine in adults with geographic atrophy secondary to dry AMD. In January 2025, we made the strategic decision to focus our resources on our promising dementia programs in AD and DLB. Therefore, we voluntarily discontinued the MAGNIFY clinical study after 100 of the planned 246 participants were enrolled. The discontinuation was not the result of any safety concerns. MAGNIFY previously passed a masked futility analysis conducted by the contract research organization, or CRO. Results of the analysis, which was conducted on the first 57 participants who completed at least 6 months of dosing, showed that zervimesine-treated patients were experiencing a slower lesion growth rate than those on placebo.

The above Overview covers only the most recently concluded studies in each indication. The following table highlights findings from these and subsequent studies:

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
Indication ​ Study Identifier ​ Clinical Phase ​ Status ​ Key Findings
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)
MCI-early ​ COG0203 (START) ​ Phase 2 ​ ongoing ​ The study is enrolling up to 540 participants with MCI or early AD ​
mild-moderate ​ COG0201 (SHINE) ​ Phase 2 (n=153) ​ complete ​ Participants treated with zervimesine experienced a cognitive benefit compared to placebo ​
mild-moderate ​ COG0202 (SEQUEL) ​ Phase 2 (n=16) ​ complete ​ Participants treated with zervimesine exhibited improvement across prespecified EEG parameters ​
mild-moderate ​ COG0105 (SPARC) ​ Phase 1 (n=23) ​ complete ​ Treatment with zervimesine was assessed using various imaging modalities, including PET imaging and volumetric MRI (vMRI) ​
mild-moderate ​ COG0104 (SNAP) ​ Phase 1 (n=3) ​ complete ​ Confirmed preclinical findings showing an increase in Aβ oligomers in CSF, suggesting increased off-rate from receptors ​
Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)
mild-moderate ​ COG1201 (SHIMMER) ​ Phase 2 (n=130) ​ complete ​ Participants treated with zervimesine experienced benefits across behavioral, functional, cognitive and motor scales ​

To date, we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from grants awarded by the National Institute of Aging (the “NIA”), a division of the National Institutes of Health (the “NIH”), and proceeds from our initial public offering (the “IPO”), completed in October 2021, proceeds from our follow-on public offerings, sales of our common stock through our ATM (as defined below), sales of our convertible promissory notes, convertible preferred stock, simple agreements for future equity (“SAFE”) and stock option exercises. Since our inception, we have received approximately $139.5 million in net proceeds from sales of our equity securities, convertible notes, SAFE, stock option exercises, IPO, follow-on public offerings, ATM, and equity line financing with Lincoln Park. As of March 31, 2025, we had cash and cash equivalents of $16.4 million. As of March 31, 2025, we had approximately $47.0 million available from obligated NIA funds for applicable expenses to be incurred in the future.

On December 23, 2022, we entered into a sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. and B. Riley Securities, Inc. (the “Sales Agents”), providing for the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $40.0 million of our common stock from time to time in “at-the-market” offerings (the “ATM”). For the three months ended March 31, 2025, we sold 2,004,729 shares of common stock pursuant to the ATM for gross proceeds of approximately $1.5 million. As of March 31, 2025, we have approximately $20.4 million remaining in gross proceeds available for future issuances of common stock under the ATM, subject to the limitations of General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3.

On March 10, 2023, we entered into a purchase agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC (“Lincoln Park”) for an equity line financing (the “Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement”). The Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement provides that, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, we have the right, but not the obligation, to direct Lincoln Park to purchase up to $35.0 million of shares of common stock at our sole discretion, over a 36-month period commencing on March 10, 2023. We filed a prospectus supplement to our registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-268992) covering the resale of shares of common stock that are issued under the Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement. During the three months ended March 31, 2025, we did not sell any shares of common stock to Lincoln Park. As of March 31, 2025, $34.8 million was available to draw pursuant to the Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement.

On March 14, 2024, we completed our follow-on public offering, pursuant to which we issued and sold 6,571,428 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $1.75 per share. On March 28, 2024, the underwriters exercised their option to purchase 985,714 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $1.75 per share. In connection with the follow-on public offering, we received net proceeds of approximately $11.9 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses.

We expect to continue to incur significant and increasing expenses and net losses for the foreseeable future, as we advance our current and future product candidates through preclinical and clinical development, manufacture drug product and drug supply, seek regulatory approval for our current and future product candidates, maintain and expand our intellectual property portfolio, hire additional research and development and business personnel and operate as a public company. We will not generate revenue from product sales unless and until we successfully complete clinical development and obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates. In addition, if we obtain regulatory approval for our product candidates and do not enter into a third-party commercialization partnership, we expect to incur significant expenses related to developing our commercialization capability to support product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution activities.

As a result, we will need substantial additional funding to support our continuing operations and pursue our growth strategy. Until we can generate significant revenue from product sales, if ever, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings or other sources, such as potential collaboration agreements and strategic alliances, licensing or similar arrangements with third parties. To the extent available, we expect to continue our pursuit of non-dilutive research contributions, or grants, including additional NIA grant funding. However, we may fail to receive additional NIA grants, or we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements or arrangements when needed on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to obtain additional NIA grants or raise capital or enter into such agreements as and when needed could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with product development, we are unable to accurately predict the timing or amount of increased expenses or when, or if, we will be able to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. If we fail to become profitable or are unable to sustain profitability on a continuing basis, then we may be unable to raise capital, maintain our research and development efforts, expand our business or continue our operations at planned levels, and as a result we may be forced to substantially reduce or terminate our operations.

We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities. We rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties for the manufacture of zervimesine for preclinical studies and clinical trials, as well as for commercial manufacture if zervimesine obtains marketing approval. We also rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to manufacture, package, label, store, and distribute zervimesine, if marketing approval is obtained. We believe that this strategy allows us to maintain a more efficient infrastructure by eliminating the need for us to invest in our own manufacturing facilities, equipment, and personnel while also enabling us to focus our expertise and resources on the development of zervimesine.

Components of Our Results of Operations

Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development expenses consist primarily of direct and indirect costs incurred for our research activities, including development of our drug discovery efforts and the development of our product candidates. Direct costs include laboratory materials and supplies, contracted research and manufacturing, clinical trial costs, consulting fees, and other expenses incurred to sustain our research and development program. Indirect costs include personnel-related expenses, consisting of employee salaries, related benefits, and stock-based compensation expense for employees engaged in research and development activities, facilities, and other expenses consisting of direct and allocated expenses for rent and depreciation, and lab consumables.

We expense research and development costs as incurred. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services that will be used over time for research and development are capitalized and recognized as goods are delivered or as the related services are performed. In-licensing fees and other costs to acquire technologies used in research and development that have not yet received regulatory approval and that are not expected to have an alternative future use are expensed when incurred. We track direct costs by stage of program, clinical or preclinical. However, we do not track indirect costs on a program specific basis because these costs are deployed across multiple programs and, as such, are not separately classified.

We cannot reasonably determine the nature, timing, and estimated costs of the efforts that will be necessary to complete the development of, and obtain regulatory approval for, any of our product candidates. Product candidates in later stages of development generally have higher development costs than those in earlier stages. We expect that our research and development expenses will increase substantially for the foreseeable future as we continue to invest in research and development activities related to developing our product candidates, as our product candidates advance into later stages of development, as we begin to conduct larger clinical trials, as we seek regulatory approvals for any product candidates that successfully complete clinical trials, as we expand our product pipeline, as we maintain, expand, protect and enforce our intellectual property portfolio, and as we incur expenses associated with hiring additional personnel to support our research and development efforts.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs, including employee salaries, related benefits, and stock-based compensation expense for our employees in the executive, finance and accounting, and other administrative functions. General and administrative expenses also include third-party costs such as legal costs, insurance costs, accounting, auditing and tax related fees, consulting fees and facilities and other expenses not otherwise included as research and development expenses. We expense general and administrative costs as incurred.

We expect that our general and administrative expenses will increase for the foreseeable future as we increase our headcount to support our continued research activities and development of our programs.

Other Income (Expense)

Grant Income

Grant income relates to the grants awarded from governmental bodies that are conditional cost reimbursement grants and are recognized as grant income as allowable costs are incurred and the right to payment is realized. The grants awarded relate to agreed upon direct and indirect costs for specific studies or clinical trials, which may include personnel and consulting costs, costs paid to CROs, research institutions and /or consortiums involved in the grant, as well as facilities and administrative costs. These grants are cost plus fixed fee arrangements in which we are reimbursed for eligible direct and indirect costs over time, up to the maximum amount of each specific grant award. Only costs that are allowable under the grant award, certain government regulations and the NIH’s supplemental policy and procedure manual may be claimed for reimbursement, and the reimbursements are subject to routine audits from governmental agencies from time to time. As of March 31, 2025, the Company has been awarded grants with project periods that extend through May 31, 2027, subject to extension. Our clinical trials have been funded by approximately $171.0 million in cumulative grants awarded primarily by the NIA, which includes an approximately $81.0 million grant from the NIA to fund our Phase 2 (COG0203-START) study of zervimesine in patients with early-stage AD, an approximately $30.5 million grant from the NIA to fund our Phase 2 (COG0201-SHINE) study of zervimesine in patients with mild-to-moderate AD, and an approximately $29.5 million grant from the NIA to fund our Phase 2 (COG1201-SHIMMER) study of zervimesine in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net consists primarily of interest income from money market funds, offset partially by other fees such as costs incurred to establish financing opportunities.

Interest Expense

Interest expense for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 consisted of interest expense related to the insurance premium financing arrangement with a lender.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 and 2024

The following table summarizes our results of operations (in thousands):

​ ​ ​ Operating Expenses: ​ ​ ​ ​ Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 ​ ​ ​ ​ 2024 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Change ​
Research and development ​ $10,786 ​ $10,553 ​ $233
General and administrative ​ 2,989 ​ 3,549 ​ (560)
Total operating expenses ​ 13,775 ​ 14,102 ​ (327)
Loss from operations ​ (13,775) ​ (14,102) ​ 327
Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​
Grant income ​ 5,086 ​ 4,912 ​ 174
Other income, net ​ 214 ​ 244 ​ (30)
Interest expense ​ ​ (5) ​ ​ (10) ​ ​ 5
Loss on currency translation from liquidation of subsidiary ​ — ​ (195) ​ 195
Total other income, net ​ 5,295 ​ 4,951 ​ 344
Net loss ​ $(8,480) ​ $(9,151) ​ $671

Research and Development Expenses

The following table summarizes our research and development expenses (in thousands):

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 ​ ​ ​ 2024 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Change
Clinical programs ​ $6,877 ​ $6,398 ​ $479
Personnel ​ 3,102 ​ 2,857 ​ 245
Manufacturing ​ 637 ​ 1,004 ​ (367)
Preclinical programs ​ 85 ​ 235 ​ (150)
Other expense ​ 85 ​ 59 ​ 26
​ ​ $10,786 ​ $10,553 ​ $233

Research and development expenses were $10.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $10.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The increase of $0.2 million was primarily due to the following:

  • an increase of $0.5 million in clinical programs primarily related to increased Phase 2 trial activities with contract research organizations;
  • an increase of $0.2 million in personnel costs related to increases in year over year employee compensation and benefits;
  • a decrease of $0.4 million in manufacturing related to lower costs with contract manufacturing organizations for the replenishment of clinical trial supply; and
  • a decrease of $0.1 million in preclinical programs and other expenses primarily due to decreased research activities.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses were $3.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $3.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The change in general and administrative expenses was driven primarily by a decrease in stock compensation, which was partially offset by an increase in professional fees.

Other Income (Expense)

Grant Income

Grant income was $5.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $4.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The change in grant income is correlated with the increase in eligible reimbursable costs related to clinical trials incurred during 2025 as compared to 2024.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net was $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to other income, net of $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. The change in other income, net was insignificant period over period.

Interest Expense

Interest expense was less than $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to interest expense of less than $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024. Interest expense was not significant in either period.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Sources of Liquidity

To date, we have funded our operations primarily with proceeds from grants awarded by the NIA, and proceeds from the sales of our convertible promissory notes, convertible preferred stock, SAFE, stock option exercises, follow-on equity offerings, sales under our ATM and equity line financing, and our IPO. Since our inception, we have been awarded grant awards primarily from the NIA in the aggregate amount of approximately $171.0 million and have raised approximately $139.5 million in net proceeds from sales of our equity securities, convertible notes and SAFE, stock option exercises, our ATM, our equity line financing with Lincoln Park, our IPO and our follow-on public offering. The net proceeds from our IPO, which closed on October 13, 2021, were approximately $44.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses payable by us. On November 15, 2022, we closed our follow-on public offering, selling 5,000,000 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $1.20 per share. The net proceeds were approximately $5.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses payable by us. On December 23, 2022, we entered into a sales agreement with the Sales Agents, providing for the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $40.0 million of our common stock from time to time in ATM offerings. As of March 31, 2025, we sold 24,776,992 shares of common stock under the ATM for gross proceeds of approximately $19.6 million. As of March 31, 2025, there was $20.4 million of common stock remaining available for sale under the ATM, subject to the limitations of General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3. In addition, in March 2023, we entered into the Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC, or Lincoln Park, giving the Company the right, but not the obligation to sell to Lincoln Park up to $35.0 million worth of shares of our common stock. As of March 31, 2025, we sold 125,000 shares of common stock to Lincoln Park for proceeds of $0.2 million, as part of the equity line financing arrangement. As of March 31, 2025, $34.8 million was available to draw pursuant to the Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement. On March 14, 2024, we closed a follow-on public offering of 6,571,428 shares of our common stock at a public offering price of $1.75 per share. As part of the follow-on offering, the underwriters exercised their option to purchase 985,714 shares of our common stock on March 28, 2024, at a public offering price of $1.75 per share. The net proceeds were approximately $11.9 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering related expenses payable by us.

As of March 31, 2025, we had $16.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and have not generated positive cash flows from operations. Based on our current business plans, we believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, income from non-dilutive grants, and net proceeds from our March 2024 follow-on public offering will be sufficient for us to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditures requirements into the fourth quarter of 2025, which assumes no usage from the remaining ATM nor the Lincoln Park Purchase Agreement. We have based these estimates on assumptions that may prove to be incorrect or require adjustment as a result of business decisions, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect.

Future Funding Requirements

We expect to continue to incur significant and increasing expenses and net losses for the foreseeable future, as we advance our current and future product candidates through preclinical and clinical development, manufacture drug product and drug supply, seek regulatory approval for our current and future product candidates, maintain and expand our intellectual property portfolio, hire additional research and development and business personnel, and operate as a public company. We anticipate that we will need to raise additional funding in the future to fund our operations, including the commercialization of any approved product candidates. We are subject to the risks typically related to the development of new products, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our business.

Our future funding requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to:

  • the scope, progress, costs and results of our ongoing and planned clinical trials of zervimesine, as well as the associated costs, including any unforeseen costs we may incur as a result of preclinical study or clinical trial delays due to a pandemic, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or other diseases, macroeconomic conditions, global or political instability, such as the ongoing global and regional conflicts, inflation, or other delays;
  • the scope, progress, costs and results of preclinical development, laboratory testing and clinical trials for any future product candidates we may decide to pursue;
  • the extent to which we develop, in-license or acquire other product candidates and technologies;
  • the costs and timing of process development and manufacturing scale-up activities associated with our product candidates and other programs as we advance them through preclinical and clinical development;
  • the availability, timing, and receipt of any future NIA grants, or any changes to our grants based on political or regulatory pressures;
  • the number and development requirements of other product candidates that we may pursue;
  • the costs, timing and outcome of regulatory review of our product candidates;
  • the costs and timing of future commercialization activities, including product manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, for any of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;
  • the revenue, if any, received from commercial sales of our product candidates for which we receive marketing approval;
  • our ability to establish collaborations to commercialize zervimesine or any of our other product candidates outside the United States;
  • the costs and timing of preparing, filing and prosecuting patent applications, maintaining and enforcing our intellectual property rights and defending any intellectual property-related claims; and
  • the additional costs we may incur as a result of operating as a public company, including our efforts to enhance operational systems and hire additional personnel, including enhanced internal controls over financial reporting.

Until such time as we can generate significant revenue from product sales, we expect to finance our operations through a combination of public or private equity offerings, debt financings or other sources, such as potential collaboration agreements and strategic alliances, licensing or similar arrangements with third parties. To the extent available, we expect to continue our pursuit of non-dilutive research contributions, or grants, including additional NIA grant funding. However, we may fail to receive additional NIA grants, or we may be unable to raise additional funds or enter into such other agreements or arrangements when needed on acceptable terms, or at all. Our failure to obtain additional NIA grants or raise capital or enter into such agreements as and when needed could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

To the extent that we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the ownership interest of our stockholders will be or could be diluted, and the terms of these securities may include liquidation or other preferences that adversely affect the rights of our common stockholders. Debt financing and preferred equity financing, if available, may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. If we raise funds through collaborations, licenses and other similar arrangements with third parties, we may have to relinquish valuable rights to our technologies, future revenue streams, research programs or product candidates or grant licenses on terms that may not be favorable to us and/or may reduce the value of our common stock. Adequate funding may not be available when needed or on terms acceptable to us, or at all. Our ability to raise additional funds may be adversely impacted by potential worsening global economic conditions and the recent disruptions to, and volatility in, the credit and financial markets in the United States and worldwide resulting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic or other diseases, the ongoing global and regional conflicts, inflation, liquidity constraints, failures and instability in U.S. and international financial banking systems, and otherwise. If we fail to obtain necessary capital when needed on acceptable terms, or at all, it could force us to delay, limit, reduce or terminate our product development programs, commercialization efforts or other operations. Insufficient liquidity may also require us to relinquish rights to product candidates at an earlier stage of development or on less favorable terms than we would otherwise choose. We cannot assure you that we will ever be profitable or generate positive cash flows from operating activities.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods indicated (in thousands):

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 ​ ​ ​ 2024
Cash flows used in operating activities ​ $(9,877) $(7,244)
Cash flows used in investing activities ​ — ​ —
Cash flows provided by financing activities ​ 1,296 ​ 11,993
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents ​ $(8,581) ​ $4,749

Cash used in operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 was $9.9 million and $7.2 million, respectively. The change in cash used in operating activities of $2.6 million was driven by an increase in operating assets and liabilities of $2.5 million, primarily due to an increase in grant receivables of $2.5 million, combined with decreases in non-cash adjustments of $0.8 million, primarily due to a decrease in equity-based compensation of $0.6 million, for the three months ended March 31, 2025.

Cash used in investing activities

During the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, no cash was used in or provided by investing activities.

Cash provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $1.3 million and $12.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The change in net cash provided by financing activities is primarily related to net proceeds from the issuance of common stock in our follow-on offering in March 2024 and under the ATM program.

Contractual Obligations

The following table summarizes our contractual obligations as of March 31, 2025 (in thousands):

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Less than 1 Year ​ ​ ​ ​ 1 to 3 Years ​ ​ ​ ​ 3 to 5 Years ​ ​ ​ ​ More than 5 years ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Total
Operating lease obligations ​ $223 ​ $208 ​ $104 ​ $— ​ $535
Other obligations ​ ​ 161 ​ ​ — ​ ​ — ​ ​ — ​ ​ 161
Total: ​ $384 ​ $208 ​ $104 ​ $— ​ $696

In October 2023, we entered into an insurance premium financing arrangement with a lender whereby we financed $0.7 million of certain premiums at a 8.65% annual interest rate. Payments of less than $0.1 million are due monthly from November 2023 through October 2024. As of December 31, 2024, there was no outstanding balance on the loan.

In October 2024, we entered into an insurance premium financing arrangement whereby we financed $0.4 million of certain premiums at a 8.65% annual interest rate. Payments of less than $0.1 million are due monthly from November 2024 through July 2025. As of March 31, 2025, the outstanding principal of the loan was $0.2 million.

We have entered into an operating leases for office and laboratory facilities under agreements that run through May 31, 2029. The amounts reflected in the table above consist of the future minimum lease payments under the non-cancelable lease arrangements.

On August 31, 2022, we entered into an agreement to lease 2,980 square feet of office space in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The lease has a term of 45 months and commenced on October 1, 2022. The annual base rent under the lease is less than $0.1 million throughout the term of the lease. Total payments due over the term of the lease are $0.2 million. Additionally, on August 31, 2022, we modified one of our existing lease agreements with the landlord for approximately 3,706 square feet of lab space at the same location to extend the lease term termination date from June 30, 2023 until June 30, 2026.

On July 1, 2021, we entered into an agreement to lease 2,864 square feet of office space in Purchase, New York. The lease has a term of 89 months and commenced on December 9, 2021. The annual base rent under the lease is less than $0.1 million for the first lease year and is subject to annual increases of between 1.82% and 2.04%. We provided a security deposit in the form of a Letter of Credit in the amount of less than $0.1 million pursuant to the terms of the lease.

We enter into contracts in the normal course of business with CROs and other vendors to assist in the performance of our research and development and other services and products for operating purposes. These contracts typically do not contain minimum purchase commitments and generally provide for termination on notice, and therefore are cancelable contracts and not included in the table of contractual obligations.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

The Critical Accounting Policies and Significant Judgements and Estimates included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K have not materially changed. See “Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates” included in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 20, 2025.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

For a description of recent accounting pronouncements, see Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report.

Emerging Growth Company Status

We are an emerging growth company, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards issued subsequent to the enactment of the JOBS Act until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We elected to use this extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (1) are no longer an emerging growth company or (2) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have at least $1.235 billion in annual revenue; (2) the last day of the fiscal year in which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700.0 million as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of such year; (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period; and (4) the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our IPO.

Market risk

As filed, 149 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

As a “smaller reporting company,” as that term is defined in Rule 229.10(f)(1), we are not required to provide the information required by this Item.

Controls and procedures

As filed, 3,188 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and Rule 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. Based on this evaluation, our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, to allow for timely decisions regarding required disclosures, and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

Management’s Report on Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Management has used the framework set forth in the report entitled “Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013)” published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Based on its evaluation, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of March 31, 2025.

Changes in Internal Control

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls

Our management, including our President and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met and cannot detect all deviations. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud or deviations, if any, within the company have been detected. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risks that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Risk factors

As filed, 4,255 characters, with its headings, lists and tables. Extracted from the main document; charts and exhibits are in the original on sec.gov.

You should carefully consider the risk factors described in our Annual Report under the caption “Item 1A. “Risk Factors.” Other than as set forth below, there have been no material changes in our risk factors included in our Annual Report. The risks described in our Annual Report are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or future results.

Changes in funding for, or disruptions to the staffing and operations of the FDA and other government agencies could hinder their ability to hire, retain or deploy key leadership and other personnel, or otherwise prevent new or modified products from being developed, approved or commercialized in a timely manner or at all, which could negatively impact our business.

Currently, federal agencies in the U.S. are operating under a continuing resolution that is set to expire on September 30, 2025. Without appropriation of additional funding to federal agencies, our business operations related to our product development activities for the U.S. market could be impacted. The ability of the FDA to review and/or approve new products can be affected by a variety of factors, including government budget and funding levels, statutory, regulatory, and policy changes, the FDA’s ability to hire and retain key personnel and accept the payment of user fees, and other events that may otherwise affect the FDA’s ability to perform routine functions. Average review times at the FDA have fluctuated in recent years as a result. In addition, government funding of other government agencies that fund research and development activities is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable.

Disruptions at the FDA and other federal agencies, including substantial leadership departures, personnel cuts, and policy changes, may also slow the time necessary for new drugs to be reviewed and/or approved, which would harm our business. Changes and cuts in FDA staffing also could result in delays in the FDA’s responsiveness or in its ability to review IND submissions or applications, issue regulations or guidance, or implement or enforce regulatory requirements in a timely fashion or at all.

A prolonged government shutdown or significant leadership, personnel, and/or policy changes, or other substantial modification in agency activities (including due to global health concerns or geopolitical factors) could significantly impact the ability of the FDA or other regulatory authorities to timely review and process our regulatory submissions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. In addition, government funding of other agencies on which our operations may rely, including those that fund research and development activities and clinical trials, is subject to the political process, which is inherently fluid and unpredictable. Disruptions at agencies that fund our research and development activities and our clinical trials, or changes to such agencies’ budgets, may negatively impact our operations and ongoing clinical trials and may limit our ability to seek additional funding in the future. Future shutdowns or other disruptions could also affect other government agencies such as the SEC, which may also impact our business by delaying review of our public filings, to the extent such review is necessary, and our ability to access the public markets.

With the change in the U.S. presidential administration in 2025, there is substantial uncertainty as to whether and how the Trump administration will seek to modify or revise the requirements and policies of the FDA and other regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over our product candidates and any products for which we obtain approval. This uncertainty could present new challenges and/or opportunities as we navigate development and approval of our product candidates. Additionally, the new administration could issue or promulgate executive orders, regulations, policies or guidance that adversely affect us or create a more challenging or costly environment to pursue the development of new therapeutic candidates.

Figures reported in this filing

Standardized line items from the XBRL in this filing, for the period ended 2025-03-31. Comparative periods it repeats are left out.

Figures reported in this filing
Line itemPeriodValueXBRL concept
Research and development3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31$10.8mus-gaap:ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense
Operating income3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31−$13.8mus-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss
Net income3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31−$8.5mus-gaap:NetIncomeLoss
Diluted EPS3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31−$0.14us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted
Basic EPS3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31−$0.14us-gaap:EarningsPerShareBasic
Diluted shares (weighted)3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-3161,828,149 sharesus-gaap:WeightedAverageNumberOfDilutedSharesOutstanding
Operating cash flow3 months2025-01-01 to 2025-03-31−$9.9mus-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities
Cash and equivalentsAt period end2025-03-31$16.4mus-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue
Current assetsAt period end2025-03-31$22.9mus-gaap:AssetsCurrent
Total assetsAt period end2025-03-31$23.5mus-gaap:Assets
Current liabilitiesAt period end2025-03-31$10.9mus-gaap:LiabilitiesCurrent
Total liabilitiesAt period end2025-03-31$11.2mus-gaap:Liabilities
Shareholders' equityAt period end2025-03-31$12.3mus-gaap:StockholdersEquity

Source: SEC EDGAR, the filing index for accession 0001558370-25-006612. Last ingested by Listed: Nov 5, 2026, 11:28 ET. Listed shows no prices and gives no investment advice.