CNS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Form 10-Q for the period ended Mar 31, 2025

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with the financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this Form 10-Q. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting our current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. See Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, available on the Security and Exchange Commission's (“SEC”) EDGAR website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov), for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those discussed in our forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-Q.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

We make forward-looking statements under the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in other sections of this Form 10-Q. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential” or “continue,” and the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. In particular, you should consider the numerous risks and uncertainties described under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and in other filings made by us from time to time with the SEC.

While we believe we have identified material risks, these risks and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Other sections of this Form 10-Q may describe additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

Although we believe the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance or achievements. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We are under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this Form 10-Q to conform our prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and we do not intend to do so.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

• our ability to maintain our listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market;
• our ability to obtain additional funding to develop our product candidates;

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• the need to obtain regulatory approval of our product candidates;
• the success of our clinical trials through all phases of clinical development;
• compliance with obligations under intellectual property licenses with third parties;
• any delays in regulatory review and approval of product candidates in clinical development;
• our ability to commercialize our product candidates;
• market acceptance of our product candidates;
• competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;
• potential product liability claims;
• our dependency on third-party manufacturers to supply or manufacture our products;
• our ability to establish or maintain collaborations, licensing or other arrangements;
• our ability and third parties’ abilities to protect intellectual property rights;
• our ability to adequately support future growth; and
• our ability to attract and retain key personnel to manage our business effectively.

We caution you not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Form 10-Q in the case of forward-looking statements contained in this Form 10-Q.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of the forward-looking statements. In addition, with respect to all of our forward-looking statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Overview

We are a clinical pharmaceutical company organized as a Nevada corporation in July 2017 to focus on the development of anti-cancer drug candidates for the treatment of brain and central nervous system tumors, based on intellectual property that we license under license agreements with Cortice Biosciences, Inc. (“Cortice”) and own pursuant to a collaboration and asset purchase agreement with Reata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Reata”).

We believe our drug candidates, TPI 287 and Berubicin, may be significant developments in the treatment of Glioblastoma and other CNS malignancies, and if approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), could give Glioblastoma patients important new therapeutic alternatives to the current standard of care. Glioblastomas are tumors that arise from astrocytes, which are star-shaped cells making up the supportive tissue of the brain. These tumors are usually highly malignant (cancerous) because the cells reproduce quickly, and they are supported by a large network of blood vessels. Berubicin is an anthracycline, which is a class of drugs that are among the most powerful and extensively used chemotherapy drugs known. TPI 287 is an abeotaxane, and is related to the family of common chemotherapy drugs known as taxanes. Based on limited clinical and preclinical data, we believe TPI 287 is the first taxane that appears to cross the blood brain barrier (“BBB”) in significant concentrations targeting brain cancer cells. Based on clinical and preclinical data, Berubicin is the first anthracycline that appears to cross the BBB in significant concentrations targeting brain cancer cells. While our focus is currently on the development of TPI 287 and Berubicin, we are also in the process of attempting to secure intellectual property rights to additional compounds that we plan to develop into drugs to treat CNS and other cancers.

TPI 287 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation (“ODD”) status by the FDA. ODD from the FDA is available for drugs targeting diseases with less than 200,000 cases per year. ODD may enable market exclusivity of 7 years from the date of approval of a New Drug Application (“NDA”) in the United States. During that period the FDA generally could not approve another product containing the same drug for the same designated indication. Orphan drug exclusivity will not bar approval of another product under certain circumstances, including if a subsequent product with the same active ingredient for the same indication is shown to be clinically superior to the approved product on the basis of greater efficacy or safety, or providing a major contribution to patient care, or if the company with orphan drug exclusivity is not able to meet market demand. The ODD strengthens our intellectual property protections although the Company is exploring if there are other patents that could be filed related to TPI 287 to extend additional protections.

TPI 287 is an abeotaxane and is an investigational chemotherapy agent classified as a third-generation taxane derivative. It was developed to address some of the limitations of earlier taxanes like paclitaxel (Taxol) and docetaxel (Taxotere), particularly issues related to drug resistance and poor penetration of the BBB. As a synthetic, lipophilic compound, TPI 287 is designed to be brain-penetrant, potentially allowing it to reach CNS tumors more effectively than its predecessors. Like other taxanes, TPI 287’s mechanism of action is to stabilize microtubules, which disrupts cell division and induces apoptosis. However, one of its notable advantages is its reduced susceptibility to drug efflux pumps such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a common mechanism by which cancer cells develop resistance to chemotherapy. This feature gives TPI 287 potential utility in treating drug-resistant cancers in the CNS.

TPI 287 has been studied in early-phase clinical trials (Phase I and II) in over 300 patients for several indications, including Glioblastoma, metastatic breast cancer with brain metastases, non-small cell lung cancer (“NSCLC”), castration-resistant prostate cancer, and neuroblastoma. TPI 287 represents a promising candidate for treating cancers involving the CNS, as well as those that have become resistant to traditional taxane therapies. While it has shown promise in limited clinical trials, further clinical development is necessary to determine its future in neuro-oncology.

Berubicin was discovered at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (“UTMDACC”) by Dr. Waldemar Priebe, the founder of the Company. Through a series of transactions, Berubicin was initially licensed to Reata. Reata initiated several Phase I clinical trials with Berubicin for CNS malignancies, one of which was for malignant gliomas, but subsequently allowed their Investigational New Drug (“IND”) with the FDA to lapse for strategic reasons. This required us to obtain a new IND for Berubicin before beginning further clinical trials. On December 17, 2020, we announced that our IND application with the FDA for Berubicin for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme was in effect. We initiated this trial for patient enrollment during the second quarter of 2021 with the first patient dosed during the third quarter of 2021 to investigate the efficacy of Berubicin in adults with Glioblastoma Multiforme who have failed first-line therapy. The first patient on the trial was treated during the third quarter of 2021. Correspondence between the Company and the FDA resulted in modifications to our initial trial design, including designating overall survival (OS) as the primary endpoint of the study. OS is a rigorous endpoint that the FDA has recognized as a basis for approval of oncology drugs when a statistically significant improvement can be shown relative to a randomized control arm.

On March 25, 2025, CNS released topline data from a primary analysis of a clinical trial being conducted to evaluate the efficacy of Berubicin in patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme who have failed primary treatment for their disease. The trial, compares the efficacy of Berubicin to that of Lomustine, a current standard of care in this setting, with a 2 to 1 randomization of the 252 patients to Berubicin or Lomustine. Patients receiving Berubicin were administered a 2-hour IV infusion of 7.5 mg/m2 berubicin hydrochloride daily for three consecutive days followed by 18 days off (a 21-day cycle). Lomustine is administered orally once every six weeks. The trial design included a pre-planned, non-binding interim futility analysis. We reached the criteria required by the study protocol to conduct this interim futility analysis, which an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (“DSMB”) was responsible for conducting. The DSMB’s charter mandated that they review the primary endpoint, Overall Survival, as well as secondary endpoints and safety data to determine whether the efficacy data for the risk-benefit profile warrants modification or discontinuation of the study. On December 18, 2023, we released the DSMB’s recommendation which was to continue the study without modification. The recently released topline data showed that although Berubicin produced clinically relevant outcomes that appear to be comparable (although the trial was not powered to determine non-inferiority) to Lomustine across multiple endpoints, it did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in overall survival, the primary endpoint. Nevertheless, given the dearth of alternative approved therapies for GBM, we believe Berubicin has demonstrated potential value as a possible treatment for Glioblastoma. As such we are currently evaluating whether any potential paths forward exist for the program. Any such path will be planned and executed in consultation with the FDA. Even if Berubicin is approved, there is no assurance that patients will choose an infusion treatment, as compared to the current standard of care, which requires oral administration.

We do not have manufacturing facilities and all manufacturing activities are contracted out to third parties. Additionally, we do not have a sales organization.

On November 21, 2017, we entered into a Collaboration and Asset Purchase Agreement with Reata (the “Reata Agreement”). Pursuant to the Reata Agreement we purchased all of Reata’s intellectual property and development data regarding Berubicin, including all trade secrets, knowhow, confidential information and other intellectual property rights.

On December 28, 2017, we obtained the rights to a worldwide, exclusive royalty-bearing, license to the chemical compound commonly known as Berubicin from Houston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“HPI”) in an agreement we refer to as the HPI License. HPI is affiliated with our founder, Dr. Priebe. Under the HPI License we obtained the exclusive right to develop certain chemical compounds for use in the treatment of cancer anywhere in the world. In the HPI License we agreed to pay HPI: (i) development fees of $750,000 over a three-year period beginning November 2019; (ii) a 2% royalty on net sales; (iii) a $50,000 per year license fee; (iv) milestone payments of $100,000 upon the commencement of a Phase II trial and $1.0 million upon the approval of a New Drug Application (“NDA”) for Berubicin; and (v) 3 shares of our common stock. The patents we licensed from HPI expired in March 2020. On March 23, 2025, the Company terminated the HPI License.

On June 10, 2020, the FDA granted Orphan Drug Designation for Berubicin for the treatment of malignant gliomas. The ODD now constitutes our primary intellectual property protections related to Berubicin although the Company is exploring other patents that could be filed related to Berubicin to extend additional protections. We believe we have all rights and intellectual property necessary to develop Berubicin. As stated earlier, it is our plan to obtain additional intellectual property covering other compounds which, subject to the receipt of additional financing, may be developed into drugs for brain and other cancers.

On July 29, 2024, we entered into an Exclusive License Agreement and Stock Purchase Agreement (collectively, the “Cortice Agreements”) with Cortice Biosciences, Inc. (“Cortice”) pursuant to which Cortice granted us an exclusive license to the intellectual property rights related to certain patents around the compound TPI 287 in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. The term of the license will expire, other than due to a breach of the Cortice Agreements, at the end of the royalty term with respect to any licensed product in any of the included territories, which begins upon the first commercial sale in such territory and ends on the latest of (i) ten years after such sale, (ii) the expiration of regulatory or marketing exclusivity for such licensed product in such country, or (c) the expiration of the last to expire valid patent claim in such country covering such licensed product.

Results of Operations for the Three Months Ended March 31, 2025 Compared to the Three Months Ended March 31, 2024

General and Administrative Expense

General and administrative expense was approximately $1,095,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to approximately $1,114,000 for the comparable period in 2024. The decrease in general and administrative expense was attributable to increases of approximately $76,000 in legal and professional expenses, $54,000 in compensation expense, $80,000 in travel expenses, and $13,000 in other expenses, which were offset by decreases of approximately $120,000 in stock-based compensation, $103,000 in marketing, advertising expenses and $19,000 in insurance expense.

Research and Development Expense

Research and development expense was approximately $3,243,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 compared to approximately $2,430,000 for the comparable period in 2024. The increase in research and development expenses during the period were mainly attributed to the costs of data clean-up, preparation and analysis for the topline primary data release on the Berubicin trial.

Net Loss

The net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was approximately $4,301,000 compared to approximately $3,545,000 for the comparable period in 2024. The change in net loss is attributable to license expenses related to the Cortice Agreements entered in July 29, 2024 as well as the costs of data preparation and analysis for the topline data release on the Berubicin trial.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

On March 31, 2025, we had cash of approximately $13,048,000 and we had a working capital of approximately $10,943,000. We fund our operations from proceeds from equity sales.

On July 26, 2024, we entered into a Sales Agreement (the “AGP ATM Sales Agreement”) with A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners (“AGP”). During the period ended March 31, 2025, we sold 1,530,985 shares of common stock pursuant to the Agreement for net proceeds of approximately $9 million. As of March 31, 2025, we had sold 2,522,758 shares of common stock pursuant to the AGP ATM Sales Agreement for net proceeds of approximately $22.8 million.

Subsequent to March 31, 2025, on May 13, 2025, the Company completed a public offering with net proceeds to the Company of approximately $4.5 million,

Including the capital raised in the public offering on May 13, 2025, we estimate that we have sufficient capital to take us into the second half of 2026. At that point, we expect to have already initiated a trial of TPI 287, as well as completed the Berubicin trial including its final analysis. In addition, we have working capital to fund our operations during the intervening period (with such operations estimated at $4.5 to $5.0 million per annum). We do not currently have a firm trial design for TPI 287 so estimates of development cost are not available, however, regardless of trial design, the cost of bringing TPI 287 to regulatory approval for marketing will require significant additional financing. The timing and costs of clinical trials are difficult to predict and as such the foregoing estimates may prove to be inaccurate. We have no commitments for such additional needed financing and will likely be required to raise such financing through the sale of additional equity or debt securities.

We will need to raise significant additional capital in the future in order to meet our future obligations and execute our business plan. If we are unable to raise sufficient funds, we will be required to develop and implement an alternative plan to further extend payables, reduce overhead or scale back our business plan until sufficient additional capital is raised to support further operations. There can be no assurance that such a plan will be successful and if it is not successful we may need to cease operations entirely.

Summary of Cash Flows

Cash used in operating activities

Net cash used in operating activities was approximately $3,242,000 and $3,192,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, and mainly included payments made for clinical trial costs, officer compensation, insurance, marketing and professional fees to our consultants, attorneys and accountants.

Cash provided by financing activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $9,828,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, related to the sale of common stock, which were offset by the repayment of notes payable. Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $3,459,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024, related to the sale of common stock and exercise of warrants, which were offset by the repayment of notes payable.

Off-balance Sheet Arrangements

As of March 31, 2025, we did not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

Purchase Commitments

We do not have any material commitments for capital expenditures, although we are required to pay certain milestones fees to Reata and Cortice as described in the section “Overview” above.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements, including the notes thereto. As a result, management is required to routinely make judgments and estimates about the effects of matters that are inherently uncertain. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different conditions or assumptions. Management determined there were no critical accounting estimates.

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information required under this item.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We maintain a set of disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that material information required to be disclosed in our filings under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that material information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer, who serves as our principal executive officer, and our chief financial officer, who serves as our principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Under the supervision, and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness, as of March 31, 2025, of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by an issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Based upon such evaluation, our chief executive officer and our chief financial officer have concluded that, as of March 31, 2025, our disclosure controls and procedures were, and continue to be, ineffective because of the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting due to lack of segregation of duties (resulting from the limited number of personnel available), limited access to timely and complete information regarding the status of costs incurred in the activation of investigational sites and costs from treating patients in our study which is a result of the use of a third-party Contract Research Organization (“CRO”) to manage the study, and the lack of formal documentation of our control environment. Management is commencing actions to address the lack of formal documentation of our control environment, although this will not address the lack of segregation of duties. Management is also working with the CRO to improve the timeliness and completeness of the data reported to the Company to address this material weakness, as well as conducting increased analytical analysis of such data to be performed by the Company.

In light of the material weakness described above, we continue to perform additional analysis and other post-closing procedures to ensure our financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, we believe that the financial statements included in this report fairly present, in all material respects, our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Additional experienced personnel will be hired in the accounting and finance department, appropriate consultants will be retained, and our accounting system will be upgraded as soon as it becomes economically feasible and sustainable.

Other than as described above, there has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent calendar quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the factors set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC, which are incorporated herein by reference. The risks described in such reports 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 and/or operating results.