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Securities Registration Statement (s-1/a)
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 19, 2013
Registration No. 333-190798
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1/A
(Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2)
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
ADAMIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 2834 82-0429727
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation or organization)
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
11455 El Camino Real, Suite 310
San Diego, CA 92130
(858)-997-2400
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code
of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Dennis J. Carlo, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
11455 El Camino Real, Suite 310
San Diego, CA 92130
(858)-997-2400
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
C. Kevin Kelso, Esq.
Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin
400 Capitol Mall, 11th Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
Telephone: (916) 558-6000
Facsimile: (916) 446-1611
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after this Registration Statement is declared effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. S
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. £
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. £
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. £
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer £ Accelerated filer £
Non-accelerated filer £ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company S
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of Each Class of
Securities to be Registered
Amount
to be
Registered (1)
Proposed Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price (2)
Amount of
Registration Fee
Common Stock underlying Convertible Notes 14,722,220 $6,330,555 $863,49 (3)
Common Stock underlying Warrants 11,777,776 $5,064,444 $690.79 (3)
TOTAL: 26,499,996 $11,394,999 $1,554.28 (3)
(1) Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the shares of common stock offered hereby also include an indeterminate number of additional shares of common stock as may from time to time become issuable by reason of stock splits, stock dividends, recapitalizations or other similar transactions.
(2) With respect to the shares of common stock offered by the selling stockholders named herein, estimated at $0.43 per share, the average of the high and low prices as reported on the OTCQB regulated quotation service on August 20, 2013, for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(3) Previously paid.
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The selling stockholders may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED SEPTEMBER 19, 2013
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Common Stock
26,499,996 Shares of Common Stock Underlying Secured Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants
This prospectus relates to the resale of up to 26,499,996 shares of our common stock to be offered by the selling stockholders upon the conversion of outstanding secured convertible promissory notes and the exercise of outstanding common stock purchase warrants by the selling stockholders.
The selling stockholders may sell shares of common stock from time to time in the principal market on which our common stock is traded at the prevailing market prices or in privately negotiated transactions. See “Plan of Distribution” which begins on page 74.
We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling stockholders. However, we will generate proceeds in the event of a cash exercise of the warrants by the selling stockholders. All expenses of registration incurred in connection with this offering are being borne by us. All selling and other expenses incurred by the selling stockholders will be borne by the selling stockholders.
Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB platform of OTC Markets, Inc. under the symbol “ADMP.” On September 17, 2013, the last reported sale price of our common stock as reported on the OTCQB was $0.39 per share.
We may amend or supplement this prospectus from time to time by filing amendments or supplements as required. You should read the entire prospectus and any amendments or supplements carefully before you make your investment decision.
Investing in our common stock is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of this prospectus before making a decision to purchase our stock.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
_______________, 2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Prospectus Summary 1
Risk Factors 3
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 14
Use of Proceeds 14
Market for Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters 14
Dividend Policy 15
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 16
Business 20
Management 33
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management 41
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions 41
Description of Private Placement and Secured Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants 43
The Selling Stockholders 54
Plan of Distribution 56
Description of Securities 58
Legal Matters 65
Experts 65
Where You Can Find More Information 65
Index to Financial Statements -i-
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the selling stockholders have not, authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front cover of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of our securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before investing in our securities, you should carefully read this entire prospectus, including our financial statements and the related notes and the information set forth under the headings “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” in each case included elsewhere in this prospectus.
Unless otherwise stated or the context requires otherwise, references in this prospectus to “Adamis,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to Adamis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and our subsidiaries, taken together.
Company Overview
We are an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on combining specialty pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to provide innovative medicines for patients and physicians. Within our group of specialty pharmaceutical products, we are currently developing four products in the allergy and respiratory markets, including a dry powder inhaler technology that we recently exclusively licensed and have the rights to acquire from 3M Company. Our goal is to create low cost therapeutic alternatives to existing treatments. Consistent across all specialty pharmaceuticals product lines, we intend to pursue section 505(b)(2) regulatory approval filings with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, whenever possible in order to reduce the time needed to get to market and to save on costs, compared to full New Drug Application filings for new drug products. Within our group of biotechnology products, we are focused on the development of therapeutic vaccine product candidates and cancer drugs for patients with unmet medical needs in the multi-billion dollar global cancer market.
The current status of our development programs is as follows:
Product Portfolio
Allergy/Respiratory Products Target Indication Development Status (1)
Epinephrine PFS Anaphylaxis Submit for regulatory approval to sell
Taper DPI Asthma/COPD Phase 3 trial
APC-1000 Asthma/COPD Phase 3 trial
APC-3000 Allergic Rhinitis Phase 3 trial
Cancer Products Target Indication Development Status (1)
TeloB-VAX (vaccine) Prostate Cancer Phase 2 trial
APC-100 Prostate Cancer Phase 1 trial (2)
APC-200 Prostate Cancer Preclinical
APC-300 Prostate Cancer Preclinical
(1) Represents the next development or regulatory stage that Adamis intends to pursue.
(2) Phase 1/2a clinical trial has been commenced.
We have not received regulatory approval for, or since our fiscal 2010 year generated commercial revenues from marketing or selling, any drugs or other products.
Recent Developments
On June 26, 2013, we completed a private placement financing transaction pursuant to which we issued secured convertible promissory notes, or the Notes, and common stock purchase warrants, or the Warrants, to a small number of institutional investors and received gross cash proceeds of $5,300,000, of which $286,349 was used to pay for transactions costs, fees and expenses. The Notes have an aggregate principal amount of $6,502,158, which includes $613,271 of principal amount resulting in the exchange with an investor of a previously outstanding convertible note, for which we previously received $500,000 of gross proceeds, for the Notes and Warrants. The maturity date of the Notes is December 26, 2013. The Notes are convertible into shares of common stock at any time at the discretion of the investor at an initial conversion price per share of $0.50, subject to adjustment. The Warrants have a term of five years and have an initial exercise price of $0.715 per share, subject to adjustment. Our obligations under the Notes and the other transaction agreements are guaranteed by our principal subsidiaries, and are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets and those of the subsidiaries pursuant to a Security Agreement. Pursuant to the transaction agreements, we agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, of which this prospectus is a part, to register shares issuable upon conversion of the Notes and exercise of the Warrants.
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On August 1, 2013, we entered into an agreement to exclusively license and, upon final payment and a closing before December 31, 2013 or, in certain circumstances June 30, 2014, acquire assets relating to 3M Company’s patented Taper dry powder inhaler, or DPI, platform technology under development for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The Taper DPI technology was being developed by 3M to compete with other dry powder inhalers such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus®. We intend to utilize the Taper DPI assets initially to develop a pre-metered inhaler device for the treatment of asthma and COPD, to deliver the same active ingredients as GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus®. Upon completion of product development and clinical trials and if required regulatory approvals are obtained, we intend to commercially market the inhaler product to compete for a share of the Advair market with a branded generic version utilizing the acquired technology. The design of the inhaler uses proprietary 3M technology to store active pharmaceutical ingredient on a microstructured carrier tape. Under the agreement, we have agreed with 3M to work to negotiate and enter into a supply agreement before the closing providing for the supply of the drug delivery tape to be used with the product. Pursuant to the agreement, we made an initial payment of $3.0 million to 3M and acquired an exclusive license to the DPI assets, and upon a final payment to 3M of $7.0 million before December 31, 2013 or, in certain circumstances $8.0 million before June 30, 2014, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, the DPI assets will be transferred to us. If we do not make the final payment before the required dates, 3M may terminate the license and the agreement.
Corporate Background
Our principal executive offices are located at 11455 El Camino Real, Suite 310, San Diego, CA 92130, and our telephone number is (858) 997-2400. Our website address is www.adamispharmaceuticals.com . The information on our website is not part of this prospectus. We have included our website address as a factual reference and do not intend it to be an active link to our website. The information that can be accessed through our website is not part of this prospectus, and investors should not rely on any such information in deciding whether to purchase our common stock.
The Offering
Common stock offered by the selling stockholders: Up to 26,499,996 shares of our common stock to be offered by the selling stockholders upon the conversion of the Notes and the exercise of the Warrants.
Common stock outstanding prior to the offering: 104,876,409 (1)
Common stock outstanding after this offering: 131,376,405 (1)
Use of proceeds: We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the common stock offered by the selling stockholders. However, we will generate proceeds in the event of a cash exercise of the Warrants by the selling stockholders. We intend to use those proceeds, if any, for general corporate purposes.
Offering price: Some or all of the shares of common stock offered hereby may be sold from time to time in amounts and on terms to be determined by the selling stockholders at the time of sale.
OTCQB symbol: ADMP.
Risk factors: You should carefully consider the information set forth in this prospectus and, in particular, the specific factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 4 of this prospectus, before deciding whether or not to invest in shares of our common stock.
(1) See “Description of Securities – General.” Excludes (a) approximately 6,623,582 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of currently outstanding options with exercise prices ranging from $0.18 to $0.75 and having a weighted average exercise price of $0.34 per share; (b) approximately 1,414,905 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of currently outstanding warrants, other than the Warrants, with a weighted average exercise price of $0.91 per share; (c) approximately 726,019 shares issuable upon the vesting of outstanding restricted stock units granted under our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan; and (d) approximately 11,439,742 shares of common stock available for future issuance under our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. The number of shares of common stock outstanding after the offering assumes (a) the exercise for cash of all Warrants at their original exercise prices, (b) the issuance of 125% of the shares that are initially issuable upon conversion of all of the Notes at their original conversion prices, and (c) that no other outstanding options or warrants are exercised.
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RISK FACTORS
Any investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Investors should carefully consider the risks described below and all of the information contained in this prospectus before deciding whether to purchase our common stock. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected by these risks if any of them actually occur. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including the risks we face as described below and elsewhere in this prospectus.
Risks Related to Our Business, Industry and Financial Condition
We may never commercialize any of our products or earn a profit.
We currently have no revenues from product sales, have not generated any revenue from operations for the last two fiscal years, and expect to incur substantial net losses for the foreseeable future to further develop and commercialize our product candidates and technologies. We may never be able to commercialize any of our product candidates or be able to generate revenues from products sales. Because of the risks and uncertainties associated with developing and commercializing our specialty pharmaceuticals, cancer and other product candidates, we are unable to predict when we may commercially introduce products, the extent of any future losses or when we will become profitable, if ever. We may never successfully commercialize our product candidates, and our business may fail.
Our auditors have expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Our audited financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2013, were prepared under the assumption that we would continue our operations as a going concern. Our independent registered public accounting firm has included a “going concern” explanatory paragraph in its report on our financial statements for the years ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, indicating that we have incurred recurring losses from operations and have limited working capital to pursue our business alternatives, and that these factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Uncertainty concerning our ability to continue as a going concern may hinder our ability to obtain future financing. Continued operations and our ability to continue as a going concern are dependent on our ability to obtain additional funding in the near future and thereafter, and there are no assurances that such funding will be available at all or will be available in sufficient amounts or on reasonable terms. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. Without additional funds from debt or equity financing, sales of assets, sales or out-licenses of intellectual property or technologies, or other transaction, we will rapidly exhaust our resources and will be unable to continue operations. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our stockholders would likely lose most or all of their investment in us.
We require additional financing to continue as a going concern.
We incurred a net loss of approximately $7.2 million for the year ended March 31, 2013, and a net loss of approximately $1.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013. At March 31 and June 30, 2013, we had cash and cash equivalents of $0 and approximately $3.4 million, respectively, no accounts receivable and significant liabilities and obligations. Absent additional funding, we believe that our cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our operations only for a relatively short period of time. The development of our business will require substantial additional capital in the future to commercialize our Epinephrine pre-filled syringe product, or Epinephrine PFS, proceed with development of the Taper inhaler technology, and conduct research and develop our cancer and vaccine technologies and other product candidates, as well as to fund our ongoing operations and satisfy our obligations and liabilities. We have historically relied upon private sales of our equity or debt securities to fund our operations. We currently have no credit facility or committed sources of capital. Delays in obtaining funding could adversely affect our ability to develop and commercially introduce products and cause us to be unable to comply with our obligations under outstanding instruments. For example, if the Notes that we issued in our June 2013 private placement transaction are not converted into common stock before their December 26, 2013 maturity date, we would require additional funds to pay amounts owed under those Notes. Similarly, if we are not able to make the $7.0 million payment to 3M Company in order to complete the acquisition of Taper inhaler assets that we have licensed, we could lose the rights to acquire those assets.
Our ability to obtain additional financing will be subject to a number of factors, including market conditions, our operating performance and investor sentiment. If we are unable to raise additional capital when required or on acceptable terms, we may have to significantly delay, scale back or discontinue the development or commercialization of one or more of our product candidates, restrict our operations or obtain funds by entering into agreements on unattractive terms, which would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, stock price and our relationships with third parties with whom we have business relationships, at least until additional funding is obtained. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue operations, we could be required to seek bankruptcy protection or other alternatives that would likely result in our stockholders losing some or all of their investment in us.
Statements in this prospectus concerning our future plans and operations are dependent on our ability to secure adequate funding and the absence of unexpected delays or adverse developments. We may not be able to secure required funding.
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The statements contained in this prospectus concerning future events or developments or our future activities, such as concerning current or planned clinical trials, anticipated research and development activities, anticipated dates for commencement of clinical trials, anticipated completion dates of clinical trials, anticipated meetings with the FDA or other regulatory authorities concerning our product candidates, anticipated dates for submissions to obtain required regulatory marketing approvals, anticipated dates for commercial introduction of products, and other statements concerning our future operations and activities, are forward-looking statements that in each instance assume that we are able to obtain sufficient funding in the near term and thereafter to support such activities and continue our operations and planned activities in a timely manner. There can be no assurance that this will be the case. Also, such statements assume that there are no significant unexpected developments or events that delay or prevent such activities from occurring. Failure to timely obtain sufficient funding, or unexpected development or events, could delay the occurrence of such events or prevent the events described in any such statements from occurring which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have incurred losses since our inception, and we anticipate that we will continue to incur losses. We may never achieve or sustain profitability.
We incurred net losses of approximately $7.2 and $1.0 million for our fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 and for the three months ended June 30, 2013, respectively. From inception through June 30, 2013, we have an accumulated deficit of approximately $39.0 million. These losses will increase as we continue our research and development activities, seek regulatory approvals for our product candidates and commercialize any approved products. These losses will cause, among other things, our stockholders’ equity and working capital to decrease. Any future earnings and cash flow from operations of our business are dependent on our ability to further develop our products and on revenues and profitability from sales of products.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient product revenue to become profitable at all or on a sustained basis. Even if we generate revenues, we expect to have quarter-to-quarter fluctuations in revenues and expenses, some of which could be significant, due to research, development, clinical trial, marketing and manufacturing expenses and activities. If our product candidates fail in clinical trials or do not gain regulatory approval, or if our products do not achieve market acceptance, we may never become profitable. As we commercialize and market products, we will need to incur expenses for product marketing and brand awareness and conduct significant research, development, testing and regulatory compliance activities that, together with general and administrative expenses, could result in substantial operating losses for the foreseeable future. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis.
Our limited operating history may make it difficult to evaluate our business and our future viability.
We are in the relatively early stage of operations and development and have only a limited operating history on which to base an evaluation of our business and prospects. Even if we successfully obtain additional funding, we are subject to the risks associated with early stage companies with a limited operating history, including: the need for additional financings; the uncertainty of research and development efforts resulting in successful commercial products, as well as the marketing and customer acceptance of such products; unexpected issues with the FDA or other federal or state regulatory authorities; regulatory setbacks and delays; competition from larger organizations; reliance on the proprietary technology of others; dependence on key personnel; uncertain patent protection; fluctuations in expenses; and dependence on corporate partners and collaborators. Any failure to successfully address these risks and uncertainties could seriously harm our business and prospects. We may not succeed given the technological, marketing, strategic and competitive challenges we will face. The likelihood of our success must be considered in light of the expenses, difficulties, complications, problems and delays frequently encountered in connection with the growth of a new business, the continuing development of new drug technology, and the competitive and regulatory environment in which we operate or may choose to operate in the future.
Many of our potential products and technologies are in early stages of development.
The development of new pharmaceutical products is a highly risky undertaking, and there can be no assurance that any future research and development efforts we might undertake will be successful. Our potential products in the cancer and viral fields will require extensive additional research and development before any commercial introduction, as will research and development work on our allergy and respiratory products. There can be no assurance that any future research, development or clinical trial efforts will result in viable products or meet efficacy standards. Future clinical or preclinical results may be negative or insufficient to allow us to successfully market our product candidates. Obtaining needed data and results may take longer than planned or may not be obtained at all. Any such delays or setbacks could have an adverse effect on our ability to achieve our financial goals.
We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or meet expected deadlines, we may be unable to obtain, or may experience delays in obtaining, regulatory approval, or may not be successful in commercializing our planned and future products.
Like many companies our size, we do not have the ability to conduct preclinical or clinical studies for our product candidates without the assistance of third parties who conduct the studies on our behalf. These third parties are usually toxicology facilities and clinical research organizations, or CROs, that have significant resources and experience in the conduct of pre-clinical and clinical studies. The toxicology facilities conduct the pre-clinical safety studies as well as associated tasks connected with these studies. The CROs typically perform patient recruitment, project management, data management, statistical analysis, and other reporting functions. We intend to rely on third parties to conduct clinical trials of our product candidates and to use third party toxicology facilities and CROs for our pre-clinical and clinical studies. We may also rely on academic institutions or clinical research organizations to conduct, supervise or monitor some or all aspects of clinical trials involving our products.
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Our reliance on these third parties for development activities will reduce our control over these activities. If these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties or obligations or meet expected deadlines, or if the quality or accuracy of the clinical data they obtain is compromised due to the failure to adhere to our clinical protocols or for other reasons, we may be required to replace them, and our clinical trials may be extended, delayed or terminated. Although we believe there are a number of third-party contractors that we could engage to continue these activities, replacing a third-party contractor may result in a delay of the affected trial.
Delays in the commencement or completion of clinical testing of our product candidates could result in increased costs and delay our ability to generate significant revenues.
The actual timing of commencement and completion of clinical trials can vary dramatically from our anticipated timing due to factors such as funding limitations, scheduling conflicts with participating clinicians and clinical institutions, and the rate of patient enrollment. Clinical trials involving our product candidates may not commence or be completed as forecast. Delays in the commencement or completion of clinical testing could significantly impact our product development costs. We do not know whether current or planned clinical trials will begin on time or be completed on schedule, if at all. The commencement of clinical trials can be delayed for a variety of reasons, including delays in:
· obtaining required funding;
· obtaining regulatory approval to commence a clinical trial;
· reaching agreement on acceptable terms with prospective contract research organizations and clinical trial sites;
· obtaining sufficient quantities of clinical trial materials for product candidates;
· obtaining institutional review board approval to conduct a clinical trial at a prospective site; and
· recruiting participants for a clinical trial.
In addition, once a clinical trial has begun, it may be suspended or terminated by us or the FDA or other regulatory authorities due to a number of factors, including:
· failure to conduct the clinical trial in accordance with regulatory requirements;
· inspection of the clinical trial operations or clinical trial site by the FDA or other regulatory authorities resulting in the imposition of a clinical hold;
· failure to achieve certain efficacy and/or safety standards; or
· lack of adequate funding to continue the clinical trial.
Clinical trials require sufficient participant enrollment, which is a function of many factors, including the size of the target patient population, the nature of the trial protocol, the proximity of participants to clinical trial sites, the availability of effective treatments for the relevant disease, the eligibility criteria for our clinical trials and competing trials. Delays in enrollment can result in increased costs and longer development times. Our failure to enroll participants in our clinical trials could delay the completion of the clinical trials beyond current expectations. In addition, the FDA could require us to conduct clinical trials with a larger number of participants than we may project for any of our product candidates. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to enroll a sufficient number of participants in a timely or cost-effective manner.
Furthermore, enrolled participants may drop out of clinical trials, which could impair the validity or statistical significance of the clinical trials. A number of factors can influence the discontinuation rate, including, but not limited to: the inclusion of a placebo in a trial; possible lack of effect of the product candidate being tested at one or more of the dose levels being tested; adverse side effects experienced, whether or not related to the product candidate; and the availability of numerous alternative treatment options that may induce participants to discontinue from the trial.
We may be required to suspend, repeat or terminate our clinical trials if the trials are not well designed, do not meet regulatory requirements or the results are negative or inconclusive, which may result in significant negative repercussions on business and financial condition.
Before regulatory approval for a potential product can be obtained, we must undertake clinical testing on humans to demonstrate the tolerability and efficacy of the product. We cannot assure you that we will obtain authorization to permit product candidates that are in the preclinical development phase to enter the human clinical testing phase. In addition, we cannot assure you that any authorized preclinical or clinical testing will be completed successfully within any specified time period by us, or without significant additional resources or expertise to those originally expected to be necessary. We cannot assure you that such testing will show potential products to be safe and efficacious or that any such product will be approved for a specific indication. Further, the results from preclinical studies and early clinical trials may not be indicative of the results that will be obtained in later-stage clinical trials. In addition, we or regulatory authorities may suspend clinical trials at any time on the basis that the participants are being exposed to unacceptable health risks.
5
We are subject to the risk of clinical trial and product liability lawsuits.
The testing of human health care product candidates entails an inherent risk of allegations of clinical trial liability, while the marketing and sale of approved products entails an inherent risk of allegations of product liability and associated adverse publicity. We currently maintain liability insurance coverage of $1,000,000. Such insurance is expensive, difficult to obtain and may not be available in the future on acceptable terms, or at all. As we conduct additional clinical trials and introduce products into the United States market, the risk of adverse events increases and our requirements for liability insurance coverage are likely to increase. We are subject to the risk that substantial liability claims from the testing or marketing of pharmaceutical products could be asserted against us in the future. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain or maintain insurance on acceptable terms, particularly in overseas locations, for clinical and commercial activities or that any insurance obtained will provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. An inability to obtain sufficient insurance coverage on reasonable terms or to otherwise protect against potential product liability claims could inhibit our business.
Moreover, our current and future coverages may not be adequate to protect us from all of the liabilities that we may incur. If losses from liability claims exceed our insurance coverage, we may incur substantial liabilities that exceed our financial resources. In addition, a product or clinical trial liability action against us would be expensive and time-consuming to defend, even if we ultimately prevailed. If we are required to pay a claim, we may not have sufficient financial resources and our business and results of operations may be harmed. A product liability claim brought against us in excess of our insurance coverage, if any, could have a material adverse effect upon our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We do not have commercial-scale manufacturing capability, and we lack commercial manufacturing experience. We will likely rely on third parties to manufacture and supply our product candidates.
We do not own or operate manufacturing facilities for clinical or commercial production of product candidates. We do not have any experience in drug formulation or manufacturing, and we lack the resources and the capability to manufacture any of our product candidates on a clinical or commercial scale. Accordingly, we expect to depend on third-party contract manufacturers for the foreseeable future. Any performance failure on the part of our contract manufacturers could delay clinical development, regulatory approval or commercialization of our current or future product candidates, depriving us of potential product revenue and resulting in additional losses.
The manufacture of pharmaceutical products requires significant expertise and capital investment, including the development of advanced manufacturing techniques and process controls. Manufacturers of pharmaceutical products often encounter difficulties in production, particularly in scaling up initial production.
These problems can include difficulties with production costs and yields, quality control (including stability of the product candidate and quality assurance testing), shortages of qualified personnel, and compliance with strictly enforced federal, state and foreign regulations. If our third-party contract manufacturers were to encounter any of these difficulties or otherwise fail to comply with their obligations or under applicable regulations, our ability to provide product candidates to patients in our clinical trials or commercially would be jeopardized. If we file an application for marketing approval of the product and the FDA grants marketing approval, any delay or interruption in the supply of product could delay the commercial launch of the product or impair our ability to meet demand for the product. Difficulties in supplying products for clinical trials could increase the costs associated with our clinical trial programs and, depending upon the period of delay, require us to commence new trials or qualify new manufacturers at significant additional expense, possibly causing commercial delays or termination of the trials.
Our products can only be manufactured in a facility that has undergone a satisfactory inspection by the FDA and other relevant regulatory authorities. For these reasons, we may not be able to replace manufacturing capacity for our products quickly if we or our contract manufacturer(s) were unable to use manufacturing facilities as a result of a fire, natural disaster (including an earthquake), equipment failure, or other difficulty, or if such facilities were deemed not in compliance with the regulatory requirements and such non-compliance could not be rapidly rectified. An inability or reduced capacity to manufacture our products would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are subject to substantial government regulation, which could materially adversely affect our business. If we do not receive regulatory approvals, we may not be able to develop and commercialize our technologies.
We need FDA approval to market our proposed Epinephrine PFS product and other products in the United States, and similar approvals from foreign regulatory authorities to market products outside the United States. We have not yet filed an application with the FDA to obtain approval to market any of our proposed products. The production and marketing of our products and potential products and our ongoing research and development, pre-clinical testing and clinical trial activities are currently subject to extensive regulation and review by numerous governmental authorities in the United States and will face similar regulation and review for overseas approval and sales from governmental authorities outside of the United States. The regulatory review and approval process, which may include evaluation of preclinical studies and clinical trials of our products, as well as the evaluation of manufacturing processes and contract manufacturers’ facilities, is lengthy, expensive and uncertain. We have limited experience in filing and pursuing applications necessary to gain regulatory approvals. Many of the product candidates that we are currently developing must undergo rigorous pre-clinical and clinical testing and an extensive regulatory approval process before they can be marketed. This process makes it longer, more difficult and more costly to bring our potential products to market, and we cannot guarantee that any of our potential products will be approved. Many products for which FDA approval has been sought by other companies have never been approved for marketing. In addition to testing and approval procedures, extensive regulations also govern marketing, manufacturing, distribution, labeling, and record-keeping procedures. If we or our collaboration partners do not comply with applicable regulatory requirements, such violations could result in non-approval, suspensions of regulatory approvals, civil penalties and criminal fines, product seizures and recalls, operating restrictions, injunctions, and criminal prosecution.
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Regulatory authorities generally have substantial discretion in the approval process and may either refuse to accept an application, or may decide after review of an application that the data submitted is insufficient to allow approval of the proposed product. If regulatory authorities do not accept or approve our applications, they may require that we conduct additional clinical, preclinical or manufacturing studies and submit that data before regulatory authorities will reconsider such application. We may need to expend substantial resources to conduct further studies to obtain data that regulatory authorities believe is sufficient. Depending on the extent of these studies, approval of applications may be delayed by several years, or may require us to expend more resources than we may have available. It is also possible that additional studies may not suffice to make applications approvable. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to abandon our applications for approval.
Failure to obtain FDA or other required regulatory approvals, or withdrawal of previous approvals, would adversely affect our business. Even if regulatory approval of a product is granted, this approval may entail limitations on uses for which the product may be labeled and promoted, or may prevent us from broadening the uses of products for different applications.
If we fail to obtain acceptable prices or appropriate reimbursement for our products, our ability to successfully commercialize our products will be impaired.
Government and insurance reimbursements for healthcare expenditures play an important role for all healthcare providers, including physicians and pharmaceutical companies such as Adamis, that plan to offer various products in the United States and other countries in the future. Physicians and patients may decide not to order our products unless third-party payors, such as managed care organizations as well as government payors such as Medicare and Medicaid, pay a substantial portion of the price of the products. Market acceptance and sales of our products and potential products will depend in part on the extent to which reimbursement for the costs of such products will be available from government health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers, managed care organizations, and other organizations. In the United States, our ability to have our products eligible for Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance reimbursement will be an important factor in determining the ultimate success of our products. If, for any reason, Medicare, Medicaid or the insurance companies decline to provide reimbursement for our products, our ability to commercialize our products would be adversely affected.
Third-party payors may challenge the price of medical and pharmaceutical products. Reimbursement by a third-party payor may depend on a number of factors, including a payor’s determination that our product candidates are:
· not experimental or investigational;
· effective;
· medically necessary;
· appropriate for the specific patient;
· cost-effective;
· supported by peer-reviewed publications; and
· included in clinical practice guidelines.
If purchasers or users of our products and related treatments are not able to obtain appropriate reimbursement for the cost of using such products, they may forego or reduce such use. Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved pharmaceutical products, and there can be no assurance that adequate third-party coverage will be available for any of our products. Even if our products are approved for reimbursement by Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers, of which there can be no assurance, the amount of reimbursement may be reduced at times or even eliminated. This would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Legislative or regulatory reform of the healthcare system may affect our ability to sell our products profitably.
In both the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, there have been and are expected to be a number of legislative and regulatory changes to the healthcare system in ways that could impact our ability to sell our products profitably, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law in the United States in March 2010. Given the enactment of these laws and other federal and state legislation and regulations relating to the healthcare system, it is still too early to determine their impact on the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and our business. The U.S. Congress continues to consider issues relating to the healthcare system, and future legislation or regulations may affect our ability to market and sell products on favorable terms, which would affect our results of operations, as well as our ability to raise capital, obtain additional collaborators or profitably market our products. Such legislation or regulation may reduce our revenues, increase our expenses or limit the markets for our products. In particular, we expect to experience pricing pressures in connection with the sale of our products due to the influence of health maintenance and managed health care organizations and additional legislative proposals.
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We have limited sales, marketing and distribution experience.
We have limited experience in the sales, marketing, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. There can be no assurance that we will be able to establish sales, marketing, and distribution capabilities or make arrangements with our current collaborators or others to perform such activities or that such efforts will be successful. If we decide to market any products directly, we must either acquire or internally develop a marketing and sales force with technical expertise and with supporting distribution capabilities. The acquisition or development of a sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure would require substantial resources, which may not be available to us or, even if available, could divert the attention of our management and key personnel and have a negative impact on further product development efforts.
We may seek to enter into arrangements to develop and commercialize our products. These collaborations, if secured, may not be successful.
We have entered into arrangements with third parties regarding development and commercialization of some of our products and may in the future seek to enter into collaborative arrangements to develop and commercialize some of our potential products both in North America and international markets. There can be no assurance that we will be able to negotiate collaborative arrangements on favorable terms or at all or that our current or future collaborative arrangements will be successful. The amount and timing of resources such third parties will devote to these activities may not be within our control. There can be no assurance that such parties will perform their obligations as expected. There can be no assurance that our collaborators will devote adequate resources to our products.
If our potential products are unable to compete effectively with current and future products targeting similar markets as our potential products, our commercial opportunities will be reduced or eliminated.
The markets for epinephrine products, our proposed Taper inhaler product and other allergy and respiratory products, and cancer and vaccine products, are intensely competitive and characterized by rapid technological progress. We face competition from numerous sources, including major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and technical resources, and development, production and marketing capabilities, than we do. Certain companies have established technologies that may be competitive with our product candidates and any future products that we may develop or acquire. Some of these products may use different approaches or means to obtain results, which could be more effective or less expensive than our products for similar indications. In addition, many of these companies have more experience than we do in pre-clinical testing, clinical trials and manufacturing of compounds, obtaining FDA and foreign regulatory approvals, and brand name exposure and expertise in sales and marketing. We also compete with academic institutions, governmental agencies and private organizations that are conducting research in the same fields.
Competition among these entities to recruit and retain highly qualified scientific, technical and professional personnel and consultants is also intense. As a result, there is a risk that one or more of our competitors will develop a more effective product for the same indications for which we are developing a product or, alternatively, bring a similar product to market before we can do so. Failure to successfully compete will adversely impact the ability to raise additional capital and ultimately achieve profitable operations.
If we suffer negative publicity concerning the safety of our products in development, our sales may be harmed and we may be forced to withdraw such products.
If concerns should arise about the safety of any of our products that are marketed, regardless of whether or not such concerns have a basis in generally accepted science or peer-reviewed scientific research, such concerns could adversely affect the market for these products. Similarly, negative publicity could result in an increased number of product liability claims, whether or not these claims are supported by applicable law.
Our failure to adequately protect or to enforce our intellectual property rights or secure rights to third party patents could materially harm our proprietary position in the marketplace or prevent the commercialization of our products.
Our success depends in part on our ability to obtain and maintain protection in the United States and other countries for the intellectual property covering or incorporated into our technologies and products. The patents and patent applications in our existing patent portfolio are either owned by us or licensed to us. Our ability to protect our product candidates from unauthorized use or infringement by third parties depends substantially on our ability to obtain and maintain, or license, valid and enforceable patents. Due to evolving legal standards relating to the patentability, validity and enforceability of patents covering pharmaceutical inventions and the scope of claims made under these patents, our ability to obtain and enforce patents is uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions for which important legal principles are unresolved.
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There is a substantial backlog of patent applications at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO. There can be no assurance that any patent applications relating to our products or methods will be issued as patents, or, if issued, that the patents will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented or that the rights granted thereunder will provide a competitive advantage. We may not be able to obtain patent rights on products, treatment methods or manufacturing processes that we may develop or to which we may obtain license or other rights. Even if we do obtain patents, rights under any issued patents may not provide us with sufficient protection for our product candidates or provide sufficient protection to afford us a commercial advantage against our competitors or their competitive products or processes. It is possible that no patents will be issued from any pending or future patent applications owned by us or licensed to us. Others may challenge, seek to invalidate, infringe or circumvent any patents we own or license. Alternatively, we may in the future be required to initiate litigation against third parties to enforce our intellectual property rights. The defense and prosecution of patent and intellectual property claims are both costly and time consuming, even if the outcome is favorable to us. Any adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities, require us to license disputed rights from others, or require us to cease selling our future products.
In addition, many other organizations are engaged in research and product development efforts that may overlap with our products. Such organizations may currently have, or may obtain in the future, legally blocking proprietary rights, including patent rights, in one or more products or methods under development or consideration by us. These rights may prevent us from commercializing technology, or may require us to obtain a license from the organizations to use the technology. We may not be able to obtain any such licenses that may be required on reasonable financial terms, if at all, and we cannot be sure that the patents underlying any such licenses will be valid or enforceable. As with other companies in the pharmaceutical industry, we are subject to the risk that persons located in other countries will engage in development, marketing or sales activities of products that would infringe our patent rights if such activities were conducted in the United States.
Our patents also may not afford protection against competitors with similar technology. We may not have identified all patents, published applications or published literature that affect our business either by blocking our ability to commercialize our product candidates, by preventing the patentability of our products or by covering the same or similar technologies that may affect our ability to market or license our product candidates. Many companies have encountered difficulties in protecting and defending their intellectual property rights in foreign jurisdictions. If we encounter such difficulties or are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights in either the United States or foreign jurisdictions, our business prospects could be substantially harmed. In addition, because of funding limitations and our limited cash resources, we may not be able to devote the resources that we might otherwise desire to prepare or pursue patent applications, either at all or in all jurisdictions in which we might desire to obtain patents, or to maintain already-issued patents.
We depend on our officers. If we are unable to retain our key employees or to attract additional qualified personnel, our product operations and development efforts may be seriously jeopardized.
Our success will be dependent upon the efforts of a small management team and staff, including Dennis J. Carlo, Ph.D., our chief executive officer. The employment of Dr. Carlo may be terminated at any time by either us or Dr. Carlo. We currently do not have key man life insurance policies covering any of our executive officers or key employees. If key individuals leave us, we could be adversely affected if suitable replacement personnel are not quickly recruited. There is competition for qualified personnel in all functional areas, which makes it difficult to attract and retain the qualified personnel necessary for the operation of our business. Our success also depends in part on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified scientific, commercial and administrative personnel. If we are unable to attract new employees and retain existing key employees, the development and commercialization of our product candidates could be delayed or negatively impacted.
We may experience difficulties in managing growth.
We are a small company. Future growth will impose significant added responsibilities on members of management, including the need to identify, attract, retain, motivate and integrate highly skilled personnel. We may increase the number of employees in the future depending on the progress of our development of our Epinephrine PFS, Taper, cancer and vaccine, and other products and technologies. Our future financial performance and our ability to compete effectively will depend, in part, on our ability to manage any future growth effectively. To that end, we must be able to:
· manage our clinical studies effectively;
· integrate additional management, administrative, manufacturing and regulatory personnel;
· maintain sufficient administrative, accounting and management information systems and controls; and
· hire and train additional qualified personnel.
We may not be able to accomplish these tasks, and our failure to accomplish any of them could harm our financial results.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
Provisions of our charter documents could discourage an acquisition of our company that would benefit our stockholders and may have the effect of entrenching, and making it difficult to remove, management.
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Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if a change of control would benefit our stockholders. For example, shares of our preferred stock may be issued in the future without further stockholder approval, and upon such terms and conditions, and having such rights, privileges and preferences, as our board of directors may determine, including, for example, rights to convert into our common stock. The rights of the holders of our common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any of our preferred stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of our preferred stock could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us. This could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and discourage those investors from acquiring a majority of our common stock. Similarly, our bylaws require that any stockholder proposals or nominations for election to our board of directors must meet specific advance notice requirements and procedures, which make it more difficult for our stockholders to make proposals or director nominations. The existence of these charter provisions could have the effect of entrenching management and making it more difficult to change our management. Furthermore, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. These provisions may prohibit or restrict large stockholders, in particular those owning 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock, from merging or combining with us, unless one or more exemptions from such provisions apply. These provisions under Delaware law could discourage potential takeover attempts and could reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of our common stock in the future.
Our common stock price is expected to be volatile.
The market price of our common stock could be subject to significant fluctuations. For example, from April 2012 to July 31, 2013, the market price of our common stock has fluctuated between $0.23 and $1.05. Market prices for securities of early-stage pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life sciences companies have historically been particularly volatile. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include:
· relatively low trading volume, which can result in significant volatility in the market price of our common stock based on a relatively smaller number of trades and dollar amount of transactions;
· the timing and results of our current and any future preclinical or clinical trials of our product candidates;
· the entry into or termination of key agreements, including, among others, key collaboration and license agreements;
· the results and timing of regulatory reviews relating to the approval of our product candidates;
· the initiation of, material developments in, or conclusion of, litigation to enforce or defend any of our intellectual property rights;
· failure of any of our product candidates, if approved, to achieve commercial success;
· general and industry-specific economic conditions that may affect our research and development expenditures;
· the results of clinical trials conducted by others on products that would compete with our product candidates;
· issues in manufacturing our product candidates or any approved products;
· the loss of key employees;
· the introduction of technological innovations or new commercial products by our competitors;
· changes in estimates or recommendations by securities analysts, if any, who cover our common stock;
· future sales of our common stock;
· period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results;
· publicity or announcements regarding regulatory developments relating to our products;
· period-to-period fluctuations in our financial results, including our cash and cash equivalents balance, operating expenses, cash burn rate or revenue levels;
· common stock sales in the public market by one or more of our larger stockholders, officers or directors;
· our filing for protection under federal bankruptcy laws;
· a negative outcome in any litigation or potential legal proceeding; or
· other potentially negative financial announcements, such as a review of any of our filings by the Securities and Exchange Commission, referred to as the Commission or the SEC, changes in accounting treatment or restatement of previously reported financial results or delays in our filings with the SEC.
The stock markets in general have experienced substantial volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of individual companies. These broad market fluctuations may also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, stockholders have often instituted class action securities litigation against those companies. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and diversion of management attention and resources, which could significantly harm our profitability and reputation.
Our common stock is currently traded on the OTCQB and is subject to additional trading restrictions as a “penny stock,” which could adversely affect the liquidity and price of such stock. If our common stock remains subject to the SEC’s penny stock rules, broker-dealers may experience difficulty in completing customer transactions and trading activity in our securities may be adversely affected.
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Our common stock currently trades on the OTCQB. The OTCQB, the OTC Bulletin Board and Pink Sheets are viewed by most investors as a less desirable, and less liquid, marketplace. As a result, an investor may find it more difficult to purchase, dispose of or obtain accurate quotations as to the value of our common stock.
Because our common stock is not listed on any national securities exchange, such shares will also be subject to the regulations regarding trading in “penny stocks,” which are those securities trading for less than $5.00 per share, and that are not otherwise exempted from the definition of a penny stock under other exemptions provided for in the applicable regulations. The following is a list of the general restrictions on the sale of penny stocks:
· Before the sale of penny stock by a broker-dealer to a new purchaser, the broker-dealer must determine whether the purchaser is suitable to invest in penny stocks. To make that determination, a broker-dealer must obtain, from a prospective investor, information regarding the purchaser’s financial condition and investment experience and objectives. Subsequently, the broker-dealer must deliver to the purchaser a written statement setting forth the basis of the suitability finding and obtain the purchaser’s signature on such statement.
· A broker-dealer must obtain from the purchaser an agreement to purchase the securities. This agreement must be obtained for every purchase until the purchaser becomes an “established customer.”
· The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act, requires that before effecting any transaction in any penny stock, a broker-dealer must provide the purchaser with a “risk disclosure document” that contains, among other things, a description of the penny stock market and how it functions and the risks associated with such investment. These disclosure rules are applicable to both purchases and sales by investors.
· A dealer that sells penny stock must send to the purchaser, within 10 days after the end of each calendar month, a written account statement including prescribed information relating to the security.
These requirements can severely limit the liquidity of securities in the secondary market because fewer brokers or dealers are likely to be willing to undertake these compliance activities. As a result of our common stock not being listed on a national securities exchange and the rules and restrictions regarding penny stock transactions, an investor’s ability to sell to a third party and our ability to raise additional capital may be limited. We make no guarantee that market-makers will make a market in our common stock, or that any market for our common stock will continue.
Our principal stockholders have significant influence over us, they may have significant influence over actions requiring stockholder approval, and your interests as a stockholder may conflict with the interests of those persons.
Based on the number of outstanding shares of our common stock held by our stockholders as of July 15, 2013, our directors, executive officers and their respective affiliates owned approximately 12% of our outstanding shares of common stock and our largest stockholder owned approximately 29% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, those stockholders have the ability to exert a significant degree of influence with respect to the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors and any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. The interests of these persons may not always coincide with our interests or the interests of our other stockholders. This concentration of ownership could harm the market price of our common stock by (i) delaying, deferring or preventing a change in corporate control, (ii) impeding a merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination involving us, or (iii) discouraging a potential acquirer from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us. The significant concentration of stock ownership may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock due to investors’ perception that conflicts of interest may exist or arise.
In preparing our consolidated financial statements, our management determined that our disclosure controls and procedures, and that our internal controls over financial reporting, were ineffective as of March 31, 2013, which could result in material misstatements in our financial statements. If we continue to fail to comply with the rules under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 related to disclosure controls and procedures, or, if we discover other material weaknesses and other deficiencies in our internal controls over financial reporting, our stock price could decline and raising capital could be more difficult.
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. As of March 31, 2013, our management determined that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective, and that there was a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting, due to insufficient segregation of duties in our finance and accounting function because of limited personnel, based on the absence of finance and accounting personnel other than the Chief Financial Officer. This resulted in not ensuring appropriate segregation of duties between incompatible functions, and made it more difficult to ensure review of financial reporting issues sufficiently in advance of the dates on which filings are required to be made with the SEC and to ensure that financial information is adequately analyzed and reviewed on a timely basis to detect misstatements. These above deficiencies represent a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting given that they result in a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the annual or interim financial statements would not have been prevented or detected.
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If remedial measures are insufficient to address the ineffectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and our internal controls over financial reporting, or if other material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls are discovered or occur in the future and the ineffectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures continues, we may fail to meet our future reporting obligations on a timely basis, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements, we could be required to restate our prior period financial results, our operating results may be harmed, and we could become subject to class action litigation. Internal control deficiencies and ineffective disclosure controls and procedures could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information. We can give no assurance that the measures we plan to take in the future will remediate the ineffectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures or that any material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting or adequate disclosure controls and procedures or circumvention of these controls. In addition, even if we are successful in strengthening our controls and procedures, in the future those controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify irregularities or errors or to facilitate the fair presentation of our consolidated financial statements. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our business and operating results could be harmed, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, and the trading price of our common stock could decline.
Our stockholders may experience significant dilution as a result of any additional financing using our securities, as the result of the securities that we issued in our June 2013 private placement transaction, or as a result of anti-dilution provisions in our Notes and Warrants.
We will need to raise significant additional capital in order to maintain and continue our operations. To the extent that we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities or securities convertible into or exercisable for equity securities, our stockholders may experience significant dilution. In addition, conversion of the Notes or exercise of the Warrants that we issued in our June 2013 private placement transaction, or exercise of other outstanding options or warrants, could result in there being a significant number of additional shares outstanding and dilution to our stockholders. Moreover, the Notes and related Warrants include anti-dilution provision providing that, with certain exceptions, if we issue shares of common stock or options, warrants, convertible securities or other common stock equivalents, at an effective price per share less than the conversion price of the Notes or the exercise price of the Warrants (as applicable), the conversion price of the Notes or the exercise price of the Warrants and number of shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants will be adjusted downward to equal the per share price of the securities issued in such transaction, entitling the holders to acquire a larger number of shares upon conversion of the Notes or exercise of the Warrants, which could result in dilution to our stockholders.
We have not paid dividends on our common stock in the past and do not expect to pay dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any return on investment may be limited to the value of our common stock.
No cash dividends have been paid on our common stock, and we do not expect to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future. Payment of dividends would depend upon our profitability at the time, cash available for those dividends, and other factors as our board of directors may consider relevant. If we do not pay dividends, our common stock may be less valuable because a return on a stockholder’s investment will only occur if our stock price appreciates.
A sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may cause the price of our common stock to decline and may impair our ability to raise capital in the future.
Our common stock is currently traded on the OTCQB, and there have been and may continue to be periods when it could be considered “thinly-traded,” meaning that the number of persons interested in purchasing our common stock at or near bid prices at any given time may be relatively small or non-existent. Finance transactions resulting in a large amount of newly issued shares that become readily tradable, conversion of outstanding convertible notes or debentures and sale of the shares issuable upon conversion of such notes or debentures, or other events that cause stockholders to sell shares, could place downward pressure on the trading price of our stock. In addition, the lack of a robust resale market may require a stockholder who desires to sell a large number of shares of common stock to sell the shares in increments over time to mitigate any adverse impact of the sales on the market price of our stock. If our stockholders sell, or the market perceives that our stockholders intend to sell for various reasons, substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decline. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock may make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price that we deem reasonable or appropriate.
Our obligations to the holders of our secured convertible promissory notes are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets. If we default on those obligations, the Note holders could foreclose on our assets.
As described elsewhere in this prospectus under the heading “Description of Private Placement and Secured Convertible Promissory Notes and Warrants,” on June 26, 2013, we completed a private placement transaction in which we issued the Notes with an aggregate principal amount of $6,502,158, and related Warrants. Our obligations under the Notes and the related transaction documents are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets and those of our principal subsidiaries. As a result, upon an event of default of our obligations under the Notes or the transaction documents, the holders of the Notes could foreclose on their security interest and liquidate some or all of these assets, which would materially harm our business, financial condition and results of operations and could require us to reduce or cease operations.
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Risks Associated with Our Proposed Reverse Stock Split
We have submitted a proposal for consideration by our stockholders at our annual meeting of stockholders scheduled to be held on October 15, 2013, to authorize our board of directors to effect a reverse stock split of our common stock. There are risks associated with a reverse stock split, if it is approved and effected.
As described in greater detail below under the heading “Description of Securities – Proposed Reverse Stock Split,” we have filed a definitive proxy statement with the SEC relating to our 2013 annual meeting of stockholders, or the Meeting, scheduled to be held on October 15, 2013. One of the proposals to be submitted to our stockholders for approval at the Meeting is a proposal to effect a reverse stock split of our issued and outstanding common stock, if our board of directors, or the Board, in its discretion determines to effect a reverse stock split, by a ratio of not less than one-for-two and not more than one-for-twenty-five at any time within 18 months after the date of the Meeting, with the exact ratio to be set at a whole number within this range as determined by the Board in its sole discretion, referred to as the Reverse Stock Split, with a possible reduction in the number of shares of common stock authorized in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or the Restated Certificate, depending on the exact ratio of the Reverse Stock Split, as described in the proxy statement. The Board reserves the right to elect to abandon and not effect the Reverse Stock Split, including any or all proposed reverse stock split ratios, if it determines, in its sole discretion, that effecting the Reverse Stock Split is not in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.
There are no assurances that the Reverse Stock Split will be either approved or implemented. If the Reverse Stock Split is effected, however, there are certain risks associated with the Reverse Stock Split, including the following:
· We would have additional authorized shares of common stock that the Board could issue in the future without stockholder approval, and such additional shares could be issued, among other purposes, in financing transactions or to resist or frustrate a third-party transaction that is favored by a majority of the independent stockholders. This could have an anti-takeover effect, in that additional shares could be issued, within the limits imposed by applicable law, in one or more transactions that could make a change in control or takeover of us more difficult.
· There can be no assurance that the Reverse Stock Split, if completed, will achieve the benefits that we hope it will achieve. We cannot make any assurances that the market price of our common stock will increase following the Reverse Stock Split or that the market price of our common stock will not decrease in the future. Similarly, we cannot make any assurances that the market price per share of our common stock after a Reverse Stock Split will increase in proportion to the reduction in the number of shares of our common stock outstanding before the Reverse Stock Split. Accordingly, the total market capitalization of our common stock and the company after the Reverse Stock Split may be lower than the total market capitalization before the Reverse Stock Split.
· If the Reverse Stock Split is effected, the resulting per share price of our common stock may not be sufficiently high to attract new investors and, consequently, the trading liquidity of our common stock may not improve.
· Even though the Board is submitting the Reverse Stock Split proposed to our stockholders for approval with the primary intent of increasing the market price of our common stock to enhance our ability to meet the initial listing requirements of The NASDAQ Capital Market or NYSE Amex and to make our common stock more attractive to a broader range of institutional and other investors, even if the Reverse Stock Split is effected we may not be able to satisfy all of the other requirements for listing our common stock on a stock exchange.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements give our current expectations or forecasts of future events. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, our beliefs and our assumptions. Forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and include statements regarding, among other things, our expectations for revenues and profitability, prospective products, market acceptance, future performance results, expenses, the outcome of contingencies such as legal proceedings, our strategies and opportunities, anticipated trends in our market, our anticipated needs for working capital, current or planned clinical trials, anticipated research and development activities, anticipated dates for commencement of clinical trials, anticipated completion dates of clinical trials, anticipated meetings with the FDA or other regulatory matters concerning our product candidates, anticipated dates for submissions to obtain required regulatory marketing approvals, anticipated dates for commercial introduction of products, and other statements concerning our future operations and activities. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of word or phrases such as “believe,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “ongoing,” “intend,” “plan,” or “would,” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. These statements may be found under the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Business,” as well as in this prospectus generally. These statements are based on our management’s expectations, beliefs and assumptions concerning future events affecting us, which in turn are based on currently available information. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and concern matters that could subsequently differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Actual events or results may differ materially from those discussed in this prospectus. Except as may be required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date of this prospectus. In addition, the statements contained throughout this prospectus concerning future events or developments or our future activities in each instance assume that we are able to obtain sufficient funding to support such activities and continue our operations and planned activities in a timely manner. There can be no assurance that this will be the case. Also, such statements assume that there are no significant unexpected developments or events that delay or prevent such activities from occurring. Failure to timely obtain sufficient funding, or unexpected developments or events, could delay the occurrence of such events or prevent the events described in any such statements from occurring. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We are registering shares of our common stock pursuant to registration rights granted to the selling securityholders. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the common stock by the selling securityholders named in this prospectus. All proceeds from the sale of the common stock will be paid directly to the selling securityholders.
If all the Warrants held by the selling stockholders in this offering are exercised for cash, we could receive proceeds of up to approximately $8,421,110 from the exercise of those Warrants. We intend to use the estimated net proceeds received upon exercise of the Warrants, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes, including payment of obligations and liabilities that we incur from time to time. We cannot assure you that any Warrants will be exercised or that such exercises will be cash exercises rather than net cashless exercises.
MARKET FOR COMMON STOCK AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
Market and Other Information
Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB under the symbol “ADMP.” Immediately following the offering, we expect to have one class of common stock and no classes of preferred stock outstanding. As of August 1, 2013, there were approximately 105 registered holders of record of our common stock, and the last reported sale price of our common stock on the OTCQB on that date was $0.56 per share.
The following table sets forth the high and low sales price of our common stock on the OTCQB for each quarterly period during the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, for the first quarter of our fiscal year ended June 30, 2013, and after the end of the first quarter, as quoted in U.S. dollars.
PERIOD High Low
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2012:
First Quarter ( April 2011 - June 2011 ) $ 0.25 $ 0.18
Second Quarter ( July 2011 - September 2011 ) $ 0.26 $ 0.17
Third Quarter ( October 2011 - December 2011 ) $ 0.30 $ 0.15
Fourth Quarter ( January 2012 - March 2012 ) $ 0.25 $ 0.15
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2013:
First Quarter ( April 2012 - June 2012 ) $ 0.77 $ 0.23
Second Quarter ( July 2012 - September 2012 ) $ 0.70 $ 0.48
Third Quarter ( October 2012 - December 2012 ) $ 1.05 $ 0.57
Fourth Quarter ( January 2013 - March 2013 ) $ 0.95 $ 0.58
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2014:
First Quarter ( April 2013 - June 2013 ) $ 0.76 $ 0.38
Second Quarter (July 2013 - September 17, 2013) $ 0.67 $ 0.38
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DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not previously declared or paid any dividends on our common stock. The payment of dividends on our common stock in the future will depend on our profitability at the time, cash available for those dividends, and such other factors as our board of directors may consider appropriate. Under the terms of our transaction documents relating to the Notes and Warrants issued in our June 2013 private placement transaction, as long as the Notes are outstanding we are prohibited from paying cash dividends without the prior written consent of a majority in interest of the holders of such Notes. We do not anticipate paying dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis should be read together with our financial statements and the related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. This discussion contains forward-looking statements reflecting our current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” 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 prospectus.
General
Company Overview
We are an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on combining specialty pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to provide innovative medicines for patients and physicians. Within our group of specialty pharmaceutical products, we are currently developing four products in the allergy and respiratory markets, including a dry powder inhaler technology that we recently exclusively licensed and have rights to acquire from 3M Company. Our goal is to create low cost therapeutic alternatives to existing treatments. Consistent across all specialty pharmaceuticals product lines, Adamis intends to pursue section 505(b)(2) regulatory approval filings with the FDA whenever possible in order to reduce the time needed to get to market and to save on costs, compared to full NDA filings for new drug products. Within our group of biotechnology products, we are focused on the development of therapeutic vaccine product candidates and cancer drugs for patients with unmet medical needs in the multi-billion dollar global cancer market.
Our general business strategy is to generate revenue through launch of our allergy and respiratory products in development, in order to generate cash flow to help fund expansion of our allergy and respiratory business, as well as support our future cancer and vaccine product development efforts. To achieve our goals and support our overall strategy, we will need to raise a substantial amount of funding and make substantial investments in equipment, new product development and working capital.
Recent Developments
On August 1, 2013, we entered into an agreement to exclusively license and, upon final payment and a closing before December 31, 2013 or, in certain circumstances June 30, 2014, acquire assets relating to 3M Company’s patented Taper dry powder inhaler, or DPI, platform technology under development for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The Taper DPI technology was being developed by 3M to compete with other dry powder inhalers such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus®. We intend to utilize the Taper DPI assets initially to develop a pre-metered inhaler device for the treatment of asthma and COPD, to deliver the same active ingredients as GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus®. Upon completion of product development and clinical trials and if required regulatory approvals are obtained, we intend to commercially market the inhaler product to compete for a share of the Advair market with a branded generic version utilizing the acquired technology. Pursuant to the agreement, we made an initial payment of $3.0 million to 3M and acquired an exclusive license to the DPI assets, and upon a final payment to 3M of $7.0 million before December 31, 2013 or, in certain circumstances $8.0 million before June 30, 2014, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions, the DPI assets will be transferred to us. If we do not make the final payment before the required dates, 3M may terminate the license and the agreement.
Going Concern and Management’s Plan
Our independent registered public accounting firm has included a “going concern” explanatory paragraph in its report on our financial statements for the years ended March 31, 2013 and 2012 indicating that we have incurred recurring losses from operations and have limited working capital to pursue our business alternatives, and that these factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. As of March 31, 2013 and June 30, 2013, we had cash and cash equivalents of $0 and approximately $3.4 million, respectively, an accumulated deficit as of June 30, 2013 of approximately $39.0 million, no accounts receivable and substantial liabilities and obligations. We incurred net losses of approximately $7.2 million and $1.0 million for the year ended March 31, 2013 and the three months ended June 30, 2013, respectively. We will need significant funding in the short term to continue operations, satisfy our obligations and fund the future expenditures that will be required to conduct the clinical and regulatory work to develop our product candidates. Such additional funding may not be available or may not be available on reasonable terms. If we do not obtain required additional equity or debt funding, our cash resources will be depleted and we could be required to materially reduce or suspend operations, which would likely have a material adverse effect on our business, stock price and our relationships with third parties with whom we have business relationships, at least until additional funding is obtained.
The above conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements included elsewhere herein were prepared under the assumption that we would continue our operations as a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and the satisfaction of liabilities during the normal course of business. In preparing these consolidated financial statements, consideration was given to our future business as described elsewhere herein, which may preclude us from realizing the value of certain assets. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments that may result from the outcome of this uncertainty. This basis of accounting contemplates the recovery of our assets and the satisfaction of liabilities in the normal course of business. Without additional funds from debt or equity financing, sales of assets, sales or out-licenses of intellectual property or technologies, or from a business combination or a similar transaction, we will soon exhaust our resources and will be unable to continue operations. If we cannot continue as a viable entity, our stockholders may lose some or all of their investment in us.
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Our management intends to attempt to secure additional required funding primarily through additional equity or debt financings. We may also seek to secure required funding through sales or out-licensing of intellectual property assets, seeking partnerships with other pharmaceutical companies or third parties to co-develop and fund research and development efforts, or similar transactions. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain required funding. If we are unsuccessful in securing funding from any of these sources, we will defer, reduce or eliminate certain planned expenditures and delay development or commercialization of some or all of our products. If we do not have sufficient funds to continue operations, we could be required to seek bankruptcy protection or other alternatives that could result in our stockholders losing some or all of their investment in us.
Results of Operations
Our consolidated results of operations are presented for the fiscal years ending March 31, 2013 and 2012, and for the three months ending June 30, 2013 and 2012.
Year Ended March 31, 2013 and Year Ended March 31, 2012
Revenues. Adamis had no revenues during the year ending March 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. Selling, general and administrative expenses for fiscal 2013 and 2012 were approximately $2.0 million and $2.6 million, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of legal fees, accounting and audit fees, consulting expenses, and employee salaries. The elimination of a reserve for product returns accounted for approximately $168,000 of the decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses. Reductions in salaries and consulting expenses accounted for approximately $168,000 and $261,000, respectively, of the decrease during the 12 months ended March 31, 2013.
Research and Development Expenses. Our research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services to be used in future research and development activities are recorded as an asset and are expensed when the research and development activities are performed. Research and development expenses were approximately $1.2 million and $2.2 million for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, which were expensed. The decrease in research and development expenses for fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012 was primarily due to reduced availability of capital in fiscal 2013 compared to fiscal 2012.
Other Income (Expenses). Other income (expense) for fiscal 2013 and 2012 was approximately $(3,800,000) and $(30,000), respectively. Other income (expense) consist primarily of changes in the value of derivative and conversion features of our convertible notes, as well as interest expense paid in connection with various notes payable. The increase in the value of derivative and conversion features of our convertible notes, as well as interest expense for fiscal 2013, in comparison to fiscal 2012 was due to the issuance of convertible notes in fiscal 2013.
Three Months Ended June 30, 2013 and 2012
Revenues . Adamis had no revenues during the three month periods ending June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses . Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ending June 30, 2013 and 2012 were approximately $515,000 and $489,000, respectively. Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of legal fees, accounting and audit fees, professional/consulting fees and employee salaries.
Research and Development Expenses . Our research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Non-refundable advance payments for goods and services to be used in future research and development activities are recorded as an asset and are expensed when the research and development activities are performed. Research and development costs were approximately $225,000 and $236,000 for the three months ending June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Other Income (Expense) . Interest expense for the three month period ending June 30, 2013 and 2012 was approximately $(405,000) and approximately $(295,000), respectively. Interest consists primarily of interest expense in connection with various notes outstanding at June 30, 2013, and the amortization of debt issuance costs as well as the amortization of the discounts on the notes for the three months ended June 30, 2013. The increase in interest expense for the three month period ended June 30, 2013, in comparison to the same period for fiscal 2013 was due to the new notes payable entered into during the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The change in fair value of the derivative liability for the period was approximately $41,000 and the change in the fair value of the conversion feature was approximately $62,000. The June 26, 2013 notes contain full ratchet anti-dilution provisions and the corresponding changes in fair value are recorded in Other Income (Expense).
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have incurred net losses of approximately $7.2 million and $4.9 million for the years ended March 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and net losses of approximately $1.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2013. Since our inception, June 6, 2006, and through June 30, 2013, we have an accumulated deficit of approximately $39.0 million. Since inception and through June 30, 2013, we have financed our operations principally through debt financing and through private issuances of common stock. Since inception, we have raised a total of approximately $29.1 million in debt and equity financing transactions, consisting of approximately $15.7 million in debt financing and approximately $13.4 million in equity financing transactions. We expect to finance future cash needs primarily through proceeds from equity or debt financings, loans, sales of assets, out-licensing transactions, and/or collaborative agreements with corporate partners. We have used the net proceeds from debt and equity financings for general corporate purposes, which have included funding for research and development, selling, general and administrative expenses, working capital, reducing indebtedness, pursuing and completing licenses, acquisitions or investments in other businesses, products or technologies, and for capital expenditures.
Net cash used in operating activities from continuing operations for fiscal 2013 and 2012 was approximately $2.6 million and $3.3 million, respectively. The decrease in the use of cash was due primarily to an increase in accounts payable and accrued other expenses. We expect net cash used in operating activities to increase going forward as we continue product development and other business activities, assuming that we are able to obtain sufficient funding.
Net cash provided by financing activities from continuing operations was approximately $2.6 million in fiscal 2013 and approximately $2.1 million in fiscal 2012. Results for fiscal 2013 were affected by proceeds from the issuance of five notes.
Net cash used in operating activities for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, was approximately $(1,680,000) and $(1,223,000), respectively. We expect net cash used in operating activities to increase going forward as we engage in additional product research and development and other business activities, assuming that we are able to obtain sufficient funding.
Net cash provided by financing activities was approximately $5,094,000 and $1,936,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012. Results for the three months ended June 30, 2013, were affected by $5.3 million of proceeds received from the a private placement completed in June 2013 and the reduction of a promissory note from a related party.
On December 31, 2012, we issued a convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $600,000 and 600,000 shares of common stock to a private investor, and received gross proceeds of $600,000, excluding transaction costs and expenses. Interest on the outstanding principal balance of the note accrues at a rate of 10% per annum compounded monthly and is payable monthly commencing February 1, 2013 with an original maturity date of September 30, 2013. The maturity date of the note is extended to March 26, 2014 as a result of the June 2013 financing transaction. In consideration for the amendment of the maturity date, the company granted the private investor warrants to purchase 375,000 shares of common stock. At any time on or before the maturity date, the investor has the right to convert part or all of the principal and interest owed under the note into common stock at a conversion price equal to $0.55 per share, subject to adjustment for stock dividends, stock splits, reverse stock splits, or other similar events. The proceeds from the note were used to retire the October 25, 2012 note.
On June 26, 2013, we completed the closing of a private placement financing transaction with a small number of accredited institutional investors. Pursuant to a subscription agreement and other transaction documents, we issued the Notes and Warrants, and received gross cash proceeds of $5,300,000, of which $286,349 was used to pay for transaction costs, fees and expenses. The Notes have an aggregate principal amount of $6,502,158, including a $613,271 principal amount Note issued to Gemini in exchange for its previously outstanding June 2012 convertible note, which is no longer outstanding. The maturity date of the Notes is December 26, 2013. Our obligations under the Notes and the other transaction documents are guaranteed by our principal subsidiaries and, pursuant to a Security Agreement entered into with the investors, are secured by a security interest in substantially all of our assets and those of the subsidiaries. The Notes are convertible into shares of common stock at any time at the discretion of the investor at an initial conversion price per share of $0.50. The initial exercise price of the Warrants is $0.715 per share. The Warrants are exercisable for a period of five years from the date of issuance.
As noted above under the heading "Going Concern and Management's Plan," Adamis has substantial liabilities and obligations. If we do not obtain additional equity or debt funding, our cash resources will be depleted and we will be required to materially reduce or suspend operations. Even if are successful in obtaining additional funding to permit us to continue operations at the levels that we desire, substantial time will pass before we obtain regulatory marketing approval for any products and begin to realize revenues from product sales, and during this period Adamis will require additional funds. No assurance can be given as to the timing or ultimate success of obtaining future funding.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based on our audited consolidated financial statements, and our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We believe the following accounting policies and estimates are most critical to aid in understanding and evaluating our reported financial results. For further discussion of our accounting policies, see Note 3 in the accompanying notes to our audited consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
Stock-Based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation transactions in which we receive employee services in exchange for options to purchase common stock. Stock-based compensation cost for restricted stock units, or RSUs, is measured based on the closing fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Stock-based compensation cost for stock options is estimated at the grant date based on each option's fair-value as calculated by the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We recognize stock-based compensation cost as expense ratably on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period.
Derivative Financial Instruments . Derivatives are recognized as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets and are measured at fair value. The treatment of gains and losses resulting from changes in the fair values of derivative instruments is dependent on the use of the respective derivative instrument and whether they qualify for hedge accounting. As of March 31, 2013 and June 30, 2013, no derivative instruments qualified for hedge accounting.
Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 815 - Derivatives and Hedging provides guidance to determine what types of instruments, or embedded features in an instrument, are considered derivatives. This guidance can affect the accounting for convertible instruments that contain provisions to protect holders from a decline in the stock price, or down-round provisions. Down-round provisions reduce the exercise price of a convertible instrument if a company either issues equity share for a price that is lower than the exercise price of those instruments, or issues new convertible instruments that have a lower exercise price.
We recognize the derivative assets and liabilities at their respective fair values at inception and on each reporting date. We utilized a binomial option pricing model to develop our assumptions for determining the fair value of the conversion and anti-dilution features of its notes. See Note 8 in the accompanying audited financial statements for further discussion of derivative instruments.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
At March 31, 2013 and June 30, 2013, we did not have any off balance sheet arrangements.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued accounting guidance on the presentation of an unrecognized tax benefit when a net operating loss carryforward exists. Under this guidance, an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, should be presented in the financial statements as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward. This guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2013. Other than a potential change in presentation within a potential consolidated balance sheet, this accounting guidance will not have an impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
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BUSINESS
In the discussion below, all statements concerning market sizes, annual U.S. sales of products, U.S. prescriptions and rates of prescriptions, the incidence of diseases or conditions in the general population, and similar statistical or market information are based on data published by the following sources: IMS Health Sales Perspectives, Retail and Non-Retail Combined Report, referred to as the IMS Report; National Data Corporation's Epinephrine Prescription and Dollar Data, referred to as the NDC Report; Commercial and Pipeline Insight: Allergic Rhinitis, published by DataMonitor, referred to as the DataMonitor Report; AAAAI - American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Allergy Statistics for the U.S., referred to as the AAAAI Statistics; American Cancer Society, Cancer, Facts & Figures 2013, referred to as ACS Statistics; and SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2007, National Cancer Institute, referred to as the NCI Statistics.
Overview and Business Strategy
We are an emerging pharmaceutical company focused on combining specialty pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to provide innovative medicines for patients and physicians. Within our group of specialty pharmaceutical products, we are currently developing four products in the allergy and respiratory markets, including a dry powder inhaler technology that we recently exclusively licensed and have the rights to acquire from 3M Company. Our goal is to create low cost therapeutic alternatives to existing treatments. Consistent across all specialty pharmaceuticals product lines, we intend to pursue section 505(b)(2) regulatory approval filings with the FDA whenever possible in order to reduce the time needed to get to market and to save on costs, compared to full New Drug Application, or NDA, filings for new drug products. Within our group of biotechnology products, we are focused on the development of therapeutic vaccine product candidates and cancer drugs for patients with unmet medical needs in the multi-billion dollar global cancer market. The current status of our development programs is as follows:
Product Portfolio
Allergy/Respiratory Products Target Indication Development Status (1)
Epinephrine PFS Anaphylaxis Submit for regulatory approval to sell
Taper DPI Asthma/COPD Phase 3 trial
APC-1000 Asthma/COPD Phase 3 trial
APC-3000 Allergic Rhinitis Phase 3 trial
Cancer Products Target Indication Development Status (1)
TeloB-VAX (vaccine) Prostate Cancer Phase 2 trial
APC-100 Prostate Cancer Phase 1 trial (2)
APC-200 Prostate Cancer Preclinical
APC-300 Prostate Cancer Preclinical
(1) Represents the next development or regulatory stage that Adamis intends to pursue.
(2) Phase 1/2a clinical trial has been commenced.
Anaphylaxis
American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, or AAAAI, defines anaphylaxis as a serious, life-threatening allergic reaction. The most common anaphylactic reactions are to foods, insect stings, medications and latex. According to AAAAI data, an estimated 5% of the U.S. population suffers from insect sting anaphylaxis, up to 6% are latex sensitive, and up to 1.5% of adults and 5% of children under three years of age experience food related anaphylaxis. AAAAI estimates that approximately 3,000 people in the U.S. die each year from anaphylaxis.
Anaphylaxis requires immediate medical treatment, including an injection of epinephrine. The number of prescriptions for epinephrine products has grown annually, as the risk of anaphylaxis has become more widely understood. According to the IMS Report, total prescriptions for EpiPen® products have historically grown at a rate of approximately 15% per year and have more than doubled in the five-year period from 2007 to 2012. We cannot provide any assurances concerning any possible future rates of annual growth or whether annual prescriptions will decline or grow.
Epinephrine Pre-Filled Syringe
Our most advanced product candidate, Epinephrine Injection USP 1:1000 0.3mg Pre-filled Single Dose Syringe, or the Epinephrine PFS, is a simple syringe designed to deliver a premeasured 0.3 mg dose of epinephrine for the treatment of anaphylaxis. The syringe is protected in a hard plastic carrying case small enough to fit, for example, in a shirt pocket.
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We believe that there is an opportunity for a simple, low-cost, intuitive pre-filled syringe to compete in this market. We believe that our Epinephrine PFS has the potential to compete against other marketed products based on the following:
Lower Price . We expect to introduce the Epinephrine PFS product at a price point reflecting a discount to the price of the leading products. A lower-priced option may be attractive to individuals that pay cash for their epinephrine products, professional users such as hospitals and first responders, and military and prison systems.
Ease of Use . Auto-injectors, such as EpiPen®, Twinject® and Auvi-Q, are powerful spring-loaded auto-injector devices. If not administered properly, they can misfire or be misused. Our Epinephrine PFS product will allow users to administer a pre-measured epinephrine dose quickly with a device that is intuitive and does not have moving parts that the user cannot control.
We believe that the Epinephrine PFS product, if introduced, may acquire a share of the market based on the price differential between the expected price of the Epinephrine PFS product and the price at which the market-leading product is currently sold, which may motivate purchasers and reimbursing payors to choose the lower cost alternative. We believe that the Epinephrine PFS product has the potential to compete successfully, although there can be no assurance that this will be the case.
With the help of our contract manufacturer, we have accumulated what we believe is all of the required data, and are preparing a 505(b)(2) submission to the FDA for approval for sale of the Epinephrine PFS product. We hope to receive an approval sometime in calendar year 2014. We estimate that approximately $1.5 million to $2.1 million will be required over the next 12 months to support the regulatory application and a commercial launch of the Epinephrine PFS product following marketing approval.
Asthma and COPD
According to the National Institute of Health, or NIH, asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. NIH has stated that more than 25 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with asthma and has estimated that about 7 million of that group are children.
COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a progressive disease that makes it difficult to breathe. COPD can cause coughing that produces large amounts of mucus, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms. According to the NIH, cigarette smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Most people who have COPD smoke or used to smoke. However, long-term exposure to other lung irritants such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or dust may also contribute to COPD.
According to IMS Health data, the global asthma and COPD prescription market is more than $34 billion and is averaging 7% growth per year. One product in particular, Advair Diskus® marketed by GlaxoSmithKine, generated more than $4.6 billion in U.S. sales in 2012, according to IMS data. The Advair Diskus® is a dry powder inhaler, or DPI, product that combines fluticasone propionate, or fluticasone and salmeterol xinafoate, or salmeterol. Inhaled fluticasone belongs to the family of medicines known as corticosteroids or steroids. It works by preventing certain cells in the lungs and breathing passages from releasing substances that cause asthma symptoms. Inhaled salmeterol is a long-acting bronchodilator. Bronchodilators are medicines that are breathed in through the mouth to open up the bronchial tubes (air passages) in the lungs. It relieves cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and troubled breathing by increasing the flow of air through the bronchial tubes. The combination of the two medicines, as in the Advair Diskus®, is used when a patient's asthma has not been controlled sufficiently on other asthma medicines, or when a patient's condition is so severe that more than one medicine is needed every day.
Taper DPI
Adamis entered into an agreement dated as of August 1, 2013 with 3M Company to exclusively license and, upon final payment acquire, assets relating to 3M Company's patented Taper dry powder inhaler, or DPI, technology under development by 3M. The Taper DPI technology was under development as a device designed to efficiently deliver dry powder by utilizing a 3M proprietary microstructured carrier tape, to be supplied by 3M under a separate supply agreement to be negotiated with 3M. We believe that, once developed, the device can be utilized to deliver a wide variety of different drug compounds. We intend to utilize the Taper DPI assets initially to develop a pre-metered inhaler device for the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, or COPD, to deliver the same active ingredients as GlaxoSmithKline's Advair Diskus®. Upon completion of product development and clinical trials and if required regulatory approvals are obtained, we intend to commercially market the inhaler product to compete for a share of the Advair market with a branded generic version utilizing the Taper technology.
We believe that one advantage of the Taper DPI technology is that it can deliver drug particles without the need for lactose or formulation excipients. The majority of current dry powder products use lactose carrier excipients to enhance flowability; however, they have the disadvantage of increased bulk and require a mechanism for detaching the drug from the surface of the lactose. Lactose carrier formulations require a complicated blending process and delivery that is highly sensitive to excipient powder properties. There are currently no excipient-free dry powder inhalers in the U.S. market.
Due to the design of Taper DPI, it can efficiently deliver drug without the need for formulation excipients. As such, it enables consistent dose metering and delivery across a broad dosing range. In addition, high fine particle fractions are achievable, which could allow more active drug to be delivered deep into the patient's lungs.
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We are currently preparing an investigational new drug application, or IND, to be submitted to the FDA for approval to begin human testing of Taper DPI. Assuming receipt of sufficient funding and if clinical trials are initiated and successfully completed, we intend to pursue an abbreviated new drug application under Section 505(b)(2) of the Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act, as amended, or FDCA, to seek approval for sale in the U.S. market. We also intend to seek to identify opportunities to market Taper DPI based products outside of the U.S.
Additional Allergy Products
Additional product candidates in our allergy and respiratory product pipeline include a steroid hydrofluoroalkane, or HFA, metered dose inhaler product, referred to as APC-1000, for asthma and COPD and an HFA pressurized metered dose nasal steroid for the treatment of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis, referred to as APC-3000. The market for inhaled nasal steroids, or INS, as estimated by us based on the DataMonitor Report, is at least $3 billion annually. INS products are sold under prescription for seasonal allergic rhinitis. Our product candidates, if developed and approved for marketing, will target a small niche within this market. During fiscal 2011, we entered into a strategic manufacturing, supply, and product development agreement with Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Beximco is a leading manufacturer of pharmaceutical formulations and active pharmaceutical ingredients in Bangladesh. Beximco has a large number of products covering broad therapeutic categories, including asthma and allergy inhalers, antibiotics, anti-hypertensives, anti-diabetics, and anti-retrovirals. We intend to develop the APC-1000 product with Beximco. Once developed, we anticipate that we will transfer the specifications to Beximco for manufacturing. Adamis and Beximco intend to introduce a number of separate drugs into the U.S. over the next several years in the allergy and respiratory areas and may co-develop certain drugs. The anticipated dates of development and introduction of APC-1000 and APC-3000 will depend on a number of factors, including the availability of adequate funding to support product development efforts. We expect APC-3000 to be considered a "new" drug by the FDA, and accordingly we believe that we will be required to submit data for an application for approval to market APC-3000 pursuant to Section 505(b)(2) of the Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, or FDCA, although there are no assurances that this will be the case. Total time to develop the APC-3000 product, including manufacture of the product, clinical trials and FDA review, is expected to be approximately 25 months from inception of full product development efforts. Factors that could affect the actual launch date for our allergy and respiratory product candidates include the outcome of discussions with the FDA concerning the number and kind of clinical trials that the FDA will require before the FDA will consider regulatory approval of the product, any unexpected difficulties in licensing or sublicensing intellectual property rights for other components of the product such as the inhaler, any unexpected difficulties in the ability of our suppliers to timely supply quantities for commercial launch of the product, any unexpected delays or difficulties in assembling and deploying an adequate sales force to market the product, unexpected events affecting Beximco's participation in developing and manufacturing products, and receipt of adequate funding to support product development and sales and marketing efforts.
Cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases in which malignant cells grow out of control and spread to other parts of the body. According to the NIH, cancer begins in your cells, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, your body forms new cells as you need them, replacing old cells that die. Sometimes this process goes afoul, new cells grow when you don't need them, and old cells do not die when they should. Extra cells can form a mass called a tumor. Those tumors can be benign or malignant (cancerous). Cells from malignant tumors can invade nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the body, called metastasis. Most treatment plans include surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. Some may involve hormone therapy, biologic therapy, or stem cell transplantation.
We believe that there is a significant market opportunity for our product candidates, should they be successfully developed, approved and commercialized. We believe that there is a significant need for new products and that there is growing interest in targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer. Worldwide sales of products used in the treatment of cancer were $52.4 billion in 2009, according to IMS, fueled by strong acceptance of innovative and effective targeted therapies.
TeloB-VAX
In April 2011, we acquired exclusive rights to patented telomerase-based cancer vaccine technology from the Regents of the University of California and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. We intend to pursue development of the technology initially for what we believe may be a novel cell-based vaccine product candidate for cancer, tentatively named TeloB-VAX. The technology is intended to activate the body's natural defense machinery to stimulate an immune response against one of nature's most common tumor markers, telomerase reverse transcriptase, or telomerase. We believe that a vaccine product, if developed, will utilize the patient's own B cells as antigen producing and antigen presenting cells.
In a Phase 1 study completed at UCSD in castrate resistant prostate cancer patients, the vaccine product candidate was shown to be safe and well tolerated. The vaccine was found to be immunogenic, and was shown to induce a specific CD8 T cell response. More important, the T cells induced post-vaccination were shown to specifically kill prostate cancer cells. We believe that if future trials are successful and a vaccine product is developed, such a vaccine product may have a number of competitively advantageous features, including: prolonged antigen presentation by B cells; induction of an immune response after a single injection; no need for complicated culture procedures; much fewer steps; and potentially lower cost than other competitive products. This vaccine product candidate is covered by what we believe is a unique patented platform technology using a cancer antigen marker, telomerase, that is increased in approximately 85% of all tumors.
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We believe that this technology may represent one of the first concrete opportunities to program the immune system to mobilize killer lymphocytes to combat cancer cells, including progenitor cancer stem cells that were shown to also express telomerase. Since telomerase is increased in over 85% of all cancers, a vaccine product could potentially be used to treat multiple additional telomerase-expressing cancer types, such as breast, lung, and colon cancer.
Prostate Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in American men and the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. The ACS estimated that for 2013 in the United States, approximately 238,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and about 29,700 men will die of prostate cancer in 2013.
The Human Prostate and Prostate Cancer; Disease and Market Background
In the discussion below concerning prostate cancer, all statistics, data and information concerning incidence of disease or other conditions in the general population, market sizes, annual U.S. sales of products, U.S. prescriptions and rates of prescriptions, and similar statistical or market information are based on data published by or in the following sources: MedTrack and IMMS data reports, American Cancer Society, or ACS, Statistics and National Cancer Institute, or NCI, Statistics.
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland located in front of the rectum and underneath the urinary bladder. It is found only in men. The prostate starts to develop before birth and continues to grow until a man reaches adulthood. This growth is fueled by male hormones, the so-called androgens. The main androgen produced by men is the hormone testosterone. Testosterone can be converted by the body into dihydrotestosterone, which in turn signals the prostate to grow. The prostate stays at adult size in adult males as long as the male hormone is present at physiological levels.
A prostate cancer develops when cells in the prostate begin to grow out of control, and a cancerous tumor can form. Several types of cells are found in the prostate, but over 99% of prostate cancers develop from gland cells within the prostate. Prostate cancer, or PCa, is one of the most invasive malignancies and a leading cause of cancer related deaths in many countries. According to the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in American men, and the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. The NCI has estimated that approximately 20% of patients present with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis. Metastatic prostate cancer is advanced prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate and surrounding tissues into distant organs and tissues. The majority of men who die from prostate cancer die from the consequences of metastatic disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, the five-year survival rate of patients with prostate cancer that has metastasized to distant organs is only about 30%. Metastatic prostate cancer is generally divided into two states: the androgen hormone-sensitive, androgen-dependent or castrate sensitive PCa state, referred to as CS-PCa; and the castrate-resistant PCa state, or CR-PCa, also referred to as the androgen hormone-refractory, androgen-independent, or the Androgen Deprivation Therapy, or ADT, resistant state.
Testosterone and other male sex hormones, known collectively as androgens, can fuel the growth of prostate cancer cells. Androgens exert their effects on prostate cancer cells by binding to and activating the Androgen Receptor, which is expressed in prostate cancer and other cells. When they first metastasize to distant sites, most prostate cancers depend on androgen hormone for tumor growth. These prostate cancers are CS-PCa prostate cancers.
For patients with advanced, metastatic CS-PCa prostate cancer, the standard of care is treatment with hormonal ablation therapy, also known as ADT. ADT is used to suppress production or block the action of androgens. Accordingly, the leading therapies currently used for the treatment of prostate cancer, after it recurs following radiation or surgery, are focused on diminishing the production of androgens, or antagonizing the effects of androgens by blocking the Androgen Ligand Binding Domain on the Androgen Receptor inside prostate cancer cells with drugs known as anti-androgens. Thus, these two different effects are achieved through two separate therapeutic approaches. The first approach is often to reduce the amount of androgens produced in the body, primarily in the testes. This can be achieved by surgical castration by removal of both testicles, or alternatively through use of one or two different kinds of ADT drugs, called chemical castration.
Adamis, collaborators, and many others now commonly recognize that androgen deprivation therapy causes prostate cancer cell programmed cell death, referred to as apoptosis, and can also contribute to pathophysiological chronic inflammation in men with CS-PCa. There is significant published data supporting the important role of chronic inflammation in the change from CS-PCa to CR-PCa.
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Most animal and human prostate cancer initially is hormone-sensitive and thus initially responds to ADT. However, according to a study published in the October 7, 2004 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine , and other studies, virtually all hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancers (CS-PCa) are commonly believed to undergo changes that convert CS-PCa to the castration-resistant (CR-PCa) state within a median of 18-24 months after initiation of ADT. Once in this ADT resistant CR-PCa state, CR-PCa generally continues to grow even when there is a significant reduction of testosterone production. The change to the castration-resistant state is generally determined based on monitoring either rising levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, in prostate patients' blood serum, or by documented disease progression as evidenced by radiographic imaging tests (via patient MRI or bone scans) or the CR-PCa patients' presentation of significant clinical symptoms, including pain with or without chronic fatigue. Metastatic prostate cancer that has become castration-resistant most often becomes more highly advanced, resistant to therapy, and extremely aggressive. These patients have a median survival of often only 10 to 16 months because, at present, there is no successful medium- or long-term chemotherapy or immunotherapy treatment for advanced metastatic CR-PCa. Treatment of patients with CR-PCa remains a clinical challenge.
In summary, the standard treatment for localized advanced, recurrent, and metastatic prostate cancer is ADT, which blocks the growth promoting effects of androgens and activates apoptosis. After an initial favorable response, progression to androgen-independence or castration resistance is the usual outcome for which there are currently no curative treatment options. Some survival extensions can sometimes be achieved using current Taxol-based chemotherapy protocols, or recently approved therapies such as Provenge and ZYTIGA.
In 2010, Adamis licensed patents and related intellectual property relating to three cancer drug candidates developed at the University of Wisconsin. We believe these drug candidates, named APC-100, -200 and -300, may offer significant new treatment opportunities for prostate cancer.
APC-100
APC-100 is the most advanced of the three drug candidates. In animal studies conducted to date, APC-100 demonstrated anti-androgenic and anti-inflammatory activities against prostate tumors growing in animal models and showed a strong safety profile in preclinical safety studies. In 2006, APC-100 was awarded the National Cancer Institute, or NCI, Rapid Award. The award is given for promising new drugs for the treatment of cancer and resulted in significant funding for research and development of APC-100. APC-100 has demonstrated desirable pharmacological characteristics as an oral or injectable anti-inflammatory and anti-androgenic drug candidate with multiple mechanisms of action. APC-100 significantly decreases secretion of human PSA by human prostate cancer cells growing in mice and also significantly increases the time-to-tumor progression and survival of mice with prostate sensitive and castrate resistant tumors. In animal studies, APC-100 was found to be more effective than Casodex or Flutamide, which are leading prostate cancer treatments.
In August 2011, we announced the enrollment of the first patient in a Phase 1/2a prostate cancer clinical study relating to the use of the APC-100 product to treat men with castrate-resistant prostate cancer. The study began at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and was extended to the Wayne State University Karmanos Cancer Institute. In the trial, each patient will be assessed for toxicity, biochemical responses (PSA), radiographic and clinical responses. After completion of the Phase 1/2a APC-100 trial, we expect that we would meet with the FDA to review the trial results and determine the continuation of the clinical development with Phase 2b studies.
Additional Cancer Products
APC-200 is a drug candidate for both castrate-sensitive and castrate resistant prostate cancer. In 2007, APC-200 was awarded the NCI Rapid Award. APC-200 blocks androgen-induced hydrogen peroxide production and inflammation and inhibits mouse prostate cancer. In animal studies conducted to date, APC-200 was an excellent inhibitor of chronic inflammation, also completely inhibiting oxidase mediated high rates of hydrogen peroxide production in vivo , and significantly delaying prostate cancer progression and death in the standard mouse prostate cancer model. APC-200 has repeatedly demonstrated a statistically significant therapeutic efficacy and a strong safety profile with highly desirable pharmacological therapeutic characteristics and with the capacity to be administered as either an oral or injectable drug. After conclusion of the pre-clinical development activities, such as GMP manufacturing of drug substance and drug product, as well as conclusion of the pre-clinical safety, pharmacology and toxicology studies, we anticipate filing and opening an Adamis-sponsored IND relating to the clinical investigation of oral APC-200 in PCa patients with castrate resistant prostate cancer, assuming adequate funding and no unexpected delays.
APC-300 is a multi-targeted small molecule therapeutic drug that we believe has the potential to demonstrate anti-inflammatory, pro-apoptotic anti-cancer activities for prostate cancer patients, including men with advanced metastatic castrate resistance prostate cancer. In pre-clinical in vivo studies conducted to date, APC-300 repeatedly demonstrated a significant ability to inhibit human tumor growth and kill both castrate-sensitive and castrate-resistant human prostate cancer tumors. It also materially decreased tumor volumes and suppressed local metastasis in human to mouse xenograft models, where malignant human prostate, pancreas, or melanoma tumor tissue was grafted onto athymic immunosuppressed experimental mice. We have not yet developed a clinical protocol and other materials for submission of an IND, due to funding limitations, and we expect to begin that process once we have adequate funding.
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Other Technologies
STI Technology
In addition, we have licensed patented vaccine technology that we believe has the potential to provide protection against a number of different viral infectious agents. This novel vaccination strategy, which employs DNA plasmids, appears, based on preclinical studies conducted to date, to have the ability to "train" a person's immune system to recognize and mount a defense against particular aspects of a virus's structure. If successful, we believe this technology will give physicians a new tool in generating immunity against a number of viral infections that have been difficult to target in the past.
The first target indication for this technology has yet to be determined, but will be based on market, technology, and patent position considerations. Disease targets might include therapeutic vaccines for Influenza, Hepatitis B and C, which are known to be involved in hepatocellular carcinomas, Human Papillomavirus, which is known to be involved in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, and prostate cancer.
The licensed technology was developed by Dr. Maurizio Zanetti, M.D., a professor at the Department of Medicine at UCSD. Dr. Zanetti has developed and patented a method of DNA vaccination by somatic transgene immunization, or STI. We have entered into a worldwide exclusive license with Dr. Zanetti, through a company of which he is the sole owner, Nevagen, LLC, to utilize the technology within the field of viral infectious agents. We believe that the technology may have broad applications and intend to target viral disease indications for its initial proof of concept.
STI, also sometimes called TLI, has already been tested in Phase I studies in humans for other vaccine applications. An immune response was elicited in the study, and the results suggested that the procedure was safe and well tolerated. We have conducted certain experiments in mice utilizing the STI technology, but our testing is currently at the preclinical stage.
We currently intend to focus initially on the development of one or more of the other licensed prostate cancer product candidates and technologies, and as a result the timing of development of this viral vaccine technology is subject to uncertainty.
Savvy/C31G
We also have a microbicide product candidate, named Savvy (C31G). On December 7, 2010, we announced the successful completion of a Phase 3 contraceptive trial of C31G. The study met its primary endpoint and was conducted by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), in the Contraceptive Clinical Trials Network at 14 sites in the United States. The clinical investigators found that C31G was not inferior in contraceptive efficacy to the comparator drug Conceptrol®. Moreover, the gel was well-tolerated and had a high degree of acceptability in women who completed the study. No drug-related serious adverse events were observed with C31G. Drug-related side effects of C31G were generally mild and did not lead to discontinuation. Currently, to our knowledge all spermicides commercially available in the U.S., including Conceptrol, contain the active ingredient nonoxynol-9, or N-9, in a carrier such as a gel, film, cream, foam, suppository, or tablet. N-9 has been reported in some studies to cause irritant and allergic reactions in some users. Although the Conceptrol® product was effective and well-tolerated in the trial, there were a lower number of drug-related events with the C31G gel and fewer women discontinued the study due to drug-related side effects. C31G does not contain N-9 and, if commercialized, may offer an alternative for women who seek a non-hormonal method of contraception. In addition, on September 9, 2013, we announced that a recently published study conducted by university researchers at Louisiana State University Health Science Center found that C31G was effective in treating Herpes Simplex Virus, or HSV, in an eye infection, ocular keratitis, animal model using live rabbits. The rabbit eye model utilized for the study mimics the disease in humans. In the same study the researchers also reported that ocular administration of C31G was safe and well tolerated, confirming earlier clinical studies that established C31G safety and tolerability in other applications. HSV-1 is the same virus that causes cold sores and is common in humans. In the eye, it usually causes an infection of the cornea, and that infection is the most common cause of cornea-derived blindness. In previous animal studies, C31G was also active against HSV-2, the cause of genital herpes.
Before considering any actions to seek regulatory approval for a C31G product, further meetings with the FDA would likely be required to discuss the regulatory pathways for submitting an NDA for marketing approval, including whether any additional trials will be required before an NDA is submitted. In considering commercialization alternatives, we would likely seek to enter into an out-licensing or similar transaction with organizations that have a focus or business unit in the area of antimicrobials or contraception, or in other fields where C31G may have potential as a product candidate. The C31G product candidate is held by our Biosyn, Inc. subsidiary, which we acquired in 2004. Provisions in the agreement pursuant to which we acquired Biosyn, and in certain of the funding agreements and other agreements relating to the C31G product, provide for payments to the former Biosyn shareholders upon marketing approval by the FDA (or, in certain circumstances, certain foreign regulatory authorities) of C31G for one or more indications and payments to certain other third parties in the event of sales or other revenues relating to C31G or certain other events. In addition, sale or out-licensing of the C31G product candidate may require the consent of one or more such third parties. As a result, commercialization of the product may require renegotiation of the provisions relating to the former Biosyn shareholders and such third parties. Accordingly, there can be no assurances that we will be able to successfully conclude a transaction involving C31G or concerning the amounts that we might receive from any such transaction, or that any C31G product will be submitted for regulatory approval or will be approved or marketed.
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Clinical Supplies and Manufacturing
We have no in-house manufacturing capabilities. We rely on third-party contract manufacturers to make the material used to support the development of our product candidates. We purchase the material used in our clinical trial activities from various companies and suppliers.
Sales and Marketing
We do not currently have sales or marketing capabilities. In order to commercially market any pharmaceutical product that we successfully advance through preclinical and clinical development and for which we obtain regulatory approval, we must either develop a sales and marketing infrastructure or collaborate with third parties with sales and marketing capabilities. Because of the early stage of our pharmaceutical development programs, we have not yet developed a sales and marketing strategy for any pharmaceutical products that we may successfully develop.
Customers and Distribution
We do not currently sell or distribute pharmaceutical products.
Competition
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are extremely competitive. Our potential competitors in the field are many in number and include major pharmaceutical and specialized biotechnology companies. Many of our potential competitors have significantly more financial, technical and other resources than we do, which may give them a competitive advantage. In addition, they may have substantially more experience in effecting strategic combinations, in-licensing technology, developing drugs, obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing and marketing products. We cannot give any assurances that we can compete effectively with these other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Our potential competitors in these markets may succeed in developing products that could render our products and those of our collaborators obsolete or non-competitive. In addition, many of our competitors have significantly greater experience than we do in the fields in which we compete.
Our allergy and respiratory products and inhaled nasal steroid product, if developed and launched, will compete with numerous prescription and non-prescription over-the-counter products targeting similar conditions, including, in the seasonal or perennial rhinitis areas, cough and cold, as well as prescription generic products, and with other inhaled nasal steroid products. In addition, a number of large pharmaceuticals companies produce pharmaceutical products, such as antihistamines, corticosteroids and anti-leukotriene agents, which manage allergy and respiratory symptoms. The Epinephrine PFS product, if commercialized, will compete against other self-administered epinephrine products, including EpiPen, EpiPen Jr. and Twinject. Our Taper product, if developed and commercialized, is expected to compete with allergy inhaler products offered by several companies, including GlaxoSmithKline. The development and commercialization of new drugs for cancer, and of vaccine products for viral infections, is highly competitive. Most of the larger pharmaceutical companies, and many smaller public and private companies, have products or are engaged in research and development activities in these fields.
Intellectual Property
Our success will depend in large part on our ability to:
· obtain and maintain international and domestic patent and other legal protections for the proprietary technology, inventions and improvements we consider important to our business;
· prosecute and defend our patents;
· preserve our trade secrets; and
· operate without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of other parties.
We intend to continue to seek appropriate patent protection for product candidates in our research and development programs where applicable and their uses by filing patent applications in the United States and other selected countries. We intend for these patent applications to cover, where possible, claims for composition of matter, medical uses, processes for preparation and formulations.
We own or are the licensees of a total of seven issued United States patents, and related U.S. applications and foreign patents and patent applications, relating to our APC-100, APC-200, APC-300, telomerase, STI, and C31G technologies and product candidates.
Although we believe that our rights under patents and patent applications provide a competitive advantage, the patent positions of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are highly uncertain and involve complex legal and factual questions. We may not be able to develop patentable products or processes, and may not be able to obtain patents from pending applications. Even if patent claims are allowed, the claims may not issue, or in the event of issuance, may not be sufficient to protect the technology owned by or licensed to us. Any patents or patent rights that we obtain may be circumvented, challenged or invalidated by our competitors.
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We also rely on trade secrets, proprietary know-how and continuing innovation to develop and maintain our competitive position, especially when we do not believe that patent protection is appropriate or can be obtained. We seek protection of these trade secrets, proprietary know-how and any continuing innovation, in part, through confidentiality and proprietary information agreements. However, these agreements may not provide meaningful protection for, or adequate remedies to protect, our technology in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of information. Furthermore, our trade secrets may otherwise become known to, or be independently developed by, our competitors.
Government Regulation
Pharmaceutical Regulation
If and when we market any pharmaceutical products in the United States, they will be subject to extensive government regulation. Likewise, if we seek to market and distribute any such products abroad, they would also be subject to extensive foreign government regulation.
In the United States, the FDA regulates pharmaceutical products. FDA regulations govern the testing, manufacturing, advertising, promotion, labeling, sale and distribution of pharmaceutical products, and generally require a rigorous process for the approval of new drugs. We also may be subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing clinical trials and drug product sales if products are tested or marketed abroad. The approval process outside the United States varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and the time required may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA approval.
Regulation in the United States
The FDA testing and approval process requires substantial time, effort and money. We cannot assure you that any of our products will ever obtain approval. The FDA approval process for new drugs includes, without limitation:
· preclinical studies;
· submission of an Investigational New Drug application, or IND, for clinical trials;
· adequate and well-controlled human clinical trials to establish safety and efficacy of the product;
· review of a New Drug Application, or NDA; and
· inspection of the facilities used in the manufacturing of the drug to assess compliance with the FDA's current Good Manufacturing Practices, or cGMP, regulations.
Preclinical studies include laboratory evaluation of the product, as well as animal studies to assess the potential safety and effectiveness of the product. Most of these studies must be performed according to good laboratory practices, a system of management controls for laboratories and research organizations to ensure the consistency and reliability of results. The results of the preclinical studies, existing clinical and/or human use data (if applicable) together with manufacturing information and analytical data, are submitted to the FDA as part of an IND, which we are required to file before we can commence any clinical trials for our product candidates in the United States. Clinical trials may begin 30 days after an IND is received, unless the FDA raises concerns or questions about the conduct of the clinical trials. If concerns or questions are raised, an IND sponsor and the FDA must resolve any outstanding concerns before clinical trials can proceed. We cannot assure you that submission of any additional IND for any of our preclinical product candidates will result in authorization to commence clinical trials.
Clinical trials involve the administration of the product candidate that is the subject of the trial to volunteers or patients under the supervision of a qualified principal investigator. Each clinical trial must be reviewed and approved by an independent institutional review board, or IRB, at each institution at which the study will be conducted. The IRB will consider, among other things, ethical factors, safety of human subjects and the possible liability of the institution arising from the conduct of the proposed clinical trial. Also, clinical trials must be performed according to good clinical practices, which are enumerated in FDA regulations and guidance documents.
Clinical trials typically are conducted in sequential phases: Phases 1, 2 and 3. The phases may overlap. The FDA may require that we suspend clinical trials at any time on various grounds, including if the FDA makes a finding that the subjects participating in the trial are being exposed to an unacceptable health risk.
In Phase 1 clinical trials, a drug is usually tested on patients to determine safety, any adverse effects, proper dosage, absorption, metabolism, distribution, excretion and other drug effects.
In Phase 2 clinical trials, a drug is usually tested on a limited number of subjects to preliminarily evaluate the efficacy of the drug for specific, targeted indications, determine dosage tolerance and optimal dosage, and identify possible adverse effects and safety risks.
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In Phase 3 clinical trials, a drug is usually tested on a larger number of subjects in an expanded patient population and at multiple clinical sites.
We cannot assure you that any of our current or future clinical trials will result in approval to market our products.
An NDA must include comprehensive and complete descriptions of the preclinical testing, clinical trials and the chemical, manufacturing and control requirements of a drug that enable the FDA to determine the drug's safety and efficacy. A NDA must be submitted, filed and approved by the FDA before any product that we may successfully develop can be marketed commercially in the United States.
The facilities, procedures and operations for any of our contract manufacturers must be determined to be adequate by the FDA before product approval. Manufacturing facilities are subject to inspections by the FDA for compliance with cGMP, licensing specifications and other FDA regulations before and after a NDA has been approved. Foreign manufacturing facilities are also subject to periodic FDA inspections or inspections by foreign regulatory authorities. Among other things, the FDA may withhold approval of NDAs or other product applications if deficiencies are found at the facility. Vendors that may supply us with finished products or components used to manufacture, package and label products are also subject to similar regulations and periodic inspections.
In addition, the FDA imposes a number of complex regulatory requirements on entities that advertise and promote pharmaceuticals, including, but not limited to, standards and regulations for direct-to-consumer advertising, off-label promotion, industry-sponsored scientific and educational activities, and promotional activities involving the Internet.
Failure to comply with FDA and other governmental regulations can result in fines, unanticipated compliance expenditures, recall or seizure of products, total or partial suspension of production and/or distribution, suspension of the FDA's review of NDAs, injunctions and criminal prosecution. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on us.
Section 505(b)(2) New Drug Applications
Most drug products obtain FDA marketing approval pursuant to an NDA or an Abbreviated NDA, or ANDA. A third alternative is a special type of NDA, commonly referred to as a Section 505(b)(2) NDA, which enables the applicant to rely, in part, on the FDA's findings of safety and efficacy of an existing product, or published literature, in support of its application. Section 505(b)(2) NDAs often provide an alternate path to FDA approval for new or improved formulations or new uses of previously approved products. Section 505(b)(2) permits the filing of an NDA where at least some of the information required for approval comes from studies not conducted by or for the applicant and for which the applicant has not obtained a right of reference. The applicant may rely upon the FDA's findings with respect to certain pre-clinical or clinical studies conducted for an approved product. The FDA may also require companies to perform additional studies or measurements to support the change from the approved product. The FDA may then approve the new product candidate for all or some of the label indications for which the referenced product has been approved, as well as for any new indication sought by the Section 505(b)(2) applicant.
To the extent that the Section 505(b)(2) applicant is relying on studies conducted for an already approved product, the applicant is subject to existing exclusivity for the reference product and is required to certify to the FDA concerning any patents listed for the approved product in the Orange Book to the same extent that an ANDA applicant would. Thus approval of a Section 505(b)(2) NDA can be stalled until all the listed patents claiming the referenced product have expired, until any non-patent exclusivity, such as exclusivity for obtaining approval of a new chemical entity, listed in the Orange Book for the referenced product has expired, and, in the case of a Paragraph IV certification and subsequent patent infringement suit, until the earlier of 30 months, settlement of the lawsuit or a decision in the infringement case that is favorable to the Section 505(b)(2) applicant.
Regulation Outside the United States
If we market our products in foreign countries, we also will be subject to foreign regulatory requirements governing human clinical trials and marketing approval for pharmaceutical products. The requirements governing the conduct of clinical trials, product approval, pricing and reimbursement vary widely from country to country. Whether or not FDA approval has been obtained, approval of a product by the comparable regulatory authorities of foreign countries must be obtained before manufacturing or marketing the product in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and the time required for such approvals may differ substantially from that required for FDA approval. There is no assurance that any future FDA approval of any of our clinical trials or drugs will result in similar foreign approvals or vice versa.
Additional Regulation
Third-Party Reimbursement
In the United States, physicians, hospitals and other healthcare providers that purchase pharmaceutical products generally rely on third-party payors, principally private health insurance plans, Medicare and, to a lesser extent, Medicaid, to reimburse all or part of the cost of the product and procedure for which the product is being used. Even if a product is approved for marketing by the FDA, there is no assurance that third-party payors will cover the cost of the product and related medical procedures. If they do not, end-
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