ITEM 9A.
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CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, management has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of December 31, 2016. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of December 31, 2016, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in causing material information relating to us (including our consolidated subsidiaries) to be recorded, processed, summarized and reported by management on a timely basis and to ensure the quality and timeliness of our public disclosures with SEC disclosure obligations.
The Original Filing inadvertently omitted Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting and certain information required to be included in item 4 of the certifications by our principal executive officer and principal financial officer filed as Exhibits 31.1 and 31.2 to the Original Filing. In light of these omissions, our management has reevaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that reevaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer continue to conclude that, despite these omissions, as of December 31, 2016, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in causing material information relating to us (including our consolidated subsidiaries) to be recorded, processed, summarized and reported by management on a timely basis and to ensure the quality and timeliness of our public disclosures with SEC disclosure obligations. These omissions are corrected in this Amendment.
Our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors, omissions and fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, with the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error and mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of controls.
The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or because the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and may not be detected.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those written policies and procedures that:
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pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of assets;
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provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
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provide reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with management and director authorization; and
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provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.
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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
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Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financ
ial reporting as of December 31, 2016. Management based this assessment on criteria described in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this assessment,
management determined that as of December 31, 2016, we maintained effective internal control over financial reporting.
Changes to Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during our most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Website Availability of Reports and other Corporate Governance Information
The Company maintains a comprehensive corporate governance program, including Corporate Governance Guidelines for its Board of Directors, Board Guidelines for Assessing Director Independence and charters for its Audit Committee, Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and Compensation Committee. The Company maintains a corporate investor relations website, www.vtvtherapeutics.com, where stockholders and other interested persons may review, without charge, among other things, corporate governance materials and certain SEC filings, which are generally available on the same business day as the filing date with the SEC on the SEC’s website http://www.sec.gov.