UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
|
x |
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020
|
¨ |
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from _____________ to _____________
Commission File Number 001-36641
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS
INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware |
20-7273918 |
(State
or other jurisdiction of |
(I.R.S.
Employer |
incorporation
or organization) |
Identification
No.) |
1325
Avenue of Americas, 28th Floor |
|
New
York, NY |
10019 |
(Address
of principal executive offices) |
(Zip
Code) |
(201) 488-0460
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed
since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title
of each class |
Trading
Symbol(s) |
Name
of each exchange on which registered |
Common
Stock, $0.00005 par value |
BCLI |
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
(Nasdaq Capital Market)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 during the past 12 months (or for such shorter
period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and
(2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90
days. Yes x No
¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically
every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to
Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant
was required to submit such files).
Yes
x No ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large
accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer,
smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the
definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,”
“smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer ¨ |
|
Accelerated
filer x |
|
|
|
Non-accelerated
filer ¨ |
|
Smaller
reporting company x |
|
|
|
|
|
Emerging
growth company ¨ |
If an
emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant
has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided
pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company
(as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
As of May 4, 2020, the number of shares outstanding of the
registrant’s Common Stock, $0.00005 par value per share, was
29,440,732.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I – FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial
Statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AS OF MARCH 31, 2020
U.S. DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS
(Except share data and exercise prices)
(UNAUDITED)
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
AS OF MARCH 31, 2020
U.S. DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS
(Except share data and exercise prices)
(UNAUDITED)
INDEX
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
BALANCE SHEETS
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data)
|
|
March 31, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|
|
2 0 2 0 |
|
|
2 0 1 9 |
|
|
|
U.S. $ in thousands |
|
ASSETS |
|
Unaudited
|
|
|
Audited
|
|
Current Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and
cash equivalents |
|
$ |
12,471 |
|
|
$ |
536 |
|
Short-term deposit
(Note 4) |
|
|
2,020 |
|
|
|
33 |
|
Other accounts
receivable |
|
|
435 |
|
|
|
2,359 |
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (Note 5) |
|
|
279 |
|
|
|
432 |
|
Total current assets |
|
|
15,205 |
|
|
|
3,360 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prepaid expenses and
other long-term assets |
|
|
31 |
|
|
|
32 |
|
Operating lease right
of use asset (Note 6) |
|
|
1,917 |
|
|
|
2,182 |
|
Property and Equipment, Net |
|
|
918 |
|
|
|
960 |
|
Total Long-Term Assets |
|
|
2,866 |
|
|
|
3,174 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
18,071 |
|
|
$ |
6,534 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current Liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts payable |
|
$ |
4,571 |
|
|
$ |
14,677 |
|
Accrued expenses |
|
|
1,303 |
|
|
|
1,000 |
|
Operating lease
liability (Note 6) |
|
|
1,208 |
|
|
|
1,263 |
|
Other accounts payable |
|
|
1,170 |
|
|
|
714 |
|
Total current liabilities |
|
|
8,252 |
|
|
|
17,654 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term Liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating lease liability (Note 6) |
|
|
808 |
|
|
|
1,103 |
|
Total long-term liabilities |
|
|
808 |
|
|
|
1,103 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities |
|
$ |
9,060 |
|
|
$ |
18,757 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders' Equity (deficit): |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock capital: (Note
7) |
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
11 |
|
Common Stock of $0.00005 par value - Authorized: 100,000,000 shares
at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 respectively; Issued and
outstanding: 28,423,837 and 23,174,228 shares at March 31, 2020 and
December 31, 2019 respectively. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional
paid-in-capital |
|
|
134,389 |
|
|
|
105,042 |
|
Receipts on account
of shares |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
Accumulated deficit |
|
|
(125,390 |
) |
|
|
(117,276 |
) |
Total stockholders' equity (deficit) |
|
|
9,011 |
|
|
|
(12,223 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity |
|
$ |
18,071 |
|
|
$ |
6,534 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated
financial statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (UNAUDITED)
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data)
|
|
Three months ended |
|
|
|
March 31, |
|
|
|
2 0 2 0 |
|
|
2 0 1 9 |
|
|
|
U.S. $ in thousands |
|
Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Research
and development, net |
|
$ |
5,948 |
|
|
$ |
3,456 |
|
General and administrative |
|
|
2,360 |
|
|
|
1,472 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating loss |
|
|
(8,308 |
) |
|
|
(4,928 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial expenses (income), net |
|
|
(194 |
) |
|
|
99 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss |
|
$ |
(8,114 |
) |
|
$ |
(5,027 |
) |
Basic
and diluted net loss per share from continuing operations |
|
$ |
(0.32 |
) |
|
$ |
(0.24 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding used in computing
basic and diluted net loss per share |
|
|
28,423,837 |
|
|
|
20,917,329 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated
financial statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Additional |
|
|
Receipts
on |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
stockholders'
|
|
|
|
Common stock |
|
|
paid-in |
|
|
account of |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
equity |
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
capital |
|
|
shares |
|
|
Deficit |
|
|
(deficit) |
|
Balance as of January 1, 2019 |
|
|
20,757,816 |
|
|
$ |
11 |
|
|
$ |
94,620 |
|
|
$ |
4,408 |
|
|
$ |
(94,023 |
) |
|
$ |
5,016 |
|
Stock-based compensation related to warrants and stock granted to
service providers |
|
|
5,908 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
25 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
25 |
|
Stock-based compensation related to stock and options granted to
directors and employees |
|
|
107,104 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
764 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
764 |
|
Issuance of shares in at-the-market (ATM) offering (Note 7) |
|
|
542,736 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
2,064 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
2,064 |
|
Exercise and
reissuance of warrants |
|
|
1,741,999 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
7,534 |
|
|
|
(4,408 |
) |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
3,126 |
|
Exercise of
options |
|
|
18,665 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
35 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
35 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(23,253 |
) |
|
|
(23,253 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance as of December 31, 2019 |
|
|
23,174,228 |
|
|
$ |
11 |
|
|
$ |
105,042 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
$ |
(117,276 |
) |
|
$ |
(12,223 |
) |
* Represents an amount less than $1.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated
financial statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data)
|
|
|
|
|
Additional |
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
|
|
Common stock |
|
|
paid-in |
|
|
Accumulated |
|
|
stockholders' |
|
|
|
Number |
|
|
Amount |
|
|
capital |
|
|
deficit |
|
|
equity |
|
Balance as of January 1, 2020 |
|
|
23,174,228 |
|
|
$ |
11 |
|
|
$ |
105,042 |
|
|
$ |
(117,276 |
) |
|
$ |
(12,223 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-based compensation related to stock and options granted to
directors and employees |
|
|
54,956 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
390 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
390 |
|
Issuance of shares in
at-the-market (ATM) offering (Note 7) |
|
|
3,935,320 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
18,971 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
18,972 |
|
Issuance of shares
and warrants in Registered Direct Offering (Note 7) |
|
|
1,250,000 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
9,957 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
9,957 |
|
Exercise of
options |
|
|
9,333 |
|
|
|
(*) |
|
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
29 |
|
Net loss |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
- |
|
|
|
(8,114 |
) |
|
|
(8,114 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance as of March 31, 2020 |
|
|
28,423,837 |
|
|
$ |
12 |
|
|
$ |
134,389 |
|
|
$ |
(125,390 |
) |
|
$ |
9,011 |
|
* Represents an amount less than $1.
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated
financial statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)
U.S. dollars in thousands
|
|
Three months ended |
|
|
|
March 31, |
|
|
|
2 0 2 0 |
|
|
2 0 1 9 |
|
|
|
U.S. $ in thousands |
|
Cash flows from operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss |
|
$ |
(8,114 |
) |
|
$ |
(5,027 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation |
|
|
49 |
|
|
|
44 |
|
Shares and options
granted to service providers |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
25 |
|
Deferred Stock-based
compensation related to options granted to employees and
directors |
|
|
390 |
|
|
|
312 |
|
Finance lease expense
(income) |
|
|
(85 |
) |
|
|
94 |
|
Decrease in other
accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
|
2,078 |
|
|
|
1,449 |
|
Increase (decrease) in trade payables’ |
|
|
(10,106 |
) |
|
|
481 |
|
Increase in deferred
grant income |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
511 |
|
Increase in other accounts payable and accrued expenses |
|
|
759 |
|
|
|
1,276 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net cash used
in operating activities |
|
$ |
(15,029 |
) |
|
$ |
(835 |
) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated
financial statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
U.S. dollars in thousands
|
|
Three months ended |
|
|
|
March 31, |
|
|
|
2 0 2 0 |
|
|
2 0 1 9 |
|
|
|
U.S. $ in thousands |
|
Cash flows from investing activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase
of property and equipment |
|
|
(7 |
) |
|
|
(4 |
) |
Changes in short-term deposit |
|
|
(1,987 |
) |
|
|
3,135 |
|
Total
net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
|
$ |
(1,994 |
) |
|
$ |
3,131 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash flows from financing activities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from
exercise of options |
|
|
29 |
|
|
|
- |
|
Proceeds from
issuance of shares in at-the-market (ATM) offering (Note 7) |
|
|
18,972 |
|
|
|
|
|
Proceeds from issuance of shares and warrants in Registered Direct
Offering (Note 7) |
|
|
9,957 |
|
|
|
|
|
Total
net cash provided by financing activities |
|
$ |
28,958 |
|
|
$ |
- |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Increase
in cash and cash equivalents |
|
|
11,935 |
|
|
|
2,296 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period |
|
|
536 |
|
|
|
942 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and
cash equivalents at end of the period |
|
$ |
12,471 |
|
|
$ |
3,238 |
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated
financial statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements
NOTE 1 - GENERAL
|
A. |
The Company was incorporated in the
State of Delaware on November 15, 2006, and previously was
incorporated in the State of Washington. In October 2004, the
Company formed its wholly-owned subsidiary, Brainstorm Cell
Therapeutics Ltd. (“BCT”) in Israel, which currently conducts all
of the research and development activities of the Company. BCT
formed wholly-owned subsidiaries Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics UK
Ltd., in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2013 (currently
inactive), Advanced Cell Therapies Ltd. in Israel on June 21, 2018
and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Limited in Ireland on October 1,
2019. |
The Common Stock is publicly
traded on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol
“BCLI”.
|
B. |
The Company, through BCT, holds rights to
commercialize certain stem cell technology developed by Ramot of
Tel Aviv University Ltd. ("Ramot"), (see Note 3). Using this
technology, the Company has been developing novel adult stem cell
therapies for debilitating neurodegenerative disorders such as
Amytrophic Lateral Scelorosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gherig
Disease), Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PMS) and Parkinson’s
disease. The Company developed a proprietary process, called
NurOwn®, for the propagation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their
differentiation into neurotrophic factor secreting cells. These
cells are then transplanted at or near the site of damage, offering
the hope of more effectively treating neurodegenerative diseases.
The process is currently autologous, or
self-transplanted. |
|
C. |
NurOwn® is in clinical development for the
treatment of ALS. The Company has completed two single dose
clinical trials of NurOwn® in Israel, a Phase 1/2 trial with 12
patients and a Phase 2a trial with additional 12 patients. In July
2016 the Company announced the results of its Phase 2 trial which
was conducted in three major medical centers in the US. This single
dose trial included 48 patients randomized in a 3:1 ratio to
receive NurOwn® or placebo. |
|
D. |
The Company made significant progress in 2019
and in Q1, 2020 advancing NurOwn®, its late stage differentiated
mesenchymal stem cell therapy, into a 200 patient Phase 3 trial for
the treatment of ALS. Enrollment in this randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled, multi-dose clinical trial of NurOwn® for ALS
was completed in October 2019. This Phase 3 trial builds upon the
promising efficacy seen in prior trials including the randomized
Phase 2 trial conducted in the U.S. |
|
E. |
The Phase 3 ALS trial pre-specified interim
safety analysis by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board
(DSMB) was successfully completed in August 2018. The DSMB
completed its second pre-specified interim analysis of safety
outcomes for 106 participants treated with NurOwn® in the Phase 3
ALS trial on October 28, 2019. Top-data from this trial is still
expected in fourth quarter of 2020. |
|
F. |
On December 15, 2018, the Company was granted
FDA clearance for its NurOwn® IND Application for Progressive
Multiple Sclerosis indication (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier
NCT03799718). As of March 31, 2020, the Progressive Multiple
Sclerosis Phase 2 open label clinical trial has enrolled the first
9 study participants. |
|
G. |
The Company received Good Manufacturing
Practice (GMP) approval from the Israel Ministry of Health (MoH)
for our Israeli contract manufacturing facility at the Hadassah
Medical Center in Jerusalem. The GMP certificate confirms the
Company's manufacturing site compliance with Israeli GMPs which are
recognized as equivalent to EU standards. |
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
GOING CONCERN:
Since its inception, the Company
has devoted substantially all of its efforts to research and
development, clinical trials, recruiting management and technical
staff, acquiring assets and raising capital. The Company is still
in its development and clinical stage and has not yet generated
revenues. The extent of the Company's future operating losses and
the timing of becoming profitable are uncertain. The Company has
funded its operations to date primarily through public and private
sales of its Common Stock and warrants, the exercise of warrants,
the issuance of convertible promissory notes, sales via ATM program
and through grants from California Institute for Regenerative
Medicine (CIRM) and the Israel Innovation Authority of the Ministry
of Economy and Industry (the "IIA") (formerly the Office of the
Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Economy and Industry (the
"OCS)).
Additional funding will be required to complete the Company's
research and development and clinical trials, to attain regulatory
approvals, to begin the commercialization efforts and to achieve a
level of sales adequate to support the Company's cost structure. To
meet its capital needs, the Company is considering multiple
alternatives, including, but not limited to, additional public and
private sales of its Common Stock and warrants, the exercise of
warrants, and the issuance of convertible promissory notes, sales
with ATM program and other funding transactions. While the Company
has been successful in raising financing recently and in the past,
there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so in the
future on a timely basis on terms acceptable to the Company, or at
all. Uncertain market conditions and approval by regulatory bodies
and adverse results from clinical trials may (among other reasons)
adversely impact the Company's ability to raise capital in the
future.
Management expects that the Company will continue to generate
losses from the clinical development and regulatory activities,
which will result in a negative cash flow from operating activity.
This has led management to conclude that substantial doubt about
the Company's ability to continue as a going concern exists. The
Company's consolidated financial statements do not reflect any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of this
uncertainty.
NOTE 2 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
|
A. |
Unaudited Interim Financial
Statements |
The accompanying unaudited
interim condensed financial statements have been prepared in
accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles
(“GAAP”) for interim financial information and with the
instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not
include all the information and footnotes required by generally
accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.
In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary
for a fair presentation have been included (consisting only of
normal recurring adjustments except as otherwise discussed). For
further information, reference is made to the consolidated
financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December
31, 2019.
Operating results for the three
months ended March 31, 2020, are not necessarily indicative of the
results that may be expected for the year ended December 31,
2020.
|
B. |
Significant Accounting
Policies |
The significant accounting
policies followed in the preparation of these unaudited interim
condensed consolidated financial statements are identical to those
applied in the preparation of the latest annual financial
statements.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 2 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
(Cont.):
|
C. |
Recent Accounting Standards |
The Company reviews new accounting standards as issued. Although
some of these accounting standards issued or effective after the
end of the Company’s previous fiscal year may be applicable, the
Company has not identified any standards that the Company believes
merit further discussion. The Company believes that none of the new
standards will have a significant impact on the financial
statements.
The preparation of financial
statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the
financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could
differ from those estimates.
NOTE 3 - RESEARCH AND LICENSE AGREEMENT
The Company entered into a
Research and License Agreement, as amended and restated, with Ramot
(the “License Agreement”). Pursuant to the remuneration terms of
the License Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay Ramot
royalties on Net Sales of the Licensed Product as
follows:
|
a) |
So long as the making, producing,
manufacturing, using, marketing, selling, importing or exporting
(collectively, the “Commercialization”) of such Licensed Product is
covered by a Valid Claim or is covered by Orphan Drug Status, the
Company shall pay Ramot a royalty of 5% of the Net Sales received
by the Company and resulting from such Commercialization;
and |
|
b) |
In the event the Commercialization of the
Licensed Product is neither covered by a Valid Claim nor by Orphan
Drug status, the Company shall pay Ramot a royalty of 3% of the Net
Sales received by the Company resulting from such
Commercialization. This royalty shall be paid from the First
Commercial Sale of the Licensed Product and for a period of fifteen
(15) years thereafter. |
Capitalized terms set forth above which are not defined shall have
the meanings attributed to them under the License Agreement.
NOTE 4 - SHORT TERM DEPOSITS
Short term deposits on March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 include
bank deposits bearing annual interest rates varying from 0.15% to
2.00%, with maturities of up to 6 months as of March 31, 2020 and
December 31, 2019.
NOTE 5 - PREPAID EXPENSES
In November 2017 the Company has contracted with City of Hope's
Center for Biomedicine and Genetics ("COH") to produce clinical
supplies of NurOwn® adult stem cells for the Company’s ongoing
Phase 3 clinical study. In 2017 the Company has paid COH $2,665
advance payment. The advance was recorded as prepaid expense and is
amortized over the term of the agreement. As of December 31, 2019,
$276 were recorded as current prepaid expense. As of March 31,
2020, the prepaid expenses were fully reduced.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 6 – LEASES
On January 1, 2019 the Company adopted ASU
2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”) using the
modified retrospective approach for all lease arrangements at the
beginning of the period of adoption. Leases existing for the
reporting period beginning January 1, 2019 are presented under ASU
2016-02. The Company leases facilities, clinical research
rooms, and vehicles under operating leases. At March 31, 2020, the
Company’s ROU assets and lease liabilities for operating leases
totaled $1,917 and $2,016, respectively. The impact of adopting the
new lease standard was not material to the Company’s condensed
consolidated statement of operations for the periods presented.
Supplemental cash flow
information related to operating leases was as follows
(unaudited):
|
|
Three Months Ended March 31, 2020 |
|
Cash payments for operating leases |
|
$ |
327 |
|
New operating lease assets obtained in exchange for operating lease
liabilities |
|
$ |
1,917 |
|
As of March 31, 2020, our
operating leases had a weighted average remaining lease term of
1.72 years and a weighted average discount rate of 8.25%. Future
lease payments under operating leases as of March 31, 2020 were as
follows (unaudited):
|
|
Operating Leases |
|
Remainder
of 2020 |
|
$ |
955 |
|
2021 |
|
|
1,209 |
|
Total future lease
payments |
|
|
2,164 |
|
Less imputed interest |
|
|
(148 |
) |
Total
lease liability balance |
|
$ |
2,016 |
|
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL
The rights of Common Stock are as follows:
Holders of Common Stock have the right to receive notice to
participate and vote in general meetings of the Company, the right
to a share in the excess of assets upon liquidation of the Company
and the right to receive dividends, if declared.
Private placements and public offerings:
Warrant Exercise Agreement:
On August 2, 2019, the Company entered into a Warrant Exercise
Agreement which generated gross cash proceeds to the Company of
approximately $3.3 million. Pursuant to the agreement, certain
holders (the “Holders”) of warrants issued by the Company on June
6, 2018 (the “2018 Warrants”) agreed to exercise 842,000 shares of
Common Stock of their 2018 Warrants, at an amended exercise price
of $3.90 per share, and the Company agreed to issue new warrant
shares to the Holders to purchase 842,000 shares of Common Stock
(the “New Warrants”), at an exercise price of $7.00, with an
expiration date of December 31, 2021. The 2018 Warrants held by the
Holders, to the extent not exercised, were also amended to reduce
the exercise price to $7.00 per share and to extend the expiration
date to December 31, 2021.
Subject to limited exceptions, for the 90 days following the date
of the Warrant Exercise Agreement, neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary will issue, enter into any agreement to issue or
announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any shares of Common
Stock, without the prior written consent of the Holders of a
majority of the New Warrant shares. The Company also agreed that
during the time the New Warrants are unexercised, the Company will
not enter into any agreements with any holder of 2018 Warrants with
more favorable terms, without the consent of the Holders of a
majority of the warrant shares then exercisable under all
outstanding August 2019 Warrant Exercise Agreements.
The New Warrants have not been registered under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or state securities laws.
The shares issuable upon exercise of the New Warrants have been
registered for resale on the Company’s registration statement on
Form S-3 (File No. 333-233349). The Exercised Shares have been
registered for resale on the Company’s registration statement on
Form S-3 (File No. 333-225995). The issuance of the Exercised
Shares and New Warrants is exempt from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to the exemption for
transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under
Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D
promulgated under the Securities Act.
At-the-market (ATM) Offerings:
On June 11, 2019, the Company entered into a Distribution Agreement
with Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (“Raymond James”),
pursuant to which the Company sold, through the Raymond James,
shares of Common Stock having an aggregate offering amount of
$20,000,000 (the “June 11, 2019 ATM”) in an “at the market”
offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities
Act, including, without limitation, by sales made directly on the
Nasdaq Capital Market. During the quarter ended March 31, 2020 the
Company sold an aggregate of 3,598,833 shares of Common Stock
pursuant to the June 11, 2019 ATM, at an average price of $4.96 per
share, raising gross proceeds of approximately $17.86 million.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL (Cont.):
At-the-market (ATM) Offerings (Cont.):
On March 6, 2020, the Company entered into a new Distribution
Agreement with Raymond James, pursuant to which the Company may
sell from time to time, through the Agent, shares of Common Stock,
having an aggregate offering price of up to $50,000,000 (the “March
6, 2020 ATM”). Sales under the March 6, 2020 ATM are made by any
method permitted by law that is deemed to be an “at the market”
offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities
Act, including, without limitation, sales made directly on the
Nasdaq Capital Market, on any other existing trading market for the
Shares, through a market maker or as otherwise agreed by the
Company and Raymond James. During the quarter ended March 31, 2020,
the Company sold an aggregate of 336,487 shares of Common Stock
pursuant to the March 6, 2020 ATM, at an average price of $5.23 per
share, raising gross proceeds of approximately $1.76 million.
The Company has no obligation under the March 6, 2020 ATM to sell
any shares, and may at any time suspend sales or terminate the
March 6, 2020 ATM in accordance with its terms. Raymond James is
entitled under each ATM to a fixed commission of 3.0% of the
aggregate gross proceeds from the any shares sold. Shares sold
under the ATMs are issued pursuant to the Company’s existing Shelf
Registration Statement, and the Prospectus Supplement to the
Registration Statements filed June 11, 2019 and March 6, 2020
respectively.
Registered Direct Offering:
On March 6, 2020, the Company entered into and closed a $10.0
million registered direct offering of 1,250,000 shares of Common
Stock at a per share purchase price equal to $8.00. The purchaser
also received a three-year warrant to purchase up to 250,000 shares
of Common Stock at any exercise price of $15.00 per share.
Since its inception and as of a quarter ended March 31, 2020 the
Company has raised approximately $94 million, gross in cash in
consideration for issuances of Common Stock and warrants in private
placements and public offerings as well as proceeds from warrants
exercises.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL (Cont.):
Stock Plans:
As of March 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding awards for stock
options under four stockholder approved plans: (i) the 2004 Global
Stock Option Plan and the Israeli Appendix thereto (the “2004
Global Plan”) (ii) the 2005 U.S. Stock Option and Incentive Plan
(the “2005 U.S. Plan,” and together with the 2004 Global Plan, the
“Prior Plans”); (iii) the 2014 Global Share Option Plan and the
Israeli Appendix thereto (which applies solely to participants who
are residents of Israel) (the “2014 Global Plan”); and (iv) the
2014 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2014 U.S. Plan” and together with
the 2014 Global Plan, the “2014 Plans”).
The 2004 Global Plan and 2005 U.S. Plan expired on November 25,
2014 and March 28, 2015, respectively. Grants that were made under
the Prior Plans remain outstanding pursuant to their terms. The
2014 Plans were approved by the stockholders on August 14, 2014 (at
which time the Company ceased to issue awards under each of the
2005 U.S. Plan and 2004 Global Plan) and amended on June 21, 2016
and November 29, 2018. Unless otherwise stated, option grants prior
to August 14, 2014 were made pursuant to the Company’s Prior Plans,
and grants issued on or after August 14, 2014 were made pursuant to
the Company’s 2014 Plans, and expire on the tenth anniversary of
the grant date. The 2014 Plans have a shared pool of 4,000,000
shares of Common Stock available for issuance.
As of March 31, 2020, 1,623,067 shares were available for future
issuances under the 2014 Plans. The exercise price of the options
granted under the 2014 Plans may not be less than the nominal value
of the shares into which such options are exercised. Any options
under the 2014 Plans that are canceled or forfeited before
expiration become available for future grants. The Governance,
Nominating and Compensation Committee (the “GNC Committee”) of the
Board of Directors of the Company administers the Company’s stock
incentive compensation and equity-based plans.
Share-based compensation to employees and to directors:
Employees:
Chaim Lebovits, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (i) was
granted a stock option under the 2014 Global Plan on September 28,
2015 for the purchase of up to 369,619 shares of the Company’s
Common Stock at a per share exercise price of $2.45, which grant is
fully vested and exercisable and shall be exercisable for a period
of two years after termination of employment; (ii) received on July
26, 2017, July 26, 2018, July 26, 2019, and is entitled to receive
on each anniversary thereafter (provided he remains Chief Executive
Officer), a grant of 31,185 shares of restricted stock, each of
which vests as to twenty-five percent (25%) of the award on the
first, second, third and fourth anniversary of the date of grant
and is subject to accelerated vesting upon a Change of Control (as
defined in the Lebovits employment agreement) of the Company; and
(iii) was granted on July 26, 2017 a fully vested and exercisable
option to purchase up to 41,580 shares of Common Stock, with an
exercise price per share of $4.81. The option was fully-vested and
exercisable until the 2nd anniversary of the date of grant, when it
expired unexercised.
Dr. Ralph Kern, President and Chief Medical Officer of the Company,
received on March 6, 2017, March 6, 2018, March 6, 2019 and March
6, 2020, and is entitled to receive on each anniversary thereafter
(provided he remains employed by the Company), a grant of 35,885
shares of restricted stock, each of which vests as to twenty-five
percent (25%) of the award on the first, second, third and fourth
anniversary of the date of grant and is subject to accelerated
vesting upon a Change of Control (as defined in the agreement) of
the Company.
On March 6, 2017, Dr. Kern received an option under the 2014 U.S.
Plan to purchase up to 47,847 shares of Common Stock with an
exercise price per share of $4.18. The option was fully vested and
exercisable until the 2nd anniversary of the date of grant, when it
expired unexercised.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL (Cont.):
Share-based compensation to employees and to directors (Cont.):
Employees (Cont.):
On March 9, 2020, Dr. Kern received an option under the 2014 U.S.
Plan to purchase up to 80,000 shares of Common Stock with an
exercise price per share of $7.33. The option becomes vested and
exercisable as to 25% of the number of shares on each of the first
four anniversaries of the grant date until fully vested and
exercisable on the fourth anniversary of the grant date.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, immediately prior to a Change of
Control (as defined in Dr. Kern’s employment agreement with the
Company) any outstanding unvested Shares shall vest and become
exercisable in full.
Uri Yablonka, the Company’s Executive Vice President, Chief
Business Officer and director is granted a stock option for the
purchase of up to 13,333 shares of Common Stock on the first
business day after each annual meeting of stockholders (or special
meeting in lieu thereof) of the Company (including on November 10,
2017, November 30, 2018 and December 12, 2019), each with an
exercise price per share of $0.75, and each of which vests and
becomes exercisable in 12 monthly installments. The Company also
granted Mr. Yablonka 5,543 shares of restricted Common Stock on
July 13, 2017.
On November 20, 2017, the Company granted to Eyal Rubin, the
Company’s Chief Financial Officer, 25,000 shares of restricted
Common Stock, which fully vested on April 1, 2018. On November 20,
2017 the Company also granted to Mr. Rubin an option to purchase up
to 93,686 shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price per share
equal to $4.30 per share, which shall vest and become exercisable
as to 25% of the shares underlying the Option on each of the first,
second, third and fourth anniversary of the date of grant, subject
to accelerated vesting upon a Change of Control of the Company or a
Material Secondary Public Offering of the Company (each as defined
in Mr. Rubin’s employment agreement). Mr. Rubin resigned effective
September 18, 2019 and all unvested and unexercised shares were
forfeited in accordance with the 2014 Global Plan.
On August 28, 2018, the Company granted Arturo Araya, Chief
Commercial Officer of the Company an option to purchase 200,000
shares of Common Stock, at an exercise price of $3.98 per share.
25% of the grant shall vest and become exercisable on each of the
first, second, third and fourth anniversaries of the grant date and
subject to accelerated vesting upon a Change of Control (as defined
in the agreement). On August 28, 2018, Mr. Araya resigned from the
GNC Committee, and the restricted stock previously granted to him
in connection with his service on the Board and the GNC Committee
ceased vesting and the unvested shares were forfeited.
On September 6, 2019, the Company granted Preetam Shah, Executive
Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the
Company, stock options (i) to purchase up to 100,000 shares of
Common Stock, at an exercise price of $3.96 per share, and (ii) to
purchase up to 100,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price
per share equal to $6.00 per share. Each option shall vest and
become exercisable as follows: 25% of the shares underlying the
option shall vest and become exercisable on the first anniversary
of the date of grant, and the remaining shares underlying the
option shall vest and become exercisable in equal quarterly
installments thereafter, until fully vested and exercisable on the
fourth anniversary of the date of grant, and is subject to
accelerated vesting upon a Change of Control (as defined in Dr.
Shah’s employment agreement) of the Company.
On September 6, 2019, the Company granted Dr. Shah 25,000 shares of
restricted common stock of the Company, which shall vest as to 100%
of the award on the one year anniversary of the grant date, and is
subject to accelerated vesting upon a Change of Control (as defined
in Dr. Shah’s employment agreement) of the Company.
The Company granted Mary Kay Turner, an employee, 9,924 shares of
restricted Common Stock on August 17, 2017, 11,198 shares of
restricted Common Stock on August 1, 2018 and 11,533 on August 1,
2019, each of which vests as to 25% of the grant yearly over the
course of four (4) years.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL (Cont.):
Share-based compensation to employees and to directors:
(Cont.):
On July 9, 2018, the Company granted Susan Ward, an employee, an
option to purchase 150,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise
price of $4.21 per share, which vests and becomes exercisable as to
20% of the option on each of the first, second, third, fourth and
fifth anniversaries of the date of grant.
Directors:
From 2005 through 2015, the Company granted its directors options
to purchase an aggregate of 402,778 shares of Common Stock at an
average exercise price of $1.34 per share.
The Company’s Second Amended and Restated Director Compensation
Plan was approved in July 9, 2014 and amended on April 29, 2015,
February 26, 2017 and July 13, 2017 (as amended, the “Director
Compensation Plan”). The Director Compensation Plan governs Company
compensation of eligible non-employee director of the Company,
except that certain non-employee directors have individualized
compensation and are not entitled receive annual director awards
under the Director Compensation Plan, but are entitled to committee
compensation under the Director Compensation Plan in the event that
they qualify for and serve as a member of any committee of the
Board. The Director Compensation Plan also determines the annual
awards to be granted to qualified directors for their services in
future periods, which annual awards have had the same terms since
2014, as further detailed in the Director Compensation Plan.
During the 3 months ended March 31, 2020, the following grants were
made under the 2014 Plans to eligible directors:
|
- |
On February 1, 2020, Dr. Anthony J.
Polverino received 3,071 shares of restricted stock for his service
as a director |
Restricted Stock:
The Company awards stock and restricted stock to certain employees,
officers, directors, and/or service providers. The restricted stock
vests in accordance with such conditions and restrictions
determined by the GNC Committee. These conditions and restrictions
may include the achievement of certain performance goals and/or
continued employment with the Company through a specified
restricted period. The purchase price (if any) of shares of
restricted stock is determined by the GNC Committee. If the
performance goals and other restrictions are not attained, the
grantee will automatically forfeit their unvested awards of
restricted stock to the Company. Compensation expense for
restricted stock is based on fair market value at the grant
date.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL (Cont.):
Share-based compensation to employees and to directors:
(Cont.):
|
|
Number of Shares
of Restricted
Stock |
|
Weighted Average
Grant Date Fair
Value
|
|
Weighted Average Remaining Contractual
Term
(Years)
|
|
Nonvested
as of December 31, 2019 |
|
201,385 |
|
4.00 |
|
1.95 |
|
Granted |
|
54,956 |
|
6.94 |
|
|
|
Vested |
|
31,753 |
|
3.77 |
|
|
|
Forfeitures |
|
- |
|
- |
|
|
|
Nonvested
as of March 31, 2020 |
|
224,588 |
|
4.75 |
|
1.95 |
|
Compensation expense recorded by the Company in respect of its
stock and restricted stock awards to certain employees, officers,
directors, and/or service providers for the three months ended
March 31, 2020 amounted to $122.
A summary of the Company's option activity related to options to
employees and directors, and related information is as follows:
|
|
For the Three months ended
March 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
Amount of options * |
|
|
Weighted average exercise price |
|
|
Aggregate intrinsic value |
|
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
|
|
$ |
|
Outstanding at beginning of period |
|
|
1,293,007 |
|
|
|
3.0142 |
|
|
|
|
|
Granted |
|
|
468,666 |
|
|
|
6.7871 |
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised |
|
|
(9,333 |
) |
|
|
3.1286 |
|
|
|
|
|
Cancelled |
|
|
(2,000 |
) |
|
|
4.8000 |
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding at end of period |
|
|
1,750,340 |
|
|
|
4.0218 |
|
|
|
1,082,037 |
|
Vested and expected-to-vest at end of period |
|
|
821,340 |
|
|
|
1.7561 |
|
|
|
2,368,627 |
|
* Represents Employee Stock Options only (not including RSUs).
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 7 - STOCK CAPITAL (Cont.):
Share-based compensation to employees and to directors:
(Cont.):
Directors (Cont.):
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above represents the
total intrinsic value (the difference between the fair market value
of the Company’s shares on March 31, 2020, multiplied by the number
of in-the-money options on those dates) that would have been
received by the option holders had all option holders exercised
their options on those dates.
Compensation expense recorded by the Company in respect of its
stock-based employees and directors compensation awards in
accordance with ASC 718-10 for the three months ended March 31,
2020 and 2019 amounted to $390 and $312, respectively.
Total Stock-Based Compensation Expense
The total stock-based compensation expense, related to shares,
options and warrants granted to employees, directors and service
providers was comprised, at each period, as follows:
|
|
Three months ended
March 31, |
|
|
|
2 0 2 0 |
|
|
2 0 1 9 |
|
Research
and development |
|
|
105 |
|
|
|
28 |
|
General and administrative |
|
|
285 |
|
|
|
309 |
|
Total
stock-based compensation expense |
|
|
390 |
|
|
|
337 |
|
NOTE 8 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On April 6, 2020, Mr. Sankesh Abbhi received 4,657 shares of
restricted Common Stock under the 2014 Plans, which shall vest in
12 monthly installments, for his service as a director.
On April 6, 2020, Dr. Jacob Frankel received stock options under
the 2014 Plans for the purchase of up to 50,000 shares of Common
Stock each with an exercise price per share of $0.75, and each of
which vests and becomes exercisable in 12 monthly installments, for
his service as director.
On April 7, 2020, the Company granted Dr. David Setboun 50,000
shares of restricted Common Stock under the 2014 Plans, which shall
vest as to 100% of the award on the one year anniversary of the
grant date, and is subject to accelerated vesting upon a change of
control of the Company. On April 7, 2020, the Company also granted
Mr. Setboun a one-time
issuance of performance based restricted stock units (the “RSU”)
with the following terms: upon the occurrence of specified
milestones Mr. Setboun shall receive, within 10 business days,
250,000 shares of restricted Common Stock which shall vest
immediately as to 100% of the award. The RSU is not subject to
acceleration upon change in control. The milestone for the RSU is
as follows: the Company had entered into a definitive
commercialization agreement - prior to its phase 3 ALS trial data
unblinding for its lead investigational product - with a third
party that is not an affiliate or subsidiary of the Company, with
respect to the Company’s primary targeted indication – Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis.
BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
U.S. dollars in thousands
(Except share data and exercise prices)
Notes to the Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial
Statements
NOTE 8 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”),
surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to
multiple countries, including the United States and Israel, where
the Company conducts its operations, as well as its clinical trials
for NurOwn®. In response to the spread of COVID-19, to ensure the
safety of employees and continuity of business operations, the
Company closed its offices, with its administrative employees
continuing their work remotely and limited the number of staff in
any given research and development laboratory. The Company’s
research and development laboratory in Israel and manufacturing
sites in the U.S. remain open.
As of the date of this report, the Company’s business operations
and clinical trials have continued with delays in the pace of
enrollment in its Phase 2 PMS clinical trial due to site access
restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled
March and April 2020 new patient enrollments were deferred to May
2020 due to site closures related to COVID-19, when some of
affected healthcare sites anticipate their access restrictions will
be mitigated. Enrollment will proceed in 2020 subject to any site
access restrictions related to COVID-19.
The Phase 3 ALS clinical trial continues to provide necessary
treatments to study participants despite severe constraints in the
affected healthcare institutions due to COVID-19. Non-treatment
study visits are now performed by telephone.
Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Company may, in the future,
experience disruptions that could severely impact its business,
including clinical trial activities; participant enrollment; or any
currently unforeseen delays in completion of study timelines. The
full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or
indirectly impact the Company's business, results of operations and
financial condition will depend on future developments that are
highly uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted at this time,
including new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19, the
actions taken to contain it or treat its impact and the economic
impact on local, regional, national and international markets. The
Company's management team is actively monitoring this situation and
the possible effects on the financial condition, liquidity,
operations, suppliers, industry, and workforce.
In accordance with ASC 855 “Subsequent Events” the Company
evaluated subsequent events through the date the condensed
consolidated financial statements were issued. The Company
concluded that no other subsequent events have occurred that would
require recognition or disclosure in the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This quarterly report contains numerous statements,
descriptions, forecasts and projections, regarding BrainStorm Cell
Therapeutics Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, the
“Company,” “BrainStorm,” “we,” “us” or “our”) and its potential
future business operations and performance, including financial
results for the most recent fiscal quarter, statements regarding
the market potential for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders
such as ALS, the sufficiency of our existing capital resources for
continuing operations in 2020 and beyond, the safety and clinical
effectiveness of our NurOwn® technology, our clinical trials of
NurOwn® and its related clinical development, and our ability to
develop collaborations and partnerships to support our business
plan. In some cases you can identify such “forward-looking
statements” by the use of words like “may,” “will,” “should,”
“could,” “expects,” “hopes,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,”
“plans,” “projects,” “targets,” “goals,” “estimates,” “predicts,”
“likely,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of any of
these terms or similar words. These statements, descriptions,
forecasts and projections constitute “forward-looking statements,”
and as such involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and
other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of
activity, performance and achievements to be materially different
from any results, levels of activity, performance and achievements
expressed or implied by any such “forward-looking statements.”
These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to our
need to raise additional capital, our ability to continue as a
going concern, regulatory approval of our NurOwn® treatment
candidate, the success of our product development programs and
research, regulatory and personnel issues, development of a global
market for our services, the ability to secure and maintain
research institutions to conduct our clinical trials, the ability
to generate significant revenue, the ability of our NurOwn®
treatment candidate to achieve broad acceptance as a treatment
option for ALS or other neurodegenerative diseases, our ability to
manufacture and commercialize our NurOwn® treatment candidate,
obtaining patents that provide meaningful protection, competition
and market developments, our ability to protect our intellectual
property from infringement by third parties, heath reform
legislation, demand for our services, currency exchange rates and
product liability claims and litigation, the impact on BrainStorm
of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other factors described under “Risk
Factors” in this report and in our annual report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. These “forward-looking
statements” are based on certain assumptions that we have made as
of the date hereof. To the extent these assumptions are not valid,
the associated “forward-looking statements” and projections will
not be correct. Although we believe that the expectations reflected
in these “forward-looking statements” are reasonable, we cannot
guarantee any future results, levels of activity, performance, or
achievements. It is routine for our internal projections and
expectations to change as the year or each quarter in the year
progresses, and therefore it should be clearly understood that the
internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our
expectations may change prior to the end of each quarter or the
year. Although these expectations may change, we may not inform you
if they do and we undertake no obligation to do so, except as
required by applicable securities laws and regulations. We caution
investors that our business and financial performance are subject
to substantial risks and uncertainties. In evaluating our business,
prospective investors should carefully consider the information set
forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in this report and in our
annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2019, in addition to the other information set forth herein and
elsewhere in our other public filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Company Overview
|
· |
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.
is a leading biotechnology company committed to the development and
commercialization of best-in-class autologous cellular therapies
for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases including:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (“ALS”, also known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease); Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (“PMS”); and Parkinson’s
disease (“PD”). |
|
· |
NurOwn® leverages innovative and
proprietary cell culture methods to induce autologous bone
marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to secrete high levels
of neurotrophic factors (NTFs), modulate neuroinflammatory and
neurodegenerative disease processes, promote neuronal survival and
improve neurological function. |
|
· |
NurOwn® is currently being
evaluated in Phase 3 ALS and Phase 2 PMS clinical trials.
Enrollment for the U.S. Phase 3 ALS trial was completed in October
2019 and the trial continues to provide necessary treatments to
study participants despite severe constraints in the affected
healthcare institutions due to COVID-19. The Phase 3 ALS trial is
still expected to generate top-line data in the fourth quarter of
2020. The U.S. Phase 2 PMS trial has faced delays in enrollment due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled March and April 2020 new
participant enrollments were deferred to May 2020 due to site
closures related to COVID-19, when some of affected healthcare
sites anticipate their access restrictions will be mitigated.
Enrollment will proceed in 2020 subject to any site access
restrictions related to COVID-19. Top-line results may still be
possible in the fourth quarter of 2020, if enrollment continues
without COVID-19 disruptions. |
|
· |
Our wholly owned Israeli
subsidiary, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd. (“Israeli
Subsidiary”), holds exclusive rights to commercialize NurOwn®
technology through a licensing agreement with Ramot (“Ramot”), the
technology transfer company of Tel Aviv University, Israel. |
|
· |
The Israeli Subsidiary was granted
approval by the Israeli Ministry of Health (“MoH”) to treat ALS
patients with NurOwn® under the Hospital Exemption Pathway
(“HE”). |
|
· |
NurOwn® has a strong and
comprehensive intellectual property portfolio. |
|
· |
NurOwn® was granted Fast Track
designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and
Orphan Drug status by the FDA and the European Medicines Agency
(EMA) for ALS. For more information, visit BrainStorm's website at
www.brainstorm-cell.com. |
|
· |
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.
currently employs 34 employees in the United States and in Israel.
Most of the senior management team is based in the United States,
and all of BrainStorm’s current clinical trial sites are located in
the United States. BrainStorm’s R&D center is located in Petach
Tikva, Israel. |
|
· |
The Outbreak of the Novel Strain
of Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Disease and its
Impact: |
The Outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2
(COVID-19) disease has currently impacted and may continue to
adversely impact our business, including our preclinical studies
and clinical trials. In December 2019, a novel strain of
coronavirus, surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, COVID-19 has
spread to multiple countries, including the United States and
Israel, where the Company conducts its operations, as well as its
clinical trials for NurOwn®. In response to the spread of COVID-19
and to ensure safety of employees and continuity of business
operations, we closed our offices, with our administrative
employees continuing their work remotely and limited the number of
staff in any given research and development laboratory. Our
research and development laboratory in Israel and manufacturing
sites in U.S. remain open.
As of the
date of this report, our business operations and clinical
trials have continued with delays in the pace of enrollment in our
Phase 2 PMS clinical trial due to site access restrictions related
to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled March and April 2020 new
patient enrollments were deferred to May 2020 due to site closures
related to COVID-19, when some of affected healthcare sites
anticipate their access restrictions will be mitigated. Enrollment
will proceed in 2020 subject to any site access restrictions
related to COVID-19. The Phase 3 ALS clinical trial continues to
provide necessary treatments to study participants despite severe
constraints in the affected healthcare institutions due to
COVID-19. Non-treatment study visits are now performed by
telephone.
The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or
indirectly impact our business, results of operations and financial
condition will depend on future developments that are highly
uncertain and cannot be accurately predicted at this time,
including new information that may emerge concerning COVID-19, the
actions taken to contain it or treat its impact and the economic
impact on local, regional, national and international markets. Our
management team is actively monitoring this situation and the
possible effects on our financial condition, liquidity, operations,
suppliers, industry, and workforce. For additional information on
risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, please see Part II, Item 1A –
Risk Factors – Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Recent Highlights
|
· |
The Company has made significant
progress in the past 12 months advancing the NurOwn® ALS Phase 3
clinical trial at all 6 U.S. investigative sites (Mass General
Hospital, UMass, Mayo Clinic, CPMC, Cedars Sinai and UC Irvine).
This clinical trial builds upon promising efficacy seen in three
prior early-stage ALS clinical trials, including a U.S. randomized
placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial. We completed enrollment for
NurOwn® ALS Phase 3 trial in October 2019 and the trial is still
expected to generate top-line data in the fourth quarter to support
an FDA BLA filing. |
|
· |
On February 11, 2020, the Company
announced that it recently held a high-level meeting with the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss potential NurOwn®
regulatory pathways for approval in ALS. In the planned meeting
with senior Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)
leadership and several leading U.S. ALS experts, the FDA confirmed
that the fully enrolled Phase 3 ALS trial is collecting relevant
data critical to the assessment of NurOwn efficacy. The FDA
indicated that they would look at the "totality of the evidence" in
the expected Phase 3 clinical trial data. Furthermore, based on
their detailed data assessment, they are committed to work
collaboratively with BrainStorm to identify a regulatory pathway
forward, including opportunities to expedite statistical review of
data from the Phase 3 trial. |
|
· |
The Company was granted FDA
approval in December 2018 for the IND Application of NurOwn® in
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PMS) (www.clinicalTrials.gov
Identifier: NCT03799718). The study entitled ‘A Phase 2,
open-label, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy
of repeated administration of NurOwn® (Autologous Mesenchymal Stem
Cells Secreting Neurotrophic Factors; MSC-NTF cells) in
participants with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS)’ is ongoing
at 5 leading U.S. Multiple Sclerosis centers. On February 27, 2020,
the Company announced Partners MS Center at Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, a leading research and clinical care center, as the fifth
and final Site for BrainStorm’s PMS Phase 2 clinical trial. As of
the quarter ended March 31, 2020, the first nine (9) study
participants have been enrolled in the study. The trial has faced
delays in enrollment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled March
and April 2020 new patient enrollments were deferred to May 2020
due to site closures related to COVID-19, when some of affected
healthcare sites anticipate their access restrictions will be
mitigated. Enrollment will proceed in 2020 subject to any site
access restrictions related to COVID-19. The Company is currently
collecting the clinical and biomarker data from treated patients
and plans to perform an interim analysis after 50% of the patients
in the trial have been treated. |
|
· |
On February 21, 2020, we completed
the sale of all remaining shares issuable under the June 11, 2019,
$20 million ATM Distribution Agreement (the “June 19, 2020 ATM”)
with Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and exhausted its full
capacity. During the quarter ended March 31, 2020, the Company sold
an aggregate of 3,598,833 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the
June 11, 2019 ATM at an average price of $4.96 per share, raising
gross proceeds of approximately $17.86 million. Since the
initiation of the June 11, 2019 ATM through February 21, 2020, the
Company sold an aggregate of 4,141,569 shares of Common Stock at an
average price of $4.83 per share, raising gross proceeds of
approximately $20 million. |
|
· |
On March 6, 2020, we entered into a
new Distribution Agreement (the “March 6, 2020 ATM”) with Raymond
James & Associates, Inc. (the “Agent”). Under the March 6, 2020
ATM, the Company may sell from time to time or through the Agent
shares of Common Stock, having an aggregate offering amount of up
to $50 million. The Company filed a prospectus supplement, on March
6, 2020, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“SEC”) in connection with the March 6, 2020 ATM. During the quarter
ended March 31, 2020, the Company sold an aggregate of 336,487,
shares of Common Stock pursuant to the March 6, 2020 ATM at an
average price of $5.23 per share, raising gross proceeds of
approximately $1.76 million. |
|
· |
On March 6, 2020 we entered into a
definitive agreement with Abbhi Investments, LLC, a
healthcare-focused family office based in Miami, Florida, in
connection with a privately negotiated sale of Company common
stock, $0.00005 par value per share (“Common Stock”) and a warrant
to purchase shares of Common Stock (collectively, the
“Securities”). Upon the closing of this registered direct offering,
the Company received gross proceeds of approximately $10.0 million,
resulting from the issuance and sale of 1,250,000 shares of Common
Stock at a price per share of $8.00, a 4.9% premium to the
Company’s closing share price of $7.62 on March 5, 2020, and a
35.6% premium to the Company’s 30 day volume-weighted average share
price of $5.90. The purchaser also received a warrant to purchase
up to 250,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $15.00
per share. The warrant was exercisable immediately and has a term
of three years. |
|
· |
On March 7, 2019, the Israeli MoH
approved the Company’s treatment of up to 13 ALS patients with
NurOwn® under the Israeli Hospital Exemption (HE) regulatory
pathway. This approval expired on March 7, 2020. Based on this
approval, the Company enrolled twelve (12) patients under the HE
regulatory pathway as of March 31, 2020 and intends to enroll the
maximum number of patients that have been approved. The Hospital
has received approval from the MoH for the extension of this
program and to expand the HE regulatory pathway to include an
additional 13 patients. Currently, the Company has not finished
treating all the first 13 patients as non-Israeli patients are
unable to travel to Israel at the present time due to COVID-19
travel restrictions. The Company is currently collecting HE
clinical data for the patients who already received treatment at
the Ichilov Hospital. Once the complete data for the first 13
treated patients is available, the Company will perform a detailed
analysis. Thus far, the Company has received $3.4 million in gross
proceeds in connection with the treatment of the aforementioned
patients. |
|
· |
On March 16, 2020, the Company
announced that it had received a $2.2 million non-dilutive grant
from CIRM for completing it predetermined milestones. With the
receipt of this grant the Company has now received $14.75 million
of the total available $15.91 million grant funding awarded by
CIRM. |
|
· |
On March 30, 2020, the Board of
Directors of the Company (the “Board”) appointed Jacob Frenkel,
Ph.D., as Chairman of the Board. Prof. Frenkel is a world-renowned
economist and former Governor of the Bank of Israel. On March 30,
2020, the Board also appointed Sankesh Abbhi as a member of the
Board. Mr. Abbhi is the President and CEO of ArisGlobal, a leading
provider of cloud-based, end-to-end, drug development technology
solutions. Mr. Abbhi replaces Chen Schor as member of the
Board. |
|
· |
On April 7, 2020, the Company
appointed David Setboun, Pharm.D., MBA, as its Executive Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer. Dr. Setboun, has directed
commercial development, business strategy, and product launches for
2 decades at 3 major biopharmaceutical companies. Most recently,
Dr. Setboun served as Chief Business Officer, Corporate Development
& Strategy at Life Biosciences. In connection with Dr. Setboun’
s hiring, Dr. Ralph Kern was
appointed the Company’s President and Chief Medical Officer and
ceased to serve as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, and Mr.
Chaim Lebovits ceased serving as President and continues to serve
as Chief Executive Officer of the Company. |
|
· |
On April 3, 2020, the Company
announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, BrainStorm Cell
Therapeutics Ltd., has been awarded a non-dilutive grant of
approximately $1.5 million by the Israel Innovation Authority
(IIA). The grant enables the Company to continue development of
advanced cellular manufacturing capabilities, furthers the
development of MSC-derived exosomes as a novel therapeutic
platform, and will ultimately enable BrainStorm to expand the
therapeutic pipeline in neurodegenerative disorders. |
NurOwn®
Proprietary Technology
NurOwn® technology is based on an innovative manufacturing
protocol, which induces the differentiation of purified and
expanded bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (“MSC”) and
consistently generates cells that release high levels of multiple
neurotrophic factors (“MSC-NTF” cells) to modulate
neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative disease processes, promote
neuronal survival and improve neurological function. These factors
are known to be critical for the growth, survival and
differentiation of neurons, including: glial-derived neurotrophic
factor (“GDNF”); brain-derived neurotrophic factor (“BDNF”);
vascular endothelial growth factor (“VEGF”); and hepatocyte growth
factor (“HGF”), among others. GDNF is one of the most potent
survival factors for peripheral motorneurons. VEGF and HGF have
demonstrated important neuroprotective effects in ALS and other
neurodegenerative diseases. Neuroinflammation is a prominent and
early feature of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, as well
as of Progressive MS.
NurOwn® manufacturing involves a multi-step process that includes:
harvesting and isolating undifferentiated stem cells from the
patient's own bone marrow; processing of cells at the manufacturing
site; cryopreservation of MSC to enable multiple treatments from a
single bone marrow sample; and intrathecal (“IT”) injection of
MSC-NTF cells into the same patient by standard lumbar puncture.
This administration procedure does not require hospitalization and
has been shown to be safe and well tolerated in multiple CNS
clinical trials to date. The ongoing NurOwn® U.S. Phase 3 ALS study
is evaluating the therapeutic potential of repeated dosing (three
doses at bi-monthly intervals).
The proprietary technology and manufacturing processing of NurOwn®
(MSC-NTF cells) for clinical use is conducted in full compliance
with current Good Manufacturing Practice (“cGMP”). The NurOwn®
proprietary technology is fully owned to or developed by BrainStorm
Cell Therapeutics Ltd., our wholly owned subsidiary (the “Israeli
Subsidiary”). All granted patents related to NurOwn® (MSC-NTF
cells) manufacturing process are fully assigned to or owned by
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd. (see Intellectual Property
section for details).
The NurOwn® Transplantation Process
|
· |
Bone
marrow aspiration from the patient; |
|
· |
MSC
Isolation and propagation; |
|
· |
MSC
Cryopreservation; |
|
· |
MSC
thawing and differentiation into neurotrophic-factor secreting
(MSC-NTF; NurOwn®) cells; and |
|
· |
Autologous
transplantation into the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid by IT
injection (standard lumbar puncture). |
Differentiation before Transplantation
The ability to induce autologous adult mesenchymal stem cells into
differentiated MSC-NTF cells makes NurOwn® uniquely suited for the
treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
The specialized MSC-NTF cells secrete multiple neurotrophic factors
and immunomodulatory cytokines that may result in:
|
· |
Protection of existing
neurons; |
|
· |
Promotion of neuronal repair; |
|
· |
Neuronal functional improvement;
and |
|
· |
Immunomodulation and reduced
neuroinflammation. |
Autologous (Self-transplantation)
The NurOwn® technology platform is autologous, using the patient’s
own bone-marrow derived stem cells for “self-transplantation.” In
autologous transplantation, there is no introduction of unrelated
donor antigens that may lead to alloimmunity, no risk of rejection
and no need for treatment with immunosuppressive agents, which can
cause severe and/or long-term side effects. In addition, the use of
adult stem cells is free of several ethical concerns associated
with the use of embryonic-derived stem cells in some countries.
The ALS Clinical Program
NurOwn® is currently in a Phase 3 late stage clinical development
program for the treatment of ALS. It has been granted Fast Track
designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) for
this indication, and has been granted Orphan Drug Status, in the
U.S. and Europe, which provides the potential for an extended
period of exclusivity.
Phase 1/2 ALS Open Label Trials
We have completed two early stage Phase 1/2 and 2 open-label
clinical trials of NurOwn® in patients with ALS at the Hadassah
Medical Center (“Hadassah”) in Jerusalem, Israel, as well as a
Phase 2 double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical
trial at three prestigious U.S. Medical centers - the Massachusetts
General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts Memorial Hospital
in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,
Minnesota - all highly experienced in the management and
investigation of ALS.
The first two open-label trials were approved by the Israeli
Ministry of Health (“MoH”). The first-in-human trial, a Phase 1
safety and efficacy trial of NurOwn® administered either
intramuscularly or intrathecally in 12 ALS patients, was initiated
in June 2011. In the Phase 2 dose-escalating study, 14 ALS patients
were administered NurOwn® by a combined route of intramuscular and
intrathecal administration. These studies demonstrated the safety
of NurOwn® by both routes of administration and showed preliminary
signs of efficacy.
In January 2016, the results of the two completed Phase 1/2 study
and Phase 2 open label trials were published in JAMA Neurology.
This demonstrated a slower rate of disease progression following
MSC-NTF cell transplantation as measured by the ALS Functional
Rating Score (“ALSFRS-R”), the gold standard for the evaluation of
ALS functional status, and Forced Vital Capacity (“FVC”), a measure
of pulmonary function, as well as positive trends in the rate of
decline of muscle volume and the compound motor axon potential
(“CMAPs”). This was the first published clinical data using
autologous mesenchymal stem cells, induced under culture conditions
to produce NTFs, with the potential to deliver a combined
neuroprotective and immunomodulatory therapeutic effect in ALS and
potentially modify the course of this disease.
Phase 2 ALS Randomized Trial
The Phase 2 U.S. study was conducted under an FDA Investigational
New Drug (“IND”) application. This randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled multi-center U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial
evaluating NurOwn® in ALS patients was conducted at three clinical
sites: (i) the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, (ii)
Massachusetts Memorial Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, and
(iii) the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. For this trial,
NurOwn® was manufactured at the Connell and O’Reilly Cell
Manipulation Core Facility at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston and at the Human Cellular Therapy Lab at the Mayo Clinic. In
this study, 48 patients were randomized 3:1 to receive NurOwn® or
placebo.
Results of this Phase 2 Study were published in the peer reviewed
Journal ‘Neurology’. The publication entitled NurOwn, Phase 2,
Randomized, Clinical Trial in Patients With ALS: Safety, Clinical,
and Biomarker Results was published in December 2019.
Key findings from the trial were as follows:
|
· |
The study achieved its primary
objective, demonstrating that NurOwn® transplantation was safe and
well-tolerated. There were no discontinuations from the trial due
to AEs and there were no deaths in the study. The most common
adverse events (of mild or moderate severity), were transient
procedure-related AEs such as headache, back pain, pyrexia
arthralgia and injection-site discomfort, which were more commonly
seen in the NurOwn®-treated participants compared to placebo. |
|
· |
NurOwn® achieved multiple secondary
efficacy endpoints, showing evidence of a clinically meaningful
benefit. Notably, response rates in the ALS functional rating scale
(48-point ALSFRS-R outcome measure) were higher in NurOwn®-treated
participants, compared to placebo, at all study timepoints over 24
weeks. |
|
· |
A pre-specified responder analysis
examined percentage improvements in the post treatment ALSFRS-R
slope (change/month) compared to pre-treatment slope and
demonstrated that a higher proportion of NurOwn® treated
participants achieved a 100% improvement in the post-treatment vs.
pre-treatment slope, compared to the placebo group. This analysis
also demonstrated that a higher proportion of the NurOwn® treated
participants achieved a 1.5 point per month or greater improvement
in the post-treatment vs. pre-treatment ALSFRS-R slope, compared to
the placebo group. |
|
· |
The beneficial treatment effects
were greater in the rapid progressor subgroup (in which
pretreatment ALSFRS-R declined by 2 or more points in the three
months pre-treatment). |
|
· |
As an important confirmation of
NurOwn®’s mechanism of action, levels of neurotrophic factors and
inflammatory markers were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid
(“CSF”) samples collected from participants pre and two weeks post
treatment. In the samples of those participants treated with
NurOwn®, statistically significant increases in levels of
neurotrophic factors VEGF, HGF and LIF and a statistically
significant reduction in inflammatory markers MCP-1, SDF-1 and
CHIT-1 were observed post-transplantation. Furthermore, the
observed reduction in inflammatory markers correlated with ALS
functional improvements. These clinical-biomarker correlations were
not seen in placebo-treated participants, consistent with the
proposed combined neuroprotective and immunomodulatory mechanism of
action of NurOwn® in ALS. |
|
· |
In summary, a higher proportion of
NurOwn® treated participants, particularly those with more rapid
disease progression, experienced stabilization or improvement in
ALS function, as measured by the post-treatment vs. pre-treatment
ALSFRS-R slope change. These are new and meaningful ALS
clinical observations that are being evaluated in the ongoing Phase
3 study using repeat dosing in ALS rapid progressors. |
Phase 3 ALS Clinical Trial
Following successful completion of the Phase 2 study, the Company
is currently conducting a Phase 3 trial (a multi-dose double-blind,
placebo-controlled, multicenter trial protocol) that has been
designed to generate data to support a Biologic License Application
(“BLA”) for NurOwn® in ALS. The clinical trial has completed
enrolment of an enriched patient population of rapid progressors
(~50% of ALS patients) based on superior outcomes observed in the
Phase-2 pre-specified sub-group.
The primary clinical efficacy outcome measure is the ALSFRS-R score
responder analysis, an outcome that evaluates the proportion of
treated participants who achieve a prespecified level of
improvement in the ALSFRS-R post-treatment slope. The Phase 3 trial
expands biomarker evaluations to further understand their potential
to predict ALS disease progression, treatment response and confirm
the biology of NurOwn® in a larger study population. The study is
being conducted at 6 leading U.S. medical centers, 3 of which
participated in the prior Phase 2 study. Patient enrollment
commenced in October 2017, at Massachusetts General Hospital
followed by the other 5 study sites, including University of
California Irvine Medical Center, University of Massachusetts
Medical Center, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the California
Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, and Cedars Sinai Medical
Center in Los Angeles. All 6 sites are actively enrolling study
participants. As of October 2019, the study is fully enrolled.
The independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (“DSMB”) for the study
completed its pre-specified interim analysis of safety outcomes for
the first 31 participants treated with NurOwn® in the Phase 3 trial
in ALS (NCT03280056) in August 2018. The DSMB indicated there were
no significant safety concerns and recommended that the trial
continue, as planned without any modifications to the study
protocol.
The DSMB completed the second pre-specified interim analysis of
safety outcomes for 106 participants treated with NurOwn® in the
Phase 3 ALS trial on October 28, 2019. The DSMB indicated that the
trial should continue without any modifications to the study
protocol, and the DSMB chair indicated that they did not identify
any significant safety concerns.
The Phase
3 ALS clinical trial continues to provide necessary treatments to
study participants despite severe constraints in the affected
healthcare institutions due to COVID-19. Non-treatment study
visits are now performed by telephone. Top-line efficacy data is
still expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. The study is
registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov
Identifier: NCT03280056).
The Company has developed a validated cryopreservation process for
the long-term storage of MSC, that allows multiple doses of NurOwn®
to be created from a single bone marrow harvest procedure in the
multi-dose clinical trial and to avoid the need for patients to
undergo repeated bone marrow aspiration. A validation study was
conducted in 2017 comparing NurOwn® derived from fresh MSC to those
derived from cryopreserved MSC. Company scientists were successful
in showing that the MSC can be stored in the vapor phase of liquid
nitrogen for prolonged periods of time, while maintaining their
characteristics. Cryopreserved MSC are capable of differentiating
into NurOwn®, similar to the NurOwn® derived from fresh MSC from
the same patient/donor, prior to cryopreservation and maintain
their key functional properties including immunomodulation and
neurotrophic factor secretion.
The Company has contracted with City of Hope's Center for
Biomedicine and Genetics to produce clinical supplies of NurOwn®
adult stem cells for the ongoing Phase 3 clinical study. City of
Hope is currently supporting the production of NurOwn® and placebo
for the participants treated in the Phase 3 trial. The Connell and
O’Reilly Cell Manipulation Core Facility at the Dana Farber Cancer
Institute (DFCI) in Boston has also been contracted to manufacture
NurOwn® and placebo for Phase 3 ALS clinical study participants and
commenced manufacturing in October 2018. As of March 2019, The DFCI
core manufacturing facility is also supplying NurOwn for the Phase
2 PMS study.
Special meeting with FDA senior management
In July 2019, the BrainStorm management team was invited to
participate in a special in-person, high-level meeting with the
senior management of the FDA’s Drug and Biologics Centers and, ’I
AM ALS’, a grassroots ALS advocacy group advocating for an ALS
cure.
FDA’s Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research (CBER) and Dr. Janet Woodcock Director of
the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) were in
attendance with senior FDA staff. BrainStorm’s Phase 3 ALS
principal Investigators Dr. Robert Brown (Massachusetts Memorial
Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts) and Dr. Merit Cudkowicz
(Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston) joined by
teleconference.
The meeting’s purpose was to discuss BrainStorm’s ongoing Phase 3
ALS clinical trial as well as efforts to speed treatment access to
the ALS patient community. The meeting enabled an open and
effective dialogue between the FDA and BrainStorm, setting the
stage for future meetings to explore practical options to quickly
bring our investigational treatment to those living with ALS.
On February 11, 2020, the Company announced that it recently held a
high-level meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
to discuss potential NurOwn® regulatory pathways for approval in
ALS. In the planned meeting with senior Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research (CBER) leadership and several leading U.S.
ALS experts, the FDA confirmed that the fully enrolled Phase 3 ALS
trial is collecting relevant data critical to the assessment of
NurOwn efficacy. The FDA indicated that they would look at the
"totality of the evidence" in the expected Phase 3 clinical trial
data. Furthermore, based on their detailed data assessment, they
are committed to work collaboratively with BrainStorm to identify a
regulatory pathway forward, including opportunities to expedite
statistical review of data from the Phase 3 trial.
Patient Access Programs (ALS)
The Company, working collaboratively with the Tel Aviv Sourasky
Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital), was approved on March 7, 2019 to
treat up to 13 ALS patients with NurOwn®, under the Israel Hospital
Exemption regulatory pathway for Advanced Therapy Medicinal
Products (ATMP), which was adopted by the Israeli Ministry of
Health (MoH) from the European Medicine Agency (EMA) regulation.
This pathway enables the Company to make NurOwn® accessible to ALS
patients in Israel, for a fee. This approval expired on March 7,
2020. Based on this approval, the Company enrolled twelve (12)
patients under the HE regulatory pathway as of March 31, 2020 and
intends to enroll the maximum number of patients that have been
approved. The Hospital has received approval from the MoH for the
extension of this program and to expand the HE regulatory pathway
to include an additional 13 patients. Currently, the Company has
not finished treating all the first 13 patients as non-Israeli
patients are unable to travel to Israel at the present time due to
COVID-19 travel restrictions. The Company is currently collecting
HE clinical data for the patients who already received treatment at
the Ichilov Hospital. Once the complete data set for the first 13
treated patients is available, the Company will perform a detailed
analysis. Thus far, the Company has received $3.4 million in gross
proceeds in connection with the treatment of the aforementioned
patients.
NurOwn in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
On December 15, 2018, the FDA approved the Company's IND to conduct
a Phase 2 open label trial of repeated intrathecal administration
of NurOwn® in progressive MS (PMS. www.clinicaltrials.gov
Identifier NCT03799718). The study entitled ‘A Phase 2, open-label,
multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of repeated
administration of NurOwn® (Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Secreting Neurotrophic Factors; MSC-NTF cells) in participants with
Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS)’ will recruit 20 progressive MS
patients at 5 leading US MS centers. As of the quarter ended March
31, 2020, the first nine (9) study participants have been enrolled
in the study.
On December 18, 2019, the clinical trial independent Data Safety
Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the PMS study completed the first,
pre-specified interim analysis, of safety outcomes for the first 9
participants enrolled in the study. After careful review of all
available clinical trial data, the DSMB unanimously concluded “the
study should continue as planned without any protocol
modification”.
On November 14, 2019 the Company also received a $495,330 grant
from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, through its Fast
Forward program, for serum and CSF biomarkers analysis in
BrainStorm’s Phase 2 open-label, multicenter clinical trial of
repeated intrathecal administration of NurOwn® in participants with
progressive Multiple Sclerosis.
The trial has faced delays in enrollment due to the COVID-19
pandemic. Scheduled March and April 2020 new patient enrollments
were deferred to May 2020 due to site closures related to COVID-19,
when some of affected healthcare sites anticipate their access
restrictions will be mitigated. Enrollment will proceed in 2020
subject to any site access restrictions related to COVID-19.
Top-line results may still be possible in the fourth quarter of
2020, if enrollment continues without COVID-19 disruptions.
The Company is currently collecting the clinical and biomarker data
from treated patients and plans to perform an interim analysis
after 50% of the patients in the trial have been treated.
Non-Dilutive Funding
In July 2017, the Company was awarded a grant in the amount of
$15,912,390 from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
(CIRM) to aid in funding the Company’s pivotal Phase 3 study of
NurOwn®, for the treatment of ALS. The Company received $12,550,000
of the CIRM grant from 2017-2019: $9,050,000 from 2017 through
2018, and an additional $3,500,000 in 2019. On March 16, 2020, the
Company announced that it had received an additional $2,200,000
from CIRM for achieving its pre-determined milestones. With the
receipt of this grant, the Company has now received $14,750,000 of
the total available $15,912,390 grant funding awarded by CIRM. The
grant does not bear a royalty payment commitment nor is the grant
otherwise refundable. The Company expects to receive approximately
$1,162,390 in additional grant funding from CIRM upon achieving
certain milestones.
On April 3, 2020, the Company announced that its wholly owned
subsidiary, BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd., has been awarded a
new non-dilutive grant of approximately $1.5 million by the Israel
Innovation Authority (“IIA”). The grant enables the Company to
continue development of advanced cellular manufacturing
capabilities, furthers development of MSC-derived exosomes as a
novel therapeutic platform, and will ultimately enable BrainStorm
to expand the therapeutic pipeline in neurodegenerative
disorders.
Intellectual Property
A key element of the Company’s overall strategy is to establish a
broad portfolio of patents and other methods described below to
protect its proprietary technologies and products. BrainStorm is
the sole licensee or assignee of 15 granted patents 4 allowed
patents and 22 patent applications in the United States, Europe,
and Israel, as well as in additional countries worldwide, including
countries in the Far East and South America (in calculating the
number of granted patents, each European patent validated in
multiple jurisdictions was counted as a single patent).
In March 2019, the European Patent Office ("EPO") granted a
European-wide patent titled 'Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the
treatment of CNS Diseases.' The European Patent Application
published in the European Patent Bulletin 19/13 on March 27, 2019,
under Patent No. 2620493. The allowed claims cover the isolated
cells as well as their use in the manufacture of a medicament for
treating a CNS disease or disorder, selected from the group
consisting of: Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, autoimmune
encephalomyelitis, diabetic neuropathy, glaucomatous neuropathy,
Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease.
On August 27, 2019, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office
granted Canadian Patent No. 2,877,223 entitled ‘Methods of
Generating Mesenchymal Stem Cells which secrete Neurotrophic
Factors’. The allowed claims cover the method for generating the
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Secreting Neurotrophic Factors (MSC-NTF
cells).
On September 16, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) issued a Notice of Allowance for BrainStorm's new US
Patent Application, number: 15/113,105, titled: ‘Method of
Qualifying Cells'. The allowed claims cover a pharmaceutical
composition for MSC-NTF cells secreting neurotrophic factors
(NurOwn®) comprising a culture medium as a carrier and an isolated
population of differentiated bone marrow-derived MSCs that secrete
neurotrophic factors.
On October 21, 2019, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) issued a
decision to Grant Japanese Patent Application, number: 2016-548691,
titled: ‘Method of Qualifying Cells.’ The patent covers cell
populations which are therapeutic for the treatment of ALS and the
method of qualifying the cells for therapeutic use.
On December 6, 2019, the Hong Kong Patent Office sealed patent No.
HK1182133 titled 'Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the treatment of CNS
Diseases'.
On January 27, 2020, the Israeli patent Office allowed application
number 246943 titled ‘Method of Qualifying Cells’. The allowed
claims cover a method of qualifying whether a cell population is a
suitable therapeutic for treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
(ALS) and an isolated population of cells that secrete neurotrophic
factors which are qualified useful as a therapeutic for treating
ALS.
On January 29, 2020, the European Patent Office (EPO) communicated
its intention to grant a European patent titled 'Methods of
Generating Mesenchymal Stem Cells which secrete Neurotrophic
Factors'. Allowed claims cover the method for manufacturing MSC-NTF
cells (NurOwn®).
On February 18, 2020, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
issued US Patent No. 10,564,149 titled ‘Populations of Mesenchymal
Stem Cells That Secrete Neurotrophic Factors’. The allowed claims
cover a pharmaceutical composition for MSC-NTF cells secreting
neurotrophic factors (NurOwn®) comprising a culture medium as a
carrier and an isolated population of differentiated bone
marrow-derived MSCs that secrete neurotrophic factors.
Patents protecting NurOwn® have been issued in the United States,
Japan, Europe, Hong Kong, and Israel.
For a
complete list of our patent portfolio, please refer to the
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2019.
Scientific and industry presentations in 2020
On January 12, 2020, Mr. Chaim Lebovits presented at 3rd Annual
Neuroscience Innovation Forum at the Marines’ Memorial Club in San
Francisco, California.
On January 12, 2020, Dr. Ralph Kern MD, MHSc, participated on a
Rare & Orphan Diseases Panel at the 3rd Annual Neuroscience
Innovation Forum at the Marines’ Memorial Club in San Francisco,
California.
On January 24, 2020, Dr. Ralph Kern MD, MHSc, delivered a podium
presentation entitled “CIRM funded Stem Cell Clinical Trials in
California – Updates” at the 10th Annual California ALS Research
Summit hosted at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles,
California.
On February 11, 2020, Mr. Chaim Lebovits presented at BIO CEO &
Investor Conference at the Marriott Marquis in New York City, New
York.
On February 17, 2020, Dr. Ralph Kern MD, MHSc, presented at the
Noble Capital Markets’ Sixteenth Annual Investor Conference at the
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood, Florida.
Research and Development
The Company is also reviewing the potential for clinical
development of NurOwn® in other neurodegenerative disorders, such
as Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease and
neurodegenerative eye disease. Research is currently ongoing to
develop additional specialized derivative cell products such as
MSC-NTF derived Exosomes. Exosomes are extracellular nano-vesicles
(secreted by the cells) that carry various molecular components of
their cell of origin, including nucleic acids, proteins, and
lipids. Exosomes can transfer molecules from one cell to another,
thereby mediating cell-to-cell communication, ultimately regulating
many cell processes, which are suitable for clinical applications
in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. NurOwn® derived exosomes
may possess unique features for the enhanced delivery of
therapeutics to the brain, due to their ability to cross the blood
brain barrier and to penetrate the brain and spinal cord. The
research efforts are primarily focused on:
1. |
|
Manufacturing of MSC-NTF exosomes
from bone marrow derived MSC and umbilical cord derived MSC: |
|
a. |
Developing and optimizing large
scale cell culture processes using bioreactors, to generate
exosomes. |
|
b. |
Developing advanced scalable
purification GMP methods that can be applied to commercial
use. |
2. |
|
Quantification, characterization of
phenotype and exosome cargo. |
3. |
|
Assessment of MSC-NTF exosomes
potency and stability. |
4. |
|
Establishment of a method for
exosomes modification |
For the ongoing multidose clinical studies in ALS and MS, the
Company has improved the efficiency of NurOwn® production and
improved its stability, allowing manufacturing to take place at
centralized clean room facilities from which NurOwn® is distributed
to the clinical trial sites, where the cells are then administered
to patients. The Company is also engaged in several research
initiatives to further improve and scale-up manufacturing capacity
and extend the shelf life of NurOwn®.
Corporate Information
We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware. Our
principal executive offices are located at 1325 Avenue of Americas,
28th Floor, New York, NY 10019, and our telephone number is (201)
488-0460. We also maintain offices at 12 N State Route 17, Suite
201, Paramus, NJ 07652, and in Petach Tikva, Israel. We maintain an
Internet website at http://www.brainstorm-cell.com. The
information on our website is not incorporated into this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q.
Results of Operations
For the period from inception (September 22, 2000) through March
31, 2020, the Company has not earned any revenue from operations.
The Company does not expect to earn revenue from operations in the
near-term. The Company has incurred operating costs and other
expenses of approximately $8,308,000 during the three months ended
March 31, 2020 compared to $4,928,000 during the three months
through March 31, 2019. The increase of $3,380,000 is due to higher
expenses in connection with the ongoing U.S. Phase 3 and Phase 2
Clinical Trials.
Research and Development Expenses:
Research
and development expenses, net for the three months ended March 31,
2020 and 2019 were 5,948,000 and $3,456,000, respectively,
representing an increase of $2,492,000. This increase is due to (i)
an increase of $1,929,000 in connection with the Phase 3 and Phase
2 Clinical Trials; (ii) an increase of $103,000 for costs related
to payroll and stock-based compensation expenses and (iii) a
decrease of $1,457,000 in participation of the Israel Innovation
Authority (“IIA”) and CIRM in 2020, under various awarded grants.
This increase was partially offset by (i) $816,000 received in
connection with the treatment of patients under the hospital
exemption regulatory pathway and (ii) a decrease of $181,000 in
connection with materials, patents, travel, rent and other
activities.
Excluding participation from IIA and CIRM under the grants and
proceeds received under the hospital exemption regulatory pathway,
research and development expenses increased by $1,935,000 from
$5,200,000 in the first quarter of 2019 to $7,135,000 in the first
quarter of 2020.
General and Administrative Expenses:
General and administrative expenses for the three months ended
March 31, 2020 and 2019 were $2,360,000 and $1,472,000,
respectively. The increase in general and administrative expenses
of $888,000 is primarily due to an increase of $636,000 in payroll
and stock-based compensation, an increase of $107,000 in PR and IR
costs and an increase of $145,000 in rent, consultants and
travel.
Other Income and Expenses:
Financial income for the three months ended March 31, 2020 was
$194,000 as compared to financial expense of $99,000 for the three
months ended March 31, 2019 as a result of the adoption of the
Accounting Standard Update ASU 2016-02 “Leases” and due to
conversion exchange rates.
Net Loss:
Net loss for the three months ended on March 31, 2020 was
$8,114,000, as compared to a net loss of $5,027,000 for the three
months ended March 31, 2019. Net loss per share for the three
months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 was $0.32 and $0.24,
respectively.
The weighted average number of shares of Common Stock used in
computing basic and diluted net loss per share for the three months
ended March 31, 2020 was 28,423,837, compared to 20,917,329 for the
three months ended March 31, 2019.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company has financed its operations since inception primarily
through public and private sales of its Common Stock and warrants,
the exercise of warrants, the issuance of convertible promissory
notes, sales via ATM program and through various grants.
Cash, Cash equivalents (including short-term bank deposits)
amounted to approximately $14,491,000 as of March 31, 2020.
Net cash
used in operating activities was $15,029,000 for the three months
ended March 31, 2020. Cash used for operating activities was
primarily attributed to significant reduction in outstanding trades
payables, cost of payroll, rent of clean rooms and materials for
clinical trials, rent, legal expenses and public relations
expenses. Net cash used in investing activities was
$1,994,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2020, representing
net increase in short-term interest-bearing bank deposits. Net cash
provided by financing activities was $28,958,000 for the three
months ended March 31, 2020 and is attributable to the exercise of
options and exercise and sales of shares under our ATM Program and
registered direct offering.
On June 8, 2018, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form
S-3 (File No. 333-225517) (the “Shelf Registration Statement”),
which was declared effective by the SEC on June 29, 2018, relating
to Common Stock, warrants and units that we may sell from time to
time in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of
$100,000,000. Other than the supplements filed on June 11, 2019 and
on March 6, 2020 in connection with the ATM offerings discussed
below, and the prospectus supplement filed on March 6, 2020 in
connection with the registered direct offering discussed below, we
have not filed any supplemental prospectus defining particular
terms of securities to be offered under the shelf registration
statement.
At-the-market (ATM) Offerings:
On June 11, 2019, the Company entered into a Distribution Agreement
with Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (“Agent”), pursuant to
which the Company sold, through the Agent, shares of Common Stock
having an aggregate offering price of $20,000,000 (the “June 11,
2019 ATM”) in an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415
promulgated under the Securities Act, including, without
limitation, by sales made directly on the Nasdaq Capital Market. On
February 21, 2020, the Company completed the sale of all remaining
shares issuable under the June 11, 2019, $20 million Distribution
Agreement with Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and exhausted
its full ATM capacity. During the quarter ended March 31, 2020, the
Company sold an aggregate of 3,598,833 shares of Common Stock
pursuant to the June 11, 2019 ATM at an average price of $4.96 per
share, raising gross proceeds of approximately $17.86 million.
Since the initiation of the June 11, 2019 ATM through February 21,
2020, the Company sold an aggregate of 4,141,569 shares of Common
Stock at an average price of $4.83 per share, raising gross
proceeds of approximately $20 million.
On March
6, 2020, the Company entered into a new Distribution Agreement with
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (“Agent”), pursuant to which
the Company may sell from time to time, through the Agent, shares
of Common Stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to
$50,000,000 (the “March 6, 2020 ATM”). Sales under the March 6,
2020 ATM will be made by any method permitted by law that is deemed
to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415
promulgated under the Securities Act, including, without
limitation, sales made directly on the Nasdaq Capital Market, on
any other existing trading market for the Shares, through a market
maker or as otherwise agreed by the Company and the Agent.
During the quarter ended March 31, 2020, the Company sold an
aggregate of 336,487, shares of Common Stock pursuant to the March
6, 2020 ATM at an average price of $5.23 per share, raising gross
proceeds of approximately $1.76 million.
The Company has no obligation under the March 6, 2020 ATM to sell
any shares and may at any time suspend sales or terminate the March
6, 2020 ATM in accordance with its terms. Agent is entitled under
each ATM to a fixed commission of 3.0% of the aggregate gross
proceeds from the any shares sold. Shares sold under the ATMs are
issued pursuant to the Company’s existing Shelf Registration
Statement, and the Prospectus Supplement to the Registration
Statements filed June 11, 2019 and March 6, 2020, respectively.
Registered Direct Offering:
On March 6, 2020, the Company entered into and closed a $10.0
million registered direct offering of 1,250,000 shares of Common
Stock at a per share purchase price equal to $8.00. Purchaser also
received a three-year warrant to purchase up to 250,000 shares of
Common Stock at any exercise price of $15.00 per share.
Company Cash Needs
Our material cash needs for the next 24 months, assuming we do not
expand our clinical trials beyond the current Phase 3 ALS and Phase
2 PMS trials in the United States, will include (i) costs of the
clinical trial in the U.S., (ii) employee salaries, (iii) payments
for rent and operation of the GMP facilities, and (iv) fees to our
consultants and legal advisors, patents, and fees for facilities to
be used in our research and development.
Over the longer term if we are not able to raise additional
capital, we may not be able to continue to function as a going
concern and may have to cease operations or the Company will reduce
its costs, including curtailing its current plan to move new
indications into clinical testing. We will be required to raise a
substantial amount of capital in the future in order to reach
profitability and to complete the commercialization of our
products. Our ability to fund these future capital requirements
will depend on many factors, including the following:
|
• |
our
ability to obtain funding from third parties, including any future
collaborative partners; |
|
• |
the
scope, rate of progress and cost of our clinical trials and other
research and development programs; |
|
• |
the
time and costs required to obtain regulatory approvals; |
|
• |
the
terms and timing of any collaborative, licensing and other
arrangements that we may establish; |
|
• |
the
costs of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing patents,
patent applications, patent claims, trademarks and other
intellectual property rights; |
|
• |
the
effect of competition and market developments; and |
|
• |
future
pre-clinical and clinical trial results. |
The full extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or
indirectly impact our business, results of operations, financial
condition, liquidity and capital resources will depend on future
developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately
predicted at this time, including new information that may emerge
concerning COVID-19, the actions taken to contain it or treat its
impact and the economic impact on local, regional, national and
international markets. Our management team is actively monitoring
this situation and the possible effects on our financial condition
and liquidity.
Critical Accounting
Policies and Estimates
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results
of operations are based on our financial statements, which have
been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the U.S. The preparation of these financial statements
requires us to make judgments, estimates, and assumptions that
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the
financial statements as well as the reported revenue and expenses
during the reporting periods. We continually evaluate our
judgments, estimates and assumptions. We base our estimates on the
terms of underlying agreements, our expected course of development,
historical experience and other factors we believe are reasonable
based on the circumstances, the results of which form our
management’s basis for making judgments about the carrying value of
assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other
sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under
different assumptions or conditions.
There were
no significant changes to our critical accounting policies during
the quarter ended March 31, 2020. For information about critical
accounting policies, see the discussion of critical accounting
policies in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2019.
Off Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are
reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on
our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenue or
expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures,
or capital resources.
Item 3. Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
This information has been omitted as the Company qualifies as a
smaller reporting company.
Item 4. Controls and
Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, we
carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the
participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial
Officer, of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and
procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)).
Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and
procedures were effective, as of the end of the period covered by
this report, to ensure that information required to be disclosed by
us in the reports we file under the Exchange Act is recorded,
processed, summarized and reported within the time periods
specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that the information
required to be disclosed by us in such reports is accumulated and
communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely
decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal controls over financial
reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by
Rule 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act that occurred
during the quarter ended March 31, 2020 that have materially
affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our
internal control over financial reporting.
PART II: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
From time to time, we may become involved in litigation relating to
claims arising out of operations in the normal course of business,
which we consider routine and incidental to our business. We
currently are not a party to any material legal
proceedings, the adverse outcome of which, in management’s
opinion, would have a material adverse effect on our business,
results of operation or financial condition.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Other than
the additional risk factor below, there have not been any material
changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in the “Risk
Factors” section of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2019.
In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q, you should carefully consider the risk factors
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2019, which could materially affect our business,
financial condition or future results. The risks described in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2019 and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, are not the only
risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently
known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may
materially adversely affect our business, financial condition
and/or operating results.
Risks Related to Our Business Operations and Commercialization
of Stem Cell Therapies:
The
coronavirus outbreak has the potential to cause disruptions in our
business, including our clinical development
activities.
The
Outbreak of the novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
disease, has currently impacted and may continue to adversely
impact our business, including our preclinical studies and clinical
trials. In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus,
surfaced in Wuhan, China. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to
multiple countries, including the United States and Israel, where
the Company conducts its operations, as well as its clinical trials
of NurOwn®. In response to the spread of COVID-19, to ensure the
safety of our employees and continuity of business operations, we
have closed our offices, with our administrative employees
continuing their work remotely, restricted on-site staff, and
limited the number of staff in any given research and development
laboratory. Our research and development laboratory in Israel and
manufacturing sites in U.S. remain open.
As of the date of this report, our business operations and clinical
trials have continued with delays in the pace of enrollment in our
Phase 2 PMS clinical trial due to site access restrictions related
to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Scheduled March and April 2020 new
patient enrollments were deferred to May 2020 due to site closures
related to COVID-19, when some of affected healthcare sites
anticipate their access restrictions will be mitigated. Enrollment
will proceed in 2020, subject to any site access restrictions
related to COVID-19.
The Phase 3 ALS clinical trial continues to provide necessary
treatments to study participants despite severe constraints in the
affected healthcare institutions due to COVID-19. Non-treatment
study visits are now performed by telephone. Top-line efficacy data
is still expected in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, we may in the future experience
disruptions that could severely impact our business, including
clinical trial activities; participant enrollment; or any currently
unforeseen delays in completion of study timelines. The full extent
to which the COVID-19 pandemic will directly or indirectly impact
our business, results of operations and financial condition will
depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot
be accurately predicted at this time, including new information
that may emerge concerning COVID-19, the actions taken to contain
it or treat its impact and the economic impact on local, regional,
national and international markets.
In addition, the trading prices for our common stock and other
biotechnology companies have been highly volatile as a result of
the COVID-19 epidemic. As a result, we may face difficulties
raising capital through sales of our common stock or such sales may
be on unfavorable terms.
The COVID-19 outbreak continues to rapidly evolve. The extent to
which the outbreak may impact our business, preclinical studies and
clinical trials will depend on future developments, which are
highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as
the ultimate geographic spread of the disease, the duration of the
outbreak, travel restrictions and actions to contain the outbreak
or treat its impact, such as social distancing and quarantines or
lock-downs, business closures or business disruptions and the
effectiveness of actions taken to contain and treat the
disease.
Item 5. Other Information.
During the quarter ended March 31, 2020, we made no material
changes to the procedures by which stockholders may recommend
nominees to our Board of Directors, as described in our most recent
proxy statement.
Item 6. Exhibits.
The following documents are filed as exhibits to this report:
Exhibit
Number |
Description |
Filed
(or Furnished)
with
this
Form
10-Q
|
Incorporated by Reference Herein |
Form |
Exhibit
&
File
No.
|
Date
Filed |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.1 |
Distribution
Agreement, dated March 6, 2020, by and between BrainStorm Cell
Therapeutics Inc. and Raymond James & Associates,
Inc. |
|
8-K |
1.1 |
March
6, 2020 |
10.2 |
Securities
Purchase Agreement dated March 6, 2020, by and between BrainStorm
Cell Therapeutics Inc. and Abbhi Investments, LLC. |
|
8-K |
10.1 |
March
6, 2020 |
10.3 |
Common
Stock Purchase Warrant for the purchase of Common Stock, issued
March 6, 2020 by BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. to Abbhi
Investments, LLC. |
|
8-K |
4.1 |
March
6, 2020 |
10.4 |
Employment
Agreement by and between BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. and
David Setboun, effective April 7, 2020. |
|
8-K |
10.1 |
April
3, 2020 |
31.1 |
Certification
by the Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
* |
|
|
|
31.2 |
Certification
by the Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
* |
|
|
|
32.1 |
Certification
of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
‡ |
|
|
|
32.2 |
Certification
of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
‡ |
|
|
|
101.INS |
XBRL
Instance Document |
* |
|
|
|
101.SCH |
XBRL
Taxonomy Extension Schema Document |
* |
|
|
|
101.CAL |
XBRL
Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document |
* |
|
|
|
101.DEF |
XBRL
Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document |
* |
|
|
|
101.LAB |
XBRL
Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document |
* |
|
|
|
101.PRE |
XBRL
Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document |
* |
|
|
|
* Filed herewith
‡ Furnished herewith
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on
its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
|
BRAINSTORM
CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. |
|
|
|
Date:
May 7, 2020 |
By: |
/s/
Preetam Shah |
|
|
Name:
Preetam Shah |
|
|
Title: EVP, Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial Officer)
|
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