ATRX Adhera Therapeutics Inc (CE)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities has a high degree of risk. Before making an investment in our securities, you should carefully consider the following risks, as well as the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties of which we are unaware or that we believe are not material at this time could also materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In any case, the value of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. See also the information contained under the heading “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Relating To Our Financial Condition and Business Operations

Our current cash and other sources of liquidity are not sufficient to fund our intended operations beyond June 2019. If additional capital is not available, we may have to curtail or cease operations, or take other actions that could adversely impact our shareholders.

Our business does not generate the cash necessary to finance our operations. We incurred net operating losses of approximately $15.8 million and $6.1 million in the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. We will require significant additional capital to:

Our future capital needs depend on many factors, including:

We will need to raise additional funds through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or additional strategic alliances and licensing arrangements to achieve our proposed business objectives. We may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms favorable to us, if at all. General market conditions, as well as market conditions for companies at our stage of development, may make it difficult for us to seek financing from the capital markets, and the terms of any financing may adversely affect the holdings or the rights of our stockholders. For example, if we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, further dilution to our stockholders will result, which may substantially dilute the value of their investment. In addition, as a condition to providing additional funds to us, future investors may demand, and may be granted, rights superior to those of existing stockholders. Debt financing, if available, may involve restrictive covenants that could limit our flexibility to conduct future business activities and, in the event of insolvency, could be paid before holders of equity securities received any distribution of corporate assets. We may be required to relinquish rights to our technologies or drug candidates, or grant licenses through alliance, joint venture or agreements on terms that are not favorable to us, in order to raise additional funds. If adequate funds are not available, we may have to further delay, reduce or eliminate one or more of our planned activities with respect to our business, or terminate our operations. These actions would likely reduce the market price of our common stock.

We have no history of profitability and there is a potential for fluctuation in operating results.

We have experienced significant operating losses since inception. We currently have limited revenues from product sales, and although we are generating revenues from the sale of our Prestalia product, the amount of such revenues is uncertain. We expect that the continued operation of our business will cause us to continue to experience losses in the near term as we pursue our commercialization efforts with respect to Prestalia and continue our acquisition and development plans with respect to other products. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”, as well as the financial statements included herein.

We are engaged in the business of acquiring and commercializing therapeutic products. These activities, together with our sales, marketing, general and administrative expenses, as well as the significant research and development activities that we previously conducted, have resulted in operating losses in the past, and there can be no assurance that we can achieve profitability in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability depends on our ability to commercialize, acquire and develop approved pharmaceutical products, obtain necessary regulatory approvals, and manufacture, distribute, market and sell drug products. We cannot assure you of the success of any of these activities or predict if or when we will ever become profitable.

If we are unable to raise sufficient additional capital, we may seek to merge with or be acquired by another entity, or to sell our assets to another entity, and that transaction may adversely affect our business and the value of our securities.

If we are unable to raise sufficient additional capital to continue our business or to execute on our business plan, we may seek to merge or combine with, or otherwise be acquired by, another entity with a stronger cash position, complementary work force, or product portfolio or for other reasons. There are numerous risks associated with merging, combining or otherwise being acquired, whether in whole or in part. These risks include, among others, incorrectly assessing the quality of a prospective acquirer or merger-partner, encountering greater than anticipated costs in integrating businesses, facing resistance from employees and being unable to profitably deploy the assets of the new entity. The operations, financial condition, and prospects of the post-transaction entity depend in part on our and our acquirer/merger-partner’s ability to successfully integrate the operations related to our products, product candidates, business and technologies. We may be unable to integrate operations successfully or to achieve expected cost savings, and any cost savings that are realized may be offset by losses in revenues or other charges to operations. As a result, our stockholders may not realize the full value of their investment.

We are dependent on our key personnel, and if we are unable to retain such personnel, or to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel, then we may be unable to successfully develop our business.

Our ability to compete in the highly competitive pharmaceutical industry depends upon our ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel. We are dependent on our management, financial and sales personnel including Nancy R. Phelan, our Chief Executive Officer. Eric Teague, former Chief Financial Officer, has been retained to provide services in connection with the filing of this document. There can be no assurance that we will be able to retain the services of any of the foregoing persons, or of any of our other current and future personnel, regardless of whether or not we have entered into employment agreements with such persons.

If we are unable to attract or retain qualified personnel, or if we are unable to adequately replace such personnel if we lose their services for any reason, our business could be seriously harmed. In addition, if we have to replace any of these individuals, we may not be able to replace the knowledge that they have about our operations.

If we make strategic acquisitions of products, technologies or other businesses, we will incur a variety of costs and potential liabilities and might never realize the anticipated benefits.

We have limited experience in independently identifying acquisition candidates and integrating the operations of acquisition candidates with our company. If appropriate opportunities become available, and we have sufficient resources to do so, we might attempt to acquire approved products, additional drug candidates, technologies or businesses that we believe are a strategic fit with our business. To date, the most significant acquisition relevant to our current business strategy was our acquisition of assets relating to Prestalia and DyrctAxes from Symplmed in June and July 2017. If we pursue any transaction of that sort in the future, the process of negotiating the acquisition and integrating an acquired product, drug candidate, technology or business, and the product sales and distribution networks relating to such acquired assets, might result in operating difficulties, expenditures and potential liabilities, and might require significant management attention that would otherwise be available for ongoing development of our business, whether or not any such transaction is ever consummated. Moreover, we might never realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisition. Future acquisitions could result in, among other things, dilutive issuances of equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, or impairment expenses related to goodwill, and impairment or amortization expenses related to other intangible assets, which could harm our financial condition.

Failure of our internal control over financial reporting could harm our business and financial results.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Internal control over financial reporting includes maintaining records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect our transactions; providing reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary for preparation of the financial statements; providing reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures of our assets are made in accordance with management authorization; and providing reasonable assurance that unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements would be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our financial results accurately and timely or to detect and prevent fraud.

In connection with the evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018 that was undertaken by management in connection with the preparation of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, management determined that our lack of a sufficient complement of personnel with an appropriate level of knowledge and experience in the performance of an audit of a public company that is commensurate with our financial reporting requirements constituted a material weakness as of December 31, 2018. To remediate the foregoing material weakness, we hired additional experienced accounting and other personnel to assist with filings and financial record keeping and took additional steps to improve our financial reporting systems and enhance our existing policies, procedures and controls. Despite these remedial measures undertaken during 2018, we were not be able to adequately address the weaknesses that we identified, and thus management determined that the weaknesses still existed as of December 31, 2018.

We depend on our information technology and infrastructure.

We rely on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of information technology systems to manage our operations, to process, transmit and store electronic and financial information, and to comply with regulatory, legal and tax requirements. We also depend on our information technology infrastructure for electronic communications among our personnel, contractors, consultants and vendors. System failures or outages could compromise our ability to perform these functions in a timely manner, or could result in the loss of information, which could harm our ability to conduct business or delay our financial reporting. Such failures could materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

In addition, we depend on third parties and applications on virtualized (cloud) infrastructure to operate and support our information systems. These third parties vary from multi-disciplined to boutique providers. Failure by these providers to adequately deliver the contracted services could have an adverse effect on our business, which in turn may materially adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. All information systems, despite implementation of security measures, are vulnerable to disability, failures or unauthorized access. If our information systems were to fail or be breached, such failure or breach could materially adversely affect our ability to perform critical business functions and sensitive and confidential data could be compromised.

Our business and operations could suffer in the event of system failures.

Our internal computer systems and those of our contractors, consultants and partners are vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. Such events could cause interruption of our operations and could result in a material disruption of our development programs and commercialization efforts. For example, the loss of pre-clinical trial data or data from completed or ongoing clinical trials for our product candidates, if any, could result in delays in our regulatory filings and development efforts and significantly increase our costs. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of or damage to our data, or inappropriate disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and our business operations could be delayed.

We may be unable to adequately protect our information technology systems from cyber-attacks, which could result in the disclosure of confidential information, damage our reputation, and subject us to significant financial and legal exposure.

Cyber-attacks are increasing in their frequency, sophistication and intensity, and have become increasingly difficult to detect. Cyber-attacks could include wrongful conduct by hostile foreign governments, industrial espionage, the deployment of harmful malware, denial-of-service, and other means to threaten data confidentiality, integrity and availability. A successful cyber-attack could cause serious negative consequences for our company, including the disruption of operations, the misappropriation of confidential information (including patient information) and trade secrets, and the disclosure of corporate strategic plans and results. To date, we have not experienced threats to our data and information technology systems. However, although we devote resources to protect our information technology systems, we realize that cyber-attacks are a threat, and there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent information security breaches that would result in business, legal or reputational harm to us, or would have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Risks Related to the Development and Regulatory Approval of Drug Products

The development of pharmaceutical products is uncertain and may never lead to marketable products.

The future success of our operations will depend on the successful development or acquisition by us of products for commercialization. The products that we may seek to acquire or develop may not demonstrate in patients the chemical and pharmacological properties ascribed to them in laboratory studies, and they may interact with human biological systems in unforeseen, ineffective or harmful ways. We may make significant expenditures acquiring or developing product candidates that have minimal, if any, commercial success. If we are unable to develop or acquire a sufficient number of successful drug products to finance our ongoing operations, we may be required to change the scope and direction of, or cease pursuing, our intended business operations.

If we or our partners are unable to acquire or develop, and commercialize products, our business will be adversely affected.

A key element of our business strategy is to develop or acquire, and thereafter commercialize, a portfolio of pharmaceutical products. Whether or not any product candidates are ultimately identified, research programs that we may develop to identify product candidates will require substantial technical, financial and human resources. These research programs may initially show promise in identifying potential product candidates, yet fail to yield a successful commercial product for many reasons, including the following:

To the extent that we undertake any R&D activities regarding our current or future development assets, clinical trials of such assets would be expensive and time-consuming, and the results of any of these trials would be uncertain.

Before obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of any product candidates that we may attempt to develop, we and our partners must conduct expensive and extensive pre-clinical tests and clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of such product candidates. Pre-clinical and clinical testing is a long, expensive and uncertain process, and the historical failure rate for product candidates is high. The length of time generally varies substantially according to the type of drug, complexity of clinical trial design, regulatory compliance requirements, intended use of the drug candidate and rate of patient enrollment for the clinical trials.

A failure of one or more pre-clinical studies or clinical trials can occur at any stage of testing. We and our partners may experience numerous unforeseen events during, or as a result of, the pre-clinical testing and the clinical trial process that could delay or prevent the receipt of regulatory approval or the commercialization of our product candidates, or that could render such process substantially more expensive, including:

Further, even if the results of pre-clinical studies or clinical trials are initially positive, it is possible that different results will be obtained in the later stages of drug development or that results seen in clinical trials will not continue with longer term treatment. Drugs in late stages of clinical development may fail to show the desired safety and efficacy traits despite having progressed through initial clinical testing. For example, positive results in early phase 1 or phase 2 clinical trials may not be repeated in larger phase 2 or phase 3 clinical trials. It is expected that all of the drug candidates that may be developed by us or our partners will be prone to the risks of failure inherent in drug development. The clinical trials of any or all of the drug candidates of us or our partners could be unsuccessful, which would prevent the commercialization of these drugs. The FDA conducts its own independent analysis of some or all of the pre-clinical and clinical trial data submitted in a regulatory filing and often comes to different and potentially more negative conclusions than the analysis performed by the drug sponsor. To the extent that we move forward with R&D activities for our current and future development assets, the failure to develop safe, commercially viable drugs approved by the FDA or another applicable regulatory body would impair our ability to generate product sales and sustain our operations. In addition, significant delays in pre-clinical studies and clinical trials will impede the regulatory approval process, the commercialization of drug candidates and the generation of revenue, as well as substantially increase development costs.

Any product candidates that we may develop may cause undesirable side effects or have other properties that could halt their development, prevent their regulatory approval, limit their commercial potential or result in significant negative consequences.

It is possible that the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities may not agree with any future assessment of the safety profile of any product candidates that we may develop. Undesirable side effects caused by any of our product candidates could cause us or our partners to interrupt, delay or discontinue development of our product candidates, could result in a clinical hold on any clinical trial, or could result in the denial of regulatory approval of our product candidates by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. This, in turn, could prevent us from commercializing our product candidates and generating revenues from their sale. In addition, if any of our products cause serious or unexpected side effects or are associated with other safety risks after receiving marketing approval, a number of potential significant negative consequences could result, including: (i) regulatory authorities may withdraw their approval of the product; (ii) we may be required to recall the product, change the way it is administered, conduct additional clinical trials or change the labeling of the product; (iii) the product may be rendered less competitive and sales may decrease; (iv) our reputation may suffer generally both among clinicians and patients; (v) regulatory authorities may require certain labeling statements, such as warnings or contraindications or limitations on the indications for use, or impose restrictions on distribution in connection with approval, if any; or (vi) we may be required to change the way the product is administered or conduct additional preclinical studies or clinical trials.

Any one or a combination of these events could prevent us from obtaining approval and achieving or maintaining market acceptance of the affected product candidates that we may develop or could substantially increase the costs and expenses of commercializing such product candidates, which in turn could delay or prevent us from generating significant revenues from the sale of the product.

Even if regulatory approvals are obtained for any of the products that we may develop or acquire, including our approved Prestalia product, such products will be subject to ongoing regulatory obligations and continued regulatory review. If we or a partner fail to comply with continuing U.S. and foreign regulations, the approvals to market drugs could be lost and our business would be materially adversely affected.

Following any initial FDA or foreign regulatory approval of any drugs we or a partner may develop, including Prestalia, such drugs will continue to be subject to extensive and ongoing regulatory review, including the review of adverse drug experiences and clinical results that are reported after such drugs are made available to patients. This would include results from any post marketing studies or vigilance required as a condition of approval. The manufacturer and manufacturing facilities used to make any drug candidates will also be subject to periodic review and inspection by regulatory authorities, including the FDA. The discovery of any new or previously unknown problems with the product, manufacturer or facility may result in restrictions on the drug or manufacturer or facility, including withdrawal of the drug from the market. Marketing, advertising and labeling also will be subject to regulatory requirements and continuing regulatory review. The failure to comply with applicable continuing regulatory requirements may result in fines, suspension or withdrawal of regulatory approval, product recalls and seizures, operating restrictions and other adverse consequences.

We and our partners are subject to extensive U.S. and foreign government regulation regarding the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products.

We, our present and future collaborators, and the drug products developed by us or in collaboration with partners are subject to extensive regulation by governmental authorities in the U.S. and other countries. Failure to comply with applicable requirements could result in, among other things, any of the following actions: warning letters, fines and other civil penalties, unanticipated expenditures, delays in approving or refusal to approve a product, product recall or seizure, interruption of manufacturing or clinical trials, operating restrictions, injunctions and criminal prosecution.

Our products cannot be marketed in the U.S. without FDA approval or clearance, and they cannot be marketed in foreign countries without applicable regulatory approval. Obtaining regulatory approval requires substantial time, effort and financial resources, and may be subject to both expected and unforeseen delays, including, without limitation, citizen’s petitions or other filings with the FDA or applicable foreign regulatory authority. There can be no assurance that any approval will be granted on a timely basis, if at all, or that delays will be resolved favorably or in a timely manner. If our products are not approved in a timely fashion, or are not approved at all, our business and financial condition may be adversely affected.

In addition, both before and after regulatory approval, we, our collaborators and our products are subject to numerous requirements by the FDA and foreign regulatory authorities covering, among other things, testing, manufacturing, quality control, labeling, advertising, promotion, distribution and export. These requirements may change, and additional government regulations may be promulgated that could affect us, our collaborators or our products. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the U.S. or abroad. There can be no assurance that neither we nor any of our partners will be required to incur significant costs to comply with such laws and regulations in the future or that such laws or regulations will not have a material adverse effect upon our business and prospects.

We may use hazardous chemicals and biological materials in our business. Any disputes relating to improper use, handling, storage or disposal of these materials could be time-consuming and costly.

To the extent that we engage in any research and development activities, in which activities are not currently being actively pursued by us, such activities may involve the use of hazardous and biological, potentially infectious, materials. Such use would subject us to the risk of accidental contamination or discharge or any resultant injury from these materials. Federal, state and local laws and regulations govern the use, manufacture, storage, handling and disposal of these materials and specific waste products. We could be subject to damages, fines or penalties in the event of an improper or unauthorized release of, or exposure of individuals to, these hazardous materials, and our liability could be substantial. The costs of complying with these current and future environmental laws and regulations may be significant.

To the extent that we engage in research and development activities, we may also be subject to numerous environmental, health and workplace safety laws and regulations, including those governing laboratory procedures, exposure to blood-borne pathogens and the handling of biohazardous materials. We do not maintain insurance for environmental liability or toxic tort claims that may be asserted against us in connection with our storage or disposal of biological, hazardous or radioactive materials. Additional federal, state and local laws and regulations affecting our operations may be adopted in the future. We may incur substantial costs to comply with, and substantial fines or penalties if we violate, any of these laws or regulations.

Risks Related to our Dependence on Third Parties

We are dependent upon Prestalia for our ability to generate revenue from the sale of products, and we are dependent upon Les Laboratoires Servier for our rights to Prestalia.

Our ability to generate revenue from the sale of drug products is currently entirely dependent upon sales of Prestalia. Prestalia is the only product to which we have rights that has been approved for sale. We do not anticipate that any of our other product candidates would be approved for sale in the near term, if at all, as currently we are not expending resources on the development of any other product candidates, though we may acquire rights to approved products as a result of our product acquisition efforts. Our rights to Prestalia derive from the license and commercialization agreement between our company and Les Laboratoires Servier. If such license and commercialization agreement were to be terminated or materially modified for any reason, or if our rights to Prestalia were to be reduced or eliminated for any reason other than the termination of the license and commercialization agreement, our revenues and business operations would be materially adversely affected, which would likely have a significant impact on the trading price of our common stock.

We may become dependent on our collaborative arrangements with third parties for a substantial portion of our revenue, and our development and commercialization activities may be delayed or reduced if we fail to initiate, negotiate or maintain successful collaborative arrangements.

We are, in part, dependent on partners to develop and commercialize products that we may seek to commercialize and to provide the regulatory compliance, sales, marketing and distribution capabilities required for the success of our business. If we fail to secure or maintain successful collaborative arrangements, our development and commercialization activities will be delayed, reduced or terminated, and our revenues could be materially and adversely impacted.

The potential future milestone and royalty payments and cost reimbursements from certain of our collaboration agreements could provide an important source of financing for our business activities, thereby facilitating the development and commercialization of our products. These collaborative agreements might be terminated either by us or by our partners upon the satisfaction of certain notice requirements. Our partners may not be precluded from independently pursuing competing products and drug delivery approaches or technologies. Even if our partners continue their contributions to our collaborative arrangements, of which there can be no assurance, they may nevertheless determine not to actively pursue the development or commercialization of any resulting products. Our partners may fail to perform their obligations under the collaborative arrangements or may be slow in performing their obligations. In addition, our partners may experience financial difficulties at any time that could prevent them from having available funds to contribute to these collaborations. If our collaborators fail to conduct their commercialization, regulatory compliance, sales and marketing or distribution activities successfully and in a timely manner, or if they terminate or materially modify their agreements with us, the development and commercialization of one or more product candidates could be delayed, curtailed or terminated.

An interruption in the supply of raw and bulk materials needed for the development and manufacture of our products could cause product development and/or sales to be slowed or stopped.

We and our partners may obtain supplies of critical raw and bulk materials used in research and development efforts, or in order to manufacture our approved products, from several suppliers, and long-term contracts may not be in place with any or all of these suppliers. There can be no assurance that sufficient quantities of product candidates or approved products could be manufactured if our suppliers are unable or unwilling to supply such materials. Any delay or disruption in the availability of raw or bulk materials could slow or stop research and development, or sales, of the relevant product.

We will rely on third parties to conduct clinical trials, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet established timelines for the completion of such clinical trials.

If we move forward with any research and development activities with respect to our current and future development assets, for which we have no current plans, we anticipate that we will be dependent on contract research organizations, third-party vendors and investigators for performing or managing pre-clinical testing and clinical trials related to drug discovery and development efforts. These parties will not be employed by us or our partners, and neither we nor our partners will be able to control the amount or timing of resources that they devote to our programs. If they fail to devote sufficient time and resources to our drug development programs or if their performance is substandard, it will delay, and potentially materially adversely affect, the development and commercialization of our products. Moreover, these parties also may have relationships with other commercial entities, some of which may compete with us and our partners. If they assist our competitors, it could harm our competitive position.

If we or our partners lose our relationship with any one or more of these parties after development efforts are commenced, there could be a significant delay in both identifying another comparable provider and then contracting for its services. An alternative provider may not be available on reasonable terms, if at all. Even if we locate an alternative provider, is it likely that this provider may need additional time to respond to our needs and may not provide the same type or level of service as the original provider. In addition, any alternative provider will be subject to current Good Laboratory Practices (“cGLP”) and similar foreign standards and neither we nor our partners have control over compliance with these regulations by these providers. Consequently, if these providers do not adhere to these practices and standards, the development and commercialization of any products that we may seek to develop could be delayed.

We have limited manufacturing experience or resources, and we must incur significant costs to develop this expertise or rely on third parties to manufacture our products.

We have no manufacturing experience, and thus depend on a limited number of third parties, who might not be able to deliver in a timely manner, on acceptable terms, or at all. There are a limited number of manufacturers that supply the materials needed for the development of our products and product candidates. There are risks inherent in pharmaceutical manufacturing that could affect the ability of our contract manufacturers to meet our delivery requirements or provide adequate amounts of material to meet our needs. To fulfill our supply requirements, we may also need to secure alternative suppliers.

The manufacturing process for any of our products is subject to the FDA approval process, and we or our partners will need to contract with manufacturers who can meet all applicable FDA requirements on an ongoing basis. If we are unable to obtain or maintain contract manufacturing for these product candidates or approved products, or to do so on commercially reasonable terms, we may not be able to successfully develop and commercialize our products.

To the extent that we enter into manufacturing arrangements with third parties, we will depend on these third parties to perform their obligations in a timely manner and consistent with regulatory requirements, including those related to quality control and quality assurance. The failure of a third-party manufacturer to perform its obligations as expected could adversely affect our business in a number of ways.

If a third-party manufacturer with whom we contract fails to perform its obligations, we may be forced to manufacture the materials ourselves, for which we may not have the capabilities or resources or enter into an agreement with a different third-party manufacturer, which we may not be able to do on acceptable terms, if at all. In addition, if we are required to change manufacturers for any reason, we will be required to verify that the new manufacturer maintains facilities and procedures that comply with quality standards and with all applicable regulations and guidelines. The delays associated with the verification of a new manufacturer could negatively affect our ability to develop product candidates in a timely manner or within budget, or to sell approved products in sufficient quantities. Furthermore, a manufacturer may possess technology related to the manufacture of our product candidates or approved products that such manufacturer owns independently. This would increase our reliance on such manufacturer or require us to obtain a license from such manufacturer in order to have another third party manufacture our products.

Risks Related to our Intellectual Property and Other Legal Matters

If we are unable to adequately protect our proprietary technology from legal challenges, infringement or alternative technologies, our competitive position may be hurt, and our operating results may be negatively impacted.

Our business is based upon the development, acquisition and commercialization of pharmaceutical products, and we rely on the issuance of patents, both in the U.S. and internationally, for protection against competitive technologies. Although we believe we exercise the necessary due diligence in our patent filings, our proprietary position is not established until the appropriate regulatory authorities actually issue a patent, which may take several years from initial filing or may never occur.

Moreover, even the established patent positions of pharmaceutical companies are generally uncertain and involve complex legal and factual issues. Although we believe our issued patents are valid, third parties may infringe our patents or may initiate proceedings challenging the validity or enforceability of our patents. The issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its claim scope, validity or enforceability. Challenges raised in patent infringement litigation we initiate or in proceedings initiated by third parties may result in determinations that our patents have not been infringed or that they are invalid, unenforceable or otherwise subject to limitations. In the event of any such determinations, third parties may be able to use the discoveries or technologies claimed in our patents without paying us licensing fees or royalties, which could significantly diminish the value of these discoveries or technologies. As a result of such determinations, we may be enjoined from pursuing commercialization of products or may be required to obtain licenses, if available, to the third-party patents or to develop or obtain alternative technology. Responding to challenges initiated by third parties may require significant expenditures and divert the attention of our management and key personnel from other business concerns.

Furthermore, it is possible that others will infringe or otherwise circumvent our issued patents and that we will be unable to fund the cost of litigation against them or that we would elect not to pursue litigation. In addition, enforcing our patents against third parties may require significant expenditures regardless of the outcome of such efforts. We also cannot assure you that others have not filed patent applications for technology covered by our pending applications or that we were the first to invent the technology. There may also exist third party patents or patent applications relevant to our products that may block or compete with the technologies covered by our patent applications and third parties may independently develop IP similar to our patented IP, which could result in, among other things, interference proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to determine priority of invention.

In addition, we may not be able to protect our established and pending patent positions from competitive technologies, which may provide more effective therapeutic benefit to patients and which may therefore make our products, technology and proprietary position obsolete.

We also rely on copyright and trademark protection, trade secrets, know-how, continuing technological innovation and licensing opportunities. In an effort to maintain the confidentiality and ownership of our trade secrets and proprietary information, we have typically required our employees, consultants, advisors and others to whom we disclose confidential information to execute confidentiality and proprietary information agreements. However, it is possible that these agreements may be breached, invalidated or rendered unenforceable, and if so, there may not be an adequate corrective remedy available. Furthermore, like many companies in our industry, we may from time to time hire personnel formerly employed by other companies involved in one or more areas similar to the activities we conduct. In some situations, our confidentiality and proprietary information agreements may conflict with, or be subject to, the rights of third parties with whom our employees, consultants or advisors have prior employment or consulting relationships. Although we have typically required our employees and consultants to maintain the confidentiality of all confidential information of previous employers, we or these individuals may be subject to allegations of trade secret misappropriation or other similar claims as a result of their prior affiliations. Finally, others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques, or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets. Our failure to protect our proprietary information and techniques may inhibit or limit our ability to exclude certain competitors from the market and execute our business strategies.

If we are unable to adequately protect our proprietary intellectual property from legal challenges, infringement or alternative technologies, we will not be able to compete effectively in the pharmaceutical industry.

Because intellectual property rights are of limited duration, expiration of intellectual property rights and licenses will negatively impact our operating results.

Intellectual property rights, such as patents and license agreements based on those patents, generally are of limited duration. Therefore, the expiration or other loss of rights associated with IP and IP licenses, including those covering Prestalia, can negatively impact our business, and the future sales of our products.

Our patent applications may be inadequate in terms of priority, scope or commercial value.

We apply for patents covering our discoveries and technologies as we deem appropriate and as our resources permit. However, we or our partners or licensors may fail to apply for patents on important discoveries or technologies in a timely fashion or at all. Also, our pending patent applications may not result in the issuance of any patents. These applications may not be sufficient to meet the statutory requirements for patentability, and therefore we may be unable to obtain enforceable patents covering the related discoveries, technologies, or products we may want to commercialize. In addition, because patent applications are maintained in secrecy for approximately 18 months after filing, other parties may have filed patent applications relating to inventions before our applications covering the same or similar inventions. In addition, foreign patent applications are often published initially in local languages, and until an English language translation is available it can be impossible to determine the significance of a third-party invention. Any patent applications filed by third parties may prevail over our patent applications or may result in patents that issue alongside patents issued to us, leading to uncertainty over the scope of the patents or the freedom to practice the claimed inventions.

Although we have acquired and in-licensed a number of issued patents, the discoveries, technologies or products covered by these patents may have limited therapeutic or commercial value. Also, issued patents may not provide commercially meaningful protection against competitors. Other parties may be able to design around our issued patents or independently develop products having effects similar or identical to our patented product candidates or approved products. In addition, the scope of our patents is subject to considerable uncertainty and competitors or other parties may obtain similar patents of uncertain scope.

We have depended on technologies we license, and if we lose the right to license such technologies or we fail to license new technologies in the future, our ability to develop or commercialize new or existing products would be harmed.

We have depended on licenses from third parties for certain of our technologies, products and product candidates. If our license with respect to any of these technologies or products is terminated for any reason, the development and/or commercialization of the products contemplated by the licenses would be delayed, or suspended altogether, while we seek to license similar products or technology (which licenses may not be available on commercially acceptable terms or at all) or develop new non-infringing products or technology. If our existing license is terminated, the development and/or commercialization of the products contemplated by the licenses could be delayed or terminated and we may not be able to negotiate additional licenses on acceptable terms, if at all, which would have a material adverse effect on our business.

We may be required to defend lawsuits or pay damages for product liability claims.

Our business exposes us to potential product liability risks that are inherent in the development and marketing of pharmaceutical products. The risk exists even with respect to those drugs that are approved by regulatory agencies for commercial distribution and sale and are manufactured in facilities licensed and regulated by regulatory agencies. Product liability claims could result in an FDA investigation of the safety and effectiveness of our products, the manufacturing processes and facilities with respect to our products, and our marketing programs, and potentially a recall of our products or more serious enforcement action, or suspension or withdrawal of approvals. Any product liability claims, regardless of their merits, could be costly, divert management’s attention, delay or prevent completion of our development and commercialization programs, and adversely affect our reputation, the demand for our products and our stock price. We currently have product liability insurance that we believe is appropriate for our stage of development, including the marketing and sale of Prestalia. Any product liability insurance we have or may obtain may not provide sufficient coverage against potential liabilities. Furthermore, clinical trial and product liability insurance is becoming increasingly expensive. As a result, we may be unable to obtain sufficient insurance at a reasonable cost to protect us against losses caused by product liability claims that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our Prestalia product is currently involved in a paragraph IV challenge. Our failure to resolve the challenge in the manner currently proposed, or to expand our product offerings prior to the date before the challenger launches a generic version of Prestalia to derive meaningful revenues from such additional product offerings, could materially adversely affect us and our business operations.

Our Prestalia product is currently involved in a paragraph IV challenge regarding patents issued to perindopril arginine. This challenge, which is currently pending in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (No. 1:17-cv-00276), is captioned Apotex Inc. and Apotex Corp. v. Symplmed Pharmaceuticals, LLC and Les Laboratoires Servier. The challengers (Apotex Inc. and Apotex Corp. (“Apotex”)) have filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application seeking FDA approval to market a generic version of Prestalia and included a Paragraph (IV) certification. In the litigation, Apotex seeks a declaratory judgment that no valid claims of the two patents Symplmed listed in the FDA Orange Book as having claims covering Prestalia, U.S. Patent No. 6,696,481 and 7,846,961, will be infringed by the Apotex proposed generic version of Prestalia and that the claims of those patents are invalid. The challenge is designed to provide Apotex with an opportunity to enter the market with a generic version of Prestalia, ahead of the expiration of the patents with claims covering that product. Apotex entered into negotiations with Symplmed Pharmaceuticals, LLC (which entity sold its assets relating to Prestalia to us in June 2017, including its License and Commercialization Agreement with Les Laboratories Servier) and Les Laboratories Servier (which entity owns or controls intellectual property rights relating to pharmaceutical products containing as an active pharmaceutical ingredient perindopril in combination with other active pharmaceutical ingredients, which rights have been licensed to Symplmed Pharmaceuticals) to resolve the challenge in the second quarter of 2017, and such parties, along with us, have come to a general agreement on terms that will result in a delay to the challengers’ ability to enter the market with a generic version of Prestalia, while still providing the challenger with the right to enter the market prior to the expiration of the patent covering such product. The term sheet memorializing such terms is pending execution in a final settlement agreement. In the meantime, the District Court has entered an order extending the time for the defendants to respond to Apotex’s Complaint. Resolution of the Apotex litigation continues with alignment from all parties, including Servier, Apotex, Symplmed and Adhera. Necessary extensions have been agreed upon and final resolution is anticipated this year.

However, there can be no assurance that the paragraph IV challenge will be resolved without litigation or resolved on the terms currently proposed. There also cannot be any assurance that our plans to commercialize Prestalia (or any of the products that we may license from our partners or that we may develop internally) and expand our product offerings and the revenue generated therefrom so as to lessen our reliance on sales of Prestalia will be achieved. Any failure of our expectations regarding the resolution of the paragraph IV challenge and the expansion of our commercial activities (and the revenues to be derived therefrom) could have a material adverse effect on us, our prospects and our results of operations.

Risks Related to our Industry

If we or any of our partners, consultants, collaborators, manufacturers, vendors or service providers fail to comply with healthcare laws and regulations, or legal obligations related to privacy, data protection and information security, we or they could be subject to enforcement actions, which could result in penalties and affect our ability to develop, market and sell our products and may harm our reputation.

We are or may in the future be subject to federal, state and foreign healthcare laws and regulations pertaining to, among other things, fraud and abuse and patients’ rights, in addition to legal obligations related to privacy, data protection and information security. These laws and regulations include:

If our operations are found to be in violation of any such health care laws and regulations, we may be subject to penalties, including administrative, civil and criminal penalties, monetary damages, disgorgement, imprisonment, the curtailment or restructuring of our operations, loss of eligibility to obtain approvals from the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities, or exclusion from participation in government contracting, healthcare reimbursement or other government programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, any of which could adversely affect our financial results. Although effective compliance programs can mitigate the risk of investigation and prosecution for violations of these laws, these risks cannot be entirely eliminated. Any action against us for an alleged or suspected violation could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and could divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business, even if our defense is successful. In addition, achieving and sustaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations may be costly to us in terms of money, time and resources.

If we fail to comply with applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to enforcement actions, which could affect our ability to develop, market and sell Prestalia, or any other future products, successfully and could harm our reputation and lead to reduced acceptance of our products by the market.

Moreover, the laws and regulations applicable to our industry are subject to change, and while we currently may be compliant, that could change due to changes in interpretation, prevailing industry standards of the legal structure.

Any drugs that we are currently commercializing, or that we may commercialize in the future, may become subject to unfavorable pricing regulations, third-party reimbursement practices or healthcare reform initiatives, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Our ability to commercialize any products successfully, including Prestalia, will depend in part on the extent to which coverage and adequate reimbursement for these products and related treatments will be available from government health administration authorities, private health insurers and other third-party payors. In many jurisdictions, a product must be approved for reimbursement before it can be approved for sale in that jurisdiction. Obtaining coverage and reimbursement approval of a product from a government or other third-party payor is a time-consuming and costly process that could require us to provide to the payor supporting scientific, clinical and cost-effectiveness data for the use of our products.

It is possible that our current approved product and any other future products that we bring to the market may not be considered cost-effective, and the amount reimbursed for any products may be insufficient to allow us to sell such products on a competitive basis, or at a price that allows us to be profitable. Increasingly, the third-party payors, such as government and private insurance plans, who reimburse patients or healthcare providers, are requiring that drug companies provide them with predetermined discounts from list prices and are seeking to reduce the prices charged or the amounts reimbursed for pharmaceutical products. If the coverage provided for any products we develop or commercialize is inadequate in light of our development, sales and other costs, our return on investment could be adversely affected.

There may be significant delays in obtaining coverage for newly-approved products, and coverage may be more limited than the purposes for which the drug is approved by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities. Moreover, eligibility for coverage does not imply that any drug will be reimbursed in all cases or at a rate that covers our costs, including research, development, manufacture, sale and distribution. Interim payments for new drugs, if applicable, may also not be sufficient to cover our costs and may not be made permanent.

Reimbursement may be based on payments allowed for lower-cost products that are already reimbursed, may be incorporated into existing payments for other services and may reflect budgetary constraints or imperfections in Medicare data. Net prices for products may be reduced by mandatory discounts or rebates required by government healthcare programs or private payors and by any future relaxation of laws that presently restrict imports of products from countries where they may be sold at lower prices than in the United States. Third-party payors often rely upon Medicare coverage policy and payment limitations in setting their own reimbursement rates. However, no uniform policy requirement for coverage and reimbursement for products exists among third-party payors in the United States. Therefore, coverage and reimbursement for products can differ significantly from payor to payor. As a result, the coverage determination process is often a time-consuming and costly process that will require us to provide scientific and clinical support for the use of our products to each payor separately, with no assurance that coverage and adequate reimbursement will be applied consistently or obtained in the first instance. Our inability to promptly obtain coverage and adequate reimbursement rates from both government-funded and private payors for Prestalia as well as for new drugs that we develop, for which we obtain regulatory approval and/or that we seek to commercialize could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, our ability to raise capital and our financial condition.

We believe that the efforts of governments and third-party payors to contain or reduce the cost of healthcare and legislative and regulatory proposals to broaden the availability of healthcare will continue to affect the business and financial condition of pharmaceutical companies. Specifically, there have been several recent U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, reduce the cost of prescription drugs under Medicare, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drugs. A number of other legislative and regulatory changes in the healthcare system in the United States have been proposed or enacted in recent months and years, and such efforts have expanded substantially in recent years. These developments have included prescription drug benefit legislation that was enacted and took effect in January 2006, healthcare reform legislation subsequently enacted by certain states, and major healthcare reform legislation that was passed by Congress and enacted into law in the United States in 2010. Future developments could, directly or indirectly, affect our ability to sell our products at a favorable price.

For example, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (ACA), contains provisions that affect companies in the pharmaceutical industry and other healthcare related industries by imposing additional costs and changes to business practices. Provisions affecting pharmaceutical companies include the following:

The financial impact of the U.S. healthcare reform legislation over the next few years will depend on a number of factors, including, without limitation, the policies reflected in implementing regulations and guidance, and changes in sales volumes for products affected by the new system of rebates, discounts and fees. This legislation may also have a positive impact on our future net sales, if any, by increasing the aggregate number of persons with healthcare coverage in the U.S.

Members of Congress and the Trump administration have expressed an intent to pass legislation or adopt executive orders to fundamentally change or repeal parts of the ACA. While Congress has not passed repeal legislation to date, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 includes a provision repealing the individual insurance coverage mandate included in ACA, effective January 1, 2019. Further, on January 20, 2017, an Executive Order was signed directing federal agencies with authorities and responsibilities under the ACA to waive, defer, grant exemptions from, or delay the implementation of any provision of the ACA that would impose a fiscal burden on states, individuals, healthcare providers, health insurers, or manufacturers of pharmaceuticals or medical devices. On October 13, 2017, an Executive Order was signed terminating the cost-sharing subsidies that reimburse insurers under the ACA. Several state Attorneys General filed suit to stop the administration from terminating the subsidies, but their request for a restraining order was denied by a federal judge in California on October 25, 2017. In addition, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently proposed regulations that would give states greater flexibility in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 among other things, amends the ACA effective January 1, 2019, to close the coverage gap in most Medicare drug plans, commonly referred to as the “donut hole.” In July 2018, the CMS published a final rule permitting further collections and payments to and from certain ACA qualified health plans and health insurance issuers under the ACA risk adjustment program in response to the outcome of federal district court litigation regarding the method CMS uses to determine this risk adjustment. Moreover, CMS issued a final rule in 2018 that will give states greater flexibility, starting in 2020, in setting benchmarks for insurers in the individual and small group marketplaces, which may have the effect of relaxing the essential health benefits required under the ACA for plans sold through such marketplaces. On December 14, 2018, a U.S. District Court Judge in the Northern District of Texas, or the Texas District Court Judge, ruled that the individual mandate is a critical and inseverable feature of the ACA, and therefore, because it was repealed as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the remaining provisions of the ACA are invalid as well. While the Texas District Court Judge issued an order staying the judgment pending appeal in December 2018, and both the Trump Administration and CMS have stated the ruling will have no immediate impact, it is unclear how this decision, subsequent appeals and other efforts to repeal and replace the ACA will impact the ACA and our business. Congress may consider other legislation to replace elements of the ACA. The implications of the ACA, its possible repeal, any legislation that may be proposed to replace the ACA, or the political uncertainty surrounding any repeal or replacement legislation for our business and financial condition, if any, are not yet clear.

The costs of prescription pharmaceuticals in the U.S. recently has also been the subject of considerable discussion in the U.S., and members of Congress and the Trump administration have stated that they will address such costs through new legislative and administrative measures. To date, there have been several U.S. Congressional inquiries and proposed and enacted federal and state legislation designed to, among other things, bring more transparency to drug pricing, review the relationship between pricing and manufacturer patient programs, reduce the costs of drugs under Medicare and reform government program reimbursement methodologies for drug products. At the federal level, Congress and the Trump administration have each indicated that it will continue to pursue new legislative and/or administrative measures to control drug costs. The Trump administration released a “Blueprint,” or plan, to reduce the cost of drugs. The Trump administration’s Blueprint contains certain measures that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is already working to implement. For example, on October 25, 2018, CMS issued an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or ANPRM, indicating it is considering issuing a proposed rule in the spring of 2019 on a model called the International Pricing Index. This model would utilize a basket of other countries’ prices as a reference for the Medicare program to use in reimbursing for drugs covered under Part B. The ANPRM also included an updated version of the Competitive Acquisition Program, as an alternative to current “buy and bill” payment methods for Part B drugs. Such a proposed rule could limit our product pricing and have material adverse effects on our business.

Individual state legislatures have become increasingly aggressive in passing legislation and implementing regulations designed to control pharmaceutical and biological product pricing. Some of these measures include price or patient reimbursement constraints, discounts, restrictions on certain product access, marketing cost disclosure and transparency measures, and, in some cases, measures designed to encourage importation from other countries and bulk purchasing. In addition, regional health care authorities and individual hospitals are increasingly using bidding procedures to determine what pharmaceutical products and which suppliers will be included in their prescription drug and other health care programs. These measures could reduce the ultimate demand for our products, once approved, or put pressure on our product pricing.

The pharmaceutical market is intensely competitive. If we are unable to compete effectively with existing drugs and commercialization platforms, and existing and new treatment methods and technologies, we may be unable to commercialize successfully any drugs that we develop or acquire.

The pharmaceutical market is intensely competitive and rapidly changing. Many large pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, governmental agencies and other public and private research organizations are pursuing the development of drugs or treatments for the same diseases and conditions that we are targeting or expect to target, and they may be developing patient adherence platforms that are substantially similar to our Total Care platform. Many of our competitors have:

Our products or adherence platforms may face intense competition from drugs or treatments that have already been approved and accepted by the medical community for the treatment of the conditions for which we may develop or commercialize drugs or treatments, or from new drugs or technologies that enter the market. We believe a significant number of drugs are currently under development, and may become commercially available in the future, for the treatment of conditions for which we and our partners may try to develop or commercialize drugs. These drugs may be more effective, safer, less expensive, or marketed and sold more effectively, than any products we and our partners develop or commercialize.

We anticipate that we and our partners will face competition based on many different factors regarding products or platforms that we develop or commercialize, including:

Our competitors may develop or commercialize products or treatments with significant advantages over any products we develop or commercialize based on any of the factors listed above or on other factors. Our competitors may therefore be more successful in commercializing their products than we are, which could adversely affect our competitive position and business. Competitive products or treatments may make any products we develop or commercialize obsolete or noncompetitive before we can recover the expenses of developing, acquiring and/or commercializing our products. Such competitors could also recruit our future employees, which could negatively impact our level of expertise and the ability to execute on our business plan. Furthermore, we also face competition from existing and new treatment methods that reduce or eliminate the need for drugs, such as the use of advanced medical devices. The development of new medical devices, technologies or other treatment methods for the conditions we are targeting could make our products or adherence platforms noncompetitive, obsolete or uneconomical.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

The trading price of our common stock has been volatile, and investors in our common stock may experience substantial losses.

The trading price of our common stock has been volatile and may become volatile again in the future. The trading price of our common stock could decline or fluctuate in response to a variety of factors, including:

The stock markets in general, and the markets for the securities of companies of our size and in our industry in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.

A former director and executive officer controls a large percentage of the outstanding shares of our common stock (without giving effect to the conversion of voting preferred stock), and thus can influence our corporate actions.

As of the date of this report, Dr. Vuong Trieu, a former director and executive officer of our company, directly or indirectly beneficially owns approximately 59.7% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (without giving effect to the conversion of any shares of our preferred stock other than such shares of preferred stock as may be directly or indirectly owned by Dr. Trieu), which percentage would be reduced to approximately 13.8% after giving effect to the as-converted voting rights of the holders of our outstanding preferred stock (but without giving effect to the exercise of any presently exercisable options or warrants directly or indirectly held by Dr. Trieu). Accordingly, and subject to the voting rights of our outstanding classes of preferred stock, Dr. Trieu individually can influence many, if not most, of our corporate actions.

We may not be able to achieve secondary trading of our stock in certain states because our common stock is not nationally traded.

Because our common stock is not listed for trading on a national securities exchange, our common stock is subject to the securities laws of the various states and jurisdictions of the U.S. in addition to federal securities law. This regulation covers any primary offering we might attempt and all secondary trading by our stockholders. If we fail to take appropriate steps to register our common stock or qualify for exemptions for our common stock in certain states or jurisdictions of the U.S., the investors in those jurisdictions where we have not taken such steps may not be allowed to purchase our stock or those who presently hold our stock may not be able to resell their shares without substantial effort and expense. These restrictions and potential costs could be significant burdens on our stockholders.

Our common stock is quoted on the OTCQB, which may limit the ability of our stockholders to sell their securities and may cause volatility in the price of our common stock.

Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB. Securities quoted on the OTCQB often experience a lack of liquidity as compared to securities trading on a national securities exchange. Such securities also have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations in recent years, which have particularly affected the market prices of many smaller companies like ours. We anticipate that our common stock will be subject to the lack of liquidity and this volume and price volatility that is characteristic of the OTCQB.

Our common stock is considered a “penny stock,” and thereby is subject to additional sale and trading regulations that may make it more difficult to sell.

Our common stock is considered to be a “penny stock” since it does not qualify for one of the exemptions from the definition of “penny stock” under Section 3a51-1 of the Exchange Act. The principal result or effect of being designated a “penny stock” is that securities broker-dealers participating in sales of our common stock are subject to the “penny stock” regulations set forth in Rules 15-2 through 15g-9 promulgated under the Exchange Act. For example, Rule 15g-2 requires broker-dealers dealing in penny stocks to provide potential investors with a document disclosing the risks of penny stocks and to obtain a manually signed and dated written receipt of the document at least two business days before effecting any transaction in a penny stock for the investor’s account.

Moreover, Rule 15g-9 requires broker-dealers in penny stocks to approve the account of any investor for transactions in such stocks before selling any penny stock to that investor. This procedure requires the broker-dealer to (i) obtain from the investor information concerning his or her financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives; (ii) reasonably determine, based on that information, that transactions in penny stocks are suitable for the investor and that the investor has sufficient knowledge and experience as to be reasonably capable of evaluating the risks of penny stock transactions; (iii) provide the investor with a written statement setting forth the basis on which the broker-dealer made the determination in (ii) above; and (iv) receive a signed and dated copy of such statement from the investor, confirming that it accurately reflects the investor’s financial situation, investment experience and investment objectives. Compliance with these requirements may make it more difficult and time consuming for holders of our common stock to resell their shares to third parties or to otherwise dispose of them in the market or otherwise.

Various restrictions in our charter documents and Delaware law could prevent or delay a change in control of our company that is not supported by our board of directors.

We are subject to a number of provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law that may discourage, delay or prevent a merger, acquisition or change of control that a stockholder may consider favorable. These anti-takeover provisions include:

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits a merger, consolidation, asset sale or other similar business combination between us and any stockholder of 15% or more of our voting stock for a period of three years after the stockholder acquires 15% or more of our voting stock, unless (1) the transaction is approved by our board of directors before the stockholder acquires 15% or more of our voting stock, (2) upon completing the transaction the stockholder owns at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the commencement of the transaction, or (3) the transaction is approved by our board of directors and the holders of 66 2/3% of our voting stock, excluding shares of our voting stock owned by the stockholder.

We have never paid dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

We have not paid any dividends on our common stock and do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future. In addition, the terms of any financing arrangements that we may enter into may restrict our ability to pay any dividends. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we are required to pay and/or accrue dividends on our Series E and Series F convertible preferred stock.

A significant number of shares of our common stock are subject to options, warrants and conversion rights. The issuance of these shares, which in some cases may occur on a cashless basis, will dilute the interests of other security holders and may depress the price of our common stock.

At December 31, 2018, there were outstanding warrants to purchase up to approximately 36.3 million shares common stock. If any of these warrants are exercised on a cashless basis, we will not receive any cash as a result of such exercises. At December 31, 2018, there were also outstanding 100 shares of Series C Preferred Stock, which shares are convertible into 66,666 shares of common stock at an assumed conversion price of $7.50 per share of common stock, 40 shares of Series D Stock, which shares are convertible into 50,000 shares of common stock at an assumed conversion price of $4.00 per share of common stock, 3,488 shares of Series E Stock, which shares are convertible into approximately 35 million shares of common stock at an assumed conversion price of $0.50 per share of common stock (without giving effect to any dividends on such shares of preferred stock that would increase the stated value of such shares) and 381 shares of Series F Stock, which shares are convertible into approximately 3.8 million shares of common stock at an assumed conversion price of $0.50 per share of common stock (without giving effect to any dividends on such shares of preferred stock that would increase the stated value of such shares). In addition, we may issue a significant number of additional shares of common stock (and securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock) from time to time to finance our operations, to fund potential acquisitions, or in connection with additional stock options or restricted stock granted to our employees, officers, directors and consultants. The issuance of common stock (or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock), and the exercise or conversion of securities exercisable for or convertible into common stock, will have a dilutive impact on other stockholders and could have a material negative effect on the market price of our common stock.

There are outstanding a significant number of shares available for future sales under Rule 144.

Many shares of our common stock (including shares issuable upon conversion of outstanding shares of preferred stock or upon exercise of outstanding warrants) may be deemed “restricted shares” and, in the future, may be sold in compliance with Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Any sales of such shares of our common stock under Rule 144 could have a depressive effect on the market price of our common stock. In general, under Rule 144, a person who is not deemed to have been an affiliate of ours at any time during the three months preceding a sale, and who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for at least six months (including any period of consecutive ownership of preceding non-affiliated holders) would be entitled to sell those shares, subject only to the availability of current public information about us. A non-affiliated person who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for at least one year would be entitled to sell those shares without regard to the provisions of Rule 144. A person who is deemed to be an affiliate of ours and who has beneficially owned restricted securities within the meaning of Rule 144 for at least six months would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of one percent of the then outstanding shares of our common stock or the average weekly trading volume of our common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding such sale. Such sales are also subject to certain manner of sale provisions, notice requirements and the availability of current public information about us.

Our Board of Directors has the ability to issue “blank check” Preferred Stock.

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock, with such designation rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our Board of Directors. At December 31, 2018, 1,880 shares of preferred stock were available for designation and issuance. Our Board is empowered, without shareholder approval, to issue shares of preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock. In the event of such issuances, the preferred stock could be utilized, under certain circumstances, as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of our company. Although we have no present intention to issue any additional shares of our preferred stock in the immediate future, there can be no assurance that we will not do so in the future.