FORM 10-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015
OR
¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ________ to ________
Commission File No. 1-13441
HEMISPHERX BIOPHARMA, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 52-0845822 | |
| (State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer Identification | |
| incorporation or organization) | Number) |
| 1617 JFK Boulevard, Ste. 500, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 19103 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (215) 988-0080
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Common Stock, $.001 par value
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
(Title of Each Class)
NONE
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 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 and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted 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 and post such files). Yes x No ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of "large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer" and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): ¨ Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer ¨ Non-accelerated filer x Smaller Reporting Company
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x
The aggregate market value of Common Stock held by non-affiliates at June 30, 2015, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $48,329,181.
The number of shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding as of March 28, 2016 was 247,571,887.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: None.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”), including statements under “Item 1-Business,” “Item 1A-Risk Factors” and “Item 3-Legal Proceedings” in PART I and “Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations” in PART II, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, the “Reform Act”). Certain, but not necessarily all, of such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “should”, or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K regarding our financial position, business strategy and plans or objectives for future operations are forward-looking statements.
Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements are risks and uncertainties inherent in our business including, without limitation: our ability to adequately fund our projects, the potential therapeutic effect of our products, the possibility of obtaining regulatory approval, our ability to find senior co-development partners with the capital and expertise needed to commercialize our products and to enter into arrangements with them on commercially reasonable terms, our ability to manufacture and sell any products, our ability to enter into arrangements with third party vendors, market acceptance of our products, our ability to earn a profit from sales or licenses of any drugs, our ability to discover new drugs in the future, changing market conditions, changes in laws and regulations affecting our industry, and issues related to the improvements and construction of our New Brunswick, New Jersey facility. We have disclosed that in February 2013, we received a Complete Response from the FDA declining to approve our Ampligen® New Drug Application (“NDA”) for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment ("CFS") stating that we should conduct at least one additional clinical trial, complete various nonclinical studies and perform a number of data analyses. Accordingly, the remaining steps to potentially gain FDA approval of the Ampligen® NDA, the final results of these and other ongoing activities could vary materially from our expectations and could adversely affect the chances for approval of the Ampligen® NDA. These activities and the ultimate outcomes are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to risks that (i) the FDA may ask for additional data, information or studies to be completed or provided; and (ii) the FDA may require additional work related to the commercial manufacturing process to be completed or may, in the course of the inspection of manufacturing facilities, identify issues to be resolved. With regard to our NDA for Ampligen® to treat CFS, we note that there are additional steps which the FDA has advised Hemispherx to take in our seeking approval. The final results of these and other ongoing activities, and of the FDA review, could vary materially from Hemispherx' expectations and could adversely affect the chances for approval of the Ampligen® NDA. Any failure to satisfy the FDA’s requirements could significantly delay, or preclude outright, approval of our drugs for commercial sale.
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We completed the construction of the $8 million facility enhancement project in 2015 which, upon FDA approval, should provide for a higher capacity and more cost effective manufacturing process for the production of Alferon N Injection®. Commercial sales of Alferon and Alferon API internationally are projected to begin as early as next quarter. However, commercial sales of Alferon® in the USA will not resume until new batches of commercial filled and finished product are produced and released by the FDA. We are continuing the validation of Alferon® production and production of new Alferon® API inventory commenced in February 2015. While the facility is approved by the FDA under the Biological License Application (“BLA”) for Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed by an FDA pre-approval inspection. We will also need the FDA’s approval to release commercial product once we have submitted satisfactory stability and quality release data. We had anticipated that it would take approximately until at least the 2nd half of 2015 before we would have Alferon® approved for commercial sales; however, during the final stage of the manufacturing process we encountered issues regarding a change in both the contract supplier of leukocytes and the long term supply availability related to a reagent used in the formulation of Alferon®. We have substantially resolved these issues. However, due to the interruption of the required flow of leukocytes, production ceased, causing parts to malfunction in the upstream process when the system was restarted for testing. We were working diligently to make the necessary repairs to be able to restart the validation process; however, in the process of obtaining time estimates for the repairs we experienced a flood within portions our manufacturing facility. As a result, we will be constrained in our ability to manufacture product in the near future due to this flood in the upstream processing cleanroom that contains the bioreactor. The flood occurred on the afternoon of January 5, 2016, caused by a malfunctioning water supply pipe for the sprinkler system covering a large amount of the cleanroom in stagnant water and silt from the sprinkler system. We are currently working with equipment manufacturers, construction trades and vendors to assess the damage and curtail the amount of downtime to continue work needed to complete the FDA Pre-Approval-Inspection. Currently, the manufacturing process is on hold and there is no definitive timetable to have the facility back online. If we are unable to gain the necessary FDA approvals related to the manufacturing process and/or final product of new Alferon® inventory, our operations most likely will be materially and/or adversely affected. In light of these contingencies, there can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to production on a timely basis, if at all, or that if and when it is again made commercially available, it will return to prior sales levels. Please see “Risks Associated with Our Business” in Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors below - There are no long-term agreements with suppliers of required materials and services for Ampligen® and there are a limited number of raw material suppliers. If we are unable to obtain the required raw materials and/or services, we may not be able to manufacture Ampligen®.
Our overall objectives include plans to continue seeking approval for commercialization of Ampligen® in the United States and abroad as well as to widen existing commercial therapeutic indications of Alferon N Injection® presently approved in the United States and Argentina. In addition, we have formed collaborations with multiple research laboratories around the world to examine Ampligen®, an experimental therapeutic, and Alferon N, an FDA-approved commercial product (for refractory venereal warts (HPV)) as potential preventatives for, and treatments of, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) among others. Our ability to commercialize our products, widen commercial therapeutic indications of Alferon N Injection® and/or capitalize on our collaborations with research laboratories to examine our products as potential preventatives for, and treatments of, MERS, among others, are subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to our ability to enter into more definitive agreements with some of the research laboratories and others that we are collaborating with, to fund and conduct additional testing and studies, whether or not such testing is successful or requires additional testing and meets the requirements of the FDA and comparable foreign regulatory agencies. We do not know when, if ever, our products will be generally available for commercial sale for any indication.
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On March 15, 2016, we received written notice from the NYC MKT LLC (the “NYSE MKT”) that we are not in compliance with the continued listing standards set forth in Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE MKT Company Guide because our common stock has been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period of time. The NYSE MKT has determined that the continued listing of our common stock is predicated on us affecting a reverse stock split of our common stock or otherwise demonstrating sustained price improvement within a reasonable period of time. We have until September 15, 2016 to demonstrate compliance.
We plan to seek stockholder approval of a reverse stock split at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting which we anticipate holding in late August 2016. In the interim, as discussed in Part I, Item 1. “Business” below, we will continue to actively pursue our new honed business focus in the hopes that such actions will increase stockholder value and raise the price of our common stock. In this regard, since we began making changes, the stock price of the Company’s common stock has increased from approximately $0.10 prior to the implementation of these changes, to a high of $0.19 and, as of the March 23, 2016, the closing price on the NYSE MKT was $0.13. We cannot assure that our actions will demonstrate compliance.
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We outsource certain components of our manufacturing, quality control, marketing and distribution while maintaining control over the entire process through our quality assurance and regulatory groups. We cannot provide any guarantee that the facility or our contract manufacturer will necessarily pass an FDA pre-approval inspection for Alferon® manufacture.
We do not undertake and specifically decline any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
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GENERAL
Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Hemispherx”, “Company”, “we" or “us”) are a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and engaged in the clinical development of new drug therapies based on natural immune system enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based disorders. We were founded in the early 1970s doing contract research for the National Institutes of Health. Since that time, we have established a strong foundation of laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical data with respect to the development of natural interferon and nucleic acids to enhance the natural antiviral defense system of the human body and to aid the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of certain chronic diseases. We have three domestic subsidiaries BioPro Corp., BioAegean Corp., and Core BioTech Corp., all of which are incorporated in Delaware and are dormant. Our foreign subsidiary is Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A. which was established in Belgium in 1998.
We have made several significant changes in the past few months. On September 16, 2015, our Board appointed Mr. Peter Rodino as Lead Director. In addition, Mr. Rodino and William Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D. were each appointed to the Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Mr. Rodino, Dr. Mitchell and Iraj E. Kiani were each app ointed to the Audit Committee.
On February 17, 2016, our Board, by majority vote, terminated the employment of Dr. Carter, our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. As a result, Dr. Carter also is no longer a director. Dr. Mitchell, one of our independent directors, was appointed Chairman of the Board. In recent months, we have been reexamining our fundamental priorities in terms of direction, corporate culture and our ability to fund operations.
On February 19, 2016, our Board of Directors also made several changes to our executive management team in light of the termination of Dr. Carter, to provide effective and competent leadership that will properly position us to achieve our commercial goals and increase stockholder value. In this regard, Adam Pascale was named Chief Financial Officer in addition to his current responsibilities as Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Pascale has been employed with us for 18 years, with more than two decades of public accounting experience and prior public company experience. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Finance from Rutgers University. Mr. Pascale served for several years as a CPA prior to joining the Company, and is a member of both the American and the Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Equels, our President, resigned as Chief Financial Officer to make way for Mr. Pascale.
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On February 25, 2016, our Board appointed Thomas K. Equels, our current President, as our Chief Executive Officer. In that capacity, he is the principal executive officer of the Company.
We have been reexamining our fundamental priorities in terms of direction, corporate culture and our ability to fund operations. As a result, there have been significant changes at the Company in the past few months. As noted above, we have made several changes to the Company’s executive management team to provide effective and competent leadership that, management believes, will properly position the Company to achieve its commercial goals and increase stockholder value. Recent actions include listing for sale underutilized assets, aggressively pursuing international sales of clinical grade materials, and implementing a strong financial austerity plan. We are committed to a focused business plan oriented toward finding senior co-development partners with the capital and expertise needed to commercialize the many potential therapeutic aspects of our experimental drug and our approved drug Alferon®. Management’s primary objectives are to create stockholder value and deliver much needed therapies to patients.
Our flagship products include Alferon N Injection® and the experimental therapeutic Ampligen®. Alferon N Injection® is approved for a category of STD infection, and Ampligen® represents an experimental RNA being developed for globally important viral diseases and disorders of the immune system. Hemispherx' platform technology includes components for potential treatment of various severely debilitating and life threatening diseases. Alferon® LDO (Low Dose Oral) is a formulation under development targeting influenza.
The below chart provides a summary of the clinical indications for both Ampligen® and Alferon® currently under development.
We own and operate a 43,000 sq. ft. FDA approved facility in New Brunswick, NJ to produce Alferon® and Ampligen®, and completed the construction of our $8 million facility enhancement project in 2015 which, upon FDA approval, should provide for a higher capacity, more cost effective manufacturing process for the production of Alferon N Injection®. Please see “Manufacturing” section below.
On February 1, 2013, we received a Complete Response Letter (“CRL”) from the FDA declining to approve our NDA for Ampligen® for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ("CFS"). Please see the discussion in "Our Products - Ampligen®" below for more detail.
We have recently taken significant actions to focus on our business and management and reserve capital so the Company can better achieve its commercial goals, including but not limited to a strict anti-nepotism policy, listing for sale underutilized assets, aggressively pursuing international sales of clinical grade materials, and implementing a strong financial austerity plan. We are committed to a focused business plan oriented toward finding senior co-development partners with the capital and expertise needed to commercialize the many potential therapeutic aspects of our experimental drugs and our approved drug Alferon N.
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We have executed an agreement with Impatients ("myTomorrows") on a collaboration to provide access to our natural alpha interferon for patients that have become intolerant to treatment with recombinant interferon or where such treatment fails in South America and Europe. We may have the ability to sell work-in-process inventory comprising of approximately 1,200 vials of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3. We are currently working to potentially sell this inventory of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3 through our Early Access Program ("EAP") in South America and Europe. In addition, we are reviewing the possibility of also selling the remaining work-in-process inventory through the EAP; however, this inventory has yet to go through the fill and finish process. International sales are anticipated to start in early 2016. See "Marketing/Distribution" sections below for more details on the marketing/distribution of Ampligen®.
Our principal executive office is located at One Penn Center, 1617 JFK Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103, and our telephone number is 215-988-0080.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
We file our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. The public may read or copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that site is http://www.sec.gov.
You may obtain a free copy of our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports on the day of filing with the SEC on our website on the World Wide Web at http://www.hemispherx.net under the Investor Relations tab for SEC Filings or by contacting the Investor Relations Department by calling 888-557-6480 or sending an e-mail message to ir@hemispherx.net.
OUR PRODUCTS
Our primary pharmaceutical product platform consists of our experimental compound, Ampligen®, our FDA approved natural interferon product, Alferon N Injection®, and our experimental liquid natural interferon for oral administration, Alferon® LDO (Low Dose Oral).
Ampligen®
Ampligen® is an experimental drug currently undergoing clinical development for the treatment of CFS. As noted above and discussed below, the FDA in its CRL declined to approve our NDA for the treatment of CFS with Ampligen®. Over its developmental history, Ampligen® has received various designations, including Orphan Drug Product Designation (FDA), Treatment protocol (e.g., “Expanded Access” or “Compassionate” use authorization) with Cost Recovery Authorization (FDA) and “promising” clinical outcome recognition based on the evaluation of certain summary clinical reports (“AHRQ” or Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality). Ampligen® represents the first drug in the class of large (macromolecular) RNA (nucleic acid) molecules to apply for NDA review. Based on the results of published, peer reviewed pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, we believe that Ampligen® may have broad-spectrum anti-viral and anti-cancer properties.
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We believe that nucleic acid compounds represent a potential new class of pharmaceutical products as they are designed to act at the molecular level for treatment of human diseases. There are two forms of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA. DNA is a group of naturally occurring molecules found in chromosomes, the cell's genetic machinery. RNA is a group of naturally occurring informational molecules which orchestrate a cell's behavior which, in turn, regulates the action of groups of cells, including the cells which compromise the body's immune system. RNA directs the production of proteins and regulates certain cell activities including the activation of an otherwise dormant cellular defense against viruses and tumors. Our drug technology utilizes specifically-configured RNA. Our double-stranded RNA drug product, trademarked Ampligen®, is an experimental, unapproved drug, that would be administered intravenously. Ampligen® has been assigned the generic name rintatolimod by the United States Adopted Names Council (USANC) and has the chemical designation poly(I) poly(C12U).
Clinical trials of Ampligen® already conducted by us include studies of the potential treatment of CFS, Hepatitis B, HIV and cancer patients with renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. All of these potential uses will require additional clinical trials to generate the safety and effectiveness data necessary to support regulatory approval.
On February 1, 2013, we received a CRL from the FDA declining to approve our New Drug Application (“NDA”) for Ampligen® for CFS. In its CRL, the FDA communicated that Hemispherx should conduct at least one additional clinical trial, complete various nonclinical studies and perform a number of data analyses. The additional clinical study should address, among other things, Ampligen®'s efficacy in treating CFS patients, be of sufficient size and duration to assess the safety of Ampligen® and be sufficient to determine appropriate dosing. The FDA set forth the reasons for this action and provided recommendations to address certain of the outstanding issues. The FDA stated that the submitted data does not provide substantial evidence of efficacy of Ampligen® for the treatment of CFS and that the data does not provide sufficient information to determine whether the product is safe for use in CFS due to the limited size of the safety database and multiple discrepancies within the submitted data. In addition to the safety and effectiveness issues recommended to be addressed in at least one additional clinical trial, the CRL states that Hemispherx should conduct complete rodent carcinogenicity studies in two species prior to approval and also conduct additional animal toxicology studies providing more comprehensive evaluation of Ampligen® fragments and degradation products. The CRL also requests evaluation of variation between lots of Ampligen® tested in the development process and recommends tighter control of the Ampligen® manufacturing process.
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In response to the CRL, we continue to plan to avail ourselves of the opportunity for an “end-of-review” meeting with representatives of the Office of Drug Evaluation II which issued the CRL, in order to clarify and seek to narrow the outstanding issues regarding the further development of Ampligen® for the treatment of CFS.
FDA regulations provide a formal dispute resolution process to obtain review of any FDA decision, including a decision not to approve an NDA, by raising the matter with the supervisor of the FDA office that made the decision. The formal dispute resolution process exists to encourage open, prompt discussion of scientific (including medical) disputes and procedural (including administrative) disputes that arise during the drug development, new drug review, and post-marketing oversight processes of the FDA. Depending on the outcome of a number of initiatives in the CFS community, including the FDA’s Patient Focused Drug Development Initiatives, forthcoming drug guidance and other scientific initiatives by the Institute of Medicine, Center for Disease Control and National Institute of Health, we will continue to examine the opportunity for an “end-of-review” meeting. Depending on the results of these initiatives, we may request an "end-of-review" conference with the FDA as a precursor to a possible submission of a formal appeal to the Office of New Drugs within the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research regarding the FDA's decision. Please see “Risks Associated with Our Business” in Part I; Item 1A. Risk Factors below.
Until we undertake the end-of-review conference(s) with the FDA, we are unable to reasonably estimate the nature, costs, necessary efforts to obtain FDA clearance or anticipated completion dates of any additional clinical study or studies. Utilizing the industry norms for undertaking a Phase III clinical study, we estimate upon acceptance of the study's design that it would take approximately 18 months to three years to complete a new well-controlled Ampligen® clinical study for resubmission to the FDA. Industry norms suggest that it will require three to six months to initiate the study, one to two years to accrue and test patients, three to six months to close-out the study and file the necessary documents with the FDA. The actual duration to complete the clinical study may be different based on the length of time it takes to design the study and obtain FDA's acceptance of the design, the final design of an acceptable Phase III clinical study, availability of suitable participants and clinical sites along with other factors that could impact the implementation of the study, analysis of results or requirements of the FDA and/or other governmental organizations. We anticipate that the time and cost to undertake clinical trial(s), studies and data analysis are beyond our current financial resources without gaining access to additional funding. Please see "Part I; Item 1A, Risk Factors: "We may require additional financing which may not be available."
On July 12, 2012, we filed a new drug application for Ampligen® with the ANMAT (Administracion Nacional de Medicamentos, Alimentos y Tecnologia Medica), the agency responsible for the national regulation of drugs, foods and medical technology in Argentina, under the ANMAT’s Orphan Drug regulations. We believe that the approval of Ampligen® as an Orphan Drug may allow reimbursement by the Health Services Authority (SSS), the central health authority in Argentina for patients seeking treatment for CFS.
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In January 2015, we reported that we have conducted new in vitro studies of natural killer (NK) cells obtained from CFS patients in conjunction with a comprehensive review of the medical literature to determine the relative incidence of NK cell functional deficiencies in CFS disease. This review indicates that low NK cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) has been consistently reported in CFS patients compared to normal controls. In the new laboratory studies, Ampligen® was found to increase in vitro NK activity utilizing cells from CFS patient donors. The authors of the new report are all affiliated with Hemispherx.
Alferon N Injection®
Alferon N Injection® is the registered trademark for our injectable formulation of natural alpha interferon, which was approved by the FDA in 1989 for the treatment of certain categories of genital warts. Alferon® is the only natural-source, multi-species alpha interferon currently approved for sale in the U.S. for the intralesional (within lesions) treatment of refractory (resistant to other treatment) or recurring external genital warts in patients 18 years of age or older. Certain types of human papilloma viruses (“HPV”) cause genital warts, a sexually transmitted disease (“STD”). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) estimates that “approximately twenty million Americans are currently infected with HPV with another six million becoming newly infected each year. HPV is so common that at least 50% of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives.” Although they do not usually result in death, genital warts commonly recur, causing significant morbidity and entail substantial health care costs.
Interferons are a group of proteins produced and secreted by cells to combat diseases. Researchers have identified four major classes of human interferon: alpha, beta, gamma and omega. Alferon N Injection® contains a multi-species form of alpha interferon. The world-wide market for injectable alpha interferon-based products has experienced rapid growth and various alpha interferon injectable products are approved for many major medical uses worldwide. Alpha interferons are manufactured commercially in three ways: by genetic engineering, by cell culture, and from human white blood cells. All three of these types of alpha interferon are or were approved for commercial sale in the U.S. Our natural alpha interferon is produced from human white blood cells.
The potential advantages of natural alpha interferon over recombinant (synthetic) interferon produced and marketed by other pharmaceutical firms may be based upon their respective molecular compositions. Natural alpha interferon is composed of a family of proteins containing many molecular species of interferon. In contrast, commercial recombinant alpha interferon products each contain only a single species. Researchers have reported that the various species of interferons may have differing antiviral activity depending upon the type of virus. Natural alpha interferon presents a broad complement of species, which we believe may account for its higher activity in laboratory studies. Natural alpha interferon is also glycosylated (partially covered with sugar molecules). Such glycosylation is not present on the currently U.S. marketed recombinant alpha interferons. We believe that the absence of glycosylation may be, in part, responsible for the production of interferon-neutralizing antibodies seen in patients treated with recombinant alpha interferon. Although cell culture-derived interferon is also composed of multiple glycosylated alpha interferon species, the types and relative quantity of these species are different from our natural alpha interferon.
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Alferon N Injection® [Interferon alfa-n3 (human leukocyte derived)] is a highly purified, natural-source, glycosylated, multi-species alpha interferon product. There are essentially no neutralizing antibodies observed against Alferon N Injection® to date and the product has a relatively low side-effect profile. The recombinant DNA derived alpha interferon formulations have been reported to have decreased effectiveness after one year, probably due to neutralizing antibody formation.
See "Manufacturing" and "Marketing/Distribution" sections below for more details on the manufacture and marketing/distribution of Alferon N Injection®.
Alferon® LDO (Low Dose Oral)
Alferon® LDO [Low Dose Oral Interferon Alfa-n3 (Human Leukocyte Derived)] is an experimental low-dose, oral liquid formulation of Natural Alpha Interferon and like Alferon N Injection®, should not cause antibody formation, which is a problem with recombinant interferon. It is an experimental immunotherapeutic believed to work by stimulating an immune cascade response in the cells of the mouth and throat, enabling it to bolster systemic immune response through the entire body by absorption through the oral mucosa. Oral interferon could be economically feasible for patients and logistically manageable globally for development programs for prevention and, or treatment of pandemic influenza, seasonal influenza and other emerging viruses. Oral administration of Alferon® LDO, with its anticipated affordability, low toxicity, no production of antibodies, and broad range of potential bioactivity, could be a breakthrough treatment or preventative for viral diseases.
Hemispherx currently has an FDA authorized protocol to conduct a Phase II, double-blind, adaptive-design, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of Alferon® LDO for the prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal influenza of more than 200 subjects. Our Phase II study has continued to be delayed as we have redirected many of our resources to complete the upgrades in the New Brunswick facility.
HISTORICAL COSTS RELATED TO OUR PRODUCTS
The following table sets forth the costs related to our major products for each of the prior three years. Our aggregate expenses from the time that we first started developing nucleic acid pharmaceutical technology in the mid 1980’s through March 2003 were substantially related to the development of Ampligen®, and from that date through the current period were substantially related to Ampligen® and Alferon®.
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| (dollars in thousands) Year Ended December 31, 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Costs and Expenses | Ampligen® | Alferon N | Alferon® | |||||||||||||||||
| NDA | Injection® | LDO | Other | Total | ||||||||||||||||
| Production costs | $ | — | $ | 1,598 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 1,598 | ||||||||||
| Research and development | 3,452 | 4,586 | — | — | 8,038 | |||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 2,560 | 4,587 | — | — | 7,147 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 6,012 | $ | 10,771 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 16,783 | ||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) Year Ended December 31, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Costs and Expenses | Ampligen® | Alferon N | Alferon® | |||||||||||||||||
| NDA | Injection® | LDO | Other | Total | ||||||||||||||||
| Production costs | $ | — | $ | 1,251 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 1,251 | ||||||||||
| Research and development | 3,650 | 4,107 | 1,231 | — | 8,988 | |||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 3,229 | 4,739 | 1,089 | — | 9,057 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 6,879 | $ | 10,097 | $ | 2,320 | $ | — | $ | 19,296 | ||||||||||
| (dollars in thousands) Year Ended December 31, 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Costs and Expenses | Ampligen® | Alferon N | Alferon® | |||||||||||||||||
| NDA | Injection® | LDO | Other | Total | ||||||||||||||||
| Production costs | $ | — | $ | 1,234 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 1,234 | ||||||||||
| Research and development | 4,962 | — | 3,173 | 225 | 8,360 | |||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 3,994 | 993 | 2,554 | 182 | 7,723 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 8,956 | $ | 2,227 | $ | 5,727 | $ | 407 | $ | 17,317 | ||||||||||
PATENTS AND NON-PATENT EXCLUSIVITY RIGHTS
As of December 31, 2015, we had 21 patents worldwide with 18 additional pending patent applications comprising our intellectual property. Please see “Note 5: Patents, Trademark Rights and Other Intangibles (FASB ASC 350 General Intangibles Other than Goodwill)” under Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on these patents.
We continually review our patents’ rights to determine whether they have continuing value. Such review includes an analysis of the patent’s ultimate revenue and profitability potential. In addition, Management’s review addresses whether each patent continues to fit into our strategic business plans for Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection® and Alferon® LDO. One U.S. patent relating to our Alferon® product expired on April 2, 2013 (#5,503,828) and another on October 14, 2014 (#5,676,942) (see discussion below on patent #5,503,828 and #5,676,942).
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We did not file for any new patents in 2015. In 2014, we filed for three new patents. In 2014, we were granted a new composition of matter patent in the United States (#8,722,874) covering Ampligen® formulations. In 2015, we were granted a new composition of matter patent (#2340307) by the European Patent Office.
Alferon® composition patent #5,503,828 which expired in April 2013, relates to the manufacturing process for Alferon® Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (“API”), a complex mixture of natural interferon species that is manufactured from human leukocytes obtained from human blood donors. In addition, while it is the current standard by the FDA to treat biological drug products like interferon as “Well Characterized” biologics, a process for which chemical entities can have their identity, purity, impurities, potency, and quality controlled by chemical testing, Alferon®, as a natural interferon, does not lend itself well to such testing. Moreover, FDA continues to require that each lot or Alferon we produce be tested and released by the FDA before it can be distributed for commercial sales. Because of the complexity of the Alferon manufacturing process and these additional regulatory requirements, we believe that potential manufacturers of generic, or so-called “bio-similar,” drug products are focused on developing recombinant interferon products, rather than natural interferon products. For these reasons, we believe the expiration of this Alferon® composition patent in April 2013 should have no or little impact on the Company. Additionally, at the receipt of the FDA certification for the revised Alferon® manufacturing process and techniques in New Brunswick, NJ, it is our intention to file for additional patent protection.
Alferon® patent #5,676,942 which expired on October 14, 2014 and Alferon® patent #5,989,441 which was set to expire on December 22, 2017 but we let lapse, relate to a manufacturing methodology which is no longer in use. For this reason, we believe the expiration of these Alferon® patents should have no impact on the Company.
With respect to Ampligen®, the main U.S. CFS treatment patent (#6,130,206) expires October 10, 2017. Our main patents covering HIV treatment (#4,820,696, #5,063,209, and #5,091,374) expired on April 11, 2006, November 5, 2008, and February 25, 2009, respectively. Our U.S. Ampligen® Trademark (#73/617,687) has been renewed through December 6, 2018. New therapeutic use patent applications are pending including new patent applications for composition of alternative matter. On May 13, 2014, the United States Patent Office issued patent U.S. 8,722,874 titled “Double-Stranded Ribonucleic Acids with Rugged Physiochemical Structure and Highly Specific Biologic Activity” to inventors Carter, et al. and assignee Hemispherx. The patent claims a novel form of rugged dsRNA. Rugged dsRNA are nucleic acids with a unique composition and physical characteristic identified with high specificity of binding to Toll-Like Receptor 3 (TLR3), thereby conveying an important range of therapeutic opportunities. The newly discovered form of dsRNA has increased bioactivity and binding affinity to the TLR 3 receptor because of its reduced tendency to form branched dsRNA which can inhibit receptor binding. Pharmaceutical formulations containing the newly discovered nucleic acid as active ingredients, and methods of treatment with those formulations are also described in the issued patent. Hemispherx believes that the issuance of U.S. Patent 8,722,874 will help ensure that Hemispherx retains patent protection for novel formulations of Ampligen® products until at least 2029.
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In September 2015, the European Patent Office granted the European version of U.S. Patent 8,722,874 with the same title as shown above to inventors Carter, et al. and assignee Hemispherx.
In addition to our patent rights relating to Ampligen®, the FDA has granted “orphan drug status” to the drug for CFS, HIV/AIDS, and renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Orphan drug status grants us protection against the potential subsequent approval of other sponsors’ versions of the drug for these uses for a period of seven years following FDA approval of Ampligen® for each of these designated uses. The first NDA approval for Ampligen® as a new chemical entity will also qualify for four or five years of non-patent exclusivity during which abbreviated new drug applications seeking approval to market generic versions of the drug cannot be submitted to the FDA. (See “Government Regulation” below.)
In May 2011, a new United States Patent was granted for the use of Ampligen® as a vaccine adjuvant for use with seasonal influenza vaccine to induce an enhanced immune response against H5N1 avian influenza.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (“R&D”)
Our general focus during the past three fiscal years has been on the clinical development of new drug therapies based on natural immune system enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based disorders.
The following table summarizes our research and development costs for the years 2015, 2014 and 2013 by project (in thousands):
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Ampligen® New Drug Application for the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | $ | 3,452 | $ | 3,650 | $ | 4,962 | ||||||
| Alferon® LDO | — | 1,231 | 3,173 | |||||||||
| Alferon N Injection® | 4,586 | 4,107 | — | |||||||||
| Other projects | — | — | 225 | |||||||||
| Total research and development | $ | 8,038 | $ | 8,988 | $ | 8,360 | ||||||
Due to the inherent uncertainty involved in the design and conduct of clinical trials and the applicable regulatory requirements, including the factors discussed above in “OUR PRODUCTS”, we cannot predict what additional studies and/or additional testing or information may be required by the FDA. Accordingly, we are unable to estimate the nature, timing, costs and necessary efforts to complete these projects nor the anticipated completion dates. In addition, we have no basis for estimating when material net cash inflows may commence. We have yet to generate significant revenues from the sale of these developmental products. As of December 31, 2015, we had approximately $8,910,000 in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities, (inclusive of approximately $6,795,000 in Marketable Securities). Please see ITEM 1A. Risk Factors; “We may require additional financing which may not be available” below.
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In its CRL, the FDA communicated that Hemispherx should conduct at least one additional clinical trial, complete various nonclinical studies and perform a number of data analysis. Until we undertake the end-of-review conference(s) with the FDA, we are unable to reasonably estimate the nature, costs, necessary efforts to obtain FDA clearance or anticipated completion dates of any additional clinical study or studies. Utilizing the industry norms for undertaking a Phase III clinical study, we estimate upon acceptance of the study’s design that it would take approximately 18 months to three years to complete a new well-controlled Ampligen® clinical study for resubmission to the FDA. It can be reasonably anticipated that the time and cost to undertake clinical trial(s), studies and data analysis are beyond our current financial resources without gaining access to additional funding. The actual duration to complete the clinical study may be different based on the length of time it takes to design the study and obtain FDA’s acceptance of the design, the final design of an acceptable Phase III clinical study design, availability of suitable participants and clinical sites along with other factors that could impact the implementation of the study, analysis of results or requirements of the FDA and/or other governmental organizations. Please see “We most likely will require additional financing which may not be available.” in Item 1A. Risk Factors below.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ("CFS")
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (“CFS”), also known as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (“CFIDS”) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (“ME”) is a serious and debilitating chronic illness and a major public health problem. CFS is recognized by both the government and private sector as a significant unmet medical need, including the U.S. National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), FDA and the CDC. The CDC states on its website at http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/index.html that “Chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a devastating and complex disorder characterized by overwhelming fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. People with CFS most often function at a significantly lower level of activity than they were capable of before the onset of illness.”
Many severe CFS patients become completely disabled or totally bedridden and are afflicted with severe pain and mental confusion even at rest. CFS is characterized by incapacitating fatigue with profound exhaustion and extremely poor stamina, sleep difficulties and problems with concentration and short-term memory. It is also accompanied by flu-like symptoms, pain in the joints and muscles, tender lymph nodes, sore throat and new headaches. A distinctive characteristic of the illness is a worsening of symptoms following physical or mental exertion, which do not subside with rest.
For their Case Definition, the CDC states that the cause or causes of CFS have not been identified and no specific diagnostic tests are available. Therefore, in order to be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, a patient must satisfy three criteria:
| 1. | The individual has had severe chronic fatigue for six or more consecutive months that is not due to ongoing exertion or other medical conditions associated with fatigue (these other conditions need to be ruled out by a doctor after diagnostic tests have been conducted); |
| 2. | The fatigue significantly interferes with daily activities and work; and |
| 3. | The individual concurrently has four or more of the following eight symptoms: |
| • | post-exertion malaise lasting more than twenty-four hour; |
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| • | unrefreshing sleep; |
| • | significant impairment of short-term memory or concentration; |
| • | muscle pain; |
| • | pain in the joints without swelling or redness; |
| • | headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity; |
| • | tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpit; or |
| • | a sore throat that is frequent or recurring. |
These symptoms should have persisted or recurred during six or more consecutive months of illness and they cannot have first appeared before the fatigue. CFS is a diagnosis of exclusion. Because no cause for CFS has been identified, current treatment programs are directed at relieving symptoms, with the goal of the patient regaining some level of function and well-being.
While CFS strikes people in all age, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, it is most prevalent amongst women. Research has shown that CFS is about three times as common in women as men, a rate similar to that of many autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and lupus.
In June 2012, U.S. Senators Robert P. Casey, Richard Blumenthal and Kay R. Hagan sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius requesting the FDA hold a stakeholders meeting on CFS. Senators Casey and Hagan serve on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, which has Congressional oversight responsibility for FDA. The letter stated, “CFS/ME represents a significant unmet medical need, one that confers on patients a lifetime of illness. A stakeholder meeting would be of great benefit, as it would offer an opportunity to examine existing treatment protocols known to FDA, address how risk/benefit determinations should be made in relation to CFS/ME treatments and identify a path forward for regulatory science in this area.”
In April 2013, the FDA selected CFS to be the first disease in a series of meetings called Patient Focused Drug Development meetings. The two-day meeting with key stakeholders resulted in a report called The Voice of the Patient, published in September of 2013. In March 2014, FDA published the first ever Guidance for Industry Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Developing Drug Products for Treatment.
In February 2015, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a report, Beyond Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Redefining an Illness. The committee was charged by HHS with evaluating the current criteria for the diagnosis of ME/CFS and recommend clinical diagnostic criteria that would address the needs of health care providers, patients, and their caregivers. The primary message of the committee is “ME/CFS is a serious, chronic, complex, systemic disease that can profoundly affect the lives of patients.” The IOM since published a Report Guide for Clinicians. In October 2015, NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. announced that NIH is strengthening its efforts to advance research on ME/CFS. In an interview with ME Action, December 2015, Collins described the range of possibilities – “everything from basic science to clinical trials for promising approaches, including Ampligen® and Rituximab”.
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In May 1997, the FDA authorized an open-label treatment protocol, (“AMP 511”), allowing patient access to Ampligen® for treatment in an open-label safety study under which severely debilitated CFS patients have the opportunity to be on Ampligen® to treat this very serious and chronic condition. The data collected from the AMP 511 protocol through a consortium group of clinical sites provide safety information regarding the use of Ampligen® in patients with CFS. As of December 31, 2015, there were 29 patients participating in this open label treatment protocol taking treatment. We are establishing an enlarged data base of clinical safety information which we believe will provide further documentation regarding the absence of autoimmune disease associated with Ampligen® treatment. We believe that continued efforts to understand existing data, and to advance the development of new data and information, will ultimately support our future filings for Ampligen® and/or the design of future clinical studies. In 1997, we calculated the cost per dose (400mg) of Ampligen® to be $150 per dose consistent with the regulatory guidelines; however, we recently engaged an independent certified public accountant to recalculate the cost per dose consistent with the current guidelines, utilizing the costs to produce a vial in 2015. The independent analysis disclosed a cost per 400mg dose of Ampligen® of $400, $200 per vial. We have requested authorization from the FDA to implement the new cost. Existing patients utilizing Ampligen® may be qualified for a “Patient Assistance Program” for the CFS open label study to help mitigate the increase in cost.
Other Diseases
In July 2011, we received FDA authorization to proceed with the initiation of a new clinical trial of intranasal Ampligen® to be used in conjunction with commercially approved seasonal influenza vaccine. On April 16, 2012, a clinical trial was initiated in which Ampligen® is being nasally administered in conjunction with FluMist® to healthy human volunteers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham under the auspices of Dr. Paul Goepfert, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic. This study is a first use of Ampligen® with a seasonal vaccine in humans to assess the safety of Ampligen® when nasally delivered as a vaccine adjuvant. Another objective of this study is to determine the extent to which Ampligen® mobilizes potential protections against pandemic influenza by utilization of a seasonal flu vaccine. The study will evaluate the potential immunologic enhancement of Ampligen® by comparing immune parameters in the group receiving Ampligen® plus FluMist® with another group receiving FluMist® plus placebo. Twenty-five subjects have been enrolled; twelve in Stage 1 and thirteen subjects in Stage 2. The study is currently on hold pending the safety data on these 25 subjects being reviewed by the Data Monitoring Committee and authorization from the FDA is received to proceed with enrollment. As of December 31, 2015, there are no active subjects in the study.
In December 2013, we announced that we are supporting the University of Pittsburgh’s National Institutes of Health funded study (grant 1PO1CA132714) currently underway as part of the University’s Chemokine Modulation Research initiative which includes Ampligen® as an adjuvant. As part of this collaboration, Hemispherx has supplied clinical grade Ampligen® (rintatolimod) to the University. The study, under the leadership of professor of surgery Pawel Kalinski, M.D., Ph.D. and involves the Chemokine Modulatory regimen developed by Dr. Kalinski’s group, has successfully completed the lowest tier of dose escalation in patients with resectable colorectal cancer under the clinical leadership of Dr. Amer Zureikat, an assistant professor of surgery. To date, 14 patients have been treated in this study. In addition, the University has initiated enrollment in an additional cancer study of peritoneal surface malignancies which includes Ampligen® as an adjuvant. To date, 32 patients have been treated.
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In May 2014, we announced that one of our advanced stage biological products, Alferon® N, significantly inhibited the replication of the MERS virus in vitro. MERS-CoV is a recently emerged human coronavirus responsible for the lethal pulmonary syndrome known as MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Recent testing in laboratories of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has revealed that Alferon® N was inhibitory to MERS-CoV both when used before test cells were exposed to MERS-CoV, as well as after the cells were exposed to the deadly virus. NIAID researchers led the Alferon® N MERS-CoV experiments. They treated monkey kidney cells with Alferon® N either 18 hours prior to infection with MERS-CoV ("pre-treatment") or 1 hour following infection with MERS-CoV ("post-treatment"). At Day 1 and Day 3, supernatants were collected from cells and virus titers were thereafter measured. In both cases, Alferon® N showed significant dose-dependent inhibitory effects, thus suggesting the potential of Alferon® N both as a preventive and a potential treatment. Laboratory (in vitro) studies of potential antiviral agents are not necessarily predictive of clinical benefits. The Company was not involved in the conduct of the experimentation.
In June 2014, we announced that we have confirmed that Alferon® N inhibits replication of the MERS virus in vitro. Chien-Te (Kent) Tseng, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, led the Alferon® N MERS-CoV experiments. Calu-3 cells were treated with Alferon® N 24 hours prior to infection with MERS-CoV. At 36 hours, supernatants were collected from cells and the virus titers were thereafter measured. Alferon® N showed significant dose-dependent inhibitory effects, thus suggesting the potential of Alferon® N as a preventative. Laboratory (in vitro) studies of potential antiviral agents are not necessarily predictive of clinical benefits. The Company supplied the Alferon® N, but was not directly involved in the conduct of the experimentation.
In July 2015, we submitted an application for orphan drug designation to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Alferon® N to treat MERS and on January 6, 2016, the EMA forwarded to us both its Public Summary of Opinion and its record designation approving the Orphan Medicinal Products Designation for Alferon® N Injection, also known as interferon alfa-n3, as a potential treatment of MERS.
In June 2014, we concluded strategic discussions with Bioclones in Johannesburg with three principle goals; 1) initiating studies utilizing Ampligen® as a potential adjuvant enhancement of Bioclones' therapeutic cancer vaccine, currently in trials in Cape Town, including pre-clinical studies followed, potentially, by a Phase 1 clinical trial; 2) seeking South African Medicine's Control Council approval to conduct trials using Alferon® and/or Ampligen® to eradicate latent HIV in patients highly responsive to anti-retroviral therapy; and 3) initiating a joint effort to obtain commercial registration of both Ampligen® and Alferon® in the South African markets. This strategic alliance is subject to our entering into a formal agreement on any or all of the above points of understanding. Our efforts were mainly directed towards the Ebola virus disease as well as the recent developments on our CFS initiatives which have required our personnel to devote more of our time and resources towards these initiatives. Previously, we informed Bioclones of our intention to put on hold any formal agreement until such time Bioclones would be able to obtain funding to initiate these HIV initiatives and that we would provide Ampligen® on an as needed basis for their clinical programs as long as adequate supply exists. We have determined that the Company will not move forward with these initiatives due to a lack of funding from Bioclones.
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Ebola
We announced, in September 2014, a series of collaborations designed to determine the potential effectiveness of Alferon® N and Ampligen® as potential preventative and/or therapeutic treatments for Ebola related disorders. Our two platform drugs Alferon® N and Ampligen®, have certain unique structural attributes and developmental histories which suggest potential incremental value with respect to inclusion in various Ebola therapeutic cocktails under development. These collaborations have resulted in the following reports being issued:
| * | November 2014 - We received a report from the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ("USAMRIID") scientists that they have in-vitro data indicating that Alferon®, the only multi-species, natural alpha interferon commercially approved in the U.S., successfully protected human cells against the Ebola virus (EBOV). |
| * | November 2014 - We announced that we had received a new research report from Professor Tramontano in the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Italy. The biochemical study demonstrates Ampligen® can successfully bind to the lethal Ebola Virus protein designated VP35. VP35 protein normally inactivates a patient's immune/antiviral system by binding to viral dsRNA thereby sequestering a critical antiviral/immune activator of the body, which leads to high morbidity and death rates. Ampligen® competes with viral dsRNA for VP35 binding and this finding is consistent with recent studies at USAMRIID demonstrating that Ampligen® inhibits Ebola virus infectivity in vitro. |
| * | December 2014 - We announced that we received a new research report from researchers at Howard University, Washington DC. The report describes a study in which Ampligen® strongly inhibited the Ebola minigenome in the human embryonic kidney cell system. |
| * | February 2015 - We announced results of a new efficacy study of Ampligen® in a mouse model of EBOV infection performed by scientists at the USAMRIID. Ampligen® was utilized with a mouse adapted Ebola virus using multiple groups of mice with varying dosage schedules of Ampligen® given every other day. The most effective dose, resulting in 100% percent survival at Day 21, corresponded to a human dose of approximately 400 mg, which has been used clinically approximately 50,000 times and has been generally well-tolerated when administered twice weekly. When higher doses of Ampligen® were used in the Ebola-infected mice, the survival rate dropped to 90%. The Ebola-infected mice treated with placebo had a 100% death rate by Day 7 post-infection. The EBOV data obtained from the in vitro and mouse infection studies using Ampligen® suggest a potential prophylactic and/or early onset therapeutic role in EVD. Previously published experimental results of animal studies using models of other lethal viral infections indicate possible similar applications to other lethal viral diseases. However, in vitro and animal testing is no assurance of human safety or efficacy for viral diseases. Clinical studies would be necessary to establish human efficacy and safety of Ampligen® for any treatment and/or prevention indication. |
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Positive results from a non-human primate ("NHP") study in all probability may be required before initiation of human clinical testing of Ampligen® in patients with Ebola Virus Disease ("EVD"). Clinical studies would also be necessary to establish human safety and efficacy of Ampligen® for either treatment and/or prevention of EVD. Clinical safety and tolerability data obtained for one indication, for example, CFS, may be different for another disorder like EVD. Currently, because of increased demand and the limited number of facilities that can conduct EBOV studies in NHP, the scheduling of a NHP study may be delayed; however, the Company is actively seeking such a study.
Our European subsidiary, Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A., has been formally notified of a positive opinion from the COMP (Committee on Medical Products) regarding its Orphan Medicinal Product Application for Ampligen®, an experimental therapeutic, to treat Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The European Medicines Agency (EMA) published on May 22, 2015 both its Public Opinion Summary and its record designation approving the Orphan Medicinal Product Designation for Ampligen®, also known as rintatolimod experimental therapeutic, to treat Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Our overall objectives include plans to continue seeking approval for commercialization of Ampligen® in the United States and abroad as well as to widen existing commercial therapeutic indications of Alferon® N Injection presently approved in the United States and Argentina. Laboratory experiments do not necessarily indicate clinical benefit. Some of the research both past and present has been, and may in the future be, sponsored in part by contracts or grants from us to various independent research entities.
Biosecurity / Biodefense
Our efforts in the biosecurity/biodefense have been redirected towards the Ebola virus disease. We have entered into material transfer and research agreements with multiple research laboratories around the world to examine whether Ampligen® and/or Alferon® exhibit antiviral activity against the Ebola virus (See "Ebola" section above).
MANUFACTURING
On October 2, 2011, the Company finalized their Fourth Amendment to a Supply Agreement, effective through March 11, 2014, with Jubilant Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC of Spokane, Washington (“Hollister-Stier”), pursuant to which Hollister-Stier would formulate and package Ampligen® from the key raw materials that Hemispherx would supply to them. This Supply Agreement expired March 11, 2014. The Company is working towards an amendment to the existing Supply Agreement, which may contain additional fees as part of entering into the extension. In October 2014, we entered into a purchase commitment with Hollister-Stier for approximately $700,000 for the manufacture of clinical batches of Ampligen®.
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We completed the construction of our $8 million facility enhancement project in 2015 which, upon FDA approval, should provide for a higher capacity and more cost effective manufacturing process for the production of Alferon N Injection®. Commercial sales of Alferon and Alferon API internationally are projected to begin as early as next quarter. However, commercial sales of Alferon® in the USA will not resume until new batches of commercial filled and finished product are produced and released by the FDA. We are continuing the validation of Alferon® production and production of new Alferon® API inventory commenced in February 2015. While the facility is approved by the FDA under the Biological License Application (“BLA”) for Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed by an FDA pre-approval inspection. We will also need the FDA’s approval to release commercial product once we have submitted satisfactory stability and quality release data. We had anticipated that it would take approximately until at least the 2nd half of 2015 before we would have Alferon® approved for commercial sales; however, during the final stage of the manufacturing process we encountered issues regarding a change in both the contract supplier of leukocytes and the long term supply availability related to a reagent used in the formulation of Alferon®. We have substantially resolved these issues. However, due to the interruption of the required flow of leukocytes, production ceased, causing parts to malfunction in the upstream process when the system was restarted for testing. We were working diligently to make the necessary repairs to be able to restart the validation process; however, in the process of obtaining time estimates for the repairs we experienced a flood within portions our manufacturing facility. As a result, we will be constrained in our ability to manufacture product in the near future due to this flood in the upstream processing cleanroom that contains the bioreactor. The flood occurred on the afternoon of January 5, 2016, caused by a malfunctioning water supply pipe for the sprinkler system covering a large amount of the cleanroom in stagnant water and silt from the sprinkler system. We are currently working with equipment manufacturers, construction trades and vendors to assess the damage and curtail the amount of downtime to continue work needed to complete the FDA Pre-Approval-Inspection. Currently, the manufacturing process is on hold and there is no definitive timetable to have the facility back online. If we are unable to gain the necessary FDA approvals related to the manufacturing process and/or final product of new Alferon® inventory, our operations most likely will be materially and/or adversely affected. In light of these contingencies, there can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to production on a timely basis, if at all, or that if and when it is again made commercially available, it will return to prior sales levels.
To formulate, fill, finish and package (“fill and finish”) Alferon N Injection® Drug Product, we require a FDA approved third party Contract Manufacturing Organization (“CMO”). In January 2012, we agreed to a Technology, Transfer, Validation and Commercial Supply Agreement with Althea Technologies, Inc. (“Althea”) of San Diego, CA, regarding the fill and finish process for Alferon N Injection®. In November 2014, we entered into a purchase commitment with Althea for approximately $622,000 for the production of validation batches of Alferon® N Injection for emergency use and/or commercial sale. The Company has paid approximately $210,000 to Althea with regard to this open purchase commitment as of December 31, 2015 and has recorded this amount within work-in-process inventory.
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MARKETING/DISTRIBUTION
Our marketing strategy for Ampligen® reflects the differing health care systems around the world along with the different marketing and distribution systems that are used to supply pharmaceutical products to those systems. We expect that, subject to receipt of FDA, ANMAT and/or other regulatory approval, Ampligen® may be utilized in four medical arenas: physicians’ offices; clinics; hospitals; and the home treatment setting. In preparation for the FDA’s consideration of our Ampligen® NDA, we undertook early stage development of pre-launch and launch driven marketing plans focusing on audience development, medical support and payer reimbursement initiatives which could facilitate product acceptance and utilization at the time of regulatory approval, if obtained. Similarly, we continued to consider distribution scenarios for the Specialty Pharmacy/Infusion channel which could provide market access, offer 3PL (third party logistics) capabilities and provide the requisite risk management control mechanisms. It is our intent to utilize third party service providers to execute elements of both the marketing/sales and distribution plans. As a possible option, we considered a plan to utilize a small group of Managed Market account managers to introduce the product to payor, employer and government account audiences. We believe that this approach could establish a market presence and facilitate the generation of revenue without incurring the substantial costs associated with a traditional sales force. Furthermore, Management believes that any approach considered should enable us to retain multiple options for future marketing strategies.
In January 2010, we engaged an Argentinean regulatory and business design entity to explore the possibility of initiating clinical trials of Alferon N Injection®, Ampligen® and Alferon® LDO during the influenza season in Argentina. On June 14, 2010, we executed a five year exclusive Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Supply Agreement for Argentina with GP Pharm Latinoamerica (“GP Pharm”), an affiliate company of Spanish GP Pharm SA. Under this Agreement, GP Pharm will be responsible for gaining regulatory approval in Argentina for Ampligen® to treat CFS in Argentina and for commercializing Ampligen® for this indication in Argentina. We granted GP Pharm the right to expand rights to sell this experimental therapeutic into other Latin America countries based upon GP Pharm achieving certain performance milestones. We also granted GP Pharm an option to market Alferon N Injection® in Argentina and other Latin America countries. Under these agreements, we will manufacture and supply Ampligen® and Alferon N Injection® to GP Pharm. On November 15, 2010, we amended our June 15, 2010 agreement with GP Pharm to include Mexico in the Territory under the Sales, Marketing, Distribution and Supply Agreement. Under this Agreement, GP Pharm Mexico will be responsible for seeking regulatory approval in Mexico for Ampligen®, an experimental therapeutic, to treat CFS in Mexico and, if approval is obtained, for commercializing Ampligen® for this indication in Mexico. We have granted GP Pharm the right to expand rights to sell this experimental therapeutic into other Latin America countries based upon GP Pharm achieving certain performance milestones.
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In January 2012, the ANMAT approved the sale and distribution of Alferon N Injection® (under the brand name “Naturaferon”) in Argentina. The receipt of the ANMAT approval for HPV is the first step of a regulatory process towards the commercial sales of Naturaferon. On September 20, 2012, we filed with ANMAT an amended NDA for the use of Alferon N Injection® in patients with chronic hepatitis C who have become refractory to recombinant interferon as a result of the appearance of neutralizing antibodies against recombinant interferon. On February 6, 2013, we received the ANMAT approval for the treatment of refractory patients that failed or were intolerant to the treatment with Interferon recombinant with Naturaferon in Argentina.
On September 6, 2011, we executed an amended agreement with Armada Healthcare, LLC (“Armada”) to undertake the marketing, education and sales of Alferon N Injection® throughout the United States. This agreement also provides start-up along with ongoing sales and marketing support to the Company. On July 31, 2015, it was mutually agreed upon to extend this agreement through August 14, 2017 subject to the same terms and conditions. We previously extended this agreement for the previous three years also under the same terms and conditions.
On September 6, 2011, we executed a new agreement with specialty distributor, BioRidge Pharma, LLC (”BioRidge”) to warehouse, ship, and distribute Alferon N Injection® on an exclusive basis in support of U.S. sales. On July 31, 2015, it was mutually agreed upon to extend this agreement through August 14, 2017 subject to the same terms and conditions. We previously extended this agreement for the previous three years also under the same terms and conditions.
On March 9, 2015, we executed an agreement with Emerge Health Pty Ltd. ("Emerge") to seek approval of Ampligen® for CFS in Australia and New Zealand and to commence distribution of Ampligen® in both countries on a named-patient basis, where deemed appropriate. The parties intend to collaborate on seeking regulatory approval from Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration ("TGA") and New Zealand's Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority ("Medsafe"). Under this five-year exclusive license to sell, market, and distribute Ampligen in Australia and New Zealand to treat CFS, Emerge will implement regulatory-compliant programs to educate physicians about Ampligen® for CFS and seek orphan drug designation and approval of Ampligen® to treat CFS. Hemispherx will support these efforts and will supply Ampligen® at a predetermined transfer price. We have the right to buy out of the agreement at a price equal to three times Ampligen® sales for the preceding 12 months if exercised within the first two years or two times such sales if exercised after year three.
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On August 3, 2015, we executed a multi-year agreement with Impatients, N.V. ("Impatients"), a Netherlands based company doing business as myTomorrows, for the commencement and management of an Early Access Program (“EAP”) in Europe, Turkey and Canada (the “Territory”) related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. MyTomorrows, as Hemispherx’ exclusive service provider and distributor in the Territory, will perform EAP activities. These activities will be directed to (a) the education of physicians and patients regarding the possibility of early access to innovative medical treatments not yet the subject of a Marketing Authorization (regulatory approval) through named-patient use, compassionate use, expanded access and hospital exemption (b) patient and physician outreach related to a patient-physician platform, (c) the securing of Early Access Approvals (exemptions and/or waivers required by regulatory authorities for medical treatments prior to Marketing Authorization) for the use of such treatments, (d) the distribution and sale of such treatments pursuant to such Early Access Approvals, (e) pharmacovigilance (drug safety) activities and/or (f) the collection of data such as patient-reported outcomes, doctor-reported experiences and registry data. Hemispherx will support these efforts and will supply Ampligen to myTomorrows at a predetermined transfer price. In the event that we receive Marketing Authorization in any country in the Territory, we will pay myTomorrows a royalty on products sold. The parties will establish a Joint Steering Committee composes of representative of both parties to oversee the EAP. On October 16, 2015, we amended the agreement with Impatients to include Alferon N® as part of the EAP as well as the inclusion of Brazil, Columbia and Chile within the definition of Territory which may provide access to our natural alpha interferon for patients that have become intolerant to treatment with recombinant interferon or where such treatment fails. We currently have inventory available for sale comprising of approximately 1,200 vials of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3. We are currently working to sell this inventory of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3 through the EAP in South America and Europe. We are reviewing the possibility of also selling the remaining work-in-process inventory through the EAP; however, this inventory has yet to go through the fill and finish process. We continue to test the stability characteristics of our products; the results of which are used to determine appropriate storage conditions and expiration dates. These tests are conducted routinely to extend the life of the product so long as the test results are positive. Negative results would result in discarding the product. Sales are anticipated to start in early 2016.
On August 6, 2015, we executed an agreement with Emerge to seek approval of Alferon N Injection® in Australia and New Zealand and to commence distribution of Alferon® in both countries on a named-patient basis, for treating genital warts and other infections and diseases to which patients in Australia and New Zealand have become refractory to recombinant interferon. Hemispherx and Emerge will collaborate on seeking regulatory approval from Australia’s TGA and New Zealand’s Medsafe. Under a five-year exclusive license to sell, market, and distribute Alferon N Injection® in Australia and New Zealand, Emerge will implement regulatory-compliant programs to educate physicians about Alferon®. Hemispherx will support these efforts and will supply Alferon® at a predetermined transfer price. We have the right to buy out of the agreement at a price equal to three times Alferon® sales for the preceding 12 months if exercised within the first two years or two times such sales if exercised after year three.
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COMPETITION
RNA based products and toll-like receptors (“TLRs”) have demonstrated great promise in pre-clinical and limited clinical applications resulting in active research and development by large pharmaceutical companies and emerging Biotech firms. As such, our potential competitors are among the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, are well known to the public and the medical community, and have substantially greater financial resources, product development, and manufacturing and marketing capabilities than we have.
These companies and their competing products may be more effective and less costly than our products. In addition, conventional drug therapy, surgery and other more familiar treatments will offer competition to our products. Furthermore, our competitors have significantly greater experience than we do in pre-clinical testing and human clinical trials of pharmaceutical products and in obtaining FDA (in the US), European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) and Health Protection Branch ("HPB") (in Canada), and other regulatory approvals of products. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining FDA, EMEA and HPB product approvals before we do. If any of our products receive regulatory approvals and we commence commercial sales of our products, we will also be competing with respect to manufacturing efficiency and marketing capabilities, areas in which we have no experience. Our competitors may possess or obtain patent protection or other intellectual property rights that prevent, limit or otherwise adversely affect our ability to develop or exploit our products.
The major pharmaceutical competitors with biotech capabilities/vaccine franchises include Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Novartis and AstraZeneca. Biotech competitors include Baxter International, Fletcher/CSI, AVANT Immunotherapeutics, AVI BioPharma and Genta. When we recommence sales of Alferon N Injection®, it will compete with Intron® A, an injectable from Merck & Co. that attempts to kill virus and prevent reproduction along with topical treatments that are normally applied by a doctor that have a risk of damaging the skin around the wart, such as:
| • | Aldara®, also known as Imiquimod®, is a cream which is marketed to boost the immune systems in an attempt to rid itself of genital warts; |
| • | Veregen® is a herbal product made from green tea leaves which is self-administered as an ointment and is used to treat external genital warts in adult patients; |
| • | Condylox® Solution (podofilox) and Podofin® (podophyllin resin) are liquids applied externally using a cotton applicator or finger which attempts to destroy genital warts by halting cell growth; and |
| • | Trichloroacetic acid (TCA) or Bichloroacetic acid (BCA) are chemical treatments which attempt to externally "burn off" genital warts. |
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
Regulation by governmental authorities in the U.S. and foreign countries is and will be a significant factor in the manufacture and marketing of Alferon® products and our ongoing research and product development activities. Ampligen® and other products developed from the ongoing research and product development activities will require regulatory clearances prior to commercialization. In particular, new drug products for humans are subject to rigorous pre-clinical and clinical testing as a condition for clearance by the FDA and by similar authorities in foreign countries. The lengthy process of seeking these approvals, and the ongoing process of compliance with applicable statutes and regulations, has and will continue to require the expenditure of substantial resources. Any failure by us or our collaborators or licensees to obtain, or any delay in obtaining, regulatory approvals could materially adversely affect the marketing of any products developed by us and our ability to receive product or royalty revenue. We have received Orphan Drug designation for certain therapeutic indications, which we believe might under certain conditions, help to accelerate the process of drug development and commercialization. Alferon N Injection® is only approved for use in intralesional treatment of refractory or recurring external genital warts in patients 18 years of age or older. Use of Alferon N Injection® for other applications requires regulatory approval.
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We are subject to various federal, state and local laws, regulations and recommendations relating to such matters as safe working conditions, laboratory and manufacturing practices, the experimental use of animals and the use of and disposal of hazardous or potentially hazardous substances, including radioactive compounds and infectious disease agents, used in connection with our research work. Prior to our construction phase, our laboratory and production facility in New Brunswick, New Jersey was approved for the manufacture of Alferon N Injection®. While our facility had been granted approval of its BLA by the FDA for the manufacture of Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed as we have completed the facility’s enhancements and believe it will again be able to obtain FDA approval. However, there can be no assurance that this facility, or facilities owned and operated by third parties that are utilized in the manufacture of our products, will obtain and/or continue to maintain FDA approval. For information about the current status of our Ampligen® NDA please see “Our Products; Ampligen®” above.
HUMAN RESOURCES
As of March 15, 2016, we had personnel consisting of 30 full-time employees. Twenty-one (21) of the combined personnel are engaged in our research, development, clinical, and manufacturing effort with 9 performing regulatory, general administration, data processing, including bio-statistics, financial and investor relations functions. We have no union employees.
While we have been successful in attracting skilled and experienced scientific personnel, there can be no assurance that we will be able to attract or retain the necessary qualified employees and/or consultants in the future.
DATA MONITORING COMMITTEE
We meet with experts from time to time in areas of clinical and scientific interest.
In May 2010, we formed a Data Monitoring Committee (“DMC”) that consists of two independent regulatory and medical experts along with a Biostatistics expert. The function of the DMC is to perform independent safety and efficacy analyses on our clinical trials. During 2013, 2014 and 2015, the DMC focused its attention on the clinical trial (AMP-600) in which Ampligen® is being nasally administered in conjunction with FluMist® to healthy human volunteers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham under the auspices of Dr. Paul Goepfert. As of December 31, 2015, 25 subjects have participated in this study. As required by the study’s protocol, the DMC has held three meetings and has reviewed the safety data on the first 12 subjects enrolled in Stage 1 and approved the study to proceed to Stage 2 which began in March 2014.
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The following cautionary statements identify important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-K. Among the key factors that have a direct bearing on our results of operations are:
Risks Associated with Our Business
No assurance of successful product development and finding co-development partners.
Ampligen® and related products. The development of Ampligen® and our other related products is subject to a number of significant risks. Ampligen® may be found to be ineffective or to have adverse side effects, fail to receive necessary regulatory clearances, be difficult to manufacture on a commercial scale, be uneconomical to market or be precluded from commercialization by proprietary right of third parties. Our investigational products are in various stages of clinical and pre-clinical development and require further clinical studies and appropriate regulatory approval processes before any such products can be marketed. We do not know when, if ever, Ampligen® or our other products will be generally available for commercial sale for any indication. Generally, only a small percentage of potential therapeutic products are eventually approved by the FDA for commercial sale (Please see the next Risk Factor and Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Ampligen®” for more information).
Alferon N Injection®. Although Alferon N Injection® is approved for marketing in the United States for the intralesional treatment of refractory or recurring external genital warts in patients 18 years of age or older, to date it has not been approved for other indications. We face many of the risks discussed above, with regard to developing this product for use to treat other ailments (Please see the next Risk Factor and Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Alferon N Injection®” above for more information).
We are committed to a focused business plan oriented toward finding co-development partners with the necessary capital and expertise required to commercialize the many therapeutic aspects of our experimental drugs and our FDA approved drug Alferon N®. If we are unable to find a suitable co-development partner to assist in the product development and commercialization of our experimental drugs and our FDA approved drug Alferon N®, we may be unable to continue or complete our development and commercialization of our products. In addition, there can be no assurance that such co-development partnerships would be on acceptable terms, or that such partnerships, will be acceptable from a profitability standpoint.
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Our drug and related technologies are investigational and subject to regulatory approval. If we are unable to obtain regulatory approval in a timely manner, or at all, our operations will be materially harmed and our stock adversely affected.
All of our drugs and associated technologies, other than Alferon N Injection®, are investigational and must receive prior regulatory approval by appropriate regulatory authorities for commercial distribution and sale and are currently legally available only through clinical trials with specified disorders. At present, Alferon N Injection® is approved for the intralesional treatment of refractory or recurring external genital warts in patients 18 years of age or older. Use of Alferon N Injection® for other indications will require regulatory approval.
Our products, including Ampligen®, are subject to extensive regulation by numerous governmental authorities in the United States (“U.S.”) and other countries, including, but not limited to, the FDA in the U.S., the Health Protection Branch (“HPB”) of Canada, the Agency for the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) in Europe and the Administracion Nacional de Medicamentos, Alimentos y Tecnologia Medica (“ANMAT”) in Argentina. Obtaining regulatory approvals is a rigorous and lengthy process and requires the expenditure of substantial resources. In order to obtain final regulatory approval of a new drug, we must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the regulatory agency that the product is safe and effective for its intended uses and that we are capable of manufacturing the product to the applicable regulatory standards. We require regulatory approval in order to market Ampligen® or any other proposed product and receive product revenues or royalties. We cannot assure you that Ampligen® will ultimately be demonstrated to be safe and efficacious. While Ampligen® is authorized for use in clinical trials in the U.S., we cannot assure you that additional clinical trial approvals will be authorized in the United States or in other countries, in a timely fashion or at all, or that we will complete these clinical trials. In addition, although Ampligen® has been authorized by the FDA for treatment use under certain conditions, including provision for cost recovery, there can be no assurance that such authorization will continue in effect.
On February 1, 2013, we received a CRL from the FDA declining to approve our Ampligen® NDA for the treatment of CFS. The FDA communicated that we should conduct at least one additional clinical trial, complete various nonclinical studies and perform a number of data analysis. For more detailed information about the current status of our Ampligen® NDA please see Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Ampligen®” above.
The FDA's regulatory review and approval process is extensive, lengthy, expensive and inherently uncertain. To receive approval for a product candidate, we must, among other things, demonstrate to the FDA's satisfaction with substantial evidence from well-controlled pre-clinical and clinical trials that the product candidate is both safe and effective for each indication for which approval is sought. Before we can sell Ampligen® for any use, or promote Alferon® for any use other than as Alferon N Injection® for treatment of refractory or recurring genital warts, we will need to file the appropriate NDA with the FDA in the U.S. and the appropriate regulatory agency outside of the U.S. where we intend to market and sell such products. At present the only NDA we have filed with the FDA is the NDA for the use of Ampligen® to treat CFS. As discussed in the prior paragraph, the FDA declined to approve this NDA and indicated that we needed to conduct additional work. Therefore, ultimate FDA approval, if any, may be delayed by several years and may require us to expend more resources than we have available. It is also possible that additional studies, if performed and completed, may not be successful or considered sufficient by the FDA for approval or even to make our applications approvable. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to abandon one or more of our future applications for approval, which might significantly harm our business and prospects. As a result, we cannot predict if or when we might receive regulatory approval for the use of Ampligen® to treat CFS or for the use of any other products. Even if regulatory approval from the FDA is received for the use of Ampligen® to treat CFS or eventually, for the use of any other product, any approvals that we obtain could contain significant limitations in the form of narrow indications, patient populations, warnings, precautions or contra-indications or other conditions of use, or the requirement that we implement a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy. In such an event, our ability to generate revenues from such products could be greatly reduced and our business could be harmed.
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Even if we believe that data collected from our preclinical studies and clinical trials of our product candidate are promising, this data has not been, and may not be in the future, sufficient to support marketing approval by the FDA, and regulatory interpretation of these data and procedures may continue to be unfavorable.
To the extent that we are required by the FDA pursuant to the Ampligen® NDA to conduct additional studies and take additional actions, approval of any applications that we submit may be delayed by several years, or may require us to expend more resources than we have available. It is also possible that additional studies, if performed and completed, may not be successful or considered sufficient by the FDA for approval or even to make our applications approvable. If any of these outcomes occur, we may be forced to abandon one or more of our future applications for approval, which might significantly harm our business and prospects. As a result, we cannot predict when or whether regulatory approval will be obtained for any product candidate we develop.
Obtaining approval of a NDA by the FDA, or a comparable foreign regulatory authority, is inherently uncertain. Even after completing clinical trials and other studies, a product candidate could fail to receive regulatory approval for many reasons, including the following:
| • | not be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FDA that our product candidate is safe and effective for any indication; |
| • | the FDA may disagree with the design or implementation of our clinical trials or other studies; |
| • | the results of the clinical trials or other studies may not demonstrate that a product candidate's clinical and other benefits outweigh its safety risks; |
| • | the FDA may disagree with our interpretation of data from clinical trials or other studies; |
| • | the data collected from clinical trials and other studies of a product candidate may not be sufficient to support the submission of a NDA; |
| • | the approval policies or regulations of the FDA may significantly change in a manner rendering our clinical and other study data insufficient for approval; and |
| • | the FDA may not approve the proposed manufacturing processes and facilities for a product candidate. |
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In 2012, FDA reviewers raised certain questions about the status of our existing lots of older Work-In-Process Alferon® materials and Alferon® Active Pharmaceutical Product (“API”), which would need to be released by the FDA before those materials could be used in commercial product. After conducting all of the appropriate tests on samples of the inventory during 2013, we concluded that we could not alleviate certain questions the FDA had about the older Work-In-Process Alferon N Injection®. Accordingly, these lots were not submitted to the FDA to request release for commercial sale and their remaining dollar value was written-off. In the absence of FDA approvals for product manufactured from existing inventory, commercial sales of Alferon® will not resume until new batches of Alferon® inventory and API can be produced, filled and finished, and released by the FDA for commercial sale. (Please see Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Manufacturing” above for more information).
Alferon® LDO has been approved for pre-clinical testing for possible use as prophylaxis and treatment against influenza. While the studies to date have been encouraging, preliminary testing in the laboratory and in animal models is not necessarily predictive of successful results in clinical testing or human treatment. No assurance can be given that similar results will be observed in clinical trials. Use of Alferon® as a possible treatment of influenza requires prior regulatory approval. In October 2009, we originally submitted a protocol to the FDA proposing to conduct a Phase II, double-blind, adaptive-design, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of Alferon® LDO for the prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza of more than 200 subjects. In December 2010, the FDA authorized this Phase II, double-blind, adaptive-design, randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of Alferon® LDO for the prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza of more than 200 subjects. Our Phase II study has been delayed. The outcome of this confirmatory study, if and when resumed, will allow us to better evaluate the potential effectiveness of this product and to proceed with this study of seasonal and pandemic influenza. We are unable to provide any assurances that the Phase II Alferon® LDO study for the prophylaxis and treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza will be undertaken.
If we are unable to gain necessary FDA approvals related to Ampligen® and Alferon® on a timely basis, our operations most likely will be materially and/or adversely affected. Additionally, if we are unable to generate the additional data, successfully complete inspections or obtain approvals as required by the FDA on a timely manner, or at all, or determine that any of our clinical studies are not cost/justified to undertake or if, for that or any other reason, Ampligen®, Alferon® or one of our other products or production processes do not receive necessary regulatory approval in the U.S. or elsewhere:
| • | our ability to generate revenues to sustain our operations will be substantially impaired, which would increase the likelihood that we would need to obtain additional financing for our other development efforts; |
| • | our reputation among investors might be harmed, which might make it more difficult for us to obtain equity capital on attractive terms or at all; and |
| • | our profitability would be delayed, our business will be materially harmed and our stock price may be adversely affected. |
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Biotechnology stock prices, including our stock price, have declined significantly in certain instances where companies have failed to meet expectations with respect to FDA approval or the timing for FDA approval.
We may continue to incur substantial losses and our future profitability is uncertain.
We last reported net profit from 1985 through 1987. Since 1987, with a major emphasis on new drug diagnostic and development, we have incurred substantial operating losses, as we pursued our clinical trial effort to get our experimental drug, Ampligen®, approved. As of December 31, 2015, our accumulated deficit was approximately $292,999,000. We have not yet generated significant revenues from our products and may incur substantial and increased losses in the future. We cannot assure that we will ever achieve significant revenues from product sales or become profitable. We require, and will continue to require, the commitment of substantial resources to develop our products. We cannot assure that our product development efforts will be successfully completed or that required regulatory approvals will be obtained or that any products will be manufactured and marketed successfully, or be profitable.
We most likely will require additional financing which may not be available.
The development of our products requires the commitment of substantial resources to conduct the time consuming research, preclinical development, and clinical trials that are necessary to bring pharmaceutical products to market. As of December 31, 2015, we had approximately $8,910,000 in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities (inclusive of approximately $6,795,000 in Marketable Securities). However, if we are unable to commercialize and sell Ampligen® or Alferon® LDO and/or recommence material sales of Alferon N Injection®, our operations, financial position and liquidity may be adversely impacted.
In its CRL, the FDA communicated that Hemispherx should conduct at least one additional clinical trial, complete various nonclinical studies and perform a number of data analyses. Until we undertake the end-of-review conference(s) with the FDA, we are unable to reasonably estimate the nature, costs, necessary efforts to obtain FDA clearance or anticipated completion dates of any additional clinical study or studies. Utilizing the industry norms for undertaking a Phase III clinical study, we estimate upon acceptance of the study's design that it would take approximately 18 months to three years to complete a new well-controlled Ampligen® clinical study for resubmission to the FDA. It can be reasonably anticipated that the time and cost to undertake clinical trial(s), studies and data analysis are beyond our current financial resources without gaining access to additional funding. The actual duration to complete the clinical study may be different based on the length of time it takes to design the study and obtain FDA's acceptance of the design, the final design of an acceptable Phase III clinical study design, availability of suitable participants and clinical sites along with other factors that could impact the implementation of the study, analysis of results or requirements of the FDA and/or other governmental organizations.
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Given the challenging economic conditions, we continue to review every aspect of our operations for cost and spending reductions to assure our long-term financial stability while maintaining the resources necessary to achieve our primary objectives of obtaining NDA approval of Ampligen® along with the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of our products, including Alferon N Injection®. We may also need additional capital to eventually commercialize and sell Ampligen® or Alferon® LDO and/or recommence and increase sales of Alferon N Injection® or our other products. We anticipate considering multiple options in an attempt to secure funding, including but not limited to such methods as the sales of additional equity, licensing agreements, partnering with other organizations, debt financing or other sources of capital. We may also review the possibility of selling the remaining work-in-process inventory through the EAP; however, this inventory has yet to go through the fill and finish process. International sales are anticipated to start in early 2016.
In December 2015, Hemispherx entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (the “Chardan Agreement”) to create an at-the-market equity program under which it may sell shares of its common stock from time to time through Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, as sales agent (“Chardan”). On December 15, 2015, prior to the filing the Prospectus Supplement for sales under the Chardan Agreement, the Company filed a Prospectus Supplement reducing all offerings pursuant to its existing equity distribution agreement with Maxim Group LLC to $0. Please see Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations; Liquidity and Capital Resources” in PART II and the Risk Factor “The trading price of our common stock has decreased significantly over the past year. If we are unable to raise the trading price, the market for our common stock most likely will be adversely affected” below.
As recently announced in the Company’s November 23, 2015 Current Report on Form 8-K, Dr. William A. Carter, the Company’s then Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, and Thomas K. Equels, the Company’s current Chief Executive Officer, President, Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, Secretary and General Counsel, waived their rights under their respective employment agreements to any future payment of any incentive bonus related to the sale of the Company’s stock under any ATM equity distribution agreements. Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels voluntarily provided these waivers in an effort to preserve cash and to help the Company to ensure its short term commercialization goals.
If we are unable to obtain additional funding, through the EDA or otherwise, our ability to develop our products, commercially produce inventory or continue our operations may be materially adversely affected.
Our Alferon N Injection® Commercial Sales were halted due to lack of finished goods inventory. If we are unable to gain the necessary FDA approvals related to Alferon®, our operations most likely will be materially and/or adversely affected.
Commercial sales of Alferon N Injection® were halted in March 2008 when our finished goods inventory expired. The production of Alferon N Injection® from the Work-In-Process Inventory was restarted in May 2010, continued into January 2011 with its conversion into API.
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In April 2012, FDA reviewers raised certain questions about the status of our existing lots of older Work-In-Process Alferon® materials and Alferon® API, which would need to be released by the FDA before those materials could be used in commercial product. After conducting all of the appropriate tests on samples of the inventory during 2013, we concluded that we could not alleviate certain questions the FDA had about the older Work-In-Process Alferon N Injection® and their remaining dollar value has been written-off. Commercial sales of Alferon® will not resume until new batches of Alferon® inventory and API can be produced, filled and finished, and released by the FDA for commercial sale.
While our facility is FDA approved under the BLA by the FDA for Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed upon the completion of the facility's upgrades for Alferon®. We cannot provide any guarantee that the facility will necessarily pass a FDA pre-approval inspection for Ampligen® or Alferon® manufacture, which are conducted in separately dedicated areas within the overall New Brunswick manufacturing complex. Please see the Risk Factor “There is no assurance that our manufacturing facility will again be granted a BLA certification by the FDA upon completion of the manufacturing enhancements or return to commercial, large-scale production. In addition, our inability to timely fix the issues caused by the recent flood in our manufacturing facility could hinder our ability sustain sales of our products, if and when such sales commence.” below for more information.
If we are unable to gain the necessary FDA approvals related to the manufacturing process and/or final product of new Alferon® inventory, our operations most likely will be materially and/or adversely affected. For more information on Alferon N Injection® regarding potential commercial sales, please see PART I, Item I - "Business; Manufacturing”.
In light of these contingencies, there can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to production on a timely basis, if at all, or that if and when it is again made commercially available, it will return to prior sales levels.
We may not be profitable unless we can protect our patents and/or receive approval for additional pending patents.
We need to preserve and acquire enforceable patents covering the use of Ampligen® for a particular disease in order to obtain exclusive rights for the commercial sale of Ampligen® for such disease. We obtained all rights to Alferon N Injection®, and we plan to preserve and acquire enforceable patents covering its use for existing and potentially new diseases. Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to preserve and obtain patent protection for our products and to obtain and preserve our trade secrets and expertise. Certain of our know-how and technology is not patentable, particularly the procedures for the manufacture of our experimental drug, Ampligen®. We also have been issued patents on the use of Ampligen® in combination with certain other drugs for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis B virus, chronic Hepatitis C virus, and a patent which affords protection on the use of Ampligen® in patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. We have not yet been issued any patents in the United States for the use of Ampligen® as a sole treatment for any of the cancers which we have sought to target. For more information on Patents, please see PART I, Item I – “Business; Patents”.
We cannot assure that our competitors will not seek and obtain patents regarding the use of similar products in combination with various other agents, for a particular target indication prior to our doing so. If we cannot protect our patents covering the use of our products for a particular disease, or obtain additional patents, we may not be able to successfully market our products.
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The patent position of biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms is highly uncertain and involves complex legal and factual questions.
To date, no consistent policy has emerged regarding the breadth of protection afforded by pharmaceutical and biotechnology patents. There can be no assurance that new patent applications relating to our products, process or technology will result in patents being issued or that, if issued, such patents will afford meaningful protection against competitors with similar technology. It is generally anticipated that there may be significant litigation in the industry regarding patent and intellectual property rights. Such litigation could require substantial resources from us and we may not have the financial resources necessary to enforce the patent rights that we hold. No assurance can be made that our patents will provide competitive advantages for our products, process and technology or will not be successfully challenged by competitors. No assurance can be given that patents do not exist or could not be filed which would have a materially adverse effect on our ability to develop or market our products or to obtain or maintain any competitive position that we may achieve with respect to our products. Our patents also may not prevent others from developing competitive products or process using related technology.
There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain necessary licenses if we cannot enforce patent rights we may hold. In addition, the failure of third parties from whom we currently license certain proprietary information or from whom we may be required to obtain such licenses in the future, to adequately enforce their rights to such proprietary information, could adversely affect the value of such licenses to us.
If we cannot enforce the patent rights we currently hold we may be required to obtain licenses from others to develop, manufacture or market our products. There can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain any such licenses on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. We currently license certain proprietary information from third parties, some of which may have been developed with government grants under circumstances where the government maintained certain rights with respect to the proprietary information developed. No assurances can be given that such third parties will adequately enforce any rights they may have or that the rights, if any, retained by the government will not adversely affect the value of our license.
There is no guarantee that our trade secrets will not be disclosed or known by our competitors.
To protect our rights, we require all employees and certain consultants to enter into confidentiality agreements with us. There can be no assurance that these agreements will not be breached, that we would have adequate and enforceable remedies for any breach, or that any trade secrets of ours will not otherwise become known or be independently developed by competitors.
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We have limited marketing and sales capability. If we are unable to obtain additional distributors and our current and future distributors do not market our products successfully, we may not generate significant revenues or become profitable.
We have limited marketing and sales capability. We are dependent upon existing and, possibly future, marketing agreements and third party distribution agreements for our products in order to generate significant revenues and become profitable. As a result, any revenues received by us will be dependent in large part on the efforts of third parties, and there is no assurance that these efforts will be successful.
Our commercialization strategy for Ampligen® for CFS, if and when it is approved for marketing and sale by the FDA, may include licensing/co-marketing agreements utilizing the resources and capacities of a strategic partner(s). We continue to seek a world-wide marketing partner with the goal of having a relationship in place before approval is obtained. In parallel to partnering discussions, appropriate pre-marketing activities will be undertaken. It is our current intention to control manufacturing of Ampligen® on a world-wide basis.
Our commercialization strategy for Alferon N Injection® may include the utilization of internal functions and/or licensing/co-marketing agreements that would utilize the resources and capacities of one or more strategic partners. Accordingly, we have engaged Armada Healthcare to undertake the marketing, education and sales of Alferon N Injection® throughout the United States along with GP Pharm for both Ampligen® and Alferon® in Argentina along with other South and Latin American countries.
We cannot assure that our U.S. or foreign marketing strategy will be successful or that we will be able to establish future marketing or third party distribution agreements on terms acceptable to us, or that the cost of establishing these arrangements will not exceed any product revenues. Our inability to establish viable marketing and sales capabilities would most likely have a materially adverse effect on us. There can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to prior sales levels.
There are no long-term agreements with suppliers of required materials and services for Ampligen® and there are a limited number of raw material suppliers. If we are unable to obtain the required raw materials and/or services, we may not be able to manufacture Ampligen®.
A number of essential raw materials are used in the production of Ampligen® as well as packaging materials utilized in the fill and finish process. We do not have, but continue to work towards having long-term agreements for the supply of such materials, when possible. There can be no assurance we can enter into long-term supply agreements covering essential materials on commercially reasonable terms, if at all.
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There are a limited number of suppliers in the United States available to provide the raw and packaging materials for use in manufacturing Ampligen®. At present, we do not have any agreements with third parties for the supply of any of these materials. We have established relevant manufacturing operations within our New Brunswick, New Jersey facility for the production of Ampligen® polymers from raw materials in order to obtain a more consistent manufacturing basis in the quantities necessary for clinical testing. In September 2011 and similar to our prior agreements, Hollister-Stier has agreed to undertake the manufacturing sets to formulate, fill, finish and package Ampligen® from the key polymers that we would supply. Hollister-Stier would have the right of first refusal to manufacture certain Ampligen® related products. In addition, during the final stage of the manufacturing process for Alferon®, we encountered issues regarding a change in both the contract supplier of leukocytes and the long term supply availability related to a reagent used in the formulation of Alferon®. We have substantially resolved these issues. However, due to the interruption of the required flow of leukocytes, production ceased, causing parts to malfunction in the upstream process when the system was restarted for testing. We were working diligently to make the necessary repairs to be able to restart the validation process; however, in the process of obtaining time estimates for the repairs we experienced a flood within portions our manufacturing facility. As a result, we will be constrained in our ability to manufacture product in the near future due to this flood in the upstream processing cleanroom that contains the bioreactor. The flood occurred on the afternoon of January 5, 2016, caused by a malfunctioning water supply pipe for the sprinkler system covering a large amount of the cleanroom in stagnant water and silt from the sprinkler system. We are currently working with equipment manufacturers, construction trades and vendors to assess the damage and curtail the amount of downtime to continue work needed to complete the FDA Pre-Approval-Inspection. Currently, the manufacturing process is on hold and there is no definitive timetable to have the facility back online. If we are unable to gain the necessary FDA approvals related to the manufacturing process and/or final product of new Alferon® inventory, our operations most likely will be materially and/or adversely affected. In light of these contingencies, there can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to production on a timely basis, if at all, or that if and when it is again made commercially available, it will return to prior sales levels.
If we are unable to obtain or manufacture the required materials, and/or procure services needed in the final steps in the manufacturing process, we may be unable to manufacture Ampligen®. The costs and availability of products and materials we need for the production of Ampligen® are subject to fluctuation depending on a variety of factors beyond our control, including competitive factors, changes in technology, ownership of intellectual property, FDA and other governmental regulations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such products and materials on terms acceptable to us or at all. For more information on Ampligen® manufacturing, please see Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Manufacturing” above.
There are a limited number of organizations in the United States available to provide the final manufacturing steps of formulation, fill, finish and packing sets for Alferon N Injection® and Ampligen®.
There are a limited number of organizations in the United States available to provide the final steps in the manufacturing for Alferon N Injection® and Ampligen®. To formulate, fill, finish and package our products (“fill and finish”), we require a FDA approved third party CMO.
In January 2012, we agreed to a Technology, Transfer, Validation and Commercial Supply Agreement with Althea Technologies, Inc. regarding the fill and finish process for Alferon N Injection®. As we no longer have any existing inventory, commercial sales of Alferon® will not resume until new batches of Alferon® inventory and API can be produced, filled and finished, and released by the FDA for commercial sale.
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Pursuant our Supply Agreement with Hollister-Stier, they will formulate, fill, finish and package Ampligen® from the key raw materials that we would supply. We are unable to provide any assurances that the FDA will approve the inventory manufactured by us or produced by Hollister-Stier. If this finish goods inventory is not granted approval by the FDA, our operations may be materially adversely affected. This Supply Agreement expired on March 11, 2014. The Company is working towards an amendment to the existing Supply Agreement which may contain additional fees as part of entering into the extension. In October 2014, we entered into a purchase commitment with a contract manufacturer (Hollister Stier) for approximately $700,000 for the manufacture of clinical batches of Ampligen®.
If we are unable to procure services needed in the final steps in the manufacturing process, we may be unable to manufacture Alferon N Injection® and/or Ampligen®. The costs and availability of products and materials we need for the production of Ampligen® and the commercial production of Alferon N Injection® and other products which we may commercially produce are subject to fluctuation depending on a variety of factors beyond our control, including competitive factors, changes in technology, and FDA and other governmental regulations and there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such products and materials on terms acceptable to us or at all. For more information on Ampligen® and Alferon N Injection® manufacturing, please see Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Manufacturing” above.
There is no assurance that our manufacturing facility will again be granted a BLA certification by the FDA or return to commercial, large-scale production. In addition, our inability to timely fix the issues caused by the recent flood in our manufacturing facility could hinder our ability sustain sales of our products, if and when such sales commence.
We completed the construction of our $8 million facility enhancement project in 2015 which, upon FDA approval, should provide for a higher capacity, more cost effective manufacturing process for the production of Alferon N Injection®. The production of new Alferon® API inventory commenced in February 2015. While the facility is approved by FDA under the BLA for Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed upon the completion of the facility's enhancements prior to commercial sale of newly produced inventory product. If and when we obtain a reaffirmation of FDA BLA status, we will need FDA approval to release the final product confirming the quality and stability to allow commercial sales to resume. For more information, please see Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Manufacturing” above for more information. There can be no assurance the BLA status will be recertified by the FDA upon the completion of the enhancement process or that the manufacturing facility will return to commercial, large-scale production for Alferon®. Additionally, there can be no assurance that any given product will be determined to be safe and effective, or capable of being manufactured under applicable quality standards.
Only if and when our BLA status is recertified by the FDA to produce Alferon® API at our enhanced manufacturing facility and Althea gains FDA’s approval to formulate, fill and finish Alferon, can batches of Alferon® be released by the FDA for commercial sales. We are unable to provide any assurances that the FDA will approve our enhanced manufacturing process and/or newly created finish product lots formulated, filled and finished at Althea. Without FDA approval, our Alferon N Injection® will not be considered suitable for commercial sales.
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Our ability to manufacture at our manufacturing facility is also hampered and delayed by the recent flood. See Part I, Item 1. Business: “Marketing”.
In light of these contingencies, there can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to commercial production or sale on a timely basis, if at all, or that if and when it is again made commercially available, it will return to prior sales levels.
There is no assurance that upon successful manufacture of a drug on a limited scale basis for investigational use will lead to a successful transition to commercial, large-scale production.
Changes in methods of manufacturing, including commercial scale-up, may affect the chemical structure of Ampligen® and other RNA drugs, as well as their safety and efficacy. The transition from limited production of pre-clinical and clinical research quantities to production of commercial quantities of our products will involve distinct management and technical challenges and may require additional management, technical personnel and capital to the extent such manufacturing is not handled by third parties. While we believe that the Company could successfully upgrade our production capability at our New Brunswick, NJ facility in a commercial scale-up of Ampligen®, there can be no assurance that our manufacturing will be successful or that any given product will be determined to be safe and effective, or capable of being manufactured under applicable quality standards, economically, and in commercial quantities, or successfully marketed.
We have limited manufacturing experience for Ampligen® and Alferon®. We may not be profitable unless we can produce Ampligen®, Alferon® or other products in commercial quantities at costs acceptable to us.
Satisfactory inspection by the FDA of both our Ampligen® and Alferon® manufacturing process is required before commercial sale of project would be allowed. The CRL from the FDA on February 1, 2013, requests evaluation of variation between lots of Ampligen® tested in the development process and recommends tighter control of the Ampligen® manufacturing process. We cannot provide any guarantee that the facility will pass a FDA pre-approval inspection for Ampligen® or Alferon® manufacture, which are conducted in separately dedicated areas within the overall New Brunswick manufacturing complex. The failure to obtain FDA approval for either of our manufacturing process areas would most likely have a materially adverse impact upon us.
Ampligen® has been produced to date in limited quantities for use in our clinical trials, and we are dependent upon a qualified third party supplier for the manufacturing, filling, finish and packaging process. The failure to continue these arrangements or to achieve other such arrangements on satisfactory terms could have a material adverse effect on us. In furtherance of the capital improvement program at our New Brunswick, NJ facility to upgrade our manufacturing capability to produce bulk quantities of Alferon N Injection® API, the validation phase of the Alferon® manufacturing project is currently underway. While the facility is approved by FDA under the BLA for Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed upon the completion of the facility's enhancements prior to commercial sale of newly produced inventory product. If and when we obtain a reaffirmation of FDA BLA status, we will need FDA approval to release the final product confirming the quality and stability to allow commercial sales to resume. For more information, please see Part 1, Item I: “Business; Our Products; Manufacturing” above. In light of these contingencies, there can be no assurances that the approved Alferon N Injection® product will be returned to production on a timely basis, if at all. The failure to obtain FDA approval of any of our manufacturing process would most likely have a materially adverse impact upon us.
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Also to be successful, our products must be manufactured in commercial quantities in compliance with regulatory requirements and at acceptable costs. We believe, but cannot assure, that our enhancements to our manufacturing facilities will be adequate for our future needs for the production of our proposed products for large-scale commercialization. We intend to ramp up our existing facility and/or utilize third party facilities if and when the need arises or, if we are unable to do so, to build or acquire commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. We will need to comply with regulatory requirements for such facilities, including those of the FDA pertaining to cGMP requirements or maintaining our BLA status. There can be no assurance that such facilities can be used, built, or acquired on commercially acceptable terms, or that such facilities, if used, built, or acquired, will be adequate for the production of our proposed products for large-scale commercialization or our long-term needs.
We have never produced Ampligen®, Alferon® or any other products in large commercial quantities. We must manufacture our products in compliance with regulatory requirements in large commercial quantities and at acceptable costs in order for us to be profitable. We intend to utilize third party manufacturers and/or facilities if and when the need arises or, if we are unable to do so, to build or acquire commercial-scale manufacturing facilities. If we cannot manufacture commercial quantities of Ampligen® and/or Alferon®, or continue to maintain third party agreements for its manufacture at costs acceptable to us, our operations will be significantly affected. If and when the Ampligen® NDA is approved, we may need to find an additional vendor to manufacture the product for commercial sales. Also, each production lot of Alferon N Injection® is subject to FDA review and approval prior to releasing the lots to be sold. This review and approval process could take considerable time, which would delay our having product in inventory to sell, nor can we provide any assurance as to the receipt of FDA approval of our finished inventory product. There can be no assurances that the Ampligen® and/or Alferon® can be commercially produced at costs acceptable to us.
Rapid technological change may render our products obsolete or non-competitive.
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are subject to rapid and substantial technological change. Technological competition from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, universities, governmental entities and others diversifying into the field is intense and is expected to increase. Most of these entities have significantly greater research and development capabilities than us, as well as substantial marketing, financial and managerial resources, and represent significant competition for us. There can be no assurance that developments by others will not render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive or that we will be able to keep pace with technological developments.
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Our products may be subject to substantial competition.
Ampligen®. Competitors may be developing technologies that are, or in the future may be, the basis for competitive products. Some of these potential products may have an entirely different approach or means of accomplishing similar therapeutic effects to products being developed by us. These competing products may be more effective and less costly than our products. In addition, conventional drug therapy, surgery and other more familiar treatments may offer competition to our products. Furthermore, many of our competitors have significantly greater experience than we do in preclinical testing and human clinical trials of pharmaceutical products and in obtaining FDA, HPB and other regulatory approvals of products. Accordingly, our competitors may succeed in obtaining FDA, HPB or other regulatory product approvals more rapidly than us. There are no drugs approved for commercial sale with respect to treating CFS in the United States. The dominant competitors with drugs to treat disease indications in which we plan to address include Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., Novartis and AstraZeneca. Biotech competitors include Baxter International, Fletcher/CSI, AVANT Immunotherapeutics, AVI BioPharma and Genta. These potential competitors are among the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, are well known to the public and the medical community, and have substantially greater financial resources, product development, and manufacturing and marketing capabilities than we have. Although we believe our principal advantage is the unique mechanism of action of Ampligen® on the immune system, we cannot assure that we will be able to compete.
Alferon N Injection®. Our competitors are among the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, are well known to the public and the medical community, and have substantially greater financial resources, product development, and manufacturing and marketing capabilities than we have. Alferon N Injection® currently competes with Merck's injectable recombinant alpha interferon product (INTRON® A) for the treatment of genital warts. In addition, other pharmaceutical firms offer self-administered topical cream, for the treatment of external genital and perianal warts such as Graceway Pharmaceuticals (Aldara®), Watson Pharma (Condylox®) and MediGene (Veregen®). Alferon N Injection® also competes with surgical, chemical, and other methods of treating genital warts. We cannot assess the impact products developed by our competitors, or advances in other methods of the treatment of genital warts, will have on the commercial viability of Alferon N Injection®. If and when we obtain additional approvals of uses of this product, we expect to compete primarily on the basis of product performance. Our competitors have developed or may develop products (containing either alpha or beta interferon or other therapeutic compounds) or other treatment modalities for those uses. There can be no assurance that, if we are able to obtain regulatory approval of Alferon N Injection® for the treatment of new indications, we will be able to achieve any significant penetration into those markets. In addition, because certain competitive products are not dependent on a source of human blood cells, such products may be able to be produced in greater volume and at a lower cost than Alferon N Injection®. Currently, our wholesale price on a per unit basis of Alferon N Injection® is higher than that of the competitive recombinant alpha and beta interferon products. Please see “We may not be profitable unless we can protect our patents and/or receive approval for additional pending patents" above for additional information.
General. Other companies may succeed in developing products earlier than we do, obtaining approvals for such products from the FDA more rapidly than we do, or developing products that are more effective than those we may develop. While we will attempt to expand our technological capabilities in order to remain competitive, there can be no assurance that research and development by others or other medical advances will not render our technology or products obsolete or non-competitive or result in treatments or cures superior to any therapy we develop.
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Possible side effects from the use of Ampligen® or Alferon N Injection® could adversely affect potential revenues and physician/patient acceptability of our product.
Ampligen®. We believe that Ampligen® has been generally well tolerated with a low incidence of clinical toxicity, particularly given the severely debilitating or life threatening diseases that have been treated. A mild flushing reaction has been observed in approximately 15-20% of patients treated in our various studies. This reaction is occasionally accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, a tightness of the chest, urticaria (swelling of the skin), anxiety, shortness of breath, subjective reports of “feeling hot”, sweating and nausea. The reaction is usually infusion-rate related and can generally be controlled by reducing the rate of infusion. Other adverse side effects include liver enzyme level elevations, diarrhea, itching, asthma, low blood pressure, photophobia, rash, visual disturbances, slow or irregular heart rate, decreases in platelets and white blood cell counts, anemia, dizziness, confusion, elevation of kidney function tests, occasional temporary hair loss and various flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, muscular aches, joint pains, headaches, nausea and vomiting. These flu-like side effects typically subside within several months.
The FDA in its February 1, 2013 CRL, set forth the reasons for not approving Ampligen® at this time and provided recommendations to address certain of the outstanding issues. The Agency stated that the submitted data do not provide substantial evidence of efficacy of Ampligen® for the treatment of CFS and that the data do not provide sufficient information to determine whether the product is safe for use in CFS due to the limited size of the safety database and multiple discrepancies within the submitted data.
If approved, one or more of the potential side effects of the drug might deter usage of Ampligen® in certain clinical situations and therefore, could adversely affect potential revenues and physician/patient acceptability of our product.
Alferon N Injection®. At present, Alferon N Injection® is approved for the intralesional (within the lesion) treatment of refractory or recurring external genital warts in adults. In clinical trials conducted for the treatment of genital warts with Alferon N Injection®, patients did not experience serious side effects; however, there can be no assurance that unexpected or unacceptable side effects will not be found in the future for this use or other potential uses of Alferon N Injection® which could threaten or limit such product's usefulness.
We may be subject to product liability claims from the use of Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection®, or other of our products which could negatively affect our future operations. We have limited product liability and clinical trial insurance.
We maintain a limited amount of Products Liability and Clinical Trial insurance coverage world-wide for Ampligen® and Alferon® due to the minimal amount of historical loss claims regarding these products in the marketplace. Any claims against our products, Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection® and Alferon® LDO, could have a materially adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
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We face an inherent business risk of exposure to product liability claims in the event that the use of Ampligen®, Alferon N Injection® or other of our products results in adverse effects. This liability might result from claims made directly by patients, hospitals, clinics or other consumers, or by pharmaceutical companies or others manufacturing these products on our behalf. Our future operations may be negatively affected from the litigation costs, settlement expenses and lost product sales inherent to these claims. While we will continue to attempt to take appropriate precautions, we cannot assure that we will avoid significant product liability exposure.
With our recent development on the collaborative agreement with myTomorrows to provide access to our natural alpha interferon for patients that have become intolerant to treatment with recombinant interferon or where such treatment fails in South America and Europe, we have initiated the process of enhancing our insurance coverage for any potential sales that may arise from this arrangement.
The loss of services of key personnel could hurt our chances for success.
Our success is dependent on the continued efforts of our staff, especially certain doctors and researchers The loss of the services of personnel key to our operations could have a material adverse effect on our operations and chances for success. The loss of key personnel or the failure to recruit additional personnel as needed could have a materially adverse effect on our ability to achieve our objectives. Mr. Equels is a key employee with reference to operational and financial management.
Uncertainty of health care reimbursement for our products.
Our ability to successfully commercialize our products will depend, in part, on the extent to which reimbursement for the cost of such products and related treatment will be available from government health administration authorities, private health coverage insurers and other organizations. Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of newly approved health care products, and from time to time legislation is proposed, which, if adopted, could further restrict the prices charged by and/or amounts reimbursable to manufacturers of pharmaceutical products. We cannot predict what, if any, legislation will ultimately be adopted or the impact of such legislation on us. There can be no assurance that third party insurance companies will allow us to charge and receive payments for products sufficient to realize an appropriate return on our investment in product development.
There are risks of liabilities associated with handling and disposing of hazardous materials.
Our business involves the controlled use of hazardous materials, carcinogenic chemicals, flammable solvents and various radioactive compounds. Although we believe that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such materials comply in all material respects with the standards prescribed by applicable regulations, the risk of accidental contamination or injury from these materials cannot be completely eliminated. In the event of such an accident or the failure to comply with applicable regulations, we could be held liable for any damages that result, and any such liability could be significant. We do not maintain insurance coverage against such liabilities.
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Four Shareholder Derivative Actions Have Been Filed Against Us and We May Be Subject to Civil Liabilities.
As described in Part I; Item 3. Legal Proceedings, four shareholder derivative actions have been filed alleging various state law breach of fiduciary duty, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment claims along with seeking monetary damages, costs, attorneys' fees, and equitable and injunctive relief. Defending against these suits, even if meritless, can result in substantial costs to us and could divert the attention of our management.
The existence of these proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to access the capital markets to raise additional funds. While Management believes that the lawsuits are without merit, we cannot predict or determine the timing or final outcomes of the lawsuits and are unable to estimate the amount or range of loss that could result from unfavorable outcomes. Adverse results in some or all of these legal proceedings could be material to our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.
We rely upon information technology and any failure, inadequacy, interruption or security lapse of that technology, including any cyber security incidents, could harm our ability to operate our business effectively.
Despite the implementation of security measures, our internal computer systems and those of third parties with which we contract are vulnerable to damage from cyber-attacks, computer viruses, unauthorized access, natural disasters, terrorism, war and telecommunication and electrical failures. System failures, accidents or security breaches could cause interruptions in our operations, and could result in a material disruption of our business operations, in addition to possibly requiring substantial expenditures of resources to remedy. The loss of clinical trial data could result in delays in our regulatory approval efforts and significantly increase our costs to recover or reproduce the data. To the extent that any disruption or security breach were to result in a loss of, or damage to, our data or applications, or inappropriate public disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we could incur liability and our product development and commercialization efforts could be delayed.
Risks Associated with an Investment in Our Common Stock:
The market price of our stock may be adversely affected by market volatility.
The market price of our common stock has been and is likely to be volatile. This is especially true given the current significant instability in the financial markets. In addition to general economic, political and market conditions, the price and trading volume of our stock could fluctuate widely in response to many factors, including:
| • | announcements of the results of clinical trials by us or our competitors; |
| • | announcements of availability or projections of our products for commercial sale; |
| • | announcements of legal actions against us and/or settlements or verdicts adverse to us; |
| • | adverse reactions to products; |
| • | governmental approvals, delays in expected governmental approvals or withdrawals of any prior governmental approvals or public or regulatory agency comments regarding the safety or effectiveness of our products, or the adequacy of the procedures, facilities or controls employed in the manufacture of our products; |
| • | changes in U.S. or foreign regulatory policy during the period of product development; |
| • | developments in patent or other proprietary rights, including any third party challenges of our intellectual property rights; |
| • | announcements of technological innovations by us or our competitors; |
| • | announcements of new products or new contracts by us or our competitors; |
| • | actual or anticipated variations in our operating results due to the level of development expenses and other factors; |
| • | changes in financial estimates by securities analysts and whether our earnings meet or exceed the estimates; |
| • | conditions and trends in the pharmaceutical and other industries; |
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| • | new accounting standards; |
| • | overall investment market fluctuation; |
| • | restatement of prior financial results; |
| • | notice of NYSE MKT non-compliance with requirements; and |
| • | occurrence of any of the risks described in these "Risk Factors". |
Our common stock is listed for quotation on the NYSE MKT. For the year ended December 31, 2015, the trading price of our common stock has ranged from $0.33 to $0.06 per share. We expect the price of our common stock to remain volatile. The average daily trading volume of our common stock varies significantly.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of the securities of companies in our industry, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against companies in our industry. In this regard, please see “Four Shareholder Derivative Actions Have Been Filed Against Us and We May Be Subject to Civil Liabilities" above.
Our stock price may be adversely affected if a significant amount of shares is sold in the public market.
We may issue shares to be used to meet our capital requirements or use shares to compensate employees, consultants and/or Directors. In this regard, we have registered 77,849,014 of securities for public sale pursuant to a universal shelf registration statement and we have been selling shares under this shelf registration statement and the EDA with Maxim. Effective December 15, 2015, we halted all future offers and sales of our Common Stock under the EDA with Maxim and reduced the amount of potential future offers and sales under the EDA to $0.00. Between July 23, 2012, the date of the EDA, and December 15, 2015, we sold an aggregate of 106,581,461 shares of Common Stock pursuant to the EDA for aggregate gross proceeds of $47,453,220. On December 15, 2015, we filed a prospectus supplement to the issuance and sale of up to $7,941,000 of our common stock from time to time through our sales agent, Chardan Capital Markets, LLC. Please see Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations; Liquidity and Capital Resources” in PART II
We are unable to estimate the amount, timing or nature of future sales of outstanding common stock or instruments convertible into or exercisable for our common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, including additional sale of securities pursuant to the EDA with Chardan or otherwise under the universal shelf registration statement or upon exercise of outstanding options, could cause the market price for our common stock to decrease. Furthermore, a decline in the price of our common stock would likely impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of common stock or other equity securities.
The trading price of our common stock has decreased significantly over the past year and, as a result, the NYSE MKT has informed us that we are not in compliance with the standards for continued listing on the NYSE MKT. If we are unable to raise the trading price, the market for our common stock most likely will be adversely affected.
Our stock price has fallen throughout 2015 from a closing price of $0.25 on January 2, 2015 to a closing price of $0.08 on December 31, 2015. This decrease in the trading price has hindered our ability to raise funds from the sale of shares under the Chardan Agreement or in other equity related funding transactions. In addition, as discussed below, if we are unable to raise the trading price, we risk delisting of our stock on the NYSE: MKT. Should our stock be so delisted, stockholders’ ability to sell their shares in the open market most likely will be adversely affected even if the shares are then quoted for trading on an interdealer quotation system such as the OTCBB or OTC Markets.
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On March 15, 2016, we received written notice from the NYC MKT LLC (the “NYSE MKT”) that we are not in compliance with the continued listing standards set forth in Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE MKT Company Guide because our common stock has been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period of time. The NYSE MKT has determined that the continued listing of our common stock is predicated on the Company affecting a reverse stock split of its common stock or otherwise demonstrating sustained price improvement within a reasonable period of time. We have until September 15, 2016 to demonstrate compliance.
We plan to seek stockholder approval of a reverse stock split at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting which we anticipate holding in late August 2016. In the interim, we will continue to actively pursue our new honed business focus in the hopes that such actions will increase stockholder value and raise the price of our common stock. We cannot assure that our actions will demonstrate compliance with the NYSE MKT. If our common stock is delisted from trading on the NYSE MKT, the market for our common stock most likely will be adversely affected.
Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Delaware law could defer a change of our Management which could discourage or delay offers to acquire us.
Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Delaware law may make it more difficult for someone to acquire control of us or for our stockholders to remove existing management, and might discourage a third party from offering to acquire us, even if a change in control or in Management would be beneficial to our stockholders. For example, our Certificate of Incorporation allows us to issue shares of preferred stock without any vote or further action by our stockholders. Our Board of Directors has the authority to fix and determine the relative rights and preferences of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors also has the authority to issue preferred stock without further stockholder approval. As a result, our Board of Directors could authorize the issuance of a series of preferred stock that would grant to holders the preferred right to our assets upon liquidation, the right to receive dividend payments before dividends are distributed to the holders of common stock and the right to the redemption of the shares, together with a premium, prior to the redemption of our common stock. In this regard, on November 2, 2012, we amended and restated our Stockholder Rights Plan (“Rights Plan”) and, under the Rights Plan, our Board of Directors declared a dividend distribution of one Right for each outstanding share of Common Stock to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 29, 2002. Each Right initially entitles holders to buy one-hundredth unit of preferred stock for $30.00 and may be redeemed prior to November 19, 2017, the expiration date, at $0.001 per Right under certain circumstances. The Rights generally are not transferable apart from the common stock and will not be exercisable unless and until a person or group acquires or commences a tender or exchange offer to acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% or more of our common stock.
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Special Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
Because the risk factors referred to above could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by us, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Our research in clinical efforts may continue for the next several years and we may continue to incur losses due to clinical costs incurred in the development of Ampligen® for commercial application. Possible losses may fluctuate from quarter to quarter as a result of differences in the timing of significant expenses incurred and receipt of licensing fees and/or cost recovery treatment revenue.
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| ITEM 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments. |
None.
| ITEM 2. | Properties. |
We currently lease through June 2018, our headquarters located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania consisting of a suite of offices of approximately 6,760 square feet.
We also own, occupy and use our New Brunswick, New Jersey laboratory and production facility. These facilities consist of two buildings located on 2.8 acres. One building is a two story facility consisting of a total of 31,300 square feet. This facility contains offices, laboratories and production space. It also contains space designated for research and development, packaging, quality assurance and quality control laboratories. Building Two has 11,670 square feet consisting of offices, laboratories, warehouse space, shipping, receiving and packaging areas. The property has parking space for approximately 100 vehicles.
| ITEM 3. | Legal Proceedings. |
| (a) | Stephanie A. Frater v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, David Strayer and Wayne Pambianchi, U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Case No. 2:12-cv-07152-WY. |
| (b) | Mark Zicherman v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Iraj E. Kiani, William M. Mitchell, Richard C. Piani, David Strayer and Charles T. Bernhardt, U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Case No. 2:13-cv-00243-WY. |
| (c) | Michael Desclos v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Charles T. Bernhardt, Thomas K. Equels, David R. Strayer, Richard C. Piani, William M. Mitchell, and Iraj E. Kiani, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, March 2013 Term, No. 110. |
| (d) | Richard J. Sussman and Douglas T. Lowe v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Charles T. Bernhardt, Thomas K. Equels, David R. Strayer, Richard C. Piani, William M. Mitchell, and Iraj E. Kiani, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, April 2013 Term, No. 3458. |
| (e) | Rena A. Kastis and James E. Conroy v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Richard C. Piani, William M. Mitchell, Iraj E. Kiani and Robert E Peterson, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware June 18, 2013, Case No. 8657. |
| (f) | Charles T. Bernhardt III v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., Dr. William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Esquire, Dr. Iraj Eqhbal Kiani, Dr. William M. Mitchell and Peter W. Rodino; Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Philadelphia, PA; Case: February Term, 2014 No. 000784. |
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| (g) |
Cato Capital, LLC v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Case No. 9-549-GMS.
|
| (h) | William A. Carter v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida February 19, 2016 Case No. 1:16-cv-20597. |
(a) On December 21, 2012, a putative Federal Securities Class Action Complaint was filed against the Company and three of its Officers in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This action, Stephanie A. Frater v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., was purportedly brought on behalf of a putative class of Hemispherx investors who purchased the Company's publicly traded securities between March 14, 2012 and December 17, 2012. The Complaint generally asserted that Defendants made material misrepresentations and omissions regarding the status of the Company's New Drug Application for Ampligen®, which had been filed with the United States Food and Drug Administration, in alleged violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. On March 14, 2013, the Court appointed Hemispherx Investor Group as Lead Plaintiff pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4. Pursuant to the Court's March 29, 2013 scheduling order, Lead Plaintiff filed a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (“Amended Complaint”) on May 20, 2013, and in its Amended Complaint, dropped Thomas K. Equels and Charles T. Bernhardt as Defendants and added David R. Strayer, M.D. and Wayne Pambianchi as Defendants. The Amended Complaint alleges an expanded Class Period of March 14, 2012 to December 20, 2012, which period encompasses statements made in the Company's 2011 Form 10-K filed on March 14, 2012, and at the FDA Advisory Committee Meeting on December 20, 2012. On July 19, 2013, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint. Lead Plaintiff filed its brief in opposition to Defendants' motion to dismiss is September 17, 2013, and Defendants filed their reply brief on October 17, 2013. On January 24, 2014, the court entered an order denying defendants' motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint, and on February 20, 2014, entered a scheduling order imposing, inter alia, a March 31, 2015 deadline for completion of all fact discovery. On February 25, 2014, defendants filed an answer and affirmative defenses to the Amended Compliant. Also on February 25, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. After conducting significant fact discovery, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims on December 31, 2014. However, the settlement is subject to the Court's issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties' settlement agreement in all material respects. On March 11, 2015, the parties filed a joint motion with the Court seeking an order, inter alia, granting preliminary approval of their settlement agreement, preliminarily certifying a class for settlement purposes, and setting a date for a final settlement hearing. On April 8, 2015, the Court granted the parties’ joint motion, and entered an Order preliminarily approving the parties’ settlement, preliminarily certifying a class for settlement purposes, directing issuance of notice, and scheduling the final approval hearing for July 22, 2015. On July 22, 2015, the Court held the final approval hearing to determine whether the parties’ settlement is fair, reasonable and adequate and should be approved, and on the same date entered an Order granting final approval of the parties’ settlement. No Company funds were used to pay the settlement, which was paid from the Company’s insurance coverage. The settlement did not contain any admission of fault or wrongdoing by Hemispherx or any of the individual defendants. No appeal was filed.
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(b) On January 15, 2013, a Shareholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Purporting to assert claims on behalf of the Company, the Complaint in this action, Mark Zicherman v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges violations of state law, including breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, arising from the alleged federal securities violations asserted in the securities class action. On February 22, 2013, the Court entered an order temporarily staying this case pending the outcome of the securities class action defendants' motion to dismiss that action. On July 3, 2013, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint, adding David R. Strayer, M.D., as a Defendant. On July 18, 2013, the Court entered an order staying the case as against Dr. Strayer pending the outcome of the motion to dismiss the securities class action. On January 24, 2014, the Court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss the securities class action. On March 26, 2014, the Court entered an order to continue the temporary stay, and on March 27, 2014, the Court entered an order placing the action in the Civil Suspense File. On April 11, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. On January 28, 2015, on request of the parties, the Court entered an Order continuing the temporary stay, subject to the requirement that the parties submit an updated joint status report within ten days of the court’s entry of an order granting or denying the securities class action parties’ motion for preliminary approval of their settlement agreement. On or about January 13, 2016, the parties agreed to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. On February 11, 2016, the parties engaged in a mediation and, at that mediation, reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims. After it is finalized and executed, the parties’ settlement agreement will be subject to the Court’s issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ agreement in all material respects.
(c) On March 4, 2013, a Shareholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Purporting to assert claims on behalf of the Company, the Complaint in this action, Michael Desclos v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges violations of state law, including breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, arising from the alleged federal securities violations asserted in the securities class action. On April 10, 2013, the Court entered an order temporarily staying this case pending the outcome of the securities class action defendants' motion to dismiss that action. On January 24, 2013, the court in the federal securities class action denied the defendants' motion to dismiss. On January 29, 2014, the court entered an order consolidating this action with the shareholder derivative action, Richard J. Sussman and Douglas T. Lowe v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., described below. On March 26, 2014, the Court entered an order to continue the temporary stay. On June 9, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. On or about January 13, 2016, the parties agreed to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. On February 11, 2016, the parties engaged in a mediation and, at that mediation, reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims. After it is finalized and executed, the parties’ settlement agreement will be subject to the Court’s issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ agreement in all material respects.
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(d) On April 23, 2013, a Shareholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Purporting to assert claims on behalf of the Company, the Complaint in this action, Richard J. Sussman and Douglas T. Lowe v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges violations of state law, including breaches of fiduciary duties, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, arising from the alleged federal securities violations asserted in the securities class action. On May 10, 2013, the Court entered an order staying this case pending the outcome of the ruling on the Federal Securities Class Action Defendants' motion to dismiss. On January 24, 2014, the court in the federal securities class action denied the defendants' motion to dismiss. On January 29, 2014, the Court entered an order consolidating this action with the shareholder derivative action, Michael Desclos v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., described above. On March 26, 2014, the Court entered an order to continue the temporary stay. On June 9, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. On or about January 13, 2016, the parties agreed to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. On February 11, 2016, the parties engaged in a mediation and, at that mediation, reached an agreement to settle all claims. After it is finalized and executed, the parties’ settlement agreement will be subject to the Court’s issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ agreement in all material respects. (e) On June 18, 2013, a Stockholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The Complaint in this action, Rena A. Kastis and James E. Conroy v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment. The Company's Board of Directors appointed a Special Litigation Committee (“SLC”) to review the allegations set forth in the Complaint. On September 10, 2013, the Court entered a Stipulation and Order staying all proceedings in this action pending the SLC’s review and recommendation concerning the allegations contained in the Complaint. On December 20, 2013, the SLC issued its Report, in which it concluded that dismissing the Complaint would be in the best interests of Hemispherx and its stockholders. On January 20, 2014, the SLC moved to dismiss the Complaint. Following briefing and oral argument on the motion to dismiss, the Court denied the SLC’s motion on August 18, 2015, but did dismiss the claims against former officer Robert E. Peterson. On October 13, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Verified Amended Derivative and Class Action Complaint, asserting additional claims for breach of fiduciary duty against Board member Peter W. Rodino, declaratory judgment with respect to certain bonuses paid to officers of the Company, and a class action claim for breach of fiduciary duty against the current Board in connection with the solicitation of votes in advance of the Company’s 2015 annual meeting. The Amended Complaint also removed all of the dismissed claims against Mr. Peterson. The Company and all individual defendants except former Board member Richard C. Piani answered the Amended Compliant on November 19, 2015. The Court entered a scheduling order on December 2, 2015, and the Company anticipates discovery will continue through the second quarter of 2016. On January 5, 2016, the parties agreed to suspend all litigation for 60 days and to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. The parties engaged in a mediation on February 10, 2016, and although no resolution was reached within the 60 days, the parties continue to negotiate with the hope of reaching a settlement.
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The Company believes that the claims asserted in the shareholder derivative litigation are without merit, and is vigorously defending these actions. While the Company also believes that the claims asserted in the securities litigation are without merit, the Company has reached a settlement agreement in principle that is satisfactory to the Company. If the Court does not issue an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ settlement agreement in all material respects, however, the Company intends to resume its vigorous defense of the securities litigation. The potential impact of these actions, which seek unspecified damages, equitable relief, attorneys' fees and expenses, is uncertain. There can be no assurance that an adverse result in these proceedings would not have a potentially material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition.
(f) On February 7, 2014, Charles T. Bernhardt III (“Bernhardt”) filed a Complaint in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas asserting that under an employment agreement dated December 6, 2011, the Company currently owes Bernhardt certain wages, fringe benefits and severance payments by reason of his resignation from employment as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The claims against the Company as set forth in the Second Amended Complaint include breach of contract, violation of the Pennsylvania Wage Protection Collection Law (“WPCL”) and anticipatory breach of the employment agreement. The suit also asserts claims against Dr. William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Esquire, Dr. Iraj Eqhbal Kiani, Dr. William M. Mitchell and Peter W. Rodino, in their capacity as corporate officers and/or directors of the Company, for violation of the WPCL and for anticipatory breach of the employment agreement. In addition to compensatory damages of $275,824.09 on all counts, Bernhardt’s claim also includes a demand for attorneys’ fees and liquidated damages under the WPCL. The Company and individual defendants have filed an Answer, New Matter and Counterclaims. On February 11, 2015 the Company and individual defendants filed First Amended Answer, New Matter and Counterclaims which assert claims for Injurious Falsehood/Corporate Disparagement, Defamation, Replevin, Conversion, Common Law Trademark Infringement, Demand for Permanent Injunction Based on Conversion, and Demand for Permanent Injunction based on Common Law Trademark Infringement. On March 17, 2015, Bernhardt responded to the Company’s claim. In October 2015, all parties to the suit agreed to a full and final settlement of the action. Negotiations of the terms of the settlement agreement have been concluded, and said agreement is currently in circulation for execution by all parties as a prerequisite to the formal dismissal of the court action. Under the terms of said agreement, the Parties have agreed to a full and amicable resolution of all claims.
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(g) Cato Capital, LLC ("Cato") brought suit against the Company on July 31, 2009, in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the "Court"), alleging that under a November 2008 agreement between Cato and Hemispherx, Hemispherx owes Cato a placement fee arising from subsequent Hemispherx financing and investment transactions. Hemispherx disputed these allegations, asserting that Cato failed to comply with the provisions of its own contract. The Amended Complaint sought damages in the amount of $9,830,000.00 plus attorneys' fees and punitive damages. Pursuant to an indemnification responsibility, Hemispherx has also retained this firm to undertake the defense of the Sage Group.The Parties had a Non-Jury trial on March 4, 5 and 6, 2013 before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. On September 29, 2014, the Court found in favor of Hemispherx and Sage on all counts, and dismissed Cato’s claims in their entirety. On January 13, 2015, the Court granted the Company’s motion for attorney’s fees and costs and awarded the Company $770,852.76.
On October 24, 2014, Cato filed a notice of appeal of the Court’s September 29, 2014 decision in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (the “Third Circuit”). On March 3, 2015, Cato filed its Brief in the Third Circuit. The Company’s Brief in Response was filed on April 6, 2015, with a Reply Brief by Cato filed on April 19, 2015. The Court of Appeals conducted Oral Argument on July 16, 2015. On August 21, 2015 the Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the District Court. On September 9, 2015 Cato sought reconsideration of the decision through re-argument or re-hearing by the en banc Court of Appeals. On September 17, 2015 the Court of Appeals denied Cato’s requests. On October 1, 2015 Hemispherx filed for additional costs and fees to be added to its existing judgment. The Court has not yet ruled on that request. The mandate has been returned to the District Court for additional proceedings arising from Hemispherx’ judgment. Hemispherx is pursuing collection of the amount of $770,852.76 together with additional attorney fees and costs which may be awarded by the Court.
(h) On February 19, 2016, a complaint was filed against the Company by William A. Carter in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Complaint seeks damages against the Company for the alleged wrongful termination of the Plaintiff, the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to an Engagement Agreement and an Employment Agreement, breach of each such agreement, and for unpaid wages and unlawful retaliation. The Complaint was served on February 26, 2016. The Response is due on March 17, 2016. A scheduling order was entered by the Court on February 25, 2016, setting the deadline for the submission of a Joint Scheduling Report and a Joint Proposed Scheduling Order within twenty (20) days of the appearance of the Defendant. No other orders have been entered by the Court. The Company believes that the claims asserted in the Complaint are without merit, and intends to vigorously defend these actions.
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Summation.
In reference to Contingencies identified above, there can be no assurance that an adverse result in these proceedings would not have a potentially material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending against the claims identified in Contingency (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (h). There is currently no projection as to the likely outcome of the cases and the Company has not recorded any gain or loss contingencies as a result of the above matters for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014. Also, with regards to Contingency (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e), the Company maintains a Directors and Officers Insurance Policy that provides coverage for claims and retention of legal counsel.
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| ITEM 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures. |
Not Applicable.
ITEM 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
In 2015, we issued 2,558,779 shares of common stock in payment to vendors and consultants for services rendered.
The foregoing issuances of securities were private transactions and exempt from registration under section 4(2) of the Securities Act and/or regulation D rule 506 promulgated under the Securities Act.
Since October 1997 our common stock has been listed and traded on the NYSE MKT (formerly AMEX) under the symbol HEB. The following table sets forth the high and low list prices for our Common Stock for the last two fiscal years as reported by the NYSE MKT. Such prices reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-downs or commissions and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.
| High | Low | |||||||
| COMMON STOCK | ||||||||
| Time Period: | ||||||||
| January 1, 2015 through March 31, 2015 | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.21 | ||||
| April 1, 2015 through June 30, 2015 | $ | 0.29 | $ | 0.20 | ||||
| July 1, 2015 through September 30, 2015 | $ | 0.21 | $ | 0.14 | ||||
| October 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015 | $ | 0.18 | $ | 0.06 | ||||
| January 1, 2014 through March 31, 2014 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 0.25 | ||||
| April 1, 2014 through June 30, 2014 | $ | 0.42 | $ | 0.31 | ||||
| July 1, 2014 through September 30, 2014 | $ | 0.36 | $ | 0.26 | ||||
| October 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 | $ | 0.40 | $ | 0.22 | ||||
As of March 1, 2016, there were approximately 196 holders of record of our Common Stock. This number was determined from records maintained by our transfer agent and does not include beneficial owners of our securities whose securities are held in the names of various dealers and/or clearing agencies.
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On March 1, 2016, the last sale price for our common stock on the NYSE MKT was $0.16 per share.
We have not paid any cash dividends on our Common Stock in recent years. It is management's intention not to declare or pay dividends on our Common Stock, but to retain earnings, if any, for the operation and expansion of our business.
The following table gives information about our Common Stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options, warrants and rights under all of our equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2015:
| Plan Category | Number of Securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Weighted-average Exercise price of Outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of securities Remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column) (a) | |||||||||
| (a) | (b) | (c) | ||||||||||
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders: | 14,028,248 | $ | 1.45 | 8,344,275 | ||||||||
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders: | 1,766,196 | $ | 0.48 | - | ||||||||
| Total | 15,794,444 | $ | 1.34 | 8,344,275 | ||||||||
| ITEM 6. | Selected Financial Data (in thousands except for share and per share data). |
The selected consolidated financial data set forth below should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, and the related notes thereto, and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, included in this Annual Report. The statement of operations and balance sheet data presented below for, and as of the end of, each of the years in the five-year period ended December 31, 2015 are derived from our audited consolidated financial statements. Historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected in the future.
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| Year Ended December 31 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| Statement of Operations Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues and license fee income | $ | 161 | $ | 213 | $ | 150 | $ | 197 | $ | 133 | ||||||||||
| Total costs and expense(1) | 14,456 | 20,553 | 17,317 | 19,296 | 16,783 | |||||||||||||||
| Interest expense and financing costs | 41 | 24 | 16 | 11 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| Redeemable warrants valuation adjustment | (2,425 | ) | (85 | ) | (281 | ) | (14 | ) | - | |||||||||||
| Net loss | (9,015 | ) | (17,354 | ) | (16,225 | ) | (17,450 | ) | (15,230 | ) | ||||||||||
| Net loss applicable to common stockholders | (9,015 | ) | (17,354 | ) | (16,225 | ) | (17,450 | ) | (15,230 | ) | ||||||||||
| Basic and diluted net loss per share | $ | (0.07 | ) | $ | (0.12 | ) | $ | (0.10 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.06 | ) | |||||
| Shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share | 135,432,395 | 141,016,935 | 167,325,584 | 188,291,976 | 236,151,781 | |||||||||||||||
| Balance Sheet Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Working capital | $ | 26,717 | $ | 32,079 | $ | 16,020 | $ | 12,071 | $ | 8,138 | ||||||||||
| Total assets | 43,513 | 57,699 | 31,867 | 29,440 | 22,804 | |||||||||||||||
| Debt, net of discount | 1,695 | 7,051 | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity | 37,965 | 44,700 | 29,298 | 25,004 | 20,371 | |||||||||||||||
| Cash Flow Data: | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash used in operating activities | (10,096 | ) | (13,136 | ) | (16,901 | ) | (13,964 | ) | (16,053 | ) | ||||||||||
| Capital expenditures | $ | (1,802 | ) | $ | (5,755 | ) | $ | (898 | ) | $ | (504 | ) | $ | (240 | ) | |||||
| (1) | General and Administrative expenses include stock compensation expense of $377, $356, $376, $326 and $181 for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. |
| ITEM 7. | Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. |
The following discussion and analysis is related to our financial condition and results of operations for the three years ended December 31, 2015. This information should be read in conjunction with ITEM 6 – “Selected Financial Data” and our consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto beginning on F-1 of this Form 10-K.
Statement of Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements in the section are “forward-looking statements”. You should read the information before ITEM 1B above, “Special Note” Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” for more information about our presentation of information.
Background
We are a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and engaged in the clinical development of new drug therapies based on natural immune system enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based disorders. We were founded in the early 1970s doing contract research for the National Institutes of Health. Since that time, we have established a strong foundation of laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical data with respect to the development of natural interferon and nucleic acids to enhance the natural antiviral defense system of the human body and to aid the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of certain chronic diseases.
We have reported net income only from 1985 through 1987. Since 1987, we have incurred, as expected, substantial operating losses due to our conducting research and development programs.
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We have recently taken significant actions to reserve capital and hone our business and management structure so we can better define and achieve our commercial goals. These actions have included listing for sale underutilized assets, aggressively pursuing international sales of clinical grade materials and implementing a strong financial austerity plan. We are committed to a focused business plan oriented toward finding senior co-development partners with the capital and expertise needed to commercialize the many potential therapeutic aspects of our experimental drugs and our approved drug Alferon N. We are making creating stockholder value and delivering much needed therapies to patients its prime objectives.
Fair Value
In connection with equity financings on May 11 and 19, 2009, we issued warrants (the “Warrants”) that are single compound derivatives containing both an embedded right to obtain stock upon exercise (a “Call”) and a series of embedded rights to settle the Warrants for cash upon the occurrence of certain events (each, a “Put”). Generally, the Put provisions allow the Warrant Holders liquidity protection; the right to receive cash in certain situations where the Holders would not have a means of readily selling the shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants (e.g., where there would no longer be a significant public market for our common stock). However, because the contractual formula used to determine the cash settlement value of the embedded Put requires use of certain assumptions, the cash settlement value of the embedded Put can differ from the fair value of the unexercised embedded Call option at the time the embedded Put option is exercised.
The Company recomputes the fair value of the Warrants at the end of each quarterly reporting period. Such value computation includes subjective input assumptions that are consistently applied each period. If the Company were to alter its assumptions or the numbers input based on such assumptions, the resulting fair value could be materially different. The Warrants expired during 2014.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year ended December 31, 2015 versus year ended December 31, 2014
Net Loss
Our net loss was approximately $15,230,000 and $17,450,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, representing a decrease in loss of approximately $2,220,000 or 13% when compared to the same period in 2014. This decrease in loss for period was primarily due to the following:
| 1) | a decrease in general and administrative expense of $1,910,000 or 21%; |
| 2) | an increase in the gain from sale of income tax net operating losses of $248,000 or 22%; offset by |
| 3) | an decrease in research and development expense of $950,000 or 11%; offset by |
| 4) | an increase in production costs of approximately $347,000 or 28%; and |
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| 5) | A decrease in interest and other income of approximately $301,000 or 45%. |
Net loss per share was $(0.06) and $(0.09) for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The weighted average number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2015 was 236,151,781 as compared to 188,291,976 as of December 31, 2014.
Revenues
Revenues from our Ampligen® Cost Recovery Program were $133,000 and $197,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Although there was a slight increase in the patients utilizing Ampligen® in 2015, there was a decrease in revenue of $64,000 or 33% primarily due to a lower dosage being prescribed to patients utilizing Ampligen® during the current period. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, we had no Alferon N Injection® Finished Good product to commercially sell and all revenue was generated from the FDA approved open-label treatment protocol, (“AMP 511”), that allows patient access to Ampligen® for treatment in an open-label safety study.
Production Costs
Production costs were approximately $1,598,000 and $1,251,000, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. This increase of approximately $347,000 or 28% was primarily due to charges to inventory of $117,000 resulting from vials removed from inventory for testing purposes and losses incurred during the manufacturing process. The remaining increase in production costs of $213,000 was mainly due to an increase in facility costs related to the manufacturing of Alferon N Injection®.
Research and Development Costs
Overall Research and Development (“R&D”) costs for the year ended December 31, 2015 were approximately $8,038,000 as compared to $8,988,000 for the same period a year ago, reflecting a decrease of approximately $950,000 or 11%. The primary reason for the decrease in research and development costs was due to a decrease in clinical trial costs of $122,000 associated with the conclusion of our University of Washington study in 2014 utilizing Ampligen® as an adjuvant in optimally treated breast cancer patients as data from these patients was evaluated and resources were directed to other projects, a decrease in bonus charges to executive officers of $628,000, a decrease in charges of $228,000 associated with the abandonment of patents and a decrease in research and development costs of $131,000 associated with Ampligen®. This was offset by an increase in stability testing and pre-production costs related to the initiation of manufacturing of Alferon N Injection® of $232,000 during the period.
General and Administrative Expenses
General and Administrative (“G&A”) expenses for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, were approximately $7,147,000 and $9,057,000, respectively, reflecting a decrease of approximately $1,910,000 or 21%. The decrease in G&A expenses in 2015 was mainly due to lower legal fees of $1,495,000 associated with various legal proceedings as compared to the prior period (see "Part I; Item 3: Legal Proceedings" for details) as well as a decrease in bonus charges to executives of $513,000 as compared to the prior period.
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Interest and Other Income
Interest and other income for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were approximately $364,000 and $665,000, respectively, representing a decrease of approximately $301,000 or 45%. The primary cause for the decrease in investment income during the current year was primarily due to lower cash available for investment purposes as compared to the prior period.
Impairment Loss from Marketable Securities
Impairment loss from marketable securities was $315,000 and $145,000, respectively, for the years ended December 2015 and 2014. Our analysis in 2015 of the trading value for marketable securities for the year ended December 31, 2015 resulted in an observation that some of our investments had experienced a decrease in market value for a period of longer than the last twelve consecutive months. Accordingly, an estimated impairment loss of $315,000 was recognized in 2015 for the sustained decrease in the respective market value as compared to $145,000 in the prior period.
Sale of New Jersey Tax Net Operating Loss
In January 2015, the Company effectively sold $14,291,000 of its approximately $28,000,000 of New Jersey state net operating loss carryforwards (for the year 2013) for approximately $1,374,000. In February 2014, we effectively sold $13,900,000 of our approximately $25,000,000 of New Jersey state net operating loss carryforwards (for the year 2012) for approximately $1,126,000, representing an increase in cash gain of $248,000 or 22% (see “Note 13: Funds Received from Sale of Income Tax Net Operating Losses”) for the year ended December 31, 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014.
Year ended December 31, 2014 versus December 31, 2013
Net Loss
Our net loss was approximately $17,450,000 for the year ended December 31, 2014, an increase in loss of approximately $1,225,000 or 8% when compared to the same period in 2013. This increase in loss for the year was primarily due to the following:
| 1) | an increase in general and administrative expenses of approximately $1,334,000 or 17%; |
| 2) | an increase in research and development of approximately $628,000 or 8%; |
| 3) | a decrease in the value of the redeemable warrant liability valuation adjustment of $267,000 or 95%; offset by |
| 4) | an increase in the cash gain from sale of New Jersey State Net Operating Loss carry-forwards of approximately $440,000 or 64% as compared to the prior year; and | |
| 5) | a decrease in other than temporary impairment loss on marketable securities of $655,000 or 82%. |
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Net loss per share was $(0.09) and $(0.10) for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The weighted average number of shares of our common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2014 was 188,291,976 as compared to 167,325,584 as of December 31, 2013.
Revenues
Revenues from our Ampligen® Cost Recovery Program were $197,000 and $150,000 for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Revenues increased approximately $47,000 or 31%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 as compared to the same time period of 2013. As of December 31, 2014, we had no Alferon N Injection® Finished Good product to commercially sell and all revenue was generated from the FDA approved open-label treatment protocol, (“AMP 511”), that allows patient access to Ampligen® for treatment in an open-label safety study.
Production Costs
Production costs were approximately $1,251,000 and $1,234,000, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013. This increase of approximately $17,000 or 1% was primarily due to an increase in stability testing and pre-production costs related to the initiation of potential manufacturing of Alferon N Injection® offset by a write off of inventory of $453,000 incurred during the year ended December 31, 2013.
Research and Development Costs
Overall Research and Development (“R&D”) costs for the year ended December 31, 2014 were approximately $8,988,000 as compared to $8,360,000 for the same period a year ago, reflecting an increase of approximately $628,000 or 8%. The primary reasons for the increase in research and development costs can be attributed to an increase in Alferon® related costs of approximately $1,149,000 associated with cGMP compliance testing, environmental studies, and clinical research at our New Brunswick manufacturing facility as well as higher salaries and wages of $667,000 associated with incentive compensation and bonuses awarded to executives as compared to the prior period, offset by a general decrease in costs associated with efforts regarding Ampligen® research and development, stability tests and polymer production of approximately $1,154,000.
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General and Administrative Expenses
General and Administrative (“G&A”) expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, were approximately $9,057,000 and $7,723,000, respectively, reflecting an increase of approximately $1,334,000 or 17%. The rise in G&A expenses in 2014 are due to: 1) higher legal fees of $1,144,000 (see "Part I - Item 3: Legal Proceedings" for details), and 2) higher salaries and wages of $787,000 associated with incentive compensation and bonuses awarded to executives; offset by 1) a decrease in consulting fees of $227,000 related to governmental affairs, 2) a net decrease in salaries, wages and severance resulting from the resignation of two executives in 2013 of approximately $348,000, and 3) a decrease in fees incurred from the Sage Group of $48,000.
Interest and Other Income
Interest and other income for the year ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were approximately $665,000 and $791,000, respectively, representing a decrease of approximately $126,000 or 16%. The cause for the decrease in investment income was primarily due to investment performance as well as a greater value of funds available for investment purposes in the prior period.
Impairment Loss from Marketable Securities
Impairment loss from marketable securities was $145,000 and $800,000, respectively, for the years ended December 2014 and 2013. Our analysis in 2014 of the trading value for marketable securities for the year ended December 31, 2014 resulted in an observation that some of our investments had experienced a decrease in market value for a period of longer than the last twelve consecutive months. Accordingly, an estimated impairment loss of $145,000 was recognized in 2014 for the sustained decrease in the respective market value as compared to $800,000 in the prior period.
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Redeemable Warrants
The quarterly fiscal revaluation of certain redeemable warrants for the year ended December 31, 2014 resulted in non-cash adjustments of $14,000 in the valuation of the redeemable warrants liability versus an approximate $281,000 gain for the same period in the prior year (see “Note 17: Fair Value” for the various factors considered in the valuation of redeemable warrants).
Sale of New Jersey Tax Net Operating Loss
In February 2014, we effectively sold $13,900,000 of our approximately $25,000,000 of New Jersey state net operating loss carryforwards (for the year 2012) for approximately $1,126,000. In January 2013, we effectively sold $8,500,000 of our approximately $17,000,000 of New Jersey State Net Operating Loss carryforwards (for the year 2011) for approximately $686,000, representing an increase in cash gain of $440,000 or 64% (see “Note 13: Income taxes”) for the year ended December 31, 2014 as compared to the same period in 2013.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2015 was approximately $16,053,000 compared to approximately $13,964,000 for the same period in 2014, an increase of $2,089,000 or 15%. Excluding the proceeds from the sale of New Jersey Net Operating Loss carry-forwards, cash used in operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2015 increased by approximately $2,337,000 or 15% over the comparable period in 2014. The primary reason for this increase in 2015 was due to: 1) the payout of 2014 executive incentive bonuses for approximately $1,831,000 reflected in accrued expenses; 2) an increase in inventory of $1,326,000 during the year ended December 31, 2015; and 3) a change in accounts payable balances of $196,000 due to the timing of payments between periods.
As of December 31, 2015, we had approximately $8,910,000 in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities inclusive of approximately $6,795,000 in Marketable Securities, representing a decrease of approximately $7,198,000 or 45% from December 31, 2014. The primary reason for the decrease in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities during the year ended December 31, 2015 was the result of cash being utilized in operating activities of $16,053,000 being partially offset by cash provided by financing activities of $9,681,000 primarily from the sale of 40,995,890 shares sold pursuant to the ATM during the year ended December 31, 2015 (see below and "Note 7: Stockholders' Equity”). The Company received proceeds of $6,842,000 from the sale and maturity of marketable securities during the year ended December 31, 2015 whereby the proceeds were utilized in cash flow used in operations. In an effort to conserve cash, we conducted an analysis of our research and development programs as well as our staffing levels within our New Jersey manufacturing facility. Our analysis disclosed an ability to gain efficiencies and eliminate redundancies within our staffing which will result in a decrease in cash flow used in operations in 2016 and beyond. If we are unable to commercialize and sell Ampligen® or Alferon® LDO and/or recommence material sales of Alferon N Injection®, our operations, financial position and liquidity may be adversely impacted, and additional financing may be required. However, there is no assurance that such financing will be available.
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On March 15, 2016, we received written notice from the NYSE MKT that we were not in compliance with the continued listing standards set forth in Section 1003(f)(v) of the NYSE MKT Company Guide because the Company’s common stock has been selling for a low price per share for a substantial period of time. The NYSE MKT has determined that the continued listing of our common stock is predicated on the Company affecting a reverse stock split of its common stock or otherwise demonstrating sustained price improvement within a reasonable period of time. We have until September 15, 2016 to demonstrate compliance.
We plan to seek stockholder approval of a reverse stock split at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting which we anticipate holding in late August 2016. In the interim, as discussed below, we will continue to actively pursue our new honed business focus in the hopes that such actions will increase stockholder value and raise the price of our common stock. We cannot assure that our actions will demonstrate compliance.
We have been reexamining our fundamental priorities in terms of direction, corporate culture and our ability to fund operations. As a result, there have been significant changes at the Company in the past few months. The CEO of the Company was terminated and the Board of Directors has made several changes to the Company’s executive management team to provide effective and competent leadership that, management believes, will properly position the Company to achieve its commercial goals and increase stockholder value. Recent actions include listing for sale underutilized assets, aggressively pursuing international sales of clinical grade materials, and implementing a strong financial austerity plan. We are committed to a focused business plan oriented toward finding senior co-development partners with the capital and expertise needed to commercialize the many potential therapeutic aspects of its experimental drug and its approved drug Alferon®. A co-development partner may help in the acceleration of the commercialization of many of our potential experimental drugs as they have access to additional resources and capital; however, there can be no assurance that such co-development partnerships will be on acceptable terms, or that such partnerships, will be acceptable from a profitability standpoint. Management’s primary objectives are to create stockholder value and deliver much needed therapies to patients. In this regard, since the implementation of these actions, the stock price of the Company’s common stock has increased from approximately $0.10 prior to the implementation of these actions, to a high of $0.19 and, as of the March 23, 2016, the closing price on the NYSE MKT was $0.13. There is no immediate impact on the listing of the Company’s common stock, which will continue to trade on the NYSE MKT, subject to the Company’s compliance with other listing standards. See “Item 1A-Risk Factors; The trading price of our common stock has decreased significantly over the past year and, as a result, the NYSE MKT has informed us that we are not in compliance with the standards for continued listing on the NYSE MKT. If we are unable to raise the trading price, the market for our common stock most likely will be adversely affected”.
We have executed an agreement with Impatients ("myTomorrows") on a collaboration to provide access to our natural alpha interferon for patients that have become intolerant to treatment with recombinant interferon or where such treatment fails in South America and Europe. We currently have inventory available for sale comprising of approximately 1,200 vials of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3. We are currently working to sell this inventory of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3 through our Early Access Program ("EAP") in South America and Europe. We are reviewing the possibility of also selling the remaining work-in-process inventory through the EAP; however, this inventory has yet to go through the fill and finish process. International sales are anticipated to start in early 2016.
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On November 23, 2015, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels waived their rights under their respective employment agreements to any future payment of any incentive bonus related to the sale of the Company’s stock or other securities by, or on behalf of, the Company pursuant to the Maxim Equity Distribution Agreement or any similar or successor ATM equity distribution agreement. Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels voluntarily provided these waivers in an effort to preserve cash and to help the Company to ensure its short term commercialization goals.
On January 26, 2016, the Board, based on the recommendation of its Compensation Committee, established two programs - the 2016 Senior Executive Deferred Cash Performance Award Plan for Dr. William A. Carter and Thomas K. Equels, the Company’s two primary executive officers (the “Executive Plan”), and the 2016 Voluntary Incentive Stock Award Plan for Company employees and Board members other than Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels (the “Employee Plan”). Both Plans include a Base Pay Supplement provision.
The Executive Plan
The Executive Plan was established to both conserve cash and create appropriate incentives for senior executives to be rewarded based upon the performance of the Company. The two participants are Dr. William A. Carter, the Company’s former Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, and Thomas K. Equels, the Company’s current Chief Executive Officer, President, Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, Secretary and General Counsel (the “Executives”). Dr. Carter’s participation in the Plan ended upon his termination of employment. As recently amended, the Executive Plan provides for a change to the amount to be withheld from salary and director’s fees (collectively, “Compensation”) of Mr. Equels for the 3-month period commencing February 1, 2016 for the semi-monthly payroll period ended February 15, 2016 (the “Initial Period”) and thereafter. For the payroll periods ended on February 15 and 29, 2016, 50% of Mr. Equels’ Compensation was withheld. For the remainder of the Initial Period, 100% of Mr. Equels’ Compensation is being withheld. Following the Initial Period and during any period the Executive Plan is in effect, the percentage withheld from Mr. Equels’ Compensation shall be at least 50% thereof, provided that any amounts in excess of 50% shall be as agreed upon by the Committee and Mr. Equels. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the amount of Compensation to be withheld during any periods commencing on and after March 1, 2016 shall not include the amount necessary, on an after-tax basis, to fund applicable FICA, FUTA and other governmental welfare benefit taxes (both federal and state) and any health or other insured benefits for which Mr. Equels contributes to the cost.
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The Executive Plan will be in effect for three months beginning with the commencement of the Employee Plan described below and may be extended for additional periods of three months thereafter subject to termination by the Company with the approval of the Board. The Executive Plan will be in effect during any period in which Employee Plan is in effect. The Executives will participate during each three-month period the Executive Plan is in effect (each such period, an “Executive Plan Period”). By participating in the Executive Plan, each Executive has authorized the Company to withhold 50% of the sum of his salary, consulting and director’s fees on each semi-monthly payroll date (each, a “Withholding Date”) occurring during the applicable Executive Plan Period. The Company will establish and maintain a record of the dollar amount withheld on each Withholding Date (each, a “Withheld Dollar Amount”) and the closing price of a share of the Company’s common stock (the “Stock”) on the NYSE MKT on the last trading day preceding the Withholding Date (each, a “Base Stock Price”).
On the 9-month anniversary of each Withholding Date (each, a “Payment Date”), if the Payment Condition, as defined below, in respect of the Withheld Dollar Amount on such Withholding Date is satisfied, the Company will pay the Executive an amount in cash (the “Performance Cash Payment”) equal to (a) the product of the applicable Withheld Dollar Amount multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which will be the closing price of the Stock on the NYSE MKT for the last trading date preceding the Payment Date (a “Payment Stock Price”), and the denominator of which will be the applicable Base Stock Price, less (b) the minimum withholding taxes due in respect of such payment. The Payment Condition is that the closing price of the Stock for at least five (5) successive trading days during the period beginning on the applicable Withholding Date and ending on the applicable Payment Date must have been at least $0.20 per share. If the Payment Condition is not fully satisfied with respect to a Withheld Dollar Amount then the Performance Cash Payment will be zero and the Senior Executives will lose the entire amount withheld.
The Company believes that this combination of a large compensation holdback coupled with the Executives’ ability to recoup this amount and possibly more aligns the Executives’ compensation to their performance and rewards them only if they are able to increase stockholder value and penalizes them if they fail to achieve the minimum floor stock price of $.20 per share for several successive days. This enhances the incentives related to improving the Company’s business and raising its stock price.
The Executive Plan is administered and interpreted by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has the authority to make appropriate adjustments to the Base Stock Price and the Payment Stock Price to reflect stock splits and stock combinations.
The Employee Plan
Pursuant to the Employee Plan, all full-time employees and directors, other than Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels may participate in the plan. The Employee Plan will be in effect for three months commencing on February 1, 2016 and may be extended for additional periods of three months thereafter subject to termination by the Company with the approval of the Board. Eligible employees and directors may elect to participate during any three-month period the Employee Plan is in effect (each, an “Employee Plan Period”) subject to election prior to the commencement of any such period Employees and Directors who elect to participate in the Employee Plan (the “Participants”) may elect to cease their participation at the end of any Employee Plan Period.
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By electing to participate in the Employee Plan, an employee will be authorizing the Company to withhold 20% of the employee’s salary on each semi-monthly payroll date and a director will be authorizing the Company to withhold 20% of the director’s fee on each semi-monthly payment date (each a “Withholding Date”) occurring during the applicable Employee Plan Period. On each Withholding Date, the Participant will be issued an Incentive Right for a number of shares of Stock, less applicable withholding taxes. The number of shares (the “Participant’s Amount”) will be computed by dividing the applicable salary/fee withheld for the period by the closing price of the Stock on the NYSE MKT on the trading day immediately preceding the Withholding Date. The Company will establish and maintain a record of the number of shares of Stock represented by each Incentive Right. Such number of shares of Stock represented by an Incentive Right will be subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of a stock split or stock consolidation.
Any employee earning salary at a rate of less than $75,000 per year may make an Election discussed above, to participate by authorizing the Company to withhold, at the employee’s option, 10% or 20% of the employee’s salary during such Employee Plan Period.
Each Participant may make an Election in writing to receive the Participant’s Amount, on the 6-month, 9-month or 12-month anniversary of each Withholding Date. In the absence of an election, the Participant will be paid on the 6-month anniversary of the applicable Withholding Date.
On the anniversary date on which the Participant is to be paid in accordance with his or her election (the “Payment Date”), the Company will determine, for tax withholding and basis purposes, the value of each Participant’s Amount for which payment is being made. The value on the Payment Date will be based on the closing price of a share of Stock on the NYSE MKT for the trading day preceding the Payment Date. On any date Stock is to be issued, the number of shares needed for sale to cover the related withholding taxes will be determined by the Company and communicated to the Participant. Unless the Participant elects prior to the commencement of the applicable Employee Plan Period to pay the withholding tax dollar amount directly to the Company on or before the Payment Date, the Company will withhold the required minimum withholding tax from any amounts due the Participant on such Payment Date by either, in its discretion, (a) reducing the number of shares of Stock to be issued to the Participant by the number of shares of Stock having a value equal to the applicable withholding taxes or (b) causing to be sold on the open market that number of shares of Stock issued to the Participant which is necessary to fund the payment of the withholding tax.
The Employee Plan is administered and interpreted by the Compensation Committee.
The Company will arrange, at its cost, for a registered brokerage firm to establish a trading account for each Participant. Shares of Stock being delivered under the Employee Plan will be transferred to that account. Delivery of shares of Stock under the Employee Plan will constitute taxable income to a Participant at the time the shares of Stock are delivered and will be subject to payroll taxes. The Company will bear all costs related to selling shares of Stock awarded under the Employee Plan in such amount as necessary to pay any withholding taxes. During the period a Participant remains an active employee or a Director, the Company will bear (i) the charges of the brokerage firm for the maintenance of the account, (ii) any transaction costs related to the transfer of shares by the Company into the account and (iii) transaction costs related to the sale of shares of Stock from the account.
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All full-time employees have opted to participate in the Employee Plan.
The Employee Plan is an “Employee Wages or Hours Reduction Program” within the meaning of Article 2 of the Amended and Restated Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. 2009 Equity Incentive Plan.
Base Pay Supplement
All Participants in either plan will be awarded an amount (the “Approval Award”) equal to 30% of the pre-tax amount of their base annual salary upon FDA Approval of Ampligen (the “Approval”). The Approval Award will be paid within three months following the Approval. In addition, all Participants in either plan will be awarded an amount (the “Pre-Approval Award”) equal to 30% of the pre-tax amount of their annual salary upon the successful pre-approval inspection by the FDA of the Alferon facility (the “Pre-Approval”). The Pre-Approval Award will be paid within three months following the Pre-Approval. A Participant will not qualify for the Approval or Pre-Approval Award if the Participant’s employment is terminated prior to such Approval or Pre-Approval due to (i) termination by the Company for Cause or (ii) voluntary termination by the Participant.
In its February 1, 2013 CRL, the FDA communicated that we should conduct at least one additional clinical trial, complete various nonclinical studies and perform a number of data analyses. Until we undertake the end-of-review conference(s) with the FDA, we are unable to reasonably estimate the nature, costs, necessary efforts to obtain FDA clearance or anticipated completion dates of any additional clinical study or studies. Please see “Part II; Item 1A. Risk Factors; “We may require additional financing which may not be available.”. Utilizing the industry norms for undertaking a Phase III clinical study, we estimate upon acceptance of the study's design that it would take approximately 18 months to three years to complete a new well-controlled Ampligen® clinical study for resubmission to the FDA. We anticipate that the time and cost to undertake clinical trial(s), studies and data analysis are beyond our current financial resources without gaining access to additional funding. The actual duration to complete the clinical study may be different based on the length of time it takes to design the study and obtain FDA's acceptance of the study plan, the final design of an acceptable Phase III clinical study protocol, availability of suitable participants and clinical sites along with other factors that could impact the implementation of the study, analysis of results or requirements of the FDA and/or other governmental organizations which may require additional financing which may not be available.
On July 23, 2012, we entered into an equity distribution agreement with Maxim (the "EDA”) pursuant to which we may sell up to $75,000,000 worth of our shares of common stock from time to time through Maxim, as sales agent. Under the EDA, Maxim is entitled to a fixed commission rate of 4.0% of the gross sales price of Shares sold under the EDA, up to aggregate gross proceeds of $10,000,000, and thereafter, at a fixed commission rate of 3.0% of the gross sales price of Shares sold under the EDA. Sales of the Shares, if any, may be made in transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including sales made by means of ordinary brokers' transactions, including on the NYSE MKT, at market prices or as otherwise agreed with Maxim. We have no obligation to sell any of the Shares and may at any time suspend offers under the EDA or terminate the EDA. Up until August 4, 2015, the shares were being sold pursuant to the Company's Universal Shelf Registration Statement on Form S-3, declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 2, 2012. Since August 4, 2015, the shares are being sold pursuant to the Company's Universal Shelf Registration Statement on Form S-3, declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 4, 2015 (the “2015 Universal Shelf”).
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On August 4, 2015, the Company and Maxim Group LLC amended their July 23, 2012 EDA solely for the purpose of adding the registrant’s new registration statement on Form S-3 (File No 333-205228) to the definition of “registration statement” as the old registration statement expired.
On August 5, 2015, the Company filed an updated Prospectus Supplement to reflect that sales under the EDA are now being conducted pursuant to the 2015 Universal Shelf. In addition, On September 16, 2015, the Company's stockholders removed the limitations and restrictions on 67,000,000 shares. The Company's stockholders approved up to an additional 60,000,000 shares for use in capital raising transactions and 7,000,000 shares for use in the Equity Plan of 2009.
Through December 15, 2015, we sold an aggregate of shares that resulted in net cash proceeds of approximately $45,930,000 after commissions paid to Maxim for approximately $1,524,000 (see “Note 7: Stockholders' Equity” to the financial statements attached hereto). On December 15, 2015, the Company filed a Prospectus Supplement reducing all offerings pursuant to its existing equity distribution agreement with Maxim Group LLC to $0.
On December 15, 2015, we entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (the “Chardan Agreement”) to create an at-the-market equity program under which we may sell shares of our common stock from time to time through Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, as sales agent (“Chardan”). Under the Chardan Agreement, Chardan will be entitled to a commission at a fixed commission rate of 3.0% of the gross sales price of Shares sold under the Chardan Agreement. Sales of the Shares, if any, under the Chardan Agreement may be made in transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including sales made by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions, including on the NYSE MKT, at market prices or as otherwise agreed with Chardan. The Company has no obligation to sell any of the Shares, and may at any time suspend offers under the Chardan Agreement or terminate the Chardan Agreement.
The Shares will be issued pursuant to the Company’s previously filed and effective Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-205228). On December 16, 2015, the Company filed a Prospectus Supplement relating to the Chardan offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2015, no shares were sold under the Chardan Agreement. The impact of the fund raising effort through the EDA is reflected in the "Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows" comparing the various financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Unless and until the market price of our common stock increases significantly our ability to raise substantial funds from the sale of shares under the Chardan offering or other sales of our equity is hindered (see Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors - “The trading price of our common stock has decreased significantly over the past year. If we are unable to raise the trading price, the market for our common stock most likely will be adversely affected”).
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There can be no assurances that, if needed, we will be able to raise adequate funds from these or other sources or enter into licensing, partnering or other arrangements to advance our business goals. Our inability to raise such funds or enter into such arrangements, if needed, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our products. Also, we have the ability to curtail discretionary spending, including some research and development activities, if required to conserve cash. Because of our long-term capital requirements, we may seek to access the public equity market whenever conditions are favorable, even if we do not have an immediate need for additional capital at that time. We are unable to estimate the amount, timing or nature of future sales of outstanding common stock or instruments convertible into or exercisable for our common stock. Any additional funding may result in significant dilution and could involve the issuance of securities with rights, which are senior to those of existing stockholders. We may also need additional funding earlier than anticipated, and our cash requirements, in general, may vary materially from those now planned, for reasons including, but not limited to, changes in our research and development programs, clinical trials, acquisitions of intellectual property or assets, enhancements to the manufacturing process, competitive and technological advances, the regulatory processes including the commercializing of Ampligen® products or new utilization of Alferon® products. See Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors; “We may require additional financing which may not be available."
The proceeds from our financing have been used to fund infrastructure growth including manufacturing, regulatory compliance and market development along with our efforts regarding the Ampligen® NDA and preparedness for the FDA pre-approval inspections of the New Brunswick manufacturing facility. There can be no assurances that, if needed, we will raise adequate funds from these or other sources, which may have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our products. Also, we have the ability to curtail discretionary spending, including some research and development activities, if required to conserve cash.
| (dollars in thousands) Obligations Expiring by Period | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Contractual Cash Obligations | Total | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Capital Leases | $ | 1 | $ | 1 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||
| Manufacture clinical batches - Ampligen® | 700 | 700 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacture validation batches - Alferon® | 622 | 622 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Operating Leases | 386 | 157 | 161 | 68 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 1,709 | $ | 1,480 | $ | 161 | $ | 68 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
Refer to PART III, ITEM 13 - “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.”
New Accounting Pronouncements
Refer to “Note 2(i) – Recent Accounting Standards and Pronouncements” under Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Disclosure about Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
None.
Critical Accounting Policies
Financial Reporting Release No. 60 requires all companies to include a discussion of critical accounting policies or methods used in the preparation of financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The significant accounting policies that we believe are most critical to aid in fully understanding our reported financial results are the following:
Revenue
Revenue from the sale of Ampligen® under cost recovery clinical treatment protocols approved by the FDA is recognized when the treatment is provided to the patient.
Revenues from the sale of product are recognized when the product is delivered, as title is then transferred to the customer. We have no other obligation associated with our products once shipment has been accepted by the customer
Inventories
We use the lower of first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) cost or market method of accounting for inventory.
Patents and Trademarks
Patents and trademarks are stated at cost (primarily legal fees) and are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of 17 years. We review our patents and trademark rights periodically to determine whether they have continuing value. Such review includes an analysis of the patent and trademark’s ultimate revenue and profitability potential. In addition, Management’s review addresses whether each patent continues to fit into our strategic business plans.
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Long-Lived Assets
The Company assesses long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets or the asset grouping may not be recoverable. Factors that the Company considers in deciding when to perform an impairment review include significant under-performance of a business or product line in relation to expectations, significant negative industry or economic trends, and significant changes or planned changes in its use of the assets. The Company measures the recoverability of assets that it will continue to use in its operations by comparing the carrying value of the asset grouping to our estimate of the related total future undiscounted net cash flows. If an asset grouping’s carrying value is not recoverable through the related undiscounted cash flows, the asset grouping is considered to be impaired.
The Company measures the impairment by comparing the difference between the asset grouping’s carrying value and its fair value. Long-lived assets are considered a non-financial asset and are recorded at fair value only if an impairment charge is recognized. Impairments are determined for groups of assets related to the lowest level of identifiable independent cash flows. The Company makes subjective judgments in determining the independent cash flows that can be related to specific asset groupings. In addition, as the Company reviews its manufacturing process and other manufacturing planning decisions, the Company must make subjective judgments regarding the remaining useful lives of assets. When the Company determines that the useful lives of assets are shorter than the Company had originally estimated, it accelerates the rate of depreciation over the assets’ new, shorter useful lives.
Stock-Based Compensation
Under FASB ASC 718-Compensation-Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”) share-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date, based on the estimated fair value of the award, and is recognized as expense over the requisite service period. We adopted the provisions of ASC-718, using a modified prospective application. Under this method, compensation cost is recognized for all share-based payments granted, modified or settled after the date of adoption, as well as for any unvested awards that were granted prior to the date of adoption.
The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton pricing option valuation model. Expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of the price of our common stock. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life of the option. We use historical data to estimate expected dividend yield, expected life, which represents the period of time the options are expected to be outstanding until they are exercised, and forfeiture rates.
Redeemable Warrants
We utilize the guidance contained in ASC 480 (formerly SFAS 150) in the determination of whether to record warrants and options as Equity and/or Liability. If the guidance of ASC 480 is deemed inconclusive, we continue our analysis utilizing ASC 815 (formerly EITF 00-19).
Our method of recording the related value attempts to be consistent with the standards as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board utilizing the concept of “Fair Value” from ASC 820-10-55-1 that states that any fair value measurement requires that the reporting entity to determine the valuation technique(s) appropriate for the measurement, considering the availability of data with which to develop inputs that represent the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the inputs fall.
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We recomputed the value of the redeemable warrants at the end of each quarterly period. We use the Monte Carlo Simulation approach which includes subjective input assumptions that are consistently applied each quarter. If we were to alter our assumptions or the numbers input based on such assumptions, the resulting fair value could be materially different. As discussed in greater detail in “Fair Value” at the beginning of this ITEM 7, the significant assumptions using this model are: (i) Risk-Free Interest Rate; (ii) Expected Holding Period; (iii) Expected Volatility; (iv) Expected Dividend Yield; (v) Expected Probability of a Fundamental Transaction; (vi) Expected Timing of Announcement of a Fundamental Transaction; (vii) Expected 100 Day Volatility at Announcement of a Fundamental Transaction; (viii) Expected Risk-Free Interest Rate at Announcement of a Fundamental Transaction; and (ix) Expected Time Between Announcement and Consummation of a Fundamental Transaction.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Our policy is to limit the amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution and place investments with financial institutions evaluated as being credit worthy, or in short-term money markets, which are exposed to minimal interest rate and credit risks. At and since January 1, 2014, we have had bank deposits and overnight repurchase agreements that exceed federally insured limits.
Concentration of credit risk, with respect to receivables, is limited through our credit evaluation process. We do not require collateral on our receivables. Our receivables historically consisted principally of amounts due from wholesale drug companies. At both December 31, 2015 and 2014 there were no receivables.
All sales for years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were prepaid by the customer related to the Ampligen® cost recovery treatment program.
| ITEM 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. |
We had approximately $8,910,000 in cash, cash equivalents and Marketable Securities at December 31, 2015. To the extent that our cash and cash equivalents exceed our near term funding needs, we intend to invest the excess cash in money market accounts or three to twelve month financial instruments. We employ established conservative policies and procedures to manage any risks with respect to investment exposure.
| ITEM 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. |
The consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and our consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015, together with the report of RSM US LLP, our independent registered public accountants, is included at the end of this report. Reference is made to the "Index to Financial Statements and Financial Statement Schedule" on page F-1.
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| ITEM 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosures. |
None.
| ITEM 9A. | Controls and Procedures. |
Effectiveness of Control Procedures
As of December 31, 2015, the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our Management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) promulgated under the Exchange Act. Our disclosure controls and procedures are intended to ensure that the information we are required to disclose in the reports that we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities Exchange Commission’s rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as the principal executive and financial officers, respectively, to allow final decisions regarding required disclosures. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2015 to ensure that material information was accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management has concluded that the financial statements included in this Form 10-K present fairly, in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We made no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act).
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Our Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f), under the Exchange Act. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers and affected by our Board of Directors, Management and other personnel, and to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on its financial statements.
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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management has assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015. In making this assessment, Management used the criteria set forth in the framework in 2013 established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission Internal Control—Integrated Framework, (COSO). Based on this assessment, Management has not identified any material weaknesses as of December 31, 2015. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, that results in more than a remote likelihood that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected.
Management has concluded that we did maintain effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015, based on the criteria set forth in “Internal Control—Integrated Framework” issued by the COSO.
| ITEM 9B. | Other Information. |
None.
| ITEM 10. | Directors and Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. |
The following sets forth biographical information about each of our Directors and Executive Officers as of the date of this report:
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Thomas K. Equels, Esq. | 62 | Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary, and General Counsel | ||
| Peter W. Rodino III | 64 | Lead Independent Director | ||
| William M. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D. | 81 | Chairman of the Board and Director | ||
| Iraj E. Kiani, Ph.D. | 70 | Director | ||
| David R. Strayer, M.D. | 70 | Chief Scientific Officer and Medical Director | ||
| Wayne S. Springate | 44 | Senior Vice President of Operations | ||
| Adam Pascale | 68 | Chief Financial Officer |
Each Director has been elected to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders, or until his earlier resignation, removal from office, death or incapacity. Each Executive Officer serves at the discretion of the Board of Directors, subject to rights, if any, under contracts of employment.
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On September 16, 2015, the Board appointed Mr. Peter Rodino as Lead Director. In addition, Mr. Rodino and William Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D. were each appointed to the Compensation Committee and Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee. Mr. Rodino, Dr. Mitchell and Iraj E. Kiani were each appointed to the Audit Committee.
On February 17, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company, by majority vote, terminated the employment of Dr. Carter, our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. As a result, Dr. Carter also is no longer a director. Dr. Mitchell was named Chairman of the Board. In recent months, the Company has been reexamining its fundamental priorities in terms of direction, corporate culture and its ability to fund operations.
On February 19, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company also made several changes to its executive management team in light of the termination of Dr. Carter, to provide effective and competent leadership that will properly position the Company to achieve its commercial goals and increase stockholder value. In this regard, Adam Pascale has been named Chief Financial Officer in addition to his current responsibilities as Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Pascale has been employed with Company for 18 years, with more than two decades of public accounting experience and prior public company experience. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Finance from Rutgers University. Mr. Pascale served for several years as a CPA prior to joining the Company, and is a member of both the American and the Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Equels, President of the Company, resigned as Chief Financial Officer to make way for Mr. Pascale.
On February 25, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company appointed Thomas K. Equels, the current President of the Company, as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. In that capacity, he is the principal executive officer of the Company.
We believe our Board Members represent a desirable diversity of backgrounds, skills, education and experiences, and they all share the personal attributes of dedication to be effective directors. In recommending Board candidates, Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee considers a candidate’s: (1) general understanding of elements relevant to the success of a publicly traded company in the current business environment; (2) understanding of our business; and (3) diversity in educational and professional background. The Committee also gives consideration to a candidate’s judgment, competence, dedication and anticipated participation in Board activities along with experience, geographic location and special talents or personal attributes. The following are qualifications, experience and skills for Board members which are important to Hemispherx’ business and its future:
Leadership Experience: We seek directors who have demonstrated strong leadership qualities. Such leaders bring diverse perspectives and broad business insight to our Company. The relevant leadership experience that we seek includes a past or current leadership role in a large or entrepreneurial company, a senior faculty position at a prominent educational institution or a past elected or appointed senior government position.
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Industry or Academic Experience: We seek directors who have relevant industry experience, both with respect to the disease areas where we are developing new therapies as well as with the economic and competitive dynamics of pharmaceutical markets, including those in which our drugs will be prescribed.
Scientific, Legal or Regulatory Experience: Given the highly technical and specialized nature of biotechnology, we desire that certain of our directors have advanced degrees, as well as drug development experience. Since we are subject to substantial regulatory oversight, both here and abroad by the FDA and other agencies, we also desire directors who have legal or regulatory experience.
Finance Experience: We believe that our directors should possess an understanding of finance and related reporting processes, particularly given the complex budgets and long timelines associated with drug development programs.
THOMAS K. EQUELS, Esq., has been a Director and serves as our Executive Vice Chairman (since 2008), Chief Executive Officer (since 2016), President (since 2015), Secretary (since 2008) and General Counsel (since 2010). For the period December 2, 2013 when Charles T. Bernhardt resigned as Chief Financial Officer through February 2016, Mr. Equels served as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Equels resigned as Chief Financial Officer on February 21, 2016 upon Adam Pascale, being promoted to the same position. Mr. Equels is the President and Managing Director of the Equels Law Firm headquartered in Miami, Florida that focuses on litigation. For over a quarter century, Mr. Equels has represented national and state governments as well as companies in the banking, insurance, aviation, pharmaceutical and construction industries. Mr. Equels received his Juris Doctor degree with high honors from Florida State University. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Troy University and also obtained his Masters' Degree from Troy. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
THOMAS K. EQUELS, Esq. - Director Qualifications:
| • | Leadership Experience – President, Managing Director of Equels Law Firm; |
| • | Industry Experience –legal counsel to Hemispherx; and |
| • | Scientific, Legal or Regulatory Experience - Law degree with over 25 years as a practicing attorney specializing in litigation. |
PETER W. RODINO III was appointed a Director in July 2013. On September 16, 2015, the Board appointed Mr. Rodino as Lead Director and he also serves as Chairman and Financial Expert of the Audit Committee, a member of the Compensation Committee and a member of the Governance and Nomination Committee of the Board of Directors. Mr. Rodino's appointment was the result of the resignation of Richard C. Piani due to health reasons. Mr. Rodino has broad legal, financial, and executive experience. In addition to being President of Rodino Consulting LLC and managing partner at several law firms during his many years as a practicing attorney, he served as Chairman and CEO of Crossroads Health Plan, the first major Health Maintenance Organization in New Jersey. He also has had experience as an investment executive in the securities industry and acted as trustee in numerous Chapter 11 complex corporate reorganizations. For the past 17 years, as founder and president of Rodino Consulting, Mr. Rodino has provided business and government relations consulting services to smaller companies with a focus on helping them develop business plans, implement marketing strategies and acquire investment capital. Mr. Rodino holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a J.D. degree from Seton Hall University.
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PETER W. RODINO III- Director Qualifications:
| • | Leadership Experience – Managing partner at several law firms during his many years as a practicing attorney; |
| • | Industry Experience - Chairman and CEO of Crossroads Health Plan, the first major Health Maintenance Organization in New Jersey; |
| • | Scientific, Legal or Regulatory Experience – Investment executive in the securities industry and acted as trustee in numerous Chapter 11 complex corporate reorganizations; and |
| • | Finance Experience – Business and government relations consulting services to smaller companies with a focus on helping them develop business plans, implement marketing strategies and acquire investment capital. |
WILLIAM M. MITCHELL, M.D., Ph.D., has been a Director since July 1998. On February 17, 2016, Dr. Mitchell was appointed as Chairman of the Board upon Dr. Carter’s termination. Dr. Mitchell is a Professor of Pathology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and is a board certified physician. Dr. Mitchell earned a M.D. from Vanderbilt and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University, where he served as House Officer in Internal Medicine, followed by a Fellowship at its School of Medicine. Dr. Mitchell has published over 200 papers, reviews and abstracts that relate to viruses, anti-viral drugs, immune responses to HIV infection, and other biomedical topics. Dr. Mitchell has worked for and with many professional societies that have included the American Society of Investigative Pathology, the International Society for Antiviral Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the American Society of Microbiology. Dr. Mitchell is a member of the American Medical Association. He has served on numerous government review committees, among them the National Institutes of Health, AIDS and Related Research Review Group. Dr. Mitchell previously served as one of our Directors from 1987 to 1989.
WILLIAM M. MITCHELL, M.D., Ph.D. - Director Qualifications:
| • | Leadership Experience – Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Chronix Biomedical and is Chairman of its Medical Advisory Board. Additionally, he has served on multiple governmental review committees of the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for the European Union, including key roles as Chairman; |
| • | Academic and Industry Experience – Well published medical researcher with extensive investigative experience on virus and immunology issues relevant to the scientific business of Hemispherx along with being a Director of an entrepreneurial diagnostic company (Chronix Biomedical) that is involved in next generation DNA sequencing for medical diagnostics; and |
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| • | Scientific, Legal or Regulatory Experience - M.D., Ph.D. and professor at a top ranked school of medicine, and inventor of record on numerous U.S. and international patents who is experienced in regulatory affairs through filings with the FDA. |
IRAJ E. KIANI, Ph.D. was appointed to the Board of Directors on May 1, 2002. Dr. Kiani served in various government positions in Iran prior to the Iranian Islamic Revolution. In the early 1980’s, Dr. Kiani moved to England, where he established and managed several trading companies over a period of approximately 20 years. Dr. Kiani is a planning and logistic specialist who is now applying his knowledge and experience to various immunology related activities. He also has experience working with an immunotherapy clinic in California. Dr. Kiani graduated from the University of Ferdosi in Iran.
IRAJ E. KIANI, Ph.D. - Director Qualifications:
| • | Leadership Experience – public office in Iran; |
| • | Industry Experience – Broad international business network and contacts within the field of immunology; |
| • | Scientific, Legal or Regulatory Experience – experience in field and business of immunotherapy and clinical trial experience; and |
| • | Finance Experience – over 40 years of international business experience. |
DAVID R. STRAYER, M.D. has acted as our Medical Director since 1986. On February, 19, 2016, Dr. Strayer was appointed as Chief Scientific Officer upon Dr. Carter’s termination. He has served as Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University. Dr. Strayer is Board Certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine with research interests in the fields of cancer and immune system disorders. He has served as principal investigator in studies funded by the Leukemia Society of America, the American Cancer Society, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Strayer attended the School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles where he received his M.D. in 1972.
WAYNE S. SPRINGATE was promoted to Senior Vice President of Operations on May 1, 2011. Mr. Springate joined Hemispherx in 2002 as Vice President of Business Development when Hemispherx acquired Alferon N Injection® and its New Brunswick, NJ manufacturing facilities. He led the consolidation of our Rockville facility to our New Brunswick location as well as coordinated the relocation of manufacturing polymers from South Africa to our production facility in New Brunswick. He was also responsible for preparing and having a successful Preapproval Inspection by the FDA for our New Brunswick manufacturing plant in connection with the filing of our Ampligen® NDA. Currently he is managing a capital improvement budget to enhance our Alferon® facility in accordance with cGMP. Previously, Mr. Springate served as President for World Fashion Concepts in New York and oversaw operations at several locations throughout the United States and overseas. Mr. Springate assists the CEO in details of operations on a daily basis and is involved in all aspects of manufacturing, warehouse management, distribution and logistics.
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ADAM PASCALE was promoted to Chief Financial Officer on February 22, 2016. He will continue to be the Company’s Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Pascale has been employed with Company for 18 years, with more than two decades of public accounting experience and prior public company experience. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Finance from Rutgers University. Mr. Pascale served for several years as a CPA prior to joining Hemispherx, and is a member of both the American and the Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. Thomas K. Equels, President of the Company, resigned as Chief Financial Officer to make way for Mr. Pascale.
WILLIAM A. CARTER, M.D., is our former Chief Executive Officer, Chief Scientific Officer and Chairman of our Board of Directors. On February 17, 2016, the Board of Directors, by majority vote, terminated the employment of Dr. Carter and as a result, is no longer a director.
Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our Officers and Directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of a registered class of equity securities, to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission reflecting their initial position of ownership on Form 3 and changes in ownership on Form 4 or Form 5. Based solely on a review of the copies of such Forms received by us, we found that, during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, all of our Officers and Directors had complied with all applicable Section 16(a) filing requirements on a timely basis with regard to transactions occurring in 2015.
Audit Committee and Audit Committee Expert
The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors consists of Peter Rodino III, Committee Chairman, William Mitchell, M.D. and Iraj E. Kiani, Ph.D. Mr. Rodino, Dr. Mitchell, and Dr. Kiani are all determined by the Board of Directors to be Independent Directors as required under Section 803(2) of the NYSE: MKT Company Guide and Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. The Board has determined that Mr. Rodino qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as that term is defined by Section 803B(2) of the NYSE: MKT Company Guide and the rules and regulations of the SEC.
We believe Mr. Rodino, Dr. Mitchell, and Dr. Kiani to be independent of management and free of any relationship that would interfere with their exercise of independent judgment as members of this Committee. The principal functions of the Audit Committee are to (i) assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility relating to the annual independent audit of our consolidated financial statements and internal control over financial reporting, the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm and the evaluation of the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications, independence and performance; (ii) prepare the reports or statements as may be required by NYSE MKT or the securities laws; (iii) assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibility relating to the integrity of our financial statements and financial reporting process and our system of internal accounting and financial controls; (iv) discuss the financial statements and reports with management, including any significant adjustments, management judgments and estimates, new accounting policies and disagreements with management; and (v) review disclosures by our independent registered public accounting firm concerning relationships with us and the performance of our independent accountants.
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This Committee formally met nine times in 2015 with all committee members in attendance. Our General Counsel and Chief Financial Officer support the Audit Committee in its work. The full text of the Audit Committee’s Charter, as approved by the Board, is available on our website: www.hemispherx.net in the “Investor Relations” tab under “Corporate Governance”.
The Audit Committee engaged the services of a consultant in 2015 who meets the SEC criteria of a Financial Expert to enhance the current structure and expertise of the Committee. After an extensive search, the Audit Committee selected Stewart L. Appelrouth, a Florida and North Carolina licensed Certified Public Accountant to directly support the efforts of the Audit Committee on an as-needed basis. Mr. Appelrouth is a Certified Valuation Analyst, Accredited in Business Valuation and a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Accounting. Mr. Appelrouth has a Masters’ Degree in Finance from Florida International University and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Florida State University. He is one of the founding partners of Appelrouth Farah & Co., which serves Southern Florida as a full service accounting and international business advisory firm specializing in auditing, domestic and international taxation, litigation support, forensic accounting, fraud examination and business valuation. The Firm is affiliated with MGI, a worldwide association of independent auditing and accounting firms. The Audit Committee is currently reviewing other candidates to facilitate the current structure and expertise of the Committee in 2016.
Disclosure Controls Committee
In August 2011, our Board formed the Disclosure Controls Committee (“DCC”). The DCC reports to the Audit Committee and is responsible for procedures and guidelines on managing disclosure information.
The purpose of the DCC is to make certain that information required to be publicly disclosed is properly accumulated, recorded, summarized and communicated to the Board and management. This process is intended to allow for timely decisions regarding communications and disclosures and to help ensure that we comply with related SEC rules and regulations. Wayne Springate one of our Senior Vice Presidents, is the DCC’s Investor Relations Coordinator and Chairperson. The other members of the DCC are Thomas K. Equels, our General Counsel, William Mitchell, one of our Independent Directors, and Adam Pascale, our Chief Financial and Accounting Officer. Ann Marie Coverly, Director of HR and Administration, serves the DCC as Deputy Investor Relations Coordinator. The full text of the DCC’s Charter, as approved by the Board, is available on our website: www.hemispherx.net in the “Investor Relations” tab under “Corporate Governance”.
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Executive Committee
In February 2016, our Board formed the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee reports to the Board and its purpose is to aid the Board in handling matters which, in the opinion of the Chairman of the Board, should not be postponed until the next scheduled meeting of the Board. Mr. Equels, our Chief Executive Officer is the chairman of the Committee, along with two of our independent directors, Mr. Rodino and Dr. Mitchell. The full text of the Executive Committee Charter, as approved by the Board, is available on our website: www.hemispherx.net in the “Investor Relations” tab under “Corporate Governance”.
Code of Ethics
Our Board of Directors adopted a revision to the 2003 Code of Ethics and business conduct for officers, directors, employees, agents and consultants on October 15, 2009. The principal amendments included broadening the Code's application to our agents and consultants, adoption of a regulatory compliance policy and adoption of a policy for protection and use of Company computer technology for business purposes only. On an annual basis, this Code is reviewed and signed by each Officer, Director, employee and strategic consultants with none of the amendments constituting a waiver of provision of the Code of Ethics on behalf of our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Controller, or persons performing similar functions.
You may obtain a copy of this Code by visiting our web site at www.hemispherx.net (Investor Relations / Corporate Governance) or by written request to our office at 1617 JFK Boulevard, Suite 500, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
| ITEM 11. | Executive Compensation. |
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
This discussion and analysis describes our executive compensation philosophy, process, plans and practices as they relate to our “Named Executive Officers” (“NEO”) listed below and gives the context for understanding and evaluating the more specific compensation information contained in the narratives, tables and related disclosures that follow. Please note that Dr. Carter’s employment was terminated on February 17, 2016 and also is no longer a director. For the purposes of discussion and analysis Dr. Carter was included in the narratives, tables and related disclosures that follow:
| • | Dr. William A. Carter, former Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), President and Chief Scientific Officer (“CSO”); |
| • | Thomas K. Equels, Chief Executive Officer, President, and General Counsel; and |
| • | Dr. David Strayer, Chief Scientific Officer (“CSO”) and Medical Director. |
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Overview of Our Business Environment
Hemispherx is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and engaged in the clinical development of new drug therapies based on natural immune system enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based chronic disorders. We were founded in the early 1970s doing contract research for the National Institutes of Health. Since that time, we have established a strong foundation of laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical data with respect to the development of natural interferon and nucleic acids to enhance the natural antiviral defense system of the human body and to aid the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of certain chronic diseases.
Our flagship products include Alferon N Injection® and the experimental therapeutic Ampligen®. Alferon N Injection® is approved for a category of STD infection, and Ampligen® represents an experimental RNA being developed for globally important viral diseases and disorders of the immune system. Hemispherx' platform technology includes components for potential treatment of various severely debilitating and life threatening diseases. Alferon® LDO (Low Dose Oral) is a formulation under development targeting influenza.
In September 2014, we initiated a series of collaborations designed to determine the potential effectiveness of Alferon® N and Ampligen® as potential preventative and/or therapeutic treatments for Ebola related disorders. Our two platform drugs Alferon® N and Ampligen®, have certain unique structural attributes and developmental histories which suggest potential incremental value with respect to inclusion in various Ebola therapeutic cocktails under development. Ampligen®, an experimental therapeutic, is a new class of specifically-configured ribonucleic acid (RNA) compounds targeted as potential treatment of diseases with immunologic defects and/or viral causation. Ebola virus specifically inhibits the dsRNA within cells via a sequestration process. Such RNA would otherwise cause a robust antiviral response to be mounted: Ampligen may be able to overcome this deficiency in host response. Positive results against Ebola in vitro have been reported to the Company by the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) and other research/academic institutions. Clinical trial data will be necessary to establish human efficacy of Ampligen® for Ebola viruses.
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Governance of Compensation Committee
The Compensation Committee consists of the following two directors, each of whom is “independent” under applicable NYSE MKT rules, a “Non-Employee Director” as defined in Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, and an “Outside Director” as defined under the U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”): Dr. William Mitchell, M.D. (Chair) and Peter W. Rodino. The Compensation Committee makes recommendations concerning salaries and compensation for senior management and other highly paid professionals or consultants to Hemispherx. The full text of the Compensation Committee’s Charter, as approved by the Board, is available on our website: www.hemispherx.net in the “Investor Relations” tab under “Corporate Governance”.
This Committee formally met five times in 2015 and all committee members were in attendance for the meetings with the exception of one meeting. Our General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Human Resources support the Compensation Committee in its work.
Results of Stockholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation
At the September 16, 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the Stockholders did not approve the annual, non-binding advisory vote on Executive Compensation.
Our Compensation Committee reviews its executive compensation policies annually and takes into account the results of prior say-on-pay advisory votes. After reviewing the results of the 2011 say-on-pay advisory vote, the Committee had:
| • | Developed Company-wide goals and objectives with the intent to increase Stockholder value, enhance the “pay for performance” concept, attempted to address the needs of patients and enhance financial factors such as raising capital, reestablishing revenue streams, cost containment and/or improving the results of operations; |
| • | Attempted to reinforce a Pay for Performance environment for the Executive Team with emphasis of sharing the economic goals of the Stockholders; |
| • | Reviewed the Executive Team’s Company-wide goals and individual’s specific goals in relation to each job performance for each given year. In its review of each member of the Executive Team, the Committee utilized a weighted-average rating process regarding the goals and responsibilities specific to each individual as well as their contribution in meeting Company’s overall goals; |
| • | Reviewed peer group financial data of comparable publicly-traded companies for 2011 and 2010 with emphasis on a comparison of executive compensation as a factor to various Balance Sheet ratios to determine reasonableness to the respective companies; |
| • | Considered the change in the market value of the Company’s stock during the year in relation to Management’s efforts and ability to impact the results; |
| • | Mandated that the standard terms of future employee options issued by the Company require that such options not vest sooner than one year from the date of issuance and that, to the extent that any such options have not vested on the date of an Executive’s termination, the options will expire; |
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| • | Issued new options to employees at the rate of 110% of the Company’s NYSE MKT stock market trading value at the time of award; and |
| • | Adopted a policy to facilitate compliance with Dodd-Frank’s Claw-Back Compensation Recoupment provisions. |
The Committee reviewed the results of the 2015 say-on-pay advisory vote and its executive compensation policies. In January 2016, in an effort to better incentivize top management and align top management’s compensation with their performance on behalf of the Company, the Committee created the 2016 Senior Executive Deferred Cash Performance Award Plan. The two participants were Dr. William A. Carter, the Company’s former Chairman of the Board, former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, and Thomas K. Equels, the Company’s current Chief Executive Officer, President, Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, Secretary, and General Counsel. See Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations; Liquidity and Capital Resources; The Executive Plan” in PART II.
Process
Our Compensation Committee is responsible for determining the compensation of our NEO included in the “Summary Compensation Table” below. For purposes of determining compensation for our NEO, our Compensation Committee takes into account the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer. The Compensation Committee is also responsible for overseeing our incentive compensation plans and equity-based plans, under which stock option grants have been made to employees, including the NEO, as well as non-employee Directors and strategic consultants.
The following table summarizes the roles of each of the key participants in the executive compensation decision-making process:
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| Compensation Committee | • | Fulfills the Board of Directors' responsibilities relating to compensation of Hemispherx’ NEO, other non-officer Executives and non-Executives. |
| • | Oversees implementation and administration of Hemispherx’ compensation and employee benefits programs, including incentive compensation and equity compensation plans. | |
| • | Reviews and approves Hemispherx’ goals and objectives and, in light of these, evaluates each NEO's performance and sets their annual base salary, annual incentive opportunity, long-term incentive opportunity and any special/supplemental benefits or payments. | |
| • | Reviews and approves compensation for all other non-officer Executives of Hemispherx including annual base salary, annual incentive opportunity, long-term incentive opportunity and any special/supplemental benefits or payments. | |
| • | In consultation with the CEO and CFO, reviews the talent development process within Hemispherx to ensure it is effectively managed and sufficient to undertake successful succession planning. | |
| • | Reviews and approves employment agreements, severance arrangements, issuances of equity compensation and change in control agreements. | |
| Chairman and CEO | • | Presents to the Compensation Committee the overall performance evaluation of, and compensation recommendations for, each of the NEO and other non-officer Executives. |
| Chief Financial Officer and Director of Human Resources | • | Reports directly or indirectly to the Chief Executive Officer. |
| • | Assists the Compensation Committee with the data for competitive pay and benchmarking purposes. | |
| • | Reviews relevant market data and advises the Compensation Committee on interpretation of information, including cost of living statistics, within the framework of Hemispherx. | |
| • | Informs the Compensation Committee of regulatory developments and how these may affect Hemispherx’ compensation program. |
Objectives and Philosophy of Executive Compensation
The primary objectives of the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors with respect to Executive compensation are to attract and retain the most talented and dedicated Executives possible, to tie annual and long-term cash and stock incentives to achievement of measurable performance objectives, and to align Executives' incentives with stockholder value creation. To achieve these objectives, the Compensation Committee expects to implement and maintain compensation plans that tie a substantial portion of Executives' overall compensation to key strategic financial and operational goals such as the establishment and maintenance of key strategic relationships, the development of our products, the identification and advancement of additional products and the performance of our common stock price. The Compensation Committee evaluates individual Executive performance with the goal of setting compensation at levels the Committee believes are comparable with Executives in other companies of similar size and stage of development operating in the biotechnology industry while taking into account our relative performance, our own strategic goals, governmental regulations and the results of Stockholder Advisory Votes regarding executive compensation.
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Use of Compensation Data
Our compensation plans are developed by utilizing publicly available compensation data for national and regional companies in the biopharmaceutical industry as well as web sites that specialize in compensation and/or employment data. We believe that the practices of this group of companies and/or data obtained from employment industry organizations, provide us with appropriate compensation benchmarks necessary to review the compensation recommendations by the CEO, CFO and/or Human Resources Department. In 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Committee did not engage the services of an independent compensation consultant, but alternatively utilized web-based organizations and data bases such as Salary.com, to help them analyze compensation data and compare our programs with the practices of similar national and/or regional companies represented in the biopharmaceutical industry. In February 2016, the Board of Directors, based upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee approved the engagement of an independent compensation consultant to ensure compensation arrangements are in line with industry standards. The Compensation Committee recommended the consultant based upon candidates suggested to it by its independent counsel.
Elements of Executive Compensation
The Compensation Committee has adopted a mix among the compensation elements in order to further our compensation goals. The elements include:
| • | Base salary (impacted by cost of living adjustments); |
| • | Variable compensation consisting of a cash bonus based upon individual and overall Company performance; |
| • | Performance incentive bonus based on the accomplishment of Company sales milestones or activity; |
| • | Long-term bonus incentive programs consisting of the Employee Bonus Pool Program; |
| • | Stock option grants with exercise prices set in excess of fair market value at the time of grant and, effective December 2011, not vesting sooner than one year from the date of issuance; and |
| • | Adoption of a policy to facilitate compliance with Dodd-Frank’s Claw-Back Compensation Recoupment provisions. |
Executive compensation consists of the following elements:
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Base Salary
Base salaries for our Executives are established based on the scope of their responsibilities, taking into account competitive market compensation paid by other companies for similar positions. Generally, we believe that Executive base salaries should be targeted near the median of the range of salaries for executives in similar positions with similar responsibilities at comparable companies, in line with our compensation philosophy. For those NEO with employment agreements, base salary is determined and set forth in the agreement and the Compensation Committee reviews the base salary prior to renewal of such agreement. Base salaries for the other NEO are normally reviewed annually, and adjusted from time to time to realign salaries with market levels after taking into account individual responsibilities, performance and experience. While this review process would normally occur in the fourth quarter of each year, in recent years this review has occurred when NEO’s employment agreements required restatement, amendment or replacement. However, after analysis of overall Company compensation, the Committee authorized a non-discriminatory and universally applied cost of living increase to the base salaries of all full-time employees of record effective December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 at the rates of 0.0%, 1.5% and 0.0%, respectively. Additional changes to our NEO’s base salaries could be undertaken in a future determination by the Compensation Committee at its discretion. During 2015 and 2014, none of the employment contracts of NEOs were created, amended or restated. Dr. Strayer does not currently have an employment agreement with the Company.
On December 23, 2015, pursuant to a resolution of the Compensation Committee of our Board, we notified Dr. William A. Carter, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer, that we were not renewing his Amended and Restated Engagement Agreement dated June 11, 2010 (the “Agreement”). As a result, the Agreement terminated on December 31, 2015 per its terms. We have agreed to continue to pay Dr. Carter a base fee at the rate of $331,750 per year, payable monthly, for services that he renders to us as a consultant. We have the right to terminate these payments on 30 days’ written notice. Pursuant to the Agreement, Dr. Carter provided consulting services related to patent development. Dr. Carter’s employment agreement remains unchanged. Subsequent to December 31, 2015, Dr. Carter’s employment was terminated on February 17, 2016 and also is no longer a director.
Annual Bonus
Our compensation program includes eligibility for an annual performance-based cash bonus in the case of all NEO and certain senior, non-officer Executives. The amount of the cash bonus depends on the level of achievement of the stated corporate, department, and individual performance goals, with a target bonus generally set as a percentage of base salary. As provided in their respective employment agreement, during the year ended December 31, 2015, the following NEO were eligible for an annual performance bonus based on their salaries, the amount of which, if any, is determined by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion based on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee:
| • | Dr. William Carter, former Chairman & CEO (bonus opportunity up to 25%); |
| • | Thomas Equels, General Counsel, Litigation Counsel, Secretary and Executive Vice Chairman of the Board (bonus opportunity up to 25%). |
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The Compensation Committee utilizes annual incentive bonuses to compensate NEO and certain senior, non-officer executives (the “Executive Team”) for attainment or success towards overall corporate financial and/or operational goals along with achieving individual annual performance objectives. These objectives will vary depending on the individual Executive, but generally relate to strategic factors such as establishment and/or maintenance of key strategic relationships, development of our products, identification, research and/or development of additional products, enhancing financial factors such as raising capital, cost containment and/or improving the results of operations. The Compensation Committee, in light of established individual and Company-wide goals and objectives, evaluated the performance of each NEO, key executive and overall staff in order to determine each respective annual incentive opportunity including an analysis by the Compensation Committee that provides the following information:
| 1. | The Company-wide goals and objectives along with individual performance goals for each NEO used to determine annual bonuses for the fiscal year; |
| 2. | How each goal individually or in totality was weighted, if applicable, to the extent that any of the performance goals were quantitatively and/or quantitatively measurable; |
| 3. | The threshold, target, and maximum levels of achievement of each performance goal, if applicable; |
| 4. | The intended relationship between the level of achievement of Company-wide performance goals and the amount of bonus to be awarded; |
| 5. | The intended relationship between the level of achievement of each NEO’s individual performance goals and the amount of bonus to be awarded; |
| 6. | The evaluation by the Committee of the level of achievement by each NEO of the Company-wide and individual performance goals applicable to him/her individually; |
| 7. | If applicable, whether the Committee reviewed any report(s) from compensation consultant(s) and/or web based organizations and data bases; |
| 8. | The adequate disclosure of the percentage of base salary awarded in the form of an incentive bonus to each NEO as a result of their or the Company’s performance; and |
| 9. | If applicable, how the Company’s compensation policies and practices relate to the Company’s risk management. |
The Compensation Committee also undertook the initial steps to review and reestablish goals and objectives for the Executive Team regarding mid-year bonuses in 2014. On an overall basis, all bonus eligible member of the Executive Team would share the following Company-wide goals:
| A. | Regulatory approval and sales of Ampligen for the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in any country or regional jurisdiction; |
| B. | Significant regulatory advancement for the approval of Ampligen for any non-CFS indication in any country jurisdiction. These indications include cancer vaccines, vaccines for infectious indications including bioterror/biowarfare, burns or other inducers of traumatic immunodeficiency; |
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| C. | Regulatory approval and sales of Alferon for the treatment of any non-CFS indication in any country jurisdiction; |
| D. | Any merger, acquisition, or partnership that quantitatively improves the value of the company; |
| E. | Any governmental grant and/or contact, singly or in the aggregate for R & D or commercial product; |
| F. | Continued productive interaction with the FDA concerning issues necessary for approval of Ampligen for CFS; |
| G. | Continued progress towards non-USA approval of Ampligen® for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; |
| H. | An overall strategic plan for Ampligen® and Alferon® to be submitted to the Board; |
| I. | Strategic plans for the marketing and partners for Ampligen® to be submitted to the Board; |
| J. | Continued development of enhancement of vaccines requiring Ampligen®; |
| K. | Success in the protection of Company Intellectual Property; |
| L. | Continued development of Alferon® LDO; |
| M. | Progress in the return to commercialization of Alferon N Injection®; |
| N. | Continued development of Ampligen® and Alferon N Injection® for treatment of influenza; |
| O. | Maintaining the overall financial strength of the Company and operations consistent with the budget; |
| P. | Implementation of research & development partnerships; |
| Q. | Implementation of Ampligen® clinical trials in cancer with commercial partner(s); |
| R. | Implementation of Ampligen® clinical trials in cancer with academic partner(s); |
| S. | Increase in clinical trials of Alferon N Injection® and additional indications; and, |
| T. | Acquisition of complimentary pharmaceutical technologies and/or drugs/vaccines. |
On an annual basis and at the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee, with input from the CEO or the Executive’s direct supervisor, the Committee evaluates the individual performance of each member of the Executive Team as to his/her achievement and/or contribution towards meeting the overall Company-wide goals along with his/her accomplishments specific to his/her job description. The outcome of the Committee’s analysis is utilized to determine if a bonus is warranted, and if so, the dollar amount or percentage of the Executive Team member’s year-end base pay rate to be awarded.
Prior to year-end or during the first fiscal quarter of the subsequent year, the Compensation Committee would complete their analysis utilizing any internal and external documentation desired, including but not limited to reports from independent analysts and/or corporate benchmarking organizations. Upon analysis completion, the Compensation Committee made formal recommendations to the Board based on their findings with regard to bonuses for the respective year ended. Due to the subjective nature of the Company-wide goals regarding the success and analysis of an Executive in meeting or exceeding elements of his/her specific job duties, the goals were not designed to be weighted in value or quantitative in nature. The bonuses were designed to be awarded based on a subjective cumulate nature of the goals deemed attainable, employee performance and progress towards achievement. The bonus threshold was designed to range from zero percent to twenty-five percent, with a target bonus of approximately twenty or twenty-five percent, calculated from the individual’s year-end base pay rate.
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In June and July 2014, the Compensation Committee reviewed the Executive Team’s Company-wide goals as detailed in the Committee’s March 2014 meeting minutes along with specific goals documented in each individual’s job description. Upon individual review of each member of the Executive Team, the Committee concluded that the Executive Team members had excelled in meeting their goals and responsibilities as documented in each individual’s job description as well as made significant progress in meeting corporate goals with outstanding success. Additionally, the Committee observed that the employees had worked tirelessly over the first half of 2014 and that a performance bonus would be desirable to acknowledge the persistence, loyalty, effort and dedication of the Senior Management team.
The Compensation Committee in light of pre-established individual, along with position appropriate Company-wide goals (A. through T. as disclosed above) and objectives, undertook a weighted-average evaluation of the performance of each key executive in order to determine respective annual incentive opportunities considering base salary and fees, short and long-term incentive opportunity and any special/supplemental benefits or payments. Based upon all the foregoing and the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, the Board approved the following 2014 Performance Bonuses be granted to the following NEO at the rate of 25% of their respective 2014 year-end base compensation:
| • | William Carter (former Chairman, CEO, President, Chief Scientific Officer as of February 17, 2016) for $250,691; |
| • | Thomas Equels (Executive Vice Chairman, current Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary & General Counsel) for $134,203; |
| • | David Strayer (Chief Scientific Officer & Medical Director) for $67,369; |
There were no Performance Bonuses granted and/or paid to the NEO's for the year ended 2015 & 2013.
Employee Appraisal and Merit Bonus Program
In 2012, the Compensation Committee approved an Employee Appraisal and Merit Bonus Program for those employees not eligible for the key employee annual bonus. This Program incorporates a team concept by conducting appraisals for eligible employees in each department throughout the calendar year and then averaging the total scores per department in order to determine year-end, department-wide merit bonuses. This Program is annually renewed and at the ultimate discretion of the Compensation Committee based on various factors, including the Company’s overall accomplishment of milestones and access to Working Capital.
For the year ended 2013 and 2015, no bonuses related to this program were granted to employees. In 2014, bonuses related to this program were granted to employees amounting to approximately $58,000.
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Executive Performance Incentive Bonus
As an element of their employment contracts, William Executive Plan (former Chairman, CEO, President, Chief Scientific Officer as of February 17, 2016) and Thomas Equels (Executive Vice Chairman, current Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and General Counsel) are eligible for performance incentive bonus based on a percent, 2.5% and 5.0% respectively, of the Gross Proceeds paid to the Company as a result of sales of Alferon N Injection®, Alferon® LDO, Ampligen® or other Company products, or from any joint ventures or corporate partnering arrangements. For bonus purposes, Gross Proceeds is defined as cash amounts paid to the Company by the other parties to the joint venture or corporate partnering arrangement, but shall not include any amounts paid to the Company as reimbursement of expenses incurred; and any amounts paid to the Company in consideration for the Company's assets (i.e., plant, property, equipment, investments, etc.), equity or other securities. After the termination of this Agreement, for any reason, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels shall be entitled to receive the incentive bonus based upon Gross Proceeds received by the Company during the three-year period commencing on the termination of their Agreement with respect to any joint ventures or corporate partnering arrangements entered into by the Company during the term of the Agreement. Furthermore, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels shall be entitled to a 5% bonus related to any sale of the Company, or any sale of a substantial portion of Company assets not in the ordinary course of its business. The aggregate incentive bonus hereunder as set forth above shall be capped not to exceed $5,000,000 annually.
During 2012, the Compensation Committee and Board of Directors sought out and received an opinion of independent legal counsel regarding the elements of the Executive Performance Incentive Bonus created by the current employment contracts of William Carter and Thomas Equels in relation to the shares of Company stock sold through the Maxim ATM. It was the opinion of independent counsel that Section 3(c)(ii) of Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels respective agreements could reasonably be interpreted to require the Company to pay them a 5% bonus on the net proceeds resulting from the sale of securities of the Maxim ATM Offering as either (a) constitutes any sale of the Company, or (b) is a sale of substantial portion of Company assets not in the ordinary course of its business. On November 26, 2012, all of the members of the Compensation Committee authorized the payment of bonus for the Company stock sold through the Maxim ATM based on the contractual obligation and opinion of independent counsel. For the years ended 2015, 2014 and 2013, compensation was granted or paid related to the Executive Performance Incentive Program, as set forth in Section 3(c)(ii) of their respective Employment Agreements, for approximately $262,000, $641,000, and $12,000 to each Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels.
On November 23, 2015, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels waived their rights under their respective employment agreements to any future payment of any incentive bonus related to the sale of the Company’s stock or other securities by, or on behalf of, the Company pursuant to the Maxim Equity Distribution Agreement or any similar or successor ATM equity distribution agreement including the Chardan Agreement. Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels voluntarily provided these waivers in an effort to preserve cash and to help the Company to ensure its short term commercialization goals.
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Long-Term Bonus Incentive Programs
The Compensation Committee believes that team oriented performance by our NEO, non-officer Executive officers and all employees, consistent with our short and long-term goals, can be achieved through the use of goal or result oriented bonus programs. For the year ending 2015, the Employee Bonus Pool Program continued to exist to provide our employees, including our NEO and certain senior, non-officer Executives, with incentives to help align their financial interests with that of Hemispherx and its stockholders. For the year ending 2015, no compensation was granted or paid in relation to Long-Term Bonus Programs.
Base Pay Supplement and Employee Bonus Pool Programs
All Participants in the Employee Plan and Executive Plan created in January 2016 will be awarded an amount (the “Approval Award”) equal to 30% of the pre-tax amount of their base annual salary as then in effect upon FDA Approval of Ampligen (the “Approval”). The Approval Award will be paid within three months following the Approval. In addition, all Participants in either plan will be awarded an amount (the “Pre-Approval Award”) equal to 30% of the pre-tax amount of their annual salary as then in effect upon the successful pre-approval inspection by the FDA of the Alferon facility (the “Pre-Approval”). The Pre-Approval Award will be paid within three months following the Pre-Approval. A Participant will not qualify for the Approval or Pre-Approval Award if the Participant’s employment is terminated prior to such Approval or Pre-Approval due to (i) termination by the Company for Cause or (ii) voluntary termination by the Participant. See Item 7-Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations; Liquidity and Capital Resources; Base Pay Supplement” in PART II.
An element of the prior 2009’s Employee Wage or Hours Reduction Program was the establishment of a Bonus Pool (the “Pool”) in the case of FDA Approval (“Approval”) of Ampligen®. This bonus is to award to each employee of record at January 1, 2009 a pretax sum of 30% in wages, calculated on their base salary per annum compensation at the time of the Approval, and awarded within three months of Approval. Participants who terminate their employment prior to the Approval will not qualify for this bonus. For the year ended 2015, no compensation was granted or paid related to the Employee Bonus Pool Program.
Stock Options
The Compensation Committee believes that long-term performance is achieved through an ownership culture that encourages such performance by our NEO, non-officer Executives and all employees through the use of stock and stock-based awards. Our stock plans have been established to provide our employees, including our NEO and senior non-officer Executives, with incentives to help align their interests with the interests of stockholders. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee believes that the use of stock and stock-based awards offers the best approach to achieving long-term performance goals because:
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| • | Stock options align the interests of Executives and employees with those of the stockholders, support a pay-for-performance culture, foster employee stock ownership, and focus the management team on increasing value for the stockholders; |
| • | Stock options are performance based. All the value received by the recipient of a stock option is based on the growth of the stock price; and |
| • | Stock options help to provide a balance to the overall executive compensation program as base salary and our discretionary annual bonus program focus on short-term compensation. |
We have historically elected, and continue to use, stock options as the primary long-term equity incentive vehicle. We have adopted stock ownership guidelines and our stock compensation plans have provided the principal method, other than through direct investment for our executives to acquire equity in our Company. The Compensation Committee believes that the annual aggregate value of these awards should be set near competitive median levels for comparable companies. However, in the early stage of our business, we provided a greater portion of total compensation to our Executives through our stock compensation plans than through cash-based compensation.
In determining the number of stock options to be granted to NEO, non-officer Executives and employees, we take into account the individual's position, scope of responsibility, ability to affect profits and stockholder value and the individual's historic and recent performance and the value of stock options in relation to other elements of the individual's total compensation.
Our stock plans authorize us to grant options to purchase shares of common stock to our NEO, employees, Directors and consultants. Our Compensation Committee oversees the administration of our stock option plan. The Compensation Committee reviews and recommends approval by our Board of Directors of stock option awards to NEO based upon a review of competitive compensation data, its assessment of individual performance, a review of each Executive's existing long-term incentives and retention considerations. Periodic stock option grants are made at the discretion of the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Compensation Committee to eligible NEO and employees and, in appropriate circumstances, the Compensation Committee considers the recommendations of the CEO.
As a reinforcement to employees that one of the Company’s priorities continues to be that of increasing shareholder value, the Compensation Committee and Board have historically granted the replacement of expired stock options to all current employees at the same number of shares and exercise price as had been originally issued.
Effective as of December 2011, the Compensation Committee mandated that the standard terms of options to be issued to individuals in their role as Company employees to require that such options not vest sooner than one year from the date of issuance and that, to the extent that any such options have not vested on the date of an Executive’s termination, the options shall be void as to such unvested portion.
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The following Options were issued to NEO in their role as employees during 2015:
| • | On June 6, 2015, we granted options to William A. Carter, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, consistent with his employment agreement, to purchase 500,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.25 per share which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| • | On June 6, 2015, we granted options to Thomas K. Equels, Executive Vice Chairman, Secretary and General Counsel, consistent with his employment agreement 300,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.25 per share which vest in entirety in one year; |
The following Options were issued to NEO in their role as employees during 2014:
| • | On June 6, 2014, we granted options to William A. Carter, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, consistent with his employment agreement, to purchase 500,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.36 per share which vest in entirety in one year; |
| • | On June 6, 2014, we granted options to Thomas K. Equels, Executive Vice Chairman, Secretary and General Counsel, consistent with his employment agreement 300,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.36 per share which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| • | On June 6, 2014, we granted options to Wayne Springate, SVP Operations, consistent with his employment agreement 50,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.36 per share which vest in entirety in one year; |
The following Options were issued to NEO in their role as employees during 2013:
| • | On June 6, 2013, we granted options to William A. Carter, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, consistent with his employment agreement, to purchase 500,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.31 per share which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| • | On June 6, 2013, we granted options to Thomas K. Equels, Executive Vice Chairman, Secretary and General Counsel, consistent with his employment agreement 300,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.31 per share which vest in entirety in one year; |
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The Equity Incentive Plan of 2009 authorizes the grant of non-qualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and other stock awards. A maximum of 15,000,000 shares of common stock is reserved for potential issuance pursuant to awards under the Equity Incentive Plan of 2009. In September 2015, the Company's shareholders approved the following amendments to the 2009 Plan: (1) increased the number of shares authorized to be issued under the Equity Incentive Plan from 15,000,000 to 22,000,000; (2) required a gradual vesting period of options issued under the Equity Incentive Plan over a three year period; (3) revised the definition of “change in control” to make it less “liberal” by amending the provision that a change in control occurs upon stockholder approval of a merger, consolidation or sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of its assets (a “Business Combination”) to state that such a change in control occurs upon the consummation of the Business Combination; and (4) clarified that the definition of change in control has a double trigger – For a Participant to get the benefit resulting from a change in control, such Participant must have been terminated other than for cause within a two year period. Unless sooner terminated, the Equity Incentive Plan of 2009 will continue in effect for a period of 10 years from its effective date.
After reviewing the terms of our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company had issued to Dr. Carter, in excess of the number of securities permitted under the Plan. The Plan permits a maximum of 3,000,000 shares covered by the Plan to be issued pursuant to Plan Awards to any one Plan Participant. While this limitation was imposed to comply with the requirements for the exception for qualified performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, none of the Awards granted to Dr. Carter was Section 162(m) qualified performance-based compensation. To rectify this issue, on December 8, 2015, Dr. Carter graciously returned to the Company a sufficient number of securities issued under the Plan to bring it back into compliance with the terms of the Plan. The Company has agreed in the future to consider some form of non-stock compensation to Dr. Carter for his return of these securities.
Claw-Back Compensation Recoupment Provisions
Effective December 2011, all Executive compensation including and without limitation to base salary, bonuses, stock options, and fringe benefits, shall be subject to recoupment from the Employee by the Company pursuant to the Company’s Executive Compensation Recoupment Policies adopted December 1, 2011, as may be amended by the Company’s Board of Directors from time to time to remain in compliance with the claw-back compensation recoupment provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.
Other Compensation
We provide the following benefits to our NEO generally on the same bases as benefits provided to all full-time employees:
| • | Health, vision and dental insurance; |
| • | Life insurance; |
| • | Short and long-term disability insurance; and |
| • | 401(k) with Company matching of up to 6% of employee’s contribution or to the extent of IRS regulations, whichever is lower. |
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The Compensation Committee believes that these benefits are consistent with those offered by other companies, specifically those provided by our peers. Occasionally, certain Executives separately negotiate other benefits in addition to the benefits described above. The following additional benefits were provided in 2012 NEO as an element of their respective employment:
Dr. William Carter, former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer:
| • | Automobile allowance; |
| • | Reimbursement of home office, computer, internet, phone and telefax expenses; |
| • | Health, vision and dental insurance fully paid by the Company; and |
| • | Supplementary life and disability insurance policies. |
Thomas Equels, General Counsel:
| • | Automobile allowance; |
| • | Predetermined allowance for the Company’s utilization of Florida offices of Equels Law Firm; |
| • | Reimbursement of home office, computer, internet, phone and telefax expenses; |
| • | Health, vision and dental insurance fully paid by the Company; and |
| • | Supplementary life and disability insurance policies. |
401(k) Plan
In December 1995, we established a defined contribution plan, effective January 1, 1995, entitled the Hemispherx Biopharma employees 401(k) Plan and Trust Agreement. All of our full-time employees are eligible to participate in the 401(k) plan following one year of employment. Subject to certain limitations imposed by Federal Tax laws, participants are eligible to contribute up to 15% of their salary (including bonuses and/or commissions) per annum. Through March 14, 2008, Participants' contributions to the 401(k) plan were matched by Hemispherx at a rate determined annually by the Board of Directors. Each participant immediately vests in his or her deferred salary contributions, while our contributions will vest over one year.
Effective March 15, 2008 and continuing through December 31, 2009, we halted our matching of 401(k) contributions provided to the account for each eligible participant. Effective January 1, 2010, our Compensation Committee reestablished Hemispherx’ 100% matching of up to 6% of the 401(k) contributions provided to the account for each eligible participant, to the dollar extent permitted by IRS regulations, including without exception each eligible Named Executive Officer.
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Severance
In determining whether to approve and setting the terms of severance arrangements, the Compensation Committee recognizes that Executives, especially highly ranked Executives, often face challenges securing new employment following termination. Upon termination of employment, the following NEO currently are entitled to receive severance payments under their employment and/or engagement agreements:
| • | William A. Carter, former Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Scientific Officer; and |
| • | Thomas K. Equels, Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, current Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary and General Counsel. |
The Compensation Committee believes that severance agreements provided to these individuals are generally in line with severance packages offered to executive officers of companies of similar size. Alternately, Dr. David Strayer is currently not covered under an existing severance agreement. Any severance benefits payable to them under similar circumstances would be determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion. See “Estimated Payments Following Severance — Named Executive Officers”.
Conclusion
Our compensation policies are designed to retain and motivate our Executive Officers, other non-officer Executives and non-Executives and to ultimately reward them for outstanding individual and corporate performance.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors oversees our compensation program on behalf of the Board. In fulfilling its oversight responsibilities, the Committee reviewed and discussed with Management the Executive Compensation Discussion and Analysis set forth in this Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.
In reliance on the review and discussions referred to above, the Committee recommended to the Board that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 and Hemispherx’ Proxy Statement to be filed in connection with Hemispherx’ 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
Dr. William M. Mitchell, Committee Chairman
Mr. Peter W. Rodino
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The foregoing Compensation Committee report shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under these acts, except to the extent we incorporate by reference into such filings.
Compliance with Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m) and 409A & 409(b)
One of the factors the Compensation Committee considers in connection with compensation matters is the anticipated tax treatment to Hemispherx and to the Executives of the compensation arrangements. The deductibility of certain types of compensation depends upon the timing of an executive’s vesting in, or exercise of, previously granted rights. Moreover, interpretation of, and changes in, the tax laws and other factors beyond the Compensation Committee’s control also affect the deductibility of compensation. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee will not necessarily limit executive compensation to that deductible under Section 162(m) or 409A & 409(b) of the Code. The Compensation Committee will consider various alternatives to preserving the deductibility of compensation payments and benefits to the extent consistent with its other compensation objectives.
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
Our Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors, consisting of Dr. William M. Mitchell, the Committee Chair, and Peter W. Rodino are all independent directors. There are no interlocking relationships.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following table provides information on the compensation during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 of our Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Medical Officer constituting the Company’s Named Executive Officers, based on the year ended 2015 for each fiscal year.
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Summary Compensation Table
| Name & Principal Position | Year | Salary / Fees (3) | Bonus | Stock Awards | Option Awards (3) (9) |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation | Change in Pension Valued and NQDC Earnings ($) | All Other Compensation |
Total (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William A. Carter, former | 2015 | $ | 1,185,225 | $ | 262,092 | (4) | $ | — | $ | 75,864 | (1)(8) | $ | — | — | $ | 173,498 | (10) | $ | 1,696,679 | |||||||||||||||
| CEO, President & CSO (1) (3) | 2014 | $ | 1,185,225 | $ | 891,479 | (4)(7) | — | $ | 135,030 | (1)(5) | — | — | $ | 153,141 | (10) | $ | 2,364,875 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | $ | 1,167,711 | $ | 12,444 | (4) | — | $ | 125,699 | (1) | — | — | $ | 147,662 | (10) | $ | 1,453,516 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Thomas K. Equels | 2015 | $ | 719,273 | $ | 262,092 | (4) | — | $ | 45,518 | (2) | — | — | $ | 94,971 | (11) | $ | 1,121,854 | |||||||||||||||||
| CEO, President, General | 2014 | $ | 719,273 | $ | 774,990 | (4)(7) | — | $ | 69,199 | (2) | — | — | $ | 104,987 | (11) | $ | 1,668,449 | |||||||||||||||||
| Counsel (2) (3) | 2013 | $ | 708,644 | $ | 12,444 | (4) | — | $ | 86,826 | (2) | — | — | $ | 95,250 | (11) | $ | 903,164 | |||||||||||||||||
| David Strayer | 2015 | $ | 269,475 | $ | — | — | $ | — | — | — | $ | 44,865 | (12) | $ | 314,340 | |||||||||||||||||||
| CSO & Medical Director | 2014 | $ | 269,475 | $ | 67,369 | (7) | — | $ | 746 | (6) | — | — | $ | 29,744 | (12) | $ | 367,334 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | $ | 265,493 | $ | — | — | $ | — | — | — | $ | 25,602 | (12) | $ | 291,095 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
| (1) | Dr. Carter renewed his Employment Agreements on June 11, 2010, which was amended on July 15, 2010, then amended and restated on December 6, 2011, that granted him the annual Option to purchase 500,000 shares of Hemispherx common stock as an element of his Employment Agreement. Subsequent to December 31, 2015, Dr. Carter’s employment was terminated on February 17, 2016 and also is no longer a director. |
| (2) | Mr. Equels transitioned from the role of external to internal General Counsel and Litigation Counsel effective June 1, 2010 with an Employment Agreement of June 11, 2010, which was amended on July 15, 2010, then amended and restated December 6, 2011, that granted him the annual Option to purchase 300,000 shares of Hemispherx common stock as an element of his Employment Agreement. Subsequent to December 31, 2015, Mr. Equels was appointed Chief Executive Officer on February 25, 2016 |
| (3) | For Named Executive Officers, who are also Directors that receive compensation for their services as a Director, the Salary/Fees and Option Awards columns include compensation that was received by them for their role as a member of the Board of Directors. As is required by Regulation S-K, Item 402(c), compensation for services as a Director have been reported within the “Summary Compensation Table” (above) for fiscal years of 2015, 2014 and 2013 as well as reported separately in the “Compensation of Directors” section (see below) for calendar year 2015. |
| (4) | On November 26, 2012, the Compensation Committee authorized the payment of a bonus of 5% on the net dollar proceeds resulting from the sale of Company stock sold through the Maxim ATM to Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels based on the contractual obligation and opinion of independent legal counsel, as set forth in Section 3(c)(ii) of their respective Employment Agreements. Amounts include for 2013, 2014 and 2015, compensation was granted or paid to each Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels, respectively, pursuant to this bonus. On November 23, 2015, they waived their rights to any future payments of any incentive bonuses related to the sale of the Company’s stock pursuant to any ATM equity distribution agreement. |
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| (5) | On December 8, 2014, the Compensation Committee granted 10 year term replacement options to purchase 320,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $2.60 per share that vest over a 12 month period to Dr. Carter. These options were forfeited on December 9, 2015. See (8) below. |
| (6) | On December 8, 2014, the Compensation Committee granted 10 year term replacement options to purchase 10,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.90 per share that vest over a 12 month period to Dr. Strayer. |
| (7) | On July 3, 2014, our Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors awarded bonuses to certain NEO and senior, non-officer Executives in recognition for their achievement towards our Company-wide and individual goals in 2014. |
| (8) | After reviewing the terms of our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company had issued to Dr. Carter, in excess of the number of securities permitted under the Plan. The Plan permits a maximum of 3,000,000 shares covered by the Plan to be issued pursuant to Plan Awards to any one Plan Participant. To rectify this issue, on December 8, 2015, Dr. Carter graciously returned to the Company a sufficient number of securities issued under the Plan to bring it back into compliance with the terms of the Plan. |
| (9) | The value was obtained using the Black-Scholes-Merton pricing model for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC 718 (formerly SFAS 123R). See Note 2(j) Stock-Based Compensation in the financial statements. |
| (10) | Dr. Carter’s All Other Compensation Consists of: |
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Life and Disability Insurance | $ | 114,627 | $ | 93,295 | $ | 84,709 | ||||||
| Healthcare Insurance | 13,271 | 14,246 | 17,653 | |||||||||
| Company Car Expenses / Car Allowance | 30,000 | 30,000 | 30,000 | |||||||||
| Outside Office Expenses | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 401(k) Matching Funds | 15,600 | 15,600 | 15,300 | |||||||||
| $ | 173,498 | $ | 153,141 | $ | 147,662 | |||||||
In February 2016, it was discovered that Dr. Carter had been using Company personnel for personal, non-business related, matters. The value of these services are not included above as they have not been totally quantified. However, the Company does not believe that the value is material. As Dr. Carter was terminated, this issue should not arise in the future.
| (11) | Mr. Equels’ All Other Compensation consists of: |
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Life and Disability Insurance | $ | 31,429 | $ | 35,280 | $ | 19,420 | ||||||
| Healthcare Insurance | 29,942 | 36,107 | 42,530 | |||||||||
| Car Expenses / Allowance | 18,000 | 18,000 | 18,000 | |||||||||
| Outside Office Expenses | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 401(k) Matching Funds | 15,600 | 15,600 | 15,300 | |||||||||
| $ | 94,971 | $ | 104,987 | $ | 95,250 | |||||||
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| (12) | Dr. Strayer’s All Other Compensation consists of: |
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Life and Disability Insurance | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||
| Healthcare Insurance | 29,265 | 14,144 | 10,302 | |||||||||
| 401(k) Matching Funds | 15,600 | 15,600 | 15,300 | |||||||||
| $ | 44,865 | $ | 29,744 | $ | 25,602 | |||||||
Grants of Plan Based Awards
| Name | Grant Date (2) | Estimated Future Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards(1) | Estimated
Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards | All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#) | All Other Option Awards: Number of Securities of Underlying Options (#)(2) | Exercise or Base Price of Option Awards ($/Sh) | Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Threshold ($) | Target ($) | Maximum ($) | Threshold ($) | Target ($) | Maximum ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William A. Carter, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Former CEO | 6/6/2015 | — | 200,553 | 250,691 | — | 75,617 | (3) | 500,000 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 115,331 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thomas K. Equels, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current CEO | 6/6/2015 | — | 107,362 | 134,203 | — | 45,370 | (3) | — | — | 300,000 | $ | 0.25 | $ | 69,199 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David Strayer, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CSO & Medical Director | — | 53,895 | 67,369 | — | — | — | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
| (1) | For 2015, the Compensation Committee continued its practice of not establishing or estimating possible future payouts to the NEO under a Cash Bonus Plan. All Bonuses are at the discretion of the Compensation Committee. Utilizing existing Employment Agreements as a benchmark and the respective employees’ Base Salary at January 1, 2015, the “Target” was estimated at 20% of the Base Salary and “Maximum” was estimated at 25% of Base Salary. There were no Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards granted and/or paid to the NEO's for the year ending 2015. |
| (2) | Consists of stock options granted during 2015 under our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. The stock options have a ten-year term and an exercise price equal to 110% of the NYSE MKT closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant. The value was obtained using the Black-Scholes-Merton pricing model for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC 718 (formerly SFAS 123R). |
| (3) | Consists of stock options contractually required per the NEO’s respective Employment Agreement to be granted during 2015 under our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. The stock options have a ten-year term and an exercise price equal to 110% of the NYSE MKT closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant. For the purpose of this schedule, a NYSE MKT closing price at December 31, 2015 of $0.08 was assumed with an estimated exercise price of $0.25. The value was obtained using the Black-Scholes-Merton pricing model for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC 718 (formerly SFAS 123R). |
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Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End
| Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Name | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Exercisable | Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options (#) Unexercisable | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options (#) | Option Exercise Price ($) | Option Expiration Date | Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested (#) | Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested ($) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested (#) | Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights that Have Not Vested (#) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William | 1,450,000 | — | — | 2.20 | 9/17/2018 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carter, former | 1,000,000 | — | — | 2.00 | 9/9/2017 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief | 190,000 | — | — | 4.00 | 2/18/2018 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Executive | 1,400,000 | — | — | 3.50 | 9/30/2017 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Officer | 500,000 | — | — | 0.66 | 6/11/2020 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 500,000 | — | — | 0.41 | 7/15/2021 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 500,000 | — | — | 0.31 | 6/11/2022 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 500,000 | — | — | 0.31 | 6/6/2023 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 500,000 | — | — | 0.36 | 6/6/2024 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| — | 500,000 | — | 0.25 | 6/6/2025 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thomas | 300,000 | — | — | 0.66 | 6/11/2020 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equels, | 300,000 | — | — | 0.41 | 6/24/2021 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President and Chief | 100,000 | — | — | 0.29 | 6/6/2022 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Executive Officer | 300,000 | — | — | 0.31 | 6/11/2022 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 300,000 | — | — | 0.31 | 6/6/2023 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 150,000 | — | — | 0.25 | 8/2/2023 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 300,000 | — | — | 0.36 | 6/6/2024 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| — | 300,000 | — | 0.25 | 6/6/2025 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David | 50,000 | — | — | 2.00 | 9/9/2017 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stayer, | 50,000 | — | — | 4.00 | 2/18/2018 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CSO & Medical | 10,000 | — | — | 4.03 | 4/13/2022 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Director | 20,000 | — | — | 2.37 | 1/23/2017 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10,000 | — | — | 1.90 | 12/8/2024 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15,000 | — | — | 2.20 | 11/20/2016 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25,000 | — | — | 1.30 | 12/6/2017 | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Option Exercises and Stock Vested
| Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||
| Name and Principal Position | Number of Shares Acquired on Exercise (#) | Value Realized on Exercise ($) | Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting (#) | Value Realized on Vesting ($) | ||||||||||||
| William A. Carter, | ||||||||||||||||
| Former Chief Executive Officer | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Thomas K. Equels, | ||||||||||||||||
| CEO, President and General Counsel | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| David Strayer, | ||||||||||||||||
| CSO and Medical Director | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
Payments on Disability
At December 31, 2015, we had employment agreements with Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels which entitled them Base Salary and applicable benefits otherwise due and payable through the last day of the month in which disability occurs and for an additional twelve-month period. Each current NEO has the same short and long-term disability coverage which is available to all eligible employees. The coverage for short-term disability provides up to six months of full salary continuation up to 60% of weekly pay, less other income, with a $1,500 weekly maximum limit. The coverage for group long-term disability provides coverage at the exhaustion of short-term disability benefits of full salary continuation up to 60% of monthly pay, less other income, with a $10,000 monthly maximum limit. The maximum benefit period for the group long-term disability coverage is 60 months for those age 60 and younger at the time of the claim with the coverage period proportionately reduced with the advanced age of the eligible employee to a minimum coverage period of 12 months for those of 69 years old and older as of the date of the claim. For the period June 2010 through 2015 pursuant to their respective employment agreements and payable by us, Dr. Carter is entitled to receive total disability coverage of $500,000 and Mr. Equels is entitled to receive total disability coverage of $400,000.
Payments on Death
At December 31, 2015, we had employment agreements with Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels which entitled them Base Salary and applicable benefits otherwise due and payable through the last day of the month in which death occurs and for an additional twelve-month period. Each NEO has coverage of group life insurance, along with accidental death and dismemberment benefits, consistent to the dollar value available to all eligible employees. The benefit is equal to two times current salary or wage with a maximum limit of $300,000, plus any supplemental life insurance elected and paid for by the NEO. For the period June 2010 and through 2015 pursuant to their respective employment agreements and payable by us, Dr. Carter is entitled to receive total death benefit coverage of $6,000,000 and Mr. Equels is entitled to receive total death benefit coverage of $3,000,000.
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Estimated Payments Following Severance — Named Executive Officers
At December 31, 2015, we had employment agreements with Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels which entitled them to severance benefits on certain types of employment terminations not related to a change in control. Dr. Strayer is not covered by an employment agreement and therefore would only receive severance as determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion.
The dollar amounts below assume that the termination occurred on January 1, 2016. The actual dollar amounts to be paid can only be determined at the time of the NEO’s separation from Hemispherx based on their prevailing compensation and employment agreements along with any determination by the Compensation Committee in its discretion.
| Name | Event | Cash Severance ($) | Value of Stock Awards That Will Become Vested (1) ($) | Continuation of Medical Benefits ($) | Additional Life Insurance ($) | Total ($) | ||||||||||||||||
| William A. Carter, former | Involuntary (no cause)(2) | 613,387 | 6,737 | — | — | 620,124 | ||||||||||||||||
| Chief Executive Officer | Termination (for cause) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Death or disability | 613,387 | 6,737 | — | — | 620,124 | |||||||||||||||||
| Termination by employee or retirement | 613,387 | 6,737 | — | — | 620,124 | |||||||||||||||||
| Thomas K. Equels, current | Involuntary (no cause) | 554,811 | 6,737 | — | — | 561,548 | ||||||||||||||||
| CEO, President, General Counsel | Termination (for cause) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Death or disability | 554,811 | 6,737 | — | — | 561,548 | |||||||||||||||||
| Termination by employee or retirement | 554,811 | 6,737 | — | — | 561,548 | |||||||||||||||||
| David Strayer | Involuntary (no cause) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| CSO & Medical Director | Termination (for cause) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Death or disability | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
| Termination by employee or retirement | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||
Notes:
| (1) | Consists of stock options contractually required per the employee’s respective Employment Agreement to be granted during each calendar year of the term under our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan. The stock options have a ten-year term and an exercise price equal to 110% of the closing market price of our common stock on the date of grant. For the purpose of this schedule, a NYSE MKT closing price at December 31, 2015 of $0.08 was utilized with an estimated exercise price of $0.09. The value was obtained using the Black-Scholes-Merton pricing model for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC 718 (formerly SFAS 123R). |
| (2) | Cash severance calculated based on actual termination date of Dr. Carter on February 17, 2016 through the end of Dr. Carter’s employment agreement which expires on December 31, 2016. |
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Payments On Termination in Connection with a Change in Control Named Executive Officers
At December 31, 2015, we had employment agreements with Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels which entitled them to severance benefits on certain types of employment terminations related to a change in control thereby the term of their respective agreements would automatically be extended for three additional years. Dr. Strayer is not covered by an employment agreement and therefore would only receive severance from a change in control as determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion. Any specific benefits for these two NEO would be determined by the Compensation Committee in its discretion.
The dollar amounts in the chart below assume that change in control termination occurred on January 1, 2016, based on the employment agreements that existed at that time. The actual dollar amounts to be paid can only be determined at the time of the NEO’s separation from Hemispherx based on their prevailing compensation and employment agreements along with any determination by the Compensation Committee in its discretion.
Estimated Benefits on Termination Following a Change in Control — December 31, 2015
The following table shows potential payments to the NEO if their employment terminates following a change in control under contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements at December 31, 2015. The amounts assume a January 1, 2016 termination date regarding base pay and use of the opening price of $0.08 on the NYSE MKT for our common stock at that date.
| Name | Aggregate Severance Pay ($) |
PVSU Acceleration (2) ($) | Early Vesting of Restricted Stock (4) (5) ($) | Early Vesting of Stock Options and SARs (3) ($) | Acceleration and Vesting of Supplemental Award (5) ($) |
Welfare Benefits Continuation ($) | Outplacement Assistance ($) | Parachute Tax Gross-up Payment ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William A. Carter | 2,804,056 | (1) | — | — | — | 87,580 | (4) | — | — | — | 2,891,636 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thomas K. Equels | 2,219,244 | (1) | — | — | — | 55,243 | (4) | — | — | — | 2,274,487 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| David Strayer | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
| (1) | This amount represents the base salary and benefits for remaining term of the NEO’s employment agreement plus a three-year extension in the term upon the occurrence of a termination from a change in control. The existing employment agreements with Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels have a term through December 31, 2016. Subsequent to December 31, 2015, Dr. Carter’s employment was terminated on February 17, 2016 and also is no longer a director; therefore, no payment would be due upon a change of control. |
| (2) | This amount represents the payout of all outstanding performance-vesting share units (“PVSU”) awarded on a change in control at the target payout level with each award then pro-rated based on the time elapsed for the applicable three-year performance period. |
| (3) | This amount is the intrinsic value [fair market value on January 1, 2016 ($0.08 per share) minus the per share exercise price of 110%] of all unvested stock options for each NEO, including Stock Appreciation Rights (“SAR”). Any option with an exercise price of greater than fair market value was assumed to be cancelled for no consideration and, therefore, had no intrinsic value. |
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| (4) | This amount represents the options to be issued annually for the remaining term of the NEO’s employment agreement plus a three-year extension in the occurrence of termination from a change in control. The calculation was based on a NYSE MKT closing price for December 31, 2014 of $0.08 with an estimated exercise price of $0.09 (110% prior NYSE MKT closing value). The value was obtained using the Black-Scholes-Merton pricing model for stock-based compensation in accordance with FASB ASC 718 (formerly SFAS 123R). |
| (5) | Any purchase rights represented by the Option not then vested shall, upon a change in control, shall become vested. |
Definition of “Change in Control” for each agreement, a “Change in Control” is defined generally as any such event that requires a report to the SEC, but includes any of the following:
| • | Any person or entity other than Hemispherx, any of our current Directors or Officers or a Trustee or fiduciary holding our securities, becomes the beneficial owner of more than 50% of the combined voting power of our outstanding securities; |
| • | An acquisition, sale, merger or other transaction that results in a change in ownership of more than 50% of the combined voting power of our stock or the sale/transfer of more than 75% of our assets; |
| • | A change in the majority of our Board of Directors over a two-year period that is not approved by at least two-thirds of the Directors then in office who were Directors at the beginning of the period; or |
| • | Execution of an agreement with Hemispherx, which if consummated, would result in any of the above events. |
Definition of “Constructive Termination”. A “Constructive Termination” generally includes any of the following actions taken by Hemispherx without the Executive’s written consent following a change in control:
| • | Significantly reducing or diminishing the nature or scope of the executive’s authority or duties; |
| • | Materially reducing the executive’s annual salary or incentive compensation opportunities; |
| • | Changing the executive’s office location so that he must commute more than 50 miles, as compared to his commute as of the date of the agreement; |
| • | Failing to provide substantially similar fringe benefits, or substitute benefits that were substantially similar taken as a whole, to the benefits provided as of the date of the agreement; or |
| • | Failing to obtain a satisfactory agreement from any successor to Hemispherx to assume and agree to perform the obligations under the agreement. |
However, no constructive termination occurs if the executive:
| • | Fails to give us written notice of his intention to claim constructive termination and the basis for that claim at least 10 days in advance of the effective date of the executive’s resignation; or |
| • | We cure the circumstances giving rise to the constructive termination before the effective date of the executive’s resignation. |
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Available Information
Our Internet website is www.hemispherx.net and you may find our SEC filings in the “Investor Relations” under “SEC Filings”. We provide access to our filings with the SEC, free of charge through www.sec.gov, as soon as reasonably practicable after filing with the SEC. Our Internet website and the information contained on that website, or accessible from our website, is not intended to be incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other filings we make with the SEC.
Post-Employment Compensation
We have agreements with the following NEOs who have benefits upon termination as a condition of their respective employment agreements: Dr. William Carter, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Scientific Officer; and Thomas K. Equels, our Executive Vice Chairman, Secretary and General Counsel.
The following is a description of post-employment compensation payable to the respective NEO. If a NEO does not have a specific benefit, they will not be mentioned in the subsection. In such event, the NEO does not have any such benefits upon termination unless otherwise required by law.
Termination for Cause
All of our NEO can be terminated for cause. For Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels, “Cause” means willful engaging in illegal conduct, gross misconduct or gross violation of the Company’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct for Officers which is demonstrably and materially injurious to the Company. For purposes of their respective agreements, no act, or failure to act, on employee's part shall be deemed "willful" unless done intentionally by employee and not in good faith and without reasonable belief that employee's action or omission was in the best interest of the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, employee shall not be deemed to have been terminated for Cause unless and until the Company delivers to the employee a copy of a resolution duly adopted by the affirmative vote of not less than three-quarters of the Directors of the Board at a meeting of the Board called and held for such purpose (after reasonable notice to employee and an opportunity for Employee, together with counsel, to be heard before the Board) finding that, in the good faith opinion of the Board, employee was guilty of conduct set forth above and specifying the particulars thereof in detail. In the event that their employment is terminated for Cause, the Company shall pay them, at the time of such termination, only the compensation and benefits otherwise due and payable to them through the last day of their actual employment by the Company.
Termination Without Cause
Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels are each entitled to the compensation and benefits otherwise due and payable to them through the last day of the then current term of their respective agreements. In the event that they are terminated at any time without "Cause" the Company shall pay to them, at the time of such termination, the compensation and benefits otherwise due and payable through the last day of the then current term of their Agreement. However, benefit distributions that are made due to a “separation from service” occurring while they are a Named Executive Officer shall not be made during the first six months following separation from service. Rather, any distribution which would otherwise be paid to them during such period shall be accumulated and paid to them in a lump sum on the first day of the seventh month following the “separation from service”. All subsequent distributions shall be paid in the manner specified.
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Death or Disability
Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels can be terminated for death or disability. For each, “Disability” means their inability to effectively carry out substantially all of their duties under their agreement by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. In the event their employment is terminated due to his death or disability, the Company will pay to each (or their respective estate as the case may be), at the time of such termination, the Base Salary and applicable benefits otherwise due and payable through the last day of the month in which such termination occurs and for an additional 12 month period.
Termination by Officer and Employee
All NEO employment agreements have the right to terminate their respective agreement upon thirty (30) days or less of prior written notice of termination. In such event, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels are specifically entitled to fees due to them through the last day of the month in which such termination occurs and for 12 months thereafter. All others NEO are entitled to the fees due to them through the last day of the month in which such termination occurs.
Change in Control
As an element of their employment agreements, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels are entitled to benefits upon a Change in Control or Constructive Termination that include that any unvested Options immediately vest and the term of their respective employment agreements automatically extend for an additional three years. In the event of a Change in Control, the Company is responsible for the base salary or benefits for remaining term of the NEO’s employment agreement plus an automatic three-year extension in the term of the agreement. The existing employment agreements with Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels have a term through December 31, 2016.
Compensation of Directors
Our Compensation, Audit and Corporate Governance and Nomination Committees, consist of Dr. Iraj E. Kiani, Compensation Committee Chair, Dr. William M. Mitchell, Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee Chair, and Peter W. Rodino, Audit Committee Chair, all of whom are independent Board of Director members.
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Hemispherx reimburses Directors for travel expenses incurred in connection with attending board, committee, stockholder and special meetings along with other Company business-related expenses. Hemispherx does not provide retirement benefits or other perquisites to non-employee Directors under any current program.
Commencing as of January 1, 2013, a 2.1% cost of living increase was granted to Board member Directors' fee compensation, increasing 2012's annual retainer from $176,068 to $179,766 for 2013. Commencing as of January 1, 2014, a 1.5% cost of living increase was granted to Board member Directors' fee compensation, increasing 2014's annual retainer from $176,766 to $182,462 for 2014. There was no cost of living increase granted in 2015. Directors' fees will continue to be paid quarterly in cash at the end of each calendar quarter.
All Directors have been granted options to purchase common stock under our Stock Option Plans and/or Warrants to purchase common stock. We believe such compensation and payments are necessary in order for us to attract and retain qualified outside directors. To the extent that share compensation would exceed 1,000,000 shares in the aggregate for the ten-year period commencing January 1, 2003, as previously approved by Resolution of the Board of September 9, 2003, shares for share compensation were issued under the our 2007 and 2009 Equity Incentive Plans.
Director Compensation – 2015
| Name and Title of Director | Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) |
Stock Award ($) | Option Awards ($) | Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation ($) | Change in Pension Value and Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) | All Other Compensation As Director ($) | Total ($) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| W. Carter, former Chairman | 182,462 | (2) | — | — | — | — | — | 182,462 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| T. Equels, Executive Vice Chairman & Secretary | 182,462 | (2) | — | — | — | — | — | 182,462 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| W. Mitchell, Chairman of the Board (1) | 182,462 | — | — | — | — | — | 182,462 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Peter W. Rodino, Director (1) | 182,462 | — | — | 182,462 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I. Kiani, Director (1) | 182,462 | — | — | — | — | — | 182,462 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
| (1) | Independent Director of the Company. |
| (2) | Only includes compensation received in the role as member of the Board of Directors and does not include compensation received in the capacity of a Named Executive Officer. As is required by Regulation S-K, Item 402(c), compensation as a Director has also been reported within the “Summary Compensation Table” regarding Named Executive Officer Compensation during fiscal years of 2015, 2014 and 2013 (see above). |
ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.
The following table sets forth as of March 21, 2016, the number and percentage of outstanding shares of common stock beneficially owned by:
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| • | Each person, individually or as a group, known to us to be deemed the beneficial owners of five percent or more of our issued and outstanding common stock; |
| • | Each of our Directors and the Named Executives Officers; and |
| • | All of our officers and directors as a group. |
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Shares Beneficially Owned |
% Of Shares Beneficially Owned | ||||||
| William A. Carter, M.D. | 8,266,600 | (1)(2) | 3.25 | % | ||||
| Thomas K. Equels | 4,025,744 | (3) | 1.61 | % | ||||
| Peter W. Rodino III 17400 Sterling Lake Drive Fort Myers, FL 33967 | 150,000 | (4) | * | |||||
| William M. Mitchell, M.D. Vanderbilt University Department of Pathology Medical Center North 21st and Garland Nashville, TN 37232 | 716,025 | (5)(6) | * | |||||
| Iraj E. Kiani, Ph.D. Orange County Immune Institute 18800 Delaware Street Huntingdon Beach, CA 92648 | 880,886 | (7) | * | |||||
| Wayne S. Springate 783 Jersey Ave. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 | 390,333 | (8) | * | |||||
| David R. Strayer, M.D. | 467,681 | (9) | * | |||||
| All directors and executive officers as a group (7 persons) | 14,897,269 | 5.77 | % | |||||
* Ownership of less than 1%
| (1) | Dr. Carter was our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. On February 17, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company, by majority vote, terminated the employment of Dr. Carter, our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. As a result, Dr. Carter also is no longer a director. He beneficially owns 1,225,585 shares of common stock and beneficially owns 7,040,000 shares issuable or issued upon exercise of: |
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| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2004 | 9/10/2007 | $ | 2.00 | 1,000,000 | 9/9/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 10/1/2007 | $ | 3.50 | 1,400,000 | 9/30/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 2/18/2008 | $ | 4.00 | 190,000 | 2/18/2018 | |||||||||
| 2007 | 9/17/2008 | $ | 2.20 | 1,450,000 | 9/17/2018 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/11/2010 | $ | 0.66 | 500,000 | 6/11/2020 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 7/15/2011 | $ | 0.41 | 500,000 | 7/15/2021 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/11/2012 | $ | 0.31 | 500,000 | 6/11/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2013 | $ | 0.31 | 500,000 | 6/6/2023 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2014 | $ | 0.36 | 500,000 | 6/6/2024 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2015 | $ | 0.25 | 500,000 | 6/6/2025 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 7,040,000 | |||||||||||||
| (2) | Katalin Kovari, M.D, is the spouse of Dr. Carter and accordingly all shares owned by each are deemed to be beneficially owned by the other. Dr. Kovari owns 1,015 shares of common stock. |
| (3) | Mr. Equels is Executive Vice Chairman of our Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary and General Counsel who beneficially owns 1,484,548 shares of common stock and beneficially owns 2,050,000 shares issuable or issued upon exercise of: |
| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/11/2010 | $ | 0.66 | 300,000 | 6/11/2020 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/24/2011 | $ | 0.41 | 300,000 | 6/24/2021 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/5/2012 | $ | 0.29 | 100,000 | 6/6/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/11/2012 | $ | 0.31 | 300,000 | 6/11/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2013 | $ | 0.31 | 300,000 | 6/6/2023 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 8/2/2013 | $ | 0.25 | 150,000 | 8/2/2023 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2014 | $ | 0.36 | 300,000 | 6/6/2024 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2015 | $ | 0.25 | 300,000 | 6/6/2025 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 2,050,000 | |||||||||||||
| Warrants | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| Total Warrants | 2009 | 2/1/2009 | $ | 0.51 | 491,196 | 2/1/2019 | ||||||||
| (4) | Mr. Rodino is a member of our Board of Directors who beneficially owns 150,000 shares issuable upon exercise of: |
| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2009 | 8/2/2013 | $ | 0.25 | 150,000 | 8/2/2023 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 150,000 | |||||||||||||
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| (5) | Dr. Mitchell is our Chairman of the Board who owns 104,364 shares of common stock and beneficially owns 412,000 shares issuable upon exercise of: |
| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2004 | 9/10/2007 | $ | 2.00 | 100,000 | 9/9/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 9/17/2008 | $ | 6.00 | 12,000 | 9/17/2018 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/5/2012 | $ | 0.29 | 100,000 | 6/6/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 8/2/2013 | $ | 0.25 | 150,000 | 8/2/2023 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 9/9/2014 | $ | 2.60 | 50,000 | 9/9/2024 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 412,000 | |||||||||||||
| (6) | Dr. Mitchell beneficially owns 199,661 shares of common stock of which 99,824 shares are held by Shirley Mitchell (Spouse), 49,174 shares are held by the Aesclepius Irrevocable Trust (Shirley Mitchell Trustee), and 50,663 shares are held by the Aesclepius Irrevocable Trust II (William Mitchell Trustee). |
| (7) | Dr. Kiani is a member of our Board of Directors who owns 630,886 shares of common stock and beneficially owns 250,000 shares issuable upon exercise of: |
| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/5/2012 | $ | 0.29 | 100,000 | 6/6/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 8/2/2013 | $ | 0.25 | 150,000 | 8/2/2023 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 250,000 | |||||||||||||
| (8) | Mr. Springate is our Senior Vice President of Operations and owns 103,521 shares of common stock and beneficially owns 286,812 shares issuable upon exercise of: |
| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Price | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2004 | 11/20/2006 | $ | 2.20 | 5,000 | 11/20/2016 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 5/1/2007 | $ | 1.78 | 20,000 | 5/1/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 12/6/2007 | $ | 1.30 | 20,000 | 12/6/2017 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 5/31/2011 | $ | 0.55 | 90,000 | 5/31/2021 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/5/2012 | $ | 0.29 | 50,000 | 6/5/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 5/9/2013 | $ | 0.24 | 50,000 | 5/9/2023 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 6/6/2014 | $ | 0.36 | 50,000 | 6/6/2024 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 12/8/2014 | $ | 1.90 | 1,812 | 12/8/2024 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 286,812 | |||||||||||||
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| (9) | Dr. Strayer is our Chief Scientific Officer and Medical Director that has ownership of 287,681 shares of common stock and beneficially owns 180,000 shares issuable upon exercise of: |
| Options | Plan | Date Issued | Exercise Issued | Number Of Shares | Expiration Date | |||||||||
| 2004 | 11/20/2006 | $ | 2.20 | 15,000 | 11/20/2016 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 1/23/2007 | $ | 2.37 | 20,000 | 1/23/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 9/10/2007 | $ | 2.00 | 50,000 | 9/9/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 12/6/2007 | $ | 1.30 | 25,000 | 12/6/2017 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 2/18/2008 | $ | 4.00 | 50,000 | 2/18/2018 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 4/13/2012 | $ | 4.03 | 10,000 | 4/13/2022 | |||||||||
| 2009 | 12/8/2014 | $ | 1.90 | 10,000 | 12/8/2024 | |||||||||
| Total Options | 180,000 | |||||||||||||
ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.
Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons
Our policy is to require that any transaction with a related party required to be reported under applicable SEC rules, other than compensation related matters and waivers of our code of business conduct and ethics, be reviewed and approved or ratified by a majority of independent, disinterested Directors. We have adopted procedures in which the Audit Committee shall conduct an appropriate review of all related party transactions for potential conflict of interest situations on an annual and case-by-case basis with the approval of this Committee required for all such transactions.
We have employment agreements with certain of our executive officers and have granted such Officers and Directors options and warrants to purchase our common stock, as discussed under the headings, “ITEM 11. Executive Compensation”, and “ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management”, as noted above.
For his Board fees, Dr. William A. Carter, Hemispherx’ former Chief Executive Officer, received approximately $182,000, $182,000 and $180,000 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, classified as general and administrative expense. Dr. Carter also received consulting fees of approximately $332,000, $415,000 and $327,000 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, classified as research and development expense. For the years ended 2015, 2014 and 2013, compensation was granted or paid related to the Executive Performance Incentive Program related to the ATM, as set forth in Section 3(c)(ii) of his Employment Agreement, for approximately $262,000, $641,000, and $12,000 to Dr. Carter. Dr. Carter's compensation related to this program was classified entirely as research and development.
In 2012, William Kramer was hired as a Clinical Research Associate. Mr. Kramer is the Son-In-Law of Dr. William A. Carter, and was paid approximately $0, $68,000 and $70,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Additionally, on an as-needed basis, the Company utilized the services of Kramer Environmental Management, Inc. to develop standard operating procedures, compliance assessments, testing and obtain permits related to environmental issues.
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Katalin Kovari, M.D. was paid approximately $26,000, $27,000 and $26,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively for her part-time services to the Company as Assistant Medical Director. Dr. Kovari is the spouse of William A. Carter, CEO.
Since 2011, Peter Kovari was utilized as a part-time independent contractor for Hemispherx Biopharma Europe to undertake projects as a Clinical Programmer. Mr. Kovari is the nephew of Dr. Katalin Kovari and was paid approximately $11,000, $18,000 and $22,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Thomas Equels was elected to the Board of Directors at the Annual Stockholders Meeting on November 17, 2008 and joined the Company as General Counsel effective June 1, 2010. Mr. Equels had provided external legal services for several years through May 31, 2010 and Equels Law Firm continues to support the Company. In 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company paid Equels Law Firm approximately $42,000, $303,000 and $181,000, respectively, for services rendered. Upon analysis in the Fall of 2011 by the Audit Committee’s Financial Expert, it was deemed that the hourly rates charged by Equels Law to the Company were reasonable when compared to the fee structure of a possible arms-length transaction from comparable firms in practice in the same market and of the similar size. The hourly rate fees from Equels Law Firm remained the same for 2013, 2014 and 2015. For his Board fees, Mr. Equels received approximately $182,000, $182,000 and $180,000 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In December 2012, with the approval of the Audit Committee, the Company began renting an office at Equels Law Firm for $3,000 per month for dedication to and utilization by Hemispherx personnel, other than Mr. Equels. For 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company paid Equels Law Firm $0, $0 and $36,000, respectfully, for office rent based on a proration of the Firm’s current leasing fee less the cost for common area.
For the years ended 2015, 2014 and 2013, compensation was granted or paid related to the Executive Performance Incentive Program related to the ATM, as set forth in Section 3(c)(ii) of his Employment Agreement, for approximately $262,000, $641,000, and $12,000 to Mr. Equels. Mr. Equels' compensation related to this program was classified entirely as general and administrative expense.
ITEM 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
All audit and professional services are approved in advance by the Audit Committee to assure such services do not impair the auditor’s independence from us. The total fees by RSM US LLP (“RSM”) for 2015 and 2014 were $327,000 and $275,500 respectively. The following table shows the aggregate fees for professional services rendered during the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
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| Amount ($) | ||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | |||||||
| Description of Fees: | ||||||||
| Audit Fees | $ | 269,000 | $ | 256,000 | ||||
| Audit-Related Fees | 58,000 | 13,000 | ||||||
| Tax Fees | — | — | ||||||
| All Other Fees | — | — | ||||||
| Total | $ | 327,000 | $ | 275,500 | ||||
Audit Fees
Audit fees include the audit of our annual financial statements and the review of our financial statements included in our quarterly reports and services in connection with statutory and regulatory filings.
Audit-Related Fees
Represents the fees for assurance and related services that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements. Audit-related fees include professional services related to the Company’s filing of SEC Form S-3 and S-8 (i.e., stock shelf offering procedures).
The Audit Committee has determined that RSM’s rendering of these audit-related services and all other fees were compatible with maintaining auditor’s independence. The Board of Directors considered RSM to be well qualified to serve as our independent public accountants. The Committee also pre-approved the charges for services performed in 2014 and 2013.
The Audit Committee pre-approves all auditing and accounting services and the terms thereof (which may include providing comfort letters in connection with securities underwriting) and non-audit services (other than non-audit services prohibited under Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act or the applicable rules of the SEC or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) to be provided to us by the independent auditor; provided, however, the pre-approval requirement is waived with respect to the provisions of non-audit services for us if the “de minimus” provisions of Section 10A (i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act are satisfied. This authority to pre-approve non-audit services may be delegated to one or more members of the Audit Committee, who shall present all decisions to pre-approve an activity to the full Audit Committee at its first meeting following such decision.
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ITEM 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
| (a) | Financial Statements and Schedules - See index to financial statements on page F-1 of this Annual Report. All other schedules called for under regulation S-X are not submitted because they are not applicable or not required, or because the required information is included in the financial statements or notes thereto. |
| (i) | Exhibits - See exhibit index below. Except as disclosed in the footnotes, the following exhibits were filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as exhibits to our Form S-1 Registration Statement (No. 33-93314) or amendments thereto and are hereby incorporated by reference: |
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| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 1.1 | July 23, 2012 Equity Distribution Agreement with Maxim Group LLC (1) | |
| 3.1 | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended, along with Certificates of Designations. (2) | |
| 3.2 | Amended and Restated By-laws of Registrant. (27) | |
| 4.1 | Specimen certificate representing our Common Stock. | |
| 4.2 | Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2012, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. The Amended and Restated Right Agreement includes the Form of Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights of the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, the Form of Rights Certificate and the Summary of the Right to Purchase Preferred Stock. (3) | |
| 4.4 | Form of Indenture filed with Form S-3 Universal Shelf Registration Statement. (4) | |
| 4.5 | Form of Series I common stock purchase warrant pursuant to May 10, 2009 Securities Purchase Agreement. (5) | |
| 4.6 | Form of Series II common stock purchase warrant pursuant to May 10, 2009 Securities Purchase Agreement. (5) | |
| 4.7 | Form of common stock purchase warrant pursuant to May 18, 2009 Securities Purchase Agreement. (6) | |
| 10.1 | Form of Confidentiality, Invention and Non-Compete Agreement. | |
| 10.2 | Form of Clinical Research Agreement. | |
| 10.3 | Employee Wage or Hours Reduction Program. (7) | |
| 10.4 | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on May 10, 2009. (1) | |
| 10.5 | Form of Securities Purchase Agreement entered into on May 18, 2009. (5) | |
| 10.6 | Amended and Restated Employment Agreement with Robert Dickey IV, dated September 1, 2010. (8) | |
| 10.7 | Supply Agreement with Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC dated December 5, 2005. (9) | |
| 10.8 | Amendment to Supply Agreement with Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC dated February 25, 2010. (10) | |
| 10.9 | Amended and Restated Employment Agreement of Dr. William A. Carter dated June 11, 2010 (11) | |
| 10.10 | Vendor Agreement with Bio Ridge Pharma, LLC dated August 11, 2011. (14) (Confidential Treatment granted with respect to portions of the Agreement). | |
| 10.11 | Vendor Agreement with Armada Healthcare, LLC dated August 11, 2011. (14) (Confidential Treatment granted with respect to portions of the Agreement). | |
| 10.12 | Amended and restated employment agreement with Wayne Springate dated May 1, 2011. (13) | |
| 10.13 | Amended and restated employment agreement with Ralph Christopher Cavalli dated September 15, 2011. (15) | |
| 10.14 | Amended and restated employment agreement with William A. Carter dated December 6, 2011. (16) | |
| 10.15 | Amended and restated employment agreement with Thomas K. Equels dated December 6, 2011. (16) | |
| 10.16 | Amended and restated employment agreement with Charles T. Bernhardt dated December 6, 2011. (16) | |
| 10.17 | Second Amended and Restated Advisor’s Agreement with The Sage Group dated December 14, 2011. (17) | |
| 10.18 | Amendment to Supply Agreement with Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC executed September 9, 2011. (17) (Confidential portions of this exhibit have been redacted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to a confidential treatment request in accordance with Rule 24b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). | |
| 10.19 | Vendor Agreement extension with Bio Ridge Pharma, LLC dated August 14, 2012. (18) |
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| 10.20 | Vendor Agreement extension with Armada Healthcare, LLC dated August 14, 2012. (18) | |
| 10.21 | Advisor’s Agreement with The Sage Group dated June 15, 2013. (20) | |
| 10.22 | Vendor Agreement extension with Armada Healthcare, LLC dated July 19, 2013. (21) | |
| 10.23 | Vendor Agreement extension with Bio Ridge Pharma, LLC dated July 19, 2013. (21) | |
| 10.24 | Vendor Agreement extension with Bio Ridge Pharma, LLC and Armada Healthcare, LLC dated August 8, 2014.(22) | |
| 10.25 | Sales, Marketing, Distribution, and Supply Agreement with Emerge Health Pty Ltd. dated March 9, 2015. (22) (Confidential Treatment granted with respect to portions of the Agreement) | |
| 10.26 | August 4, 2015 Amendment to Equity Distribution Agreement between the registrant and Maxim Group LLC. (24) | |
| 10.27 | Vendor Agreement extension with Armada Healthcare, LLC dated July 29, 2015. (26) | |
| 10.28 | Vendor Agreement extension with Bio Ridge Pharma, LLC dated July 29, 2013. (26) | |
| 10.29 | Early Access Agreement with Impatients N.V. dated August 3, 2015. (26) (Confidential Treatment granted with respect to portions of the Agreement) | |
| 10.30 | Sales, Marketing, Distribution, and Supply Agreement with Emerge Health Pty Ltd. dated August 6, 2015. (26) (Confidential Treatment granted with respect to portions of the Agreement) | |
| 10.31 | Addendum to Early Access Agreement with Impatients N.V. dated October 16, 2015. (27) (Confidential Treatment granted with respect to portions of the Agreement) | |
| 10.32 | Letter agreement between Dr. Carter and the Company dated September 28, 2015 extending the period for notice of non-renewal to December 1, 2015 within the June 11, 2010 Amended and Restated Engagement Agreement entered into between the Company and Dr. Carter. (27) | |
| 10.33 | November 23, 2015 William A. Carter Employment Agreement Waiver. (28) | |
| 10.34 | November 23, 2015 Thomas K. Equels Employment Agreement Waiver. (28) | |
| 10.35 | Equity Distribution Agreement, dated December 15, 2015 with Chardan Capital Markets, LLC. (29) | |
| 10.36 | December 23, 2015 letter to Dr. Carter related to non-renewal of his consulting agreement and continued consulting services. (30) | |
| 10.37 | 2016 Senior Executive Deferred Cash Performance Award Plan. (31) | |
| 10.38 | 2016 Voluntary Incentive Stock Award Plan. (31) | |
| 10.39 | Amended and Restated 2016 Senior Executive Deferred Cash Performance Award Plan. (32) | |
| 21 | Subsidiaries of the Registrant. * | |
| 23.1 | RSM US LLP consent. * | |
| 31.1 | Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief Executive Officer. * | |
| 31.2 | Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief Financial Officer. * | |
| 32.1 | Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief Executive Officer. * | |
| 32.2 | Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 from the Company's Chief Financial Officer. * | |
| 101 | The following materials from Hemispherx’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, formatted in eXtensible Business Reporting Language (“XBRL”): (i) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income; (ii) the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets; (iii) the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; and (iv) Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |
| * | Filed herewith. |
| (1) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed July 23, 2012 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (2) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed June 24, 2011 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| 118 |
| (3) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2012 as an exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A12G/A (No. 0-27072) and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (4) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Form S-3 Registration Statement (No. 333-182216) on June 19, 2012 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (5) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended March 31, 2009 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (6) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) dated May 18, 2009 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (7) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K (No. 1-13441) for the year ended December 31, 2008 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (8) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended June 30, 2010 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (9) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K (No. 1-13441) for the year ended December 31, 2005 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (10) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (No. 1-13441) for the year ended December 31, 2009 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (11) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) dated June 15, 2010 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (12) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) dated May 28, 2010 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (13) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended March 31, 2011 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (14) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended September 30, 2011 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (15) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed September 23, 2011 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (16) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed December 12, 2011 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (17) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (No. 1-13441) for the year ended December 31, 2011 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (18) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed August 15, 2012 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (19) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended September 30, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (20) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended June 30, 2013 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (21) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K (No. 1-13441) for the year ended December 31, 2013 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| 119 |
| (22) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K (No. 1-13441) for the year ended December 31, 2014 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (23) | Intentionally left blank. |
| (24) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed June 23, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (25) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed August 4, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (26) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended June 30, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (27) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q (No. 1-13441) for the period ended September 30, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (28) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed November 23, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (29) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed December 15, 2015 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (30) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed January 14, 2016 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (31) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed February 4, 2016 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| (32) | Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (No. 1-13441) filed March 1, 2016 and is hereby incorporated by reference. |
| 120 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) 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.
| HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. |
| By: | /s/ Thomas K. Equels | |
| Thomas K. Equels | ||
| Chief Executive Officer |
March 29, 2016
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange of 1934, as amended, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of this Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| /s/ Thomas K. Equels | Executive Vice Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive | March 29, 2016 | ||
| Thomas K. Equels | Officer, Director, Secretary and General Counsel | |||
| /s/ Peter W. Rodino | Director | March 29, 2016 | ||
| Peter W. Rodino | ||||
| /s/ William Mitchell | Chairman of the Board and Director | March 29, 2016 | ||
| William Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D. | ||||
| /s/ Iraj E. Kiani | Director | March 29, 2016 | ||
| Iraj E. Kiani, Ph.D. | ||||
| /s/ Adam Pascale | Chief Financial Officer | March 29, 2016 | ||
| Adam Pascale |
| 121 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC AND SUBSIDIARIES
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Board of Directors and Stockholders
Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related consolidated statements of comprehensive loss, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015. These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. Our audits included consideration of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. and Subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2015, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
| /s/ RSM US LLP | |
| Blue Bell, Pennsylvania | |
| March 29, 2016 |
| F-2 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets
December 31, 2015 and 2014
(in thousands, except for share and per share amounts)
| 2015 | 2014 | |||||||
| ASSETS | ||||||||
| Current assets: | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 2,115 | $ | 2,156 | ||||
| Marketable securities- unrestricted | 6,795 | 13,952 | ||||||
| Work in process inventory | 1,326 | 0 | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 335 | 399 | ||||||
| Total current assets | 10,571 | 16,507 | ||||||
| Property and equipment, net | 11,237 | 4,601 | ||||||
| Patent and trademark rights, net | 862 | 861 | ||||||
| Construction in progress | 0 | 7,337 | ||||||
| Other assets | 134 | 134 | ||||||
| Total assets | $ | 22,804 | $ | 29,440 | ||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 1,213 | $ | 2,081 | ||||
| Accrued expenses | 1,219 | 2,333 | ||||||
| Current portion of capital lease | 1 | 22 | ||||||
| Total current liabilities | 2,433 | 4,436 | ||||||
| Commitments and contingencies (Notes 9,11,12,14 and 15) | ||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: | ||||||||
| Preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, authorized 5,000,000; issued and outstanding; none | — | — | ||||||
| Common stock, par value $0.001 per share, authorized 350,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding 247,559,487 and 204,004,818, respectively | 247 | 204 | ||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 313,220 | 302,729 | ||||||
| Unrealized loss | (97 | ) | (160 | ) | ||||
| Accumulated deficit | (292,999 | ) | (277,769 | ) | ||||
| Total stockholders’ equity | 20,371 | 25,004 | ||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity | $ | 22,804 | $ | 29,440 | ||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
| F-3 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss
(in thousands, except share and per share data)
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Revenues: | ||||||||||||
| Clinical treatment programs | $ | 133 | $ | 197 | $ | 150 | ||||||
| Total Revenues | 133 | 197 | 150 | |||||||||
| Costs and Expenses: | ||||||||||||
| Production costs | 1,598 | 1,251 | 1,234 | |||||||||
| Research and development | 8,038 | 8,988 | 8,360 | |||||||||
| General and administrative | 7,147 | 9,057 | 7,723 | |||||||||
| Total Costs and Expenses | 16,783 | 19,296 | 17,317 | |||||||||
| Operating loss | (16,650 | ) | (19,099 | ) | (17,167 | ) | ||||||
| Interest and other income | 364 | 665 | 791 | |||||||||
| Impairment loss on investments | (315 | ) | (145 | ) | (800 | ) | ||||||
| Interest expense | (3 | ) | (11 | ) | (16 | ) | ||||||
| Gain from sale of income tax operating losses | 1,374 | 1,126 | 686 | |||||||||
| Redeemable warrants valuation adjustment | - | 14 | 281 | |||||||||
| Net loss | (15,230 | ) | (17,450 | ) | (16,225 | ) | ||||||
| Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | ||||||||||||
| Unrealized loss on securities | (252 | ) | (191 | ) | (871 | ) | ||||||
| Reclassification adjustments for impairment losses on investments included in net loss | 315 | 145 | 800 | |||||||||
| Net comprehensive loss | $ | (15,167 | ) | $ | (17,496 | ) | $ | (16,296 | ) | |||
| Basic and diluted loss per share | $ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.09 | ) | $ | (0.10 | ) | |||
| Weighted average shares outstanding basic and diluted | 236,151,781 | 188,291,976 | 167,325,584 | |||||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
| F-4 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity
(in thousands except share data)
| Common Stock Shares | Common Stock .001 Par Value | Additional Paid-in Capital | Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) | Accumulated Deficit | Total Stockholders Equity | |||||||||||||||||||
| Balance January 1, 2013 | 166,490,190 | $ | 166 | $ | 288,671 | $ | (43 | ) | $ | (244,094 | ) | $ | 44,700 | |||||||||||
| Shares issued for: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of accounts payable | 1,196,769 | 1 | 268 | — | — | 269 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shares sold at the market | 973,411 | 1 | 248 | — | — | 249 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Equity-based compensation | — | — | 376 | — | — | 376 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net comprehensive loss | — | — | — | (71 | ) | (16,225 | ) | (16,296 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Balance December 31, 2013 | 168,660,370 | 168 | 289,563 | (114 | ) | (260,319 | ) | 29,298 | ||||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of accounts payable | 229,031 | — | 59 | — | — | 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shares sold at the market | 35,115,417 | 36 | 12,781 | — | — | 12,817 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Equity-based compensation | — | — | 326 | — | — | 326 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net comprehensive loss | — | — | — | (46 | ) | (17,450 | ) | (17,496 | ) | |||||||||||||||
| Balance December 31, 2014 | 204,004,818 | 204 | 302,729 | (160 | ) | (277,769 | ) | 25,004 | ||||||||||||||||
| Shares issued for: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlement of accounts payable | 2,558,779 | 2 | 670 | — | — | 672 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shares sold at the market | 40,995,890 | 41 | 9,640 | — | — | 9,681 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Equity-based compensation | — | — | 181 | — | — | 181 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Net comprehensive loss | — | — | 63 | (15,230 | ) | (15,167 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
| Balance December 31, 2015 | 247,559,487 | $ | 247 | $ | 313,220 | $ | (97 | ) | $ | (292,999 | ) | $ | 20,371 | |||||||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements
| F-5 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in thousands)
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities: | ||||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (15,230 | ) | $ | (17,450 | ) | $ | (16,225 | ) | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||||||||||
| Depreciation of property and equipment | 941 | 665 | 671 | |||||||||
| Amortization and abandonment of patent and trademark rights | 249 | 477 | 196 | |||||||||
| Redeemable warrants valuation adjustment | — | (14 | ) | (281 | ) | |||||||
| Equity-based compensation | 181 | 326 | 376 | |||||||||
| Other-than-temporary impairment of marketable securities | 315 | 145 | 800 | |||||||||
| Unrealized gain on securities | 63 | (46 | ) | (71 | ) | |||||||
| Inventory reserve | — | — | 453 | |||||||||
| Changes in assets and liabilities: | ||||||||||||
| Inventories | (1,326 | ) | — | — | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other assets | 64 | (41 | ) | (36 | ) | |||||||
| Accounts payable | (196 | ) | 869 | (617 | ) | |||||||
| Accrued expenses | (1,114 | ) | 1,105 | (2,167 | ) | |||||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | (16,053 | ) | (13,964 | ) | (16,901 | ) | ||||||
| Cash flows from investing activities: | ||||||||||||
| Purchases of property, equipment and construction in progress | (240 | ) | (504 | ) | (898 | ) | ||||||
| Additions to patent and trademark rights | (250 | ) | (258 | ) | (242 | ) | ||||||
| Office rental deposit | — | — | (71 | ) | ||||||||
| Deposits on capital leases refunded | — | 2 | — | |||||||||
| Sales and maturities of short-term and long-term marketable securities | 6,842 | 3,294 | 23,550 | |||||||||
| Purchase of short-term and long-term marketable securities | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | $ | 6,352 | $ | 2,534 | $ | 22,339 | ||||||
| F-6 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Continued)
(in thousands)
| Years ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities: | ||||||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of common stock, net of issuance costs | $ | 9,681 | $ | 12,817 | $ | 249 | ||||||
| Payments on capital leases | (21 | ) | (34 | ) | (45 | ) | ||||||
| Payments on Margin Account Loan | — | — | (7,051 | ) | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 9,660 | 12,783 | (6,847 | ) | ||||||||
| Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents | (41 | ) | 1,353 | (1,409 | ) | |||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year | 2,156 | 803 | 2,212 | |||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of year | $ | 2,115 | $ | 2,156 | $ | 803 | ||||||
| Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing and financing cash flow information: | ||||||||||||
| Issuance of common stock for accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 672 | $ | 59 | $ | 269 | ||||||
| Unrealized gain (loss) on marketable securities | $ | 63 | $ | (46 | ) | $ | (71 | ) | ||||
| Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: | ||||||||||||
| Capitalized construction interest | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 143 | ||||||
| Cash paid for interest expense | $ | 3 | $ | 11 | $ | 16 | ||||||
See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.
| F-7 |
HEMISPHERx BIOPHARMA, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| (1) | Business |
Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (“Company”) is a specialty pharmaceutical company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and engaged in the clinical development of new drug therapies based on natural immune system enhancing technologies for the treatment of viral and immune based disorders. The Company was founded in the early 1970s doing contract research for the National Institutes of Health. Since that time, the Company has established a strong foundation of laboratory, pre-clinical and clinical data with respect to the development of natural interferon and nucleic acids to enhance the natural antiviral defense system of the human body and to aid the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of certain chronic diseases.
The Company's flagship products include Alferon N Injection® and the experimental therapeutic Ampligen®. Alferon N Injection® is approved for a category of STD infection, and Ampligen® represents an experimental RNA being developed for globally important viral diseases and disorders of the immune system. Hemispherx' platform technology includes components for potential treatment of various severely debilitating and life threatening diseases. Alferon® LDO (Low Dose Oral) is a formulation under development targeting influenza.
The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company has three domestic subsidiaries BioPro Corp., BioAegean Corp. and Core BioTech Corp., all of which are incorporated in Delaware and are dormant. The Company’s foreign subsidiary, Hemispherx Biopharma Europe N.V./S.A., was established in Belgium in 1998. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
| (2) | Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
(a) Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and Cash Equivalents consist of cash and money market accounts and total $2,115,000 and $2,156,000 at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
(b) Marketable Securities
The Company’s securities are classified as available for sale and are stated at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on securities available for sale are excluded from results of operations and are reported as other comprehensive income (loss) on the Statements of Comprehensive Loss, net of taxes. Securities classified as available for sale include securities that may be sold in response to changes in interest rates, changes in prepayment risks or for portfolio management purposes. The cost of securities sold is determined on a specific identification basis. Gains and losses on sales of securities are recognized in the statements of comprehensive loss on the date of sale.
| F-8 |
(c) Property and Equipment
| (in thousands) December 31, | ||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | |||||||
| Land, buildings and improvements | $ | 11,603 | $ | 4,209 | ||||
| Furniture, fixtures, and equipment | 5,490 | 5,307 | ||||||
| Leasehold improvements | 85 | 85 | ||||||
| Total property and equipment | 17,178 | 9,601 | ||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization | (5,941 | ) | (5,000 | ) | ||||
| Property and equipment, net | $ | 11,237 | $ | 4,601 | ||||
Property and equipment are recorded at cost. Depreciation and amortization are computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, ranging from three to thirty-nine years.
Construction in progress consists of funds used for the construction and installation of property and equipment within the Company’s New Brunswick, NJ facility. As of December 31, 2015, construction in progress was $0 as compared to $7,337,000 at December 31, 2014. The Company capitalized $0 of interest charges in 2015 and 2014, respectively, related to the construction in progress.
(d) Patent and Trademark Rights
Patents and trademarks are stated at cost (primarily legal fees) and are amortized using the straight line method over the established useful life of 17 years. The Company reviews its patents and trademark rights periodically to determine whether they have continuing value or their value has become impaired. Such review includes an analysis of the patent and trademark's ultimate revenue and profitability potential. Management's review addresses whether each patent continues to fit into the Company's strategic business plans.
(e) Revenue
Revenue from the sale of Ampligen® under a cost recovery, open-label treatment protocols approved by the FDA is recognized when the treatment is provided to the patient.
Revenues from the sale of Alferon N Injection® are recognized when the product is shipped and title is transferred to the customer. The Company has no other obligation associated with its products once shipment has been shipped to the customer.
| F-9 |
(f) Accounting for Income Taxes
Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial statement reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The measurement of deferred income tax assets is reduced, if necessary, by a valuation allowance for any tax benefits which are not expected to be realized. The effect on deferred income tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the period that such tax rate changes are enacted.
The Company applies the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") 740-10 Uncertainty in Income Taxes. There has been no material change to the Company’s tax position as they have not paid any corporate income taxes due to operating losses. All tax benefits will likely not be recognized due to the substantial net operating loss carryforwards which will most likely not be realized prior to expiration. With no tax due for the foreseeable future, the Company has determined that a policy to determine the accounting for interest or penalties related to the payment of tax is not necessary at this time.
(g) Comprehensive loss
Comprehensive loss consists of net loss, net unrealized gains (losses) on securities and premium amortization and related losses and is presented in the consolidated statements of comprehensive loss.
(h) Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Accounts requiring the use of significant estimates include valuation allowances for inventory, determination of other-than-temporary impairment on securities, valuation of deferred taxes, patent and trademark valuations, stock-based compensation calculations, building valuation, fair value of warrants and contingency accruals.
(i) Recent Accounting Standards and Pronouncements
In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09 (ASU 2014-09), Revenue from Contracts with Customers. ASU 2014-09 will eliminate transaction- and industry-specific revenue recognition guidance under current U.S. GAAP and replace it with a principle based approach for determining revenue recognition. ASU 2014-09 will require that companies recognize revenue based on the value of transferred goods or services as they occur in the contract. ASU 2014-09 also will require additional disclosure about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from customer contracts, including significant judgments and changes in judgments and assets recognized from costs incurred to obtain or fulfill a contract. ASU 2014-09 is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and early adoption is not permitted. Entities can transition to the standard either retrospectively or as a cumulative-effect adjustment as of the date of adoption. Upon the Company realizing operating revenues from the sale of commercialized product, the Company’s adoption of this guidance may have an impact on the Company’s financial statement presentation or disclosures.
| F-10 |
In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements-Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern. ASU 2014-15 explicitly requires management to evaluate, at each annual or interim reporting period, whether there are conditions or events that exist which raise substantial doubt about an entity's ability to continue as a going concern and to provide related disclosures. ASU 2014-15 is effective for annual periods ending after December 15, 2016, and annual and interim periods thereafter, with early adoption permitted.
In 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”) 2015-01 through 2015-17. These updates did not have a significant impact on the financial statements.
In January 2016, the FASB has issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments – Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities. The new guidance is intended to improve the recognition and measurement of financial instruments. The ASU affects public and private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and employee benefit plans that hold financial assets or owe financial liabilities. The new guidance is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and employee benefit plans, the new guidance becomes effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and for interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The new guidance permits early adoption of the own credit provision. In addition, the new guidance permits early adoption of the provision that exempts private companies and not-for-profit organizations from having to disclose fair value information about financial instruments measured at amortized cost. The Company believes that the adoption of the guidance may have an impact on the Company’s financial statement presentation or disclosures.
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 - Leases, which amends the existing accounting standards for lease accounting, including requiring lessees to recognize most leases on their balance sheets and making targeted changes to lessor accounting. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and early adoption of is permitted as of the standard’s issuance date. ASU2016-02 requires a modified retrospective transition approach for all leases existing at, or entered into after, the date of initial application, with an option to use certain transition relief. The Company has not adopted ASU 2016-02 and believes such adoption will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.
(j) Stock-Based Compensation
The Company accounts for its stock-based compensation awards in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation”, which requires recognition of compensation expense related to stock-based compensation awards over the period during which an employee is required to provide service for the award. Compensation expense is equal to the fair value of the award at the date of grant, net of estimated forfeitures.
| F-11 |
(k) Accounts Receivable
Concentration of credit risk, with respect to accounts receivable, is limited due to the Company’s credit evaluation process. The Company does not require collateral on its receivables. The Company did not have any receivables as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.
(l) Common Stock Per Share Calculation
Basic and diluted net loss per share is computed using the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Equivalent common shares, consisting of stock options and warrants related to 15,794,444, 17,486,946 and 27,968,158 shares, are excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, since their effect is antidilutive.
(m) Long-Lived Assets
The Company assesses long-lived assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets or the asset grouping may not be recoverable. Factors that the Company considers in deciding when to perform an impairment review include significant under-performance of a business or product line in relation to expectations, significant negative industry or economic trends, and significant changes or planned changes in its use of the assets. The Company measures the recoverability of assets that it will continue to use in its operations by comparing the carrying value of the asset grouping to our estimate of the related total future undiscounted net cash flows. If an asset grouping’s carrying value is not recoverable through the related undiscounted cash flows, the asset grouping is considered to be impaired.
The Company measures the impairment by comparing the difference between the asset grouping’s carrying value and its fair value. Long-lived assets are considered a non-financial asset and are recorded at fair value only if an impairment charge is recognized. Impairments are determined for groups of assets related to the lowest level of identifiable independent cash flows. The Company makes subjective judgments in determining the independent cash flows that can be related to specific asset groupings. In addition, as the Company reviews its manufacturing process and other manufacturing planning decisions, the Company must make subjective judgments regarding the remaining useful lives of assets. When the Company determines that the useful lives of assets are shorter than the Company had originally estimated, it accelerates the rate of depreciation over the assets’ new, shorter useful lives.
| (3) | Inventories |
The Company uses the lower of first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) cost or market method of accounting for inventory.
| F-12 |
| Inventories consist of the following: | (in thousands) | |||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | |||||||
| Inventory work-in-process, January 1 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
| Production | 1,443 | — | ||||||
| Spoilage | (117 | ) | — | |||||
| Inventory work-in-process, December 31 | $ | 1,326 | $ | — | ||||
Commercial sales of Alferon® will not resume until new batches of commercial filled and finished product are produced and released by the FDA. The Company is continuing the validation of Alferon® production and production of new Alferon® API inventory commenced in February 2015. While the facility is approved by the FDA under the Biological License Application (“BLA”) for Alferon®, this status will need to be reaffirmed by an FDA pre-approval inspection. The Company will also need the FDA’s approval to release commercial product once it has submitted satisfactory stability and quality release data.
| (4) | Marketable Securities |
Marketable securities consist of Mutual Funds. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, it was determined that some of the Marketable Securities had other than temporary impairments of approximately $315,000 and $145,000, respectively. At December 31, 2015 and 2014, all securities were classified as available for sale investments and were measured as Level 1 instruments of the fair value measurements standard (see Note 17: Fair Value).
Securities classified as available for sale consisted of:
December 31, 2015
(in thousands)
| Securities | Amortized Cost | Gross Unrealized Gains | Gross Unrealized Losses | Fair Value | Short-Term Investments | Long Term Investments | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mutual Funds | $ | 6,892 | $ | — | $ | (97 | ) | $ | 6,795 | $ | 6,795 | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Totals | $ | 6,892 | $ | — | $ | (97 | ) | $ | 6,795 | $ | 6,795 | $ | — | |||||||||||
December 31, 2014
(in thousands)
| Securities | Amortized Cost | Gross Unrealized Gains | Gross Unrealized Losses | Fair Value | Short-Term Investments | Long Term Investments | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mutual Funds | $ | 14,112 | $ | — | $ | (160 | ) | $ | 13,952 | $ | 13,952 | $ | — | |||||||||||
| Totals | $ | 14,112 | $ | — | $ | (160 | ) | $ | 13,952 | $ | 13,952 | $ | — | |||||||||||
| F-13 |
Unrealized losses on investments
Investments with continuous unrealized losses for less than 12 months and 12 months or greater and their related fair values were as follows:
December 31, 2015
(in thousands)
| Total | Less Than 12 Months | 12 Months or Greater | Totals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Securities | Number In Loss Position | Fair Values | Unrealized Losses | Fair Values | Unrealized Losses | Total Fair Value | Total Unrealized Losses | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mutual Funds | 2 | $ | 2,834 | $ | (159 | ) | $ | 2,041 | $ | (21 | ) | $ | 4,875 | $ | (180 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Totals | 2 | $ | 2,834 | $ | (159 | ) | $ | 2,041 | $ | (21 | ) | $ | 4,875 | $ | (180 | ) | ||||||||||||
December 31, 2014
(in thousands)
| Total | Less Than 12 Months | 12 Months or Greater | Totals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Securities | Number In Loss Position | Fair Values | Unrealized Losses | Fair Values | Unrealized Losses | Total Fair Value | Total Unrealized Losses | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Mutual Funds | 2 | $ | 5,928 | $ | (106 | ) | $ | 8,024 | $ | (54 | ) | $ | 13,952 | $ | (160 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Totals | 2 | $ | 5,928 | $ | (106 | ) | $ | 8,024 | $ | (54 | ) | $ | 13,952 | $ | (160 | ) | ||||||||||||
| (5) | Patents, Trademark Rights and Other Intangibles (FASB ASC 350-30 General Intangibles Other than Goodwill) |
During the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company decided not to pursue certain patents in various countries for strategic reasons and recorded abandonment charges of $215,000, $446,000 and $176,000, respectively, which are included in research and development. Amortization expense was $34,000, $31,000 and $20,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The total cost of the patents was $1,005,000 as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. The accumulated amortization as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 is $143,000 and $144,000, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, additions to patents costs were $250,000 and $258,000, respectively.
Amortization of patents and trademarks for each of the next five years is as follows: 2016 - $34,000; 2017 - $34,000; 2018 - $34,000; 2019 - $34,000 and 2020 - $34,000. No amortization expense is recognized related to patents that are pending.
| (6) | Accrued Expenses |
Accrued expenses at December 31, 2015 and 2014 consists of the following:
| F-14 |
| (in thousands) December 31, | ||||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | |||||||
| Compensation | $ | 229 | $ | 1,806 | ||||
| Professional fees | 619 | 404 | ||||||
| Clinical Trial expenses | 143 | - | ||||||
| Other Expenses | 228 | 123 | ||||||
| $ | 1,219 | $ | 2,333 | |||||
| (7) | Stockholders' Equity |
(a) Preferred Stock
The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of $0.01 par value preferred stock with such designations, rights and preferences as may be determined by the Board of Directors. There were no Preferred Shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2015 and 2014.
(b) Common Stock
The Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the Company’s corporate Charter at the Annual Shareholder Meeting held in Philadelphia, PA that concluded on December 8, 2011. This amendment increased the Company’s authorized shares from 200,000,000 to 350,000,000 with specific limitations and restrictions on the usage of 75,000,000 of the 150,000,000 newly authorized shares.
On September 16, 2015, the Company's stockholders removed the limitations and restrictions on 67,000,000 shares. The Company's stockholders approved up to an additional 60,000,000 shares for use in capital raising transactions and 7,000,000 shares for use in the Equity Plan of 2009.
As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, 247,559,487 and 204,004,818 shares were outstanding, respectively.
(c) Equity Financings
On July 23, 2012, The Company entered into a EDA with Maxim (the "EDA”) pursuant to which the Company may sell up to $75,000,000 worth of its shares of common stock from time to time through Maxim, as sales agent. Under the EDA, Maxim is entitled to a fixed commission rate of 4.0% of the gross sales price of Shares sold under the EDA, up to aggregate gross proceeds of $10,000,000, and thereafter, at a fixed commission rate of 3.0% of the gross sales price of Shares sold under the EDA. Sales of the Shares, if any, may be made in transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including sales made by means of ordinary brokers' transactions, including on the NYSE MKT, at market prices or as otherwise agreed with Maxim. The Company has no obligation to sell any of the Shares and may at any time suspend offers under the EDA or terminate the EDA. Up until August 4, 2015, the shares were being sold pursuant to the Company's Universal Shelf Registration Statement on Form S-3, declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 2, 2012. Since August 4, 2015, the shares are being sold pursuant to the Company's Universal Shelf Registration Statement on Form S-3, declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 4, 2015 (the “2015 Universal Shelf”).
| F-15 |
On August 4, 2015, the Company and Maxim Group LLC amended their July 23, 2012 EDA solely for the purpose of adding the registrant’s new registration statement on Form S-3 (File No 333-205228) to the definition of “registration statement” as the old registration statement expired.
On August 5, 2015, the Company filed an updated Prospectus Supplement to reflect that sales under the EDA are now being conducted pursuant to the 2015 Universal Shelf. In addition, on September 16, 2015, the Company's stockholders approved up to an additional 60,000,000 of the remaining Restricted Shares for use in capital raising transactions
For the period ended December 14, 2015, we sold an aggregate of 40,995,890 shares that resulted in net cash proceeds of approximately $9,681,000 after commissions paid to Maxim for approximately $299,000. On December 15, 2015, the Company filed a Prospectus Supplement reducing all offerings pursuant to its existing equity distribution agreement with Maxim Group LLC to $0.
On December 15, 2015, Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with Chardan Capital Markets, LLC (the “Agreement”) to create an at-the-market equity program under which it may sell shares of its common stock (the “Shares”) from time to time through Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, as sales agent (“Chardan”). Under the Agreement, Chardan will be entitled to a commission at a fixed commission rate of 3.0% of the gross sales price of Shares sold under the Agreement.
Sales of the Shares, if any, under the Agreement may be made in transactions that are deemed to be “at-the-market” offerings as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including sales made by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions, including on the NYSE MKT, at market prices or as otherwise agreed with Chardan. The Company has no obligation to sell any of the Shares, and may at any time suspend offers under the Agreement or terminate the Agreement.
The Shares will be issued pursuant to the Company’s previously filed and effective Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-205228). On December 16, 2015, the Company filed a Prospectus Supplement relating to the Chardan offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2015, no shares were sold under the Chardan Agreement.
The Company’s plans to allocate the net proceeds from the offering towards research and development, operations and general and administrative purposes related to the commercialization of Ampligen® and Alferon® related products, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) Costs to maintain the Alferon N Injection® manufacturing facility and to prepare for the FDA pre-approval inspections of the Ampligen® facility, (2) Manufacture of commercial product, (3) Potential new preclinical and/or clinical studies in order to gain commercial approval for Ampligen® and broader approvals for Alferon® and Alferon LDO®, (4) Working capital to build and maintain sufficient inventory by procuring raw materials, supplies and other items for the New Brunswick manufacturing facility, as well as to remunerate outside contractors for necessary services, such as, final filling and finishing operations in order to meet any anticipated demand from normal operations as well as through the possible pursuit of other disease areas and/or geographic regions that may present themselves, (5) Pursuit of potential partnering opportunities for Ampligen®, (6) Potential establishment of sales and marketing capabilities, as well as consideration towards the expansion of our manufacturing capacity, and (7) working capital for general and administrative expenses.
| F-16 |
(d) Common Stock Options and Warrants
(i) Stock Options
The Equity Plan of 2004, effective May 1, 2004, authorizes the grant of non-qualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and other stock awards. A maximum of 8,000,000 shares of common stock was reserved for potential issuance pursuant to awards under the Equity Plan of 2004. The Equity Plan of 2004 continued in effect for a period of 10 years from its effective date. The plan terminated on May 1, 2014.
The Equity Incentive Plan of 2007, effective June 20, 2007, authorizes the grant of non-qualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and other stock awards. A maximum of 9,000,000 shares of common stock is reserved for potential issuance pursuant to awards under the Equity Incentive Plan of 2007. Unless sooner terminated, the Equity Incentive Plan of 2007 will continue in effect for a period of 10 years from its effective date.
The Equity Incentive Plan of 2009, effective June 24, 2009, authorizes the grant of non-qualified and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock and other stock awards. A maximum of 15,000,000 shares of common stock is reserved for potential issuance pursuant to awards under the Equity Incentive Plan of 2009. In September 2015, the Company's shareholders approved the following amendments to the 2009 Plan: (1) increased the number of shares authorized to be issued under the Equity Incentive Plan from 15,000,000 to 22,000,000; (2) required a gradual vesting period of options issued under the Equity Incentive Plan over a three year period; (3) revised the definition of “change in control” to make it less “liberal” by amending the provision that a change in control occurs upon stockholder approval of a merger, consolidation or sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of its assets (a “Business Combination”) to state that such a change in control occurs upon the consummation of the Business Combination; and (4) clarified that the definition of change in control has a double trigger – For a Participant to get the benefit resulting from a change in control, such Participant must have been terminated other than for cause within a two year period. Unless sooner terminated, the Equity Incentive Plan of 2009 will continue in effect for a period of 10 years from its effective date.
| F-17 |
The Equity Plan of 2004 and the Equity Incentive Plans of 2007 and 2009 are administered by the Board of Directors. The Plans provide for awards to be made to such Officers, other key employees, non-employee Directors, consultants and advisors of the Company and its subsidiaries as the Board may select.
Stock options awarded under the Plans may be exercisable at such times (not later than 10 years after the date of grant) and at such exercise prices (not less than fair market value at the date of grant) as the Board may determine. The Board may provide for options to become immediately exercisable upon a "change in control”, which is defined in the Plans to occur upon any of the following events: (a) the acquisition by any person or group, as beneficial owner, of 20% or more of the outstanding shares or the voting power of the outstanding securities of the Company; (b) either a majority of the Directors of the Company at the annual stockholders meeting has been nominated other than by or at the direction of the incumbent Directors of the Board, or the incumbent Directors cease to constitute a majority of the Company’s Board; (c) the Company’s stockholders approve a merger or other business combination pursuant to which the outstanding common stock of the Company no longer represents more than 50% of the combined entity after the transaction; (d) the Company’s stockholders approve a plan of complete liquidation or an agreement for the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets; or (e) any other event or circumstance determined by the Company’s Board to affect control of the Company and designated by resolution of the Board as a change in control.
The fair value of each option and equity warrant award is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton pricing option valuation model. Expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of the price of the Company’s stock. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life of the option and equity warrant. The Company uses historical data to estimate expected dividend yield, life and forfeiture rates. The expected life of the options and equity warrants was estimated based on historical option and equity warrant holders' behavior and represents the period of time that options and equity warrants are expected to be outstanding. The fair values of the options and equity warrants granted, were estimated based on the following weighted average assumptions:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | |||
| Risk-free interest rate | 1.32%-1.72% | 1.66%-1.72% | 0.14%-1.40% | ||
| Expected dividend yield | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Expected life | 2.5-5 years | 5 years | 1-5 years | ||
| Expected volatility | 83.840%-85.220% | 84.497%-92.631% | 89.727%-118.22% | ||
| Weighted average grant date fair value for options and equity warrants issued | $0.15 per option/warrant for 825,000 options/equity warrants | $0.18 per option for 1,314,284 options | $0.14 per option/warrant for 4,120,000 options/equity warrants | ||
| F-18 |
For stock options or equity warrants granted to employees and non-employees, the Company measures fair value of the equity instruments utilizing the Black-Scholes-Merton pricing method. The Company amortizes such cost over the related period of service.
The exercise price of all stock options and equity warrants granted was equal to or greater than the fair market value of the underlying common stock on the date of the grant.
The 1990 Stock Option Plan provided for the grant of options to purchase up to 460,798 shares of the Company's Common Stock to employees, Directors, and Officers of the Company and to consultants, advisors, and other persons whose contributions are important to the success of the Company. The recipients of options granted under the 1990 Stock Option Plan, the number of shares to be converted by each option, and the exercise price, vesting terms, if any, duration and other terms of each option shall be determined by the Company's Board of Directors or, if delegated by the Board, its Compensation Committee. no option is exercisable more than 10 years and one month from the date as of which an option agreement is executed. These shares become vested through various periods not to exceed four years from the date of grant. The option price represents the fair market value of each underlying share of Common Stock at the date of grant, based upon the public trading price. This plan is no longer in effect and no further options will be issued from this plan.
Information regarding the options approved by the Board of Directors under the 1990 Stock Option Plan is summarized below:
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning of year | 200,000 | 2.75 | $ | 2.75 | — | — | $ | — | — | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Granted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (200,000 | ) | 2.75 | 2.75 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, end of year | — | $ | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercisable, end of year | — | $ | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining contractual life (years) | 0 years | 0 years | 0 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Available for future grants | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Equity Plan is administered by the Board of Directors. The Equity Plan provides for awards to be made to such Officers, other key employees, non-employee directors, consultants and advisors of the Company and its subsidiaries as the Board may select.
| F-19 |
Information regarding the options approved by the Board of Directors under Equity Plan of 2004 is summarized below:
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning of year | 6,630,934 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.66 | 6,480,934 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.68 | 5,864,626 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.69 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Granted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (150,000 | ) | 2.00 | $ | 2.00 | (616,308 | ) | 1.90-3.44 | $ | 2.58 | (1,205,912 | ) | $1.63-2.87 | $ | 1.95 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, end of year | 6,480,934 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.68 | 5,864,626 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.69 | 4,658,714 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.88 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercisable, end of year | 6,480,934 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.68 | 5,864,626 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.69 | 4,658,714 | 1.30-6.00 | $ | 2.88 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining contractual life (years) | 2-5 years | 1-4 years | 1-3 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Available for future grants | 170,019 | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Information regarding the options approved by the Board of Directors under Equity Plan of 2007 is summarized below:
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning of year | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Granted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, end of year | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercisable, end of year | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | 1,550,000 | 0.72-3.05 | 2.17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining contractual life (years) | 5-7 years | 4-6 years | 3-5 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Available for future grants | 3,004 | 3,004 | 3,004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| F-20 |
Information regarding the options approved by the Board of Directors under Equity Plan of 2009 is summarized below:
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Option Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning of year | 4,688,978 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.61 | 6,708,978 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.61 | 7,673,262 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.55 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Granted | 2,020,000 | 0.22-2.00 | 0.40 | 1,314,284 | 0.33-2.60 | 0.40 | 800,000 | 0.25 | 0.25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | (350,000 | ) | 0.31-2.81 | 1.45 | (653,728 | ) | 0.25-4.03 | 1.74 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, end of year | 6,708,978 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.55 | 7,673,262 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.55 | 7,819,534 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercisable, end of year | 5,713,145 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.55 | 6,929,335 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.55 | 7,486,201 | 0.21-4.03 | 0.46 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining contractual life (years) | 6-10 years | 5-10 years | 4-10 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Available for future grants | 3,090,478 | 1,487,543 | 8,341,271 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stock option activity during the years ended December 31, 2013, 2014 and 2015 is as follows:
Stock option activity for employees:
| Number of Options | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Weighted Average Remaining Contracted Term (Years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2012 | 9,441,480 | $ | 1.90 | 5.35 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 1,170,000 | 0.36 | — | |||||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2013 | 10,611,480 | $ | 1.73 | 4.92 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 1,264,284 | 0.97 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (587,876 | ) | 1.78 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2014 | 11,287,888 | $ | 1.64 | 4.61 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 800,000 | 0.25 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (1,362,640 | ) | 1.31 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2015 | 10,725,248 | $ | 1.58 | 4.02 | — | |||||||||||
| Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2015 | 10,391,915 | $ | 1.54 | 3.73 | — | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at December 31, 2015 | 10,391,915 | $ | 1.54 | 3.73 | — | |||||||||||
The weighted-average grant-date fair value of employee options granted during the year 2015 was $121,000 for 800,000 options at $0.15 per option, during the year 2014 was $230,000 for 1,264,284 options at $0.18 per option, and the year 2013 was $222,000 for 1,170,000 options at $0.19 per option.
| F-21 |
Unvested stock option activity for employees:
| Number of Options | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Average Remaining Contracted Term (Years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2012 | 516,373 | $ | 0.45 | 9.43 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 595,000 | 0.24 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Vested | (586,373 | ) | 0.38 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2013 | 525,000 | $ | 0.29 | 8.38 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 1,264,284 | 0.97 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Vested | (1,078,690 | ) | 0.38 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2014 | 710,594 | $ | 1.38 | 8.76 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 800,000 | 0.25 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Vested | (1,177,261 | ) | 0.92 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2015 | 333,333 | $ | 0.29 | 7.82 | — | |||||||||||
The weighted-average grant-date fair value of employee unvested stock options granted during the year 2015 was $51,000 for 333,333 options at $0.15 per option, during the year 2014 was $230,000 for 1,264,284 options at $0.18 per option, and during the year 2013 was $100,000 for 595,000options at $0.24 per option.
| F-22 |
Stock option activity for non-employees during the year:
| Number of Options | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Weighted Average Remaining Contracted Term (Years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2012 | 3,428,432 | $ | 1.73 | 4.71 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 850,000 | 0.56 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (150,000 | ) | 2.00 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2013 | 4,128,432 | $ | 1.48 | 5.01 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 50,000 | 2.60 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (378,432 | ) | 2.78 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2014 | 3,800,000 | $ | 1.36 | 4.75 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Forfeited | (497,000 | ) | 1.86 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2015 | 3,303,000 | $ | 1.29 | 4.31 | — | |||||||||||
| Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2015 | 3,303,000 | $ | 1.29 | 4.31 | — | |||||||||||
| Exercisable at December 31, 2015 | 3,303,000 | $ | 1.29 | 4.31 | — | |||||||||||
The weighted-average grant-date fair value of non-employee options granted during the year 2015 was zero, as no options were granted to non-employees in 2015, during the year 2014 was $5,000 for 50,000 options at $0.10 per option, and during the year 2013 was $131,000 for 850,000 options at $0.15 per option.
Unvested stock option activity for non-employees:
| Number of Options | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Weighted Average Remaining Contracted Term (Years) | Aggregate Intrinsic Value | |||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2012 | 210,422 | $ | 0.40 | 9.68 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 470,833 | 0.25 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Vested | (210,422 | ) | 0.40 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2013 | 470,833 | $ | 0.25 | 9.61 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | 50,000 | 2.60 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Vested | (487,500 | ) | 0.33 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2014 | 33,333 | $ | 2.60 | 9.08 | — | |||||||||||
| Granted | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Vested | (33,333 | ) | 2.60 | — | — | |||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Outstanding December 31, 2015 | — | $ | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| F-23 |
Stock-based compensation expense was approximately $181,000, $326,000 and $376,000 for the year ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively resulting in an increase in general and administrative expenses with no effect on earnings per share
As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, there was $199,000 and $259,000, respectively, of unrecognized stock-based compensation cost related to options granted under the Equity Incentive Plans. Stock-based compensation related to options granted under the Equity Incentive Plans will be recorded over the vesting period which is typically one year or upon reaching agreed upon company and/or individual performance milestones being met which is indefinite.
(ii) Stock Warrants
Stock warrants are issued as needed by the Board of Directors and have no formal plan.
The fair value of each warrant award is estimated on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes-Merton pricing option valuation model. Expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of the price of the Company’s stock. The risk-free interest rate is based on U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life of the warrant. The Company uses historical data to estimate expected dividend yield, life and forfeiture rates. The expected life of the warrants was estimated based on historical option holder’s behavior and represents the period of time that options are expected to be outstanding. There were 25,000 warrants granted during 2015 at $0.09 per Warrant.
Information regarding warrants outstanding and exercisable into shares of common stock is summarized below:
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Warrant Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Warrant Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | Shares | Warrant Price | Weighted Average Exercise Price | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, beginning of year | 11,128,246 | 0.51-2.00 | $ | 1.44 | 13,228,246 | 0.25-2.00 | $ | 1.26 | 2,399,058 | 0.25-2.00 | $ | 0.56 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Granted | 2,100,000 | 0.25-0.50 | $ | 0.33 | — | — | $ | — | 25,000 | 0.09 | $ | 0.09 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Forfeited | — | — | — | (10,829,188 | ) | 0.29-1.65 | 1.41 | (657,862 | ) | 0.51-1.55 | 0.77 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercised | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Outstanding, end of year | 13,228,246 | 0.25 –2.00 | $ | 1.26 | 2,399,058 | 0.25-2.00 | $ | 0.56 | 1,766,196 | 0.09-2.00 | $ | 0.48 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Exercisable | 11,328,246 | 0.50-2.00 | $ | 1.42 | 2,399,058 | 0.25-2.00 | $ | 0.56 | 1,766,196 | 0.09-2.00 | $ 0. 48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average remaining contractual life | 1.5 years | 4.8 years | 4.4 years | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years exercisable | 2014-2023 | 2014-2023 | 2017-2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| F-24 |
Stock warrants are issued at the discretion of the Board. In 2015, there were no warrants issued. Certain of the stock warrants outstanding are subject to adjustments for stock splits and dividends. No warrants were exercised during 2013, 2014 or 2015.
(e) Rights Offering
On November 19, 2002, the Board of Directors of the Company declared a dividend distribution of one Right for each outstanding share of Common Stock to stockholders of record at the close of business on November 29, 2002 (the "Record Date"). Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company a unit consisting of one one-hundredth of a share (a "Unit") of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the "Series A Preferred Stock") at a Purchase Price of $30.00 per Unit, subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the "Rights Agreement") between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent.
On November 2, 2012, the Company executed an Amended and Restated Rights Agreement amending and restating the November 19, 2002 Rights Agreement between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Rights Agent (as amended, the “Amended Rights Agreement”). The Amended Rights Agreement extends the term of the Rights Plan to November 18, 2017 and amends certain other provisions, as described in the Company’s Amended Registration Statement on Form 8-A/A, filed on November 2, 2012 (the “Amended Form 8-A”). The Amended Rights Plan entitles holders to buy one-hundredth unit of preferred stock for $30.00 and may be redeemed prior to November 19, 2017, the expiration date, at $0.001 per Right under certain circumstances. The Rights generally are not transferable apart from the common stock and will not be exercisable unless and until a person or group acquires or commences a tender or exchange offer to acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% or more of our common stock. However, for Dr. Carter, our Chief Executive Officer, who already beneficially owns approximately 3.50% of our common stock, the Rights Plan’s threshold will be 20%, instead of 15%.
| (8) | Segment and Related Information |
The Company operates in one segment, which performs research and development activities related to Ampligen® and other drugs under development, and sales and marketing of Alferon®. The Company’s revenues for the three-year period ended December 31, 2015, were earned in the United States.
The Company employs an insignificant amount of net property and equipment in its foreign operations.
| F-25 |
| (9) | Research, Consulting and Supply Agreements |
Since October 2005, the Company has engaged the Sage Group, Inc. (“Sage”), a health care, technology oriented, strategy and transaction advisory firm, to assist the Company in obtaining a strategic alliance in Japan for the use of Ampligen® in treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (“CFS”). On December 14, 2011, the Company agreed to a Second Amended Adviser’s Agreement for twenty-four months with Sage, effective June 15, 2011, that amends and supersedes all other agreements and arrangements between the parties. Further, this Agreement may be terminated by the Company for cause after the Company delivers written notice to Adviser of a failure to perform and such failure is not cured within fifteen (15) days. Sage will assist the Company to identify, qualify, negotiate and close one or more licensing, partnering, alliance or similar transactions pertaining to the Company’s products and technology including, but not limited to, any and all uses of Ampligen®, Alferon® and related intellectual property as well as acquisition of companies in whole or in part and the sale or the merger of Company (“Transactions”). In consideration for services performed or attributed to Sage resulting in Transactions, Sage is entitled to a monthly “Adviser’s Fee” of $20,000, a one-time distribution of 200,000 Options that vest proportionately over 18 months with an exercise price of 110% of the closing price of the Company Stock on the NYSE MKT on the closing price of the day preceding the execution date of the agreement plus preapproved expenses along with the potential for a “Success Fee” of five percent (5)% of all consideration that is capped at $5,000,000 per annum for Transactions introduced to the Company by Sage. A Transaction can occur during the Term of the agreement or 18 months thereafter. The Company incurred approximately $399,000, $278,000 and $337,000 in fees and expenses to Sage for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, pursuant to this and earlier agreements. The agreement expired and continued on a month to month basis until terminated on February 25, 2016.
On October 2, 2011, the Company finalized their Fourth Amendment to a Supply Agreement, effective through March 11, 2014, with Jubilant Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC of Spokane, Washington (“Hollister-Stier”), pursuant to which Hollister-Stier would formulate and package Ampligen® from the key raw materials that Hemispherx would supply to them. This Supply Agreement expired March 11, 2014. The Company is working towards an amendment to the existing Supply Agreement, which may contain additional fees as part of entering into the extension. In October 2014, we entered into a purchase commitment with Hollister-Stier for approximately $700,000 for the manufacture of clinical batches of Ampligen® and no fees were incurred for the years ended 2014 and 2015, respectively, pursuant to this agreement.
To formulate, fill, finish and package (“fill and finish”) Alferon N Injection® Drug Product, the Company requires a FDA approved third party Contract Manufacturing Organization (“CMO”). In January 2012, the Company agreed to a Technology, Transfer, Validation and Commercial Supply Agreement with Althea Technologies, Inc. (“Althea”) of San Diego, CA, regarding the fill and finish process for Alferon N Injection®. In November 2014, the Company entered into a purchase commitment with Althea for approximately $622,000 for the production of validation batches of Alferon® N Injection for emergency use and/or commercial sale. The Company has paid approximately $210,000 to Althea with regard to this open purchase commitment as of December 31, 2015 and has recorded this amount within work-in-process inventory.
| F-26 |
On September 6, 2011, The Company executed an amended agreement with Armada Healthcare, LLC (“Armada”) to undertake the marketing, education and sales of Alferon N Injection® throughout the United States. This agreement also provides start-up along with ongoing sales and marketing support to the Company. On July 31, 2015, it was mutually agreed upon to extend this agreement through August 14, 2017 subject to the same terms and conditions. The Company previously extended this agreement for the previous three years also under the same terms and conditions. The Company incurred no fees for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, pursuant to original and amended agreements.
On September 6, 2011, the Company executed a new agreement with specialty distributor, BioRidge Pharma, LLC (”BioRidge”) to warehouse, ship, and distribute Alferon N Injection® on an exclusive basis in support of U.S. sales. On July 31, 2015, it was mutually agreed upon to extend this agreement through August 14, 2017 subject to the same terms and conditions. The Company previously extended this agreement for the previous three years also under the same terms and conditions. The Company incurred approximately fees of $2,000, $21,000 and $21,000 for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, pursuant to the agreement.
On March 9, 2015, the Company executed an agreement with Emerge Health Pty Ltd. ("Emerge") to seek approval of Ampligen® for CFS in Australia and New Zealand and to commence distribution of Ampligen® in both countries on a named-patient basis, where deemed appropriate. The parties intend to collaborate on seeking regulatory approval from Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration ("TGA") and New Zealand's Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority ("Medsafe"). Under this five year exclusive license to sell, market, and distribute Ampligen in Australia and New Zealand to treat CFS, Emerge will implement regulatory-compliant programs to educate physicians about Ampligen® for CFS and seek orphan drug designation and approval of Ampligen® to treat CFS. Hemispherx will support these efforts and will supply Ampligen® at a predetermined transfer price. The Company has the right to buy out of the agreement at a price equal to three times Ampligen® sales for the preceding 12 months if exercised within the first two years or two times such sales if exercised after year three.
On August 3, 2015, the Company executed a multi-year agreement with Impatients, N.V. ("Impatients"), a Netherlands based company doing business as myTomorrows, for the commencement and management of an Early Access Program (“EAP”) in Europe, Turkey and Canada (the “Territory”) related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. MyTomorrows, as Hemispherx’ exclusive service provider and distributor in the Territory, will perform EAP activities. These activities will be directed to (a) the education of physicians and patients regarding the possibility of early access to innovative medical treatments not yet the subject of a Marketing Authorization (regulatory approval) through named-patient use, compassionate use, expanded access and hospital exemption (b) patient and physician outreach related to a patient-physician platform, (c) the securing of Early Access Approvals (exemptions and/or waivers required by regulatory authorities for medical treatments prior to Marketing Authorization) for the use of such treatments, (d) the distribution and sale of such treatments pursuant to such Early Access Approvals, (e) pharmacovigilance (drug safety) activities and/or (f) the collection of data such as patient-reported outcomes, doctor-reported experiences and registry data. Hemispherx will support these efforts and will supply Ampligen to myTomorrows at a predetermined transfer price. In the event that we receive Marketing Authorization in any country in the Territory, we will pay myTomorrows a royalty on products sold. The parties will establish a Joint Steering Committee composed of representatives of both parties to oversee the EAP. On October 16, 2015, the Company amended the agreement with Impatients to include Alferon N® as part of the EAP as well as the inclusion of Brazil, Columbia and Chile within the definition of Territory which may provide access to our natural alpha interferon for patients that have become intolerant to treatment with recombinant interferon or where such treatment fails. The Company may have the ability to sell work-in-process inventory comprising of approximately 1,200 vials of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3. We are currently working to potentially sell this inventory of clinical grade natural interferon Alpha-n3 through our Early Access Program ("EAP") in South America and Europe. In addition, the Company is reviewing the possibility of also selling the remaining work-in-process inventory through the EAP; however, this inventory has yet to go through the fill and finish process. The Company continues to test the stability characteristics of its products; the results of which are used to determine appropriate storage conditions and expiration dates. These tests are conducted routinely to extend the life of the product so long as the test results are positive. Negative results would result in discarding the product.
| F-27 |
On August 6, 2015, the Company executed an agreement with Emerge to seek approval of Alferon N Injection® in Australia and New Zealand and to commence distribution of Alferon® in both countries on a named-patient basis, for treating genital warts and other infections and diseases to which patients in Australia and New Zealand have become refractory to recombinant interferon. The Company and Emerge will collaborate on seeking regulatory approval from Australia’s TGA and New Zealand’s Medsafe. Under a five-year exclusive license to sell, market, and distribute Alferon N Injection® in Australia and New Zealand, Emerge will implement regulatory-compliant programs to educate physicians about Alferon®. The Company will support these efforts and will supply Alferon® at a predetermined transfer price. The Company has the right to buy out of the agreement at a price equal to three times Alferon® sales for the preceding 12 months if exercised within the first two years or two times such sales if exercised after year three.
The Company has entered into agreements for consulting services, which are performed at medical research institutions and by medical and clinical research individuals. The Company's obligation to fund these agreements can be terminated after the initial funding period, which generally ranges from one to three years or on an as-needed monthly basis. During the years ending December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company incurred approximately $1,668,000, $1,286,000 and $1,769,000, respectively, of consulting service fees under these agreements. These costs are charged to research and development expense as incurred.
| (10) | 401(k) Plan |
The Company has a defined contribution plan, entitled the Hemispherx Biopharma Employees 401(k) Plan and Trust Agreement (the “401(k) Plan”). Full time employees of the Company are eligible to participate in the 401(k) Plan following one year of employment. Subject to certain limitations imposed by federal tax laws, participants are eligible to contribute up to 15% of their salary (including bonuses and/or commissions) per annum. Participants' contributions to the 401(k) Plan may be matched by the Company at a rate determined annually by the Board of Directors.
| F-28 |
Each participant immediately vests in his or her deferred salary contributions, while Company contributions will vest over one year. A 6% Company matching contribution was established, effective as of January 1, 2010. For 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company contributions towards the 401(k) Plan were $167,000, $170,000 and $171,000 respectively.
| (11) | Royalties, License and Employment Agreements |
The Company had contractual agreements with Named Executive Officers ("Officers") in 2015, 2014 and 2013. The aggregate annual base compensation for these Officers under their respective contractual agreements for 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $2,259,000, $2,249,000 and $2,788,000 respectively. The 2013 officers’ compensation includes $238,000 of severance salary to the former CFO due to his resignation effective December 27, 2013. In addition, certain of these Officers were entitled to receive performance bonuses of up to 25% or 20% of their respective annual base salary, at the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. In 2015, 2014 and 2013, Officers’ bonuses of $0, $386,000 and $0 respectively were granted. Additionally, in November 2012, the Company’s Compensation Committee authorized bonuses per Section 3(c)(ii) of their respective Employment Agreements to Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels based on the contractual obligation and opinion of independent legal counsel of approximately $262,000, $641,000, and $12,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, to each Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels.
On November 23, 2015, Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels waived their rights under their respective employment agreements to any future payment of any incentive bonus related to the sale of the Company’s stock or other securities by, or on behalf of, the Company pursuant to the Maxim Equity Distribution Agreement or any similar or successor ATM equity distribution agreement. Dr. Carter and Mr. Equels voluntarily provided these waivers in an effort to preserve cash and to help the Company to ensure its short term commercialization goals.
On December 23, 2015, pursuant to a resolution of the Compensation Committee of our Board, we notified Dr. William A. Carter, our chairman of the board, chief executive officer and chief scientific officer, that we were not renewing his Amended and Restated Engagement Agreement dated June 11, 2010 (the “Agreement”). As a result, the Agreement terminated on December 31, 2015 per its terms. We have agreed to continue to pay Dr. Carter a base fee at the rate of $332,000 per year, payable monthly, for services that he renders to us as a consultant. We have the right to terminate these payments on 30 days’ written notice. Pursuant to the Agreement, Dr. Carter provided consulting services related to patent development. Dr. Carter’s employment agreement remains unchanged.
In 2015, equity was granted as a form of compensation to these Officers:
| • | Chief Executive Officer was granted 500,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.25 per share which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| F-29 |
| • | General Counsel was granted 300,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.25 per share which vest in entirety in one year. |
In 2014, equity was granted as a form of compensation to these Officers:
| • | Chief Executive Officer was granted 500,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.36 per share which vest in entirety in one year and 320,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $2.60 which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| • | General Counsel was granted 300,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.36 per share which vest in entirety in one year, and; |
In 2013, equity was granted as a form of compensation to these Officers:
| • | Chief Executive Officer was granted 500,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.31 per share which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| • | Chief Executive Officer was granted 150,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.25 per share which vest in entirety in one year; and |
| • | General Counsel was granted 300,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.31 per share which vest in entirety in one year, and; |
| • | General Counsel was granted 150,000 ten year options to purchase common stock at $0.25 per share which vest in entirety in one year. |
After reviewing the terms of our 2009 Equity Incentive Plan, the Company had issued to Dr. Carter in excess of the number of securities permitted under the Plan. The Plan permits a maximum of 3,000,000 shares covered by the Plan to be issued pursuant to Plan Awards to any one Plan Participant. While this limitation was imposed to comply with the requirements for the exception for qualified performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, none of the Awards granted to Dr. Carter were Section 162(m) qualified performance-based compensation. To rectify this issue, on December 8, 2015, Dr. Carter graciously returned to the Company a sufficient number of securities issued under the Plan to bring it back into compliance with the terms of the Plan. The Company has agreed in the future to consider some form of non-stock compensation to Dr. Carter for his return of these securities.
The Company recorded stock compensation expense of $121,000, $223,000 and $219,000, respectively, during the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 respectively with regard to these issuances.
| F-30 |
| (12) | Leases |
The Company has a non-cancelable escalating operating lease as amended, for the space in which its principal office is located. The term of the lease for the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania offices is currently through July 1, 2018. Approximate future minimum payments under these operating lease obligations are as follows:
| For The Years Ending | ||||
| December 31, | (In Thousands) | |||
| 2016 | 157 | |||
| 2017 | 161 | |||
| 2018 | 68 | |||
| Thereafter | — | |||
| $ | 386 | |||
Rent expense charged to operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 amounted to approximately $166,000, $163,000 and $183,000 respectively.
(13) Income Taxes (FASB ASC 740 Income Taxes)
The Company applies the provisions of FASB ASC 740-10 Uncertainty in Income Taxes. As a result of the implementation, there has been no material change to the Company’s tax position as they have not paid any corporate income taxes due to operating losses. All tax benefits will likely not be recognized due to the substantial net operating loss carryforwards which will most likely not be realized prior to expiration.
As of December 31, 2013, the Company has approximately $134,000,000 of federal net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2018 through 2033) available to offset future federal taxable income. The Company also has approximately $36,000,000 of Pennsylvania state net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2018 through 2033) and approximately $25,000,000 of New Jersey state net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2032 and 2033) available to offset future state taxable income. In February 2014, the Company effectively sold $13,900,000 of its New Jersey state net operating loss carryforward for the year 2012 for approximately $1,126,000.
As of December 31, 2014, the Company has approximately $151,000,000 of federal net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2018 through 2034) available to offset future federal taxable income. The Company also has approximately $36,000,000 of Pennsylvania state net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2018 through 2033) and approximately $28,000,000 of New Jersey state net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2033 and 2034) available to offset future state taxable income. In January 2015, the Company effectively sold $14,300,000 of its New Jersey state net operating loss carryforward for the year 2013 for approximately $1,374,000.
| F-31 |
As of December 31, 2015, the Company has approximately $166,000,000 of federal net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2018 through 2035) available to offset future federal taxable income. The Company also has approximately $36,000,000 of Pennsylvania state net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2018 through 2033) and approximately $29,000,000 of New Jersey state net operating loss carryforwards (expiring in the years 2034 and 2035) available to offset future state taxable income. In January 2016, the Company effectively sold $16,000,000 of its New Jersey state net operating loss carryforward for the year 2014 for approximately $1,320,000, and also sold New Jersey research and development credits for $241,000.
The utilization of certain state net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to annual limitations. With no tax due for the foreseeable future, the Company has determined that a policy to determine the accounting for interest or penalties related to the payment of tax is not necessary at this time.
Under the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the utilization of a corporation's net operating loss carryforward is limited following a greater than 50% change in ownership. Due to the Company's prior and current equity transactions, the Company's net operating loss carryforwards may be subject to an annual limitation generally determined by multiplying the value of the Company on the date of the ownership change by the federal long-term tax exempt rate. Any unused annual limitation may be carried forward to future years for the balance of the net operating loss carryforward period.
Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the carrying amounts used for income tax purposes. In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, Management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Due to the uncertainty of the Company's ability to realize the benefit of the deferred tax asset, the deferred tax assets are fully offset by a valuation allowance at December 31, 2015 and 2014.
The components of the net deferred tax asset of December 31, 2015 and 2014 consist of the following:
| (in thousands) | ||||||||
| Deferred tax assets: | December 31, | |||||||
| 2015 | 2014 | |||||||
| Net operating losses | $ | 56,300 | $ | 51,350 | ||||
| Amortization & depreciation | 88 | 60 | ||||||
| Research and development costs | 691 | 923 | ||||||
| Stock compensation | 62 | 111 | ||||||
| Total | 57,141 | 52,444 | ||||||
| Less: Valuation allowance | (57,141 | ) | (52,444 | ) | ||||
| Balance | — | — | ||||||
| F-32 |
| (14) | Contingencies |
| (a) | Stephanie A. Frater v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, David Strayer and Wayne Pambianchi, U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Case No. 2:12-cv-07152-WY. |
| (b) | Mark Zicherman v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Iraj E. Kiani, William M. Mitchell, Richard C. Piani, David Strayer and Charles T. Bernhardt, U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Case No. 2:13-cv-00243-WY. |
| (c) | Michael Desclos v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Charles T. Bernhardt, Thomas K. Equels, David R. Strayer, Richard C. Piani, William M. Mitchell, and Iraj E. Kiani, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, March 2013 Term, No. 110. |
| (d) | Richard J. Sussman and Douglas T. Lowe v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Charles T. Bernhardt, Thomas K. Equels, David R. Strayer, Richard C. Piani, William M. Mitchell, and Iraj E. Kiani, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, April 2013 Term, No. 3458. |
| (e) | Rena A. Kastis and James E. Conroy v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Richard C. Piani, William M. Mitchell, Iraj E. Kiani and Robert E Peterson, Chancery Court of the State of Delaware, June 18, 2013, Case No. 8657. |
| (f) | Charles T. Bernhardt III v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., Dr. William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Esquire, Dr. Iraj Eqhbal Kiani, Dr. William M. Mitchell and Peter W. Rodino; Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Philadelphia, PA; Case: February Term, 2014 No. 000784. |
| (g) | Cato Capital, LLC v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Case No. 9-549-GMS. |
| (h) | William A. Carter v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida February 19, 2016 Case No. 1:16-cv-20597. |
| F-33 |
(a) On December 21, 2012, a putative Federal Securities Class Action Complaint was filed against the Company and three of its Officers in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This action, Stephanie A. Frater v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., was purportedly brought on behalf of a putative class of Hemispherx investors who purchased the Company's publicly traded securities between March 14, 2012 and December 17, 2012. The Complaint generally asserted that Defendants made material misrepresentations and omissions regarding the status of the Company's New Drug Application for Ampligen®, which had been filed with the United States Food and Drug Administration, in alleged violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”), Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, and Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act. On March 14, 2013, the Court appointed Hemispherx Investor Group as Lead Plaintiff pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), 15 U.S.C. § 78u-4. Pursuant to the Court's March 29, 2013 scheduling order, Lead Plaintiff filed a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint (“Amended Complaint”) on May 20, 2013, and in its Amended Complaint, dropped Thomas K. Equels and Charles T. Bernhardt as Defendants and added David R. Strayer, M.D. and Wayne Pambianchi as Defendants. The Amended Complaint alleges an expanded Class Period of March 14, 2012 to December 20, 2012, which period encompasses statements made in the Company's 2011 Form 10-K filed on March 14, 2012, and at the FDA Advisory Committee Meeting on December 20, 2012. On July 19, 2013, Defendants filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint. Lead Plaintiff filed its brief in opposition to Defendants' motion to dismiss is September 17, 2013, and Defendants filed their reply brief on October 17, 2013. On January 24, 2014, the court entered an order denying defendants' motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint, and on February 20, 2014, entered a scheduling order imposing, inter alia, a March 31, 2015 deadline for completion of all fact discovery. On February 25, 2014, defendants filed an answer and affirmative defenses to the Amended Compliant. Also on February 25, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. After conducting significant fact discovery, the parties reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims on December 31, 2014. However, the settlement is subject to the Court's issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties' settlement agreement in all material respects. On March 11, 2015, the parties filed a joint motion with the Court seeking an order, inter alia, granting preliminary approval of their settlement agreement, preliminarily certifying a class for settlement purposes, and setting a date for a final settlement hearing. On April 8, 2015, the Court granted the parties’ joint motion, and entered an Order preliminarily approving the parties’ settlement, preliminarily certifying a class for settlement purposes, directing issuance of notice, and scheduling the final approval hearing for July 22, 2015. On July 22, 2015, the Court held the final approval hearing to determine whether the parties’ settlement is fair, reasonable, adequate and should be approved, and on the same date entered an Order granting final approval of the parties’ settlement. No Company funds were used to pay the settlement, which was paid from the Company’s insurance coverage. The settlement did not contain any admission of fault or wrongdoing by Hemispherx or any of the individual defendants. No appeal was filed.
(b) On January 15, 2013, a Shareholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Purporting to assert claims on behalf of the Company, the Complaint in this action, Mark Zicherman v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges violations of state law, including breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, arising from the alleged federal securities violations asserted in the securities class action. On February 22, 2013, the Court entered an order temporarily staying this case pending the outcome of the securities class action defendants' motion to dismiss that action. On July 3, 2013, Plaintiff filed an Amended Complaint, adding David R. Strayer, M.D., as a Defendant. On July 18, 2013, the Court entered an order staying the case as against Dr. Strayer pending the outcome of the motion to dismiss the securities class action. On January 24, 2014, the Court denied the defendants' motion to dismiss the securities class action. On March 26, 2014, the Court entered an order to continue the temporary stay, and on March 27, 2014, the Court entered an order placing the action in the Civil Suspense File. On April 11, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. On January 28, 2015, on request of the parties, the Court entered an Order continuing the temporary stay, subject to the requirement that the parties submit an updated joint status report within ten days of the court’s entry of an order granting or denying the securities class action parties’ motion for preliminary approval of their settlement agreement. On or about January 13, 2016, the parties agreed to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. On February 11, 2016, the parties engaged in a mediation and, at that mediation, reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims. After it is finalized and executed, the parties’ settlement agreement will be subject to the Court’s issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ agreement in all material respects.
| F-34 |
(c) On March 4, 2013, a Shareholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Purporting to assert claims on behalf of the Company, the Complaint in this action, Michael Desclos v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges violations of state law, including breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, arising from the alleged federal securities violations asserted in the securities class action. On April 10, 2013, the Court entered an order temporarily staying this case pending the outcome of the securities class action defendants' motion to dismiss that action. On January 24, 2013, the court in the federal securities class action denied the defendants' motion to dismiss. On January 29, 2014, the court entered an order consolidating this action with the shareholder derivative action, Richard J. Sussman and Douglas T. Lowe v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., described below. On March 26, 2014, the Court entered an order to continue the temporary stay. On June 9, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. On or about January 13, 2016, the parties agreed to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. On February 11, 2016, the parties engaged in a mediation and, at that mediation, reached an agreement in principle to settle all claims. After it is finalized and executed, the parties’ settlement agreement will be subject to the Court’s issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ agreement in all material respects.
(d) On April 23, 2013, a Shareholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. Purporting to assert claims on behalf of the Company, the Complaint in this action, Richard J. Sussman and Douglas T. Lowe v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges violations of state law, including breaches of fiduciary duties, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets, and unjust enrichment, arising from the alleged federal securities violations asserted in the securities class action. On May 10, 2013, the Court entered an order staying this case pending the outcome of the ruling on the Federal Securities Class Action Defendants' motion to dismiss. On January 24, 2014, the court in the federal securities class action denied the defendants' motion to dismiss. On January 29, 2014, the Court entered an order consolidating this action with the shareholder derivative action, Michael Desclos v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., described above. On March 26, 2014, the Court entered an order to continue the temporary stay. On June 9, 2014, the Court entered a Stipulated Protective Order, which will govern all confidential documents produced in discovery. On or about January 13, 2016, the parties agreed to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. On February 11, 2016, the parties engaged in a mediation and, at that mediation, reached an agreement to settle all claims. After it is finalized and executed, the parties’ settlement agreement will be subject to the Court’s issuance of an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ agreement in all material respects.
| F-35 |
(e) On June 18, 2013, a Stockholder Derivative Complaint was filed against the Company, as nominal defendant, and certain of its current and former Officers and Directors in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware. The Complaint in this action, Rena A. Kastis and James E. Conroy v. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc., et al., alleges breaches of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment. The Company's Board of Directors appointed a Special Litigation Committee (“SLC”) to review the allegations set forth in the Complaint. On September 10, 2013, the Court entered a Stipulation and Order staying all proceedings in this action pending the SLC’s review and recommendation concerning the allegations contained in the Complaint. On December 20, 2013, the SLC issued its Report, in which it concluded that dismissing the Complaint would be in the best interests of Hemispherx and its stockholders. On January 20, 2014, the SLC moved to dismiss the Complaint. Following briefing and oral argument on the motion to dismiss, the Court denied the SLC’s motion on August 18, 2015, but did dismiss the claims against former officer Robert E. Peterson. On October 13, 2015, Plaintiffs filed a Verified Amended Derivative and Class Action Complaint, asserting additional claims for breach of fiduciary duty against Board member Peter W. Rodino, declaratory judgment with respect to certain bonuses paid to officers of the Company, and a class action claim for breach of fiduciary duty against the current Board in connection with the solicitation of votes in advance of the Company’s 2015 annual meeting. The Amended Complaint also removed all of the dismissed claims against Mr. Peterson. The Company and all individual defendants except former Board member Richard C. Piani answered the Amended Compliant on November 19, 2015. The Court entered a scheduling order on December 2, 2015, and the Company anticipates discovery will continue through the second quarter of 2016. On January 5, 2016, the parties agreed to suspend all litigation for 60 days and to attempt to resolve the action through mediation. The parties engaged in a mediation on February 10, 2016, and although no resolution was reached within the 60 days, the parties continue to negotiate with the hope of reaching a settlement.
The Company believes that the claims asserted in the shareholder derivative litigation are without merit, and is vigorously defending these actions. While the Company also believes that the claims asserted in the securities litigation are without merit, the Company has reached a settlement agreement in principle that is satisfactory to the Company. If the Court does not issue an order finally approving the terms of the parties’ settlement agreement in all material respects, however, the Company intends to resume its vigorous defense of the securities litigation. The potential impact of these actions, which seek unspecified damages, equitable relief, attorneys' fees and expenses, is uncertain. There can be no assurance that an adverse result in these proceedings would not have a potentially material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition.
| F-36 |
(f) On February 7, 2014, Charles T. Bernhardt III (“Bernhardt”) filed a Complaint in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas asserting that under an employment agreement dated December 6, 2011, the Company currently owes Bernhardt certain wages, fringe benefits and severance payments by reason of his resignation from employment as Chief Financial Officer of the Company. The claims against the Company as set forth in the Second Amended Complaint include breach of contract, violation of the Pennsylvania Wage Protection Collection Law (“WPCL”) and anticipatory breach of the employment agreement. The suit also asserts claims against Dr. William A. Carter, Thomas K. Equels, Esquire, Dr. Iraj Eqhbal Kiani, Dr. William M. Mitchell and Peter W. Rodino, in their capacity as corporate officers and/or directors of the Company, for violation of the WPCL and for anticipatory breach of the employment agreement. In addition to compensatory damages of $275,824.09 on all counts, Bernhardt’s claim also includes a demand for attorneys’ fees and liquidated damages under the WPCL. The Company and individual defendants have filed an Answer, New Matter and Counterclaims. On February 11, 2015 the Company and individual defendants filed First Amended Answer, New Matter and Counterclaims which assert claims for Injurious Falsehood/Corporate Disparagement, Defamation, Replevin, Conversion, Common Law Trademark Infringement, Demand for Permanent Injunction Based on Conversion, and Demand for Permanent Injunction based on Common Law Trademark Infringement. On March 17, 2015, Bernhardt responded to the Company’s claim. In October 2015, all parties to the suit agreed to a full and final settlement of the action. Negotiations of the terms of the settlement agreement have been concluded, and said agreement is currently in circulation for execution by all parties as a prerequisite to the formal dismissal of the court action. Under the terms of said agreement, the Parties have agreed to a full and amicable resolution of all claims.
(g) Cato Capital, LLC ("Cato") brought suit against the Company on July 31, 2009, in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the "Court"), alleging that under a November 2008 agreement between Cato and Hemispherx, Hemispherx owes Cato a placement fee arising from subsequent Hemispherx financing and investment transactions. Hemispherx disputed these allegations, asserting that Cato failed to comply with the provisions of its own contract. The Amended Complaint sought damages in the amount of $9,830,000.00 plus attorneys' fees and punitive damages. Pursuant to an indemnification responsibility, Hemispherx has also retained this firm to undertake the defense of the Sage Group.
The Parties had a Non-Jury trial on March 4, 5 and 6, 2013 before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. On September 29, 2014, the Court found in favor of Hemispherx and Sage on all counts, and dismissed Cato’s claims in their entirety. On January 13, 2015, the Court granted the Company’s motion for attorney’s fees and costs and awarded the Company $770,852.76.
On October 24, 2014, Cato filed a notice of appeal of the Court’s September 29, 2014 decision in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (the “Third Circuit”). On March 3, 2015, Cato filed its Brief in the Third Circuit. The Company’s Brief in Response was filed on April 6, 2015, with a Reply Brief by Cato filed on April 19, 2015. The Court of Appeals conducted Oral Argument on July 16, 2015. On August 21, 2015 the Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the District Court. On September 9, 2015 Cato sought reconsideration of the decision through re-argument or re-hearing by the en banc Court of Appeals. On September 17, 2015 the Court of Appeals denied Cato’s requests. On October 1, 2015 Hemispherx filed for additional costs and fees to be added to its existing judgment. The Court has not yet ruled on that request. The mandate has been returned to the District Court for additional proceedings arising from Hemispherx’ judgment. Hemispherx is pursuing collection of the amount of $770,852.76 together with additional attorney fees and costs which may be awarded by the Court.
| F-37 |
(h) On February 19, 2016, a complaint was filed against the Company by William A. Carter in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Complaint seeks damages against the Company for the alleged wrongful termination of the Plaintiff, the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to an Engagement Agreement and an Employment Agreement, breach of each such agreement, and for unpaid wages and unlawful retaliation. The Complaint was served on February 26, 2016. The Response is due on March 17, 2016. A scheduling order was entered by the Court on February 25, 2016, setting the deadline for the submission of a Joint Scheduling Report and a Joint Proposed Scheduling Order within twenty (20) days of the appearance of the Defendant. No other orders have been entered by the Court. The Company believes that the claims asserted in the Complaint are without merit, and intends to vigorously defending these actions.
Summation.
In reference to Contingencies identified above, there can be no assurance that an adverse result in these proceedings would not have a potentially material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. The Company believes it has meritorious defenses and is vigorously defending against the claims identified in Contingency (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (h). There is currently no projection as to the likely outcome of the cases and the Company has not recorded any gain or loss contingencies as a result of the above matters for the year ended December 31, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014. Also, with regards to Contingency (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e), the Company maintains a Directors and Officers Insurance Policy that provides coverage for claims and retention of legal counsel.
| (15) | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions |
The Company has employment agreements with certain of their Executive Officers and has granted such officers and directors options and warrants to purchase their common stock. Please see details of these Employment Agreements in Note 11 - Royalties, License and Employment Agreements.
For his Board fees, Dr. William A. Carter, Hemispherx’ Chief Executive Officer, received approximately $182,000, $182,000 and $180,000 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, classified as general and administrative expense. Dr. Carter also received consulting fees of approximately $332,000, $415,000 and $327,000 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, classified as research and development expense. For the years ended 2015, 2014 and 2013, compensation was granted or paid related to the Executive Performance Incentive Program related to the ATM, as set forth in Section 3(c)(ii) of his Employment Agreement, for approximately $262,000, $641,000, and $12,000 to Dr. Carter. Dr. Carter's compensation related to this program was classified entirely as research and development.
| F-38 |
In 2012, William Kramer was hired as a Clinical Research Associate. Mr. Kramer is the Son-In-Law of Dr. William A. Carter, and was paid approximately $0, $68,000 and $70,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Additionally, on an as-needed basis and included within the amounts above, the Company utilized the services of Kramer Environmental Management, Inc. to develop standard operating procedures, compliance assessments, testing and obtain permits related to environmental issues.
Katalin Kovari, M.D. was paid approximately $26,000, $27,000 and $26,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively for her part-time services to the Company as Assistant Medical Director. Dr. Kovari is the spouse of William A. Carter, CEO.
Since 2011, Peter Kovari was utilized as a part-time independent contractor for Hemispherx Biopharma Europe to undertake projects as a Clinical Programmer. Mr. Kovari is the nephew of Dr. Katalin Kovari and was paid approximately $11,000, $18,000 and $22,000 in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Thomas Equels was elected to the Board of Directors at the Annual Stockholders Meeting on November 17, 2008 and joined the Company as General Counsel effective June 1, 2010. Mr. Equels had provided external legal services for several years through May 31, 2010 and Equels Law Firm continues to support the Company. In 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company paid Equels Law Firm approximately $42,000, $303,000 and $181,000, respectively, for services rendered. Upon analysis in the Fall of 2011 by the Audit Committee’s Financial Expert, it was deemed that the hourly rates charged by Equels Law to the Company were reasonable when compared to the fee structure of a possible arms-length transaction from comparable firms in practice in the same market and of the similar size. The hourly rate fees from Equels Law Firm remained the same for 2013, 2014 and 2015. For his Board fees, Mr. Equels received approximately $182,000, $182,000 and $180,000 for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. In December 2012, with the approval of the Audit Committee, the Company began renting an office at Equels Law Firm for $3,000 per month for dedication to and utilization by Hemispherx personnel, other than Mr. Equels. For 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company paid Equels Law Firm $0, $0 and $36,000, respectfully, for office rent based on a proration of the Firm’s current leasing fee less the cost for common area.
For the years ended 2015, 2014 and 2013, compensation was granted or paid related to the Executive Performance Incentive Program related to the ATM, as set forth in Section 3(c)(ii) of his Employment Agreement, for approximately $262,000, $641,000, and $12,000 to Mr. Equels. Mr. Equels' compensation related to this program was classified entirely as general and administrative expense.
| (16) | Concentrations of Credit Risk |
Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash, cash equivalents, investments and accounts receivable. The Company places its cash with high-quality financial institutions and, at times, such amounts in non-interest bearing accounts may be in excess of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance limits. There was no credit based sales for 2015, 2014 or 2013.
| F-39 |
| (17) | Fair Value |
The Company is required under GAAP to disclose information about the fair value of all the Company’s financial instruments, whether or not these instruments are measured at fair value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.
The Company estimates that the fair values of cash and cash equivalents, other assets, accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their carrying values due to the short-term maturities of these items. The Company also has certain warrants with a cash settlement feature in the unlikely occurrence of a Fundamental Transaction. The fair value recalculation of the Liability resulting from the issuance of the Warrants ("Call") and existence of the Fundamental Transaction ("Put") related to the May 2009 issuance, are calculated using a Monte Carlo Simulation. While the Monte Carlo Simulation is one of a number of possible pricing models, the Company has determined it to be industry accepted and fairly presented the Fair Value of the Warrants. As an additional factor to determine the Fair Value of the Put's Liability, the occurrence probability of a Fundamental Transaction event was factored into the valuation.
The Company recomputed the fair value of the Warrants at the end of each quarterly reporting period. Such value computation includes subjective input assumptions that are consistently applied each period. If the Company were to alter its assumptions or the numbers input based on such assumptions, the resulting fair value could be materially different. The Warrants expired during 2014.
The Company applies FASB ASC 820 (formerly Statement No. 157 Fair Value Measurements) that defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. The guidance does not impose any new requirements around which assets and liabilities are to be measured at fair value, and instead applies to asset and liability balances required or permitted to be measured at fair value under existing accounting pronouncements. The Company measures its warrant liability for those warrants with a cash settlement feature at fair value.
FASB ASC 820-10-35-37 (formerly SFAS No. 157) establishes a valuation hierarchy based on the transparency of inputs used in the valuation of an asset or liability. Classification is based on the lowest level of inputs that is significant to the fair value measurement. The valuation hierarchy contains three levels:
| • | Level 1 – Quoted prices are available in active markets for identical assets or liabilities at the reporting date. Generally, this includes debt and equity securities that are traded in an active market. |
| • | Level 2 – Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quote prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Generally, this includes debt and equity securities that are not traded in an active market. |
| F-40 |
| • | Level 3 – Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted cash flow methodologies, or other valuation techniques, as well as instruments for which the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation. As of December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company has classified the warrants with cash settlement features as Level 3. Management evaluates a variety of inputs and then estimates fair value based on those inputs. As discussed above, the Company utilized the Monte Carlo Simulation Model in valuing these warrants. |
The table below presents the balances of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis by level within the hierarchy as:
| (in thousands) As of December 31, 2015 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |||||||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
| Marketable Securities | $ | 6,795 | $ | 6,795 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 6,795 | $ | 6,795 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
| (in thousands) As of December 31, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |||||||||||||
| Assets: | ||||||||||||||||
| Marketable Securities | $ | 13,952 | $ | 13,952 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
| Liabilities: | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | $ | 13,952 | $ | 13,952 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
The changes in Level 3 Liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized as follows:
| 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Balance at January 1 | $ | — | $ | 14 | $ | 295 | ||||||
| Fair value adjustments | — | (14 | ) | (281 | ) | |||||||
| Balance at December 31 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 14 | ||||||
| (18) | Subsequent Events |
The Company evaluated subsequent events through the date on which these financial statements were issued.
| F-41 |
In January 2016, there was a sale of the 2014 New Jersey state net operating loss for approximately $1,561,000 as disclosed in Note 13 Income Taxes (FASB ASC 740 Income Taxes)
A flood occurred on the afternoon of January 5, 2016, caused by a malfunctioning water supply pipe for the sprinkler system covering a large amount of the cleanroom in stagnant water and silt from the sprinkler system. The Company’s newly upgraded Alferon® facility in New Brunswick, NJ., will be constrained in its ability to manufacture product in the near future due to a flood in the upstream processing cleanroom that contains the bioreactor. Fortunately, the emergency systems that were/are in place did work, alerting its personnel and the local Fire Department that the pressure in the sprinkler system had dropped. Once the Fire Department deemed the facility safe to enter, the Company immediately alerted its insurance company and contracted a Damage Mitigation company to minimize the loss. The Company is currently working with equipment manufacturers, construction trades and vendors to assess the damage and curtail the amount of downtime to continue work need to complete the FDA Pre-Approval-Inspection. The Company will provide further updates on the situation and timelines to produce commercial Alferon®, once the damaged has been mitigated and the cleanroom has been re-validated to manufacture Alferon®. The Company will focus on the Early Access Program and clinical sales during this hiatus, as, it believes, the damage should not impede such sales.
On February 17, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company, by majority vote, terminated the employment of Dr. Carter, our Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer. As a result, Dr. Carter also is no longer a director. Dr. Mitchell was named Chairman of the Board. In recent months, the Company has been reexamining its fundamental priorities in terms of direction, corporate culture and its ability to fund operations.
On February 19, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company also made several changes to its executive management team in light of the termination of Dr. Carter, to provide effective and competent leadership that will properly position the Company to achieve its commercial goals and increase stockholder value. In this regard, Adam Pascale has been named Chief Financial Officer in addition to his current responsibilities as Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Pascale has been employed with Company for 18 years, with more than two decades of public accounting experience and prior public company experience. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and Finance from Rutgers University. Mr. Pascale served for several years as a CPA prior to joining the Company, and is a member of both the American and the Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Equels, President of the Company, resigned as Chief Financial Officer to make way for Mr. Pascale.
On February 19, 2016, a complaint was filed against the Company by William A. Carter in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Complaint seeks damages against the Company for the alleged wrongful termination of the Plaintiff, the former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, pursuant to an Engagement Agreement and an Employment Agreement, breach of each such agreement, and for unpaid wages and unlawful retaliation. The Complaint was served on February 26, 2016. The Response is due on March 17, 2016. A scheduling order was entered by the Court on February 25, 2016, setting the deadline for the submission of a Joint Scheduling Report and a Joint Proposed Scheduling Order within twenty (20) days of the appearance of the Defendant. No other orders have been entered by the Court.
| F-42 |
On February 25, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company appointed Thomas K. Equels, the current President of the Company, as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. In that capacity, he is the principal executive officer of the Company.
| F-43 |